[spreaker type=player resource="episode_id=15829357" width="100%" height="200px" theme="light" playlist="false" playlist-continuous="false" autoplay="false" live-autoplay="false" chapters-image="true" episode-image-position="right" hide-logo="false" hide-likes="false" hide-comments="false" hide-sharing="false" ]
Click on the 'play button' to hear the podcast

Dave Hodgson MBE is the directly elected mayor of the Borough of Bedford

Bedford Borough Council is one of only 14 Councils in the country to have a directly elected mayor. These elected mayors have wide decision making powers. Mayor Hodgson is the political leader of the Council and the Borough’s First Citizen.

Together with the Councillors he has appointed to his Executive, Mayor Hodgson is responsible for over 1200 council services.

Mayor Hodgson has been elected as mayor three times. The first time was after a by-election following the death of previous mayor, Frank Branston in 2009.

He has been a part of the council since 2002 when he was successful in running in the Kingsbrook Ward. He became the Liberal Democrat group leader after the 2009 local elections.

This public service experience has helped him in his role, but in this podcast with the Cranfield and Marston Vale Chronicle he does admit that one question caught him out on his first day.

Mayor Hodgson also talks about his busy diary (it’s a Monday to Sunday job), and says that the River Festival is one of his favourite events.