Bedford Borough Council is holding two virtual meetings to hear views from residents and businesses on what they wish to see in the Council’s respon

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This consultation covers a number of different areas including route  alignment into, through and out of Bedford Borough, stations and level  crossings.
 
During the meeting, there will be a presentation and a question and answer  session with Mayor Dave Hodgson, Councillor Michael Headley and the Chief  Officer for Planning and Infrastructure Development at the Council on what  attendees believe should be in the Council’s response.
  
These meetings will take place on Wednesday 12 May from 12pm- 2pm and  Thursday 13 May from 6.30pm-8.30pm.
  
Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions these meetings will be held virtually  via the Council’s virtual committee meeting system and they will be streamed  live on YouTube.
  
Due to the nature of virtual meetings, questions and comments will need to be  submitted in advance of the meeting- via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. All questions and comments will need to be submitted by 8am on Friday 7 May.     
 
Due to the level of interest anticipated, it is unlikely that everyone that  submits a question will be able to take part. All the questions and comments  received by the deadline will be collated and a selection of people will be  invited to speak at the meeting, with a time limit of three minutes each, to  ensure as many points are covered as possible, in an organised and efficient  way.
 
Any questions that aren’t addressed due to time restrictions will receive a  written response.
 
People watching live on YouTube will also be able to submit comments  via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and  via our dedicated online form at www.bedford.gov.uk/eastwestrailconsultation
 
The virtual meetings will not form a consultation response in themselves but  will be a listening exercise on behalf of the Council. To have your say in  the East West Rail consultation, residents, businesses and interested parties  must reply directly to the East West Rail Company and this can be done  via www.eastwestrail.co.uk

We  are hosting these public meetings to help ensure that we hear residents’  voices on what they would like to see in our consultation response to this  East West Rail Company consultation.
 
Please submit your questions and comments, and watch the meetings to find out  more about our emerging thoughts on this crucial issue for the future of  Bedford Borough.  
 

These public meetings are not a replacement for the consultation being run by  the East West Rail Company or a way to have your say in the consultation itself,  but a listening exercise for the Council as we put our consultation response  together.
 
Please visit www.eastwestrail.co.uk to  attend their public events to find out more information about the proposals  and have your say directly to the East West Rail Company.
 
If you are not able to attend the meeting, there is also a form available on  the Council website where you can let the Council know your views at www.bedford.gov.uk/eastwestrailconsultation
 
As with the public meetings, this form is not a way of responding to the  consultation. To reply to the East West Rail Company’s consultation please visit www.eastwestrail.co.uk

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