Editing Bedford (section)

==Governance==
[[File:Old Town Hall, Bedford.jpg|thumb|left|[[Old Town Hall, Bedford]]]]
The contiguous Bedford built-up area forms the largest settlement in the wider [[Borough of Bedford]]. The borough council is led by a [[Elected mayors in the United Kingdom|directly elected mayor]] who holds the title 'Mayor of Bedford', an office which was first held by [[Frank Branston]], until his death in 2009. The current mayor of Bedford is Tom Wootton<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bedford.gov.uk/your-council/councillors-and-senior-staff/mayor-bedford-borough | title=Mayor of Bedford Borough &#124; Bedford Borough Council }}</ref> from the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]].

The Bedford built-up area is divided into 10 [[Wards of the United Kingdom|wards]] for elections to the Borough Council:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bbcpro-portal.microsoftcrmportals.com/council-and-democracy/elections-and-voting/review-of-polling-districts-and-places/ward-and-polling-district-maps/|title=Wards and polling district maps|access-date=3 December 2023|work=Bedford Borough Council}}</ref> [[Brickhill]], [[Castle, Bedford|Castle]], [[Cauldwell, Bedfordshire|Cauldwell]], [[De Parys]], [[Goldington]], [[Harpur]], [[Kingsbrook, Bedford|Kingsbrook]], [[Newnham, Bedfordshire|Newnham]], [[Putnoe]], [[Queens Park, Bedford|Queens Park]], [[Kempston East]] and [[Kempston West]]. Within the Bedford urban area, only Brickhill,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://brickhillparishcouncil.gov.uk/|title=Brickhill Parish Council - Supporting the Community|access-date=3 December 2023|work=Brickhill Parish Council}}</ref> Biddenham<ref>{{cite web|url=https://biddenham.org.uk/|title=Biddenham Parish Council|access-date=3 December 2023}}</ref> and Kempston<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kempston-tc.gov.uk/|title=Kempston Town Council|access-date=3 December 2023}}</ref> elect their own [[Parish councils in England|parish council]]s, while the rest (and majority) of the built-up area is unparished. Kempston is the only civil parish in both the built-up area and Borough of Bedford which has a [[town council]].

Bedford is served by [[Bedfordshire Police]] The Chief Constable since January 2023 is Trevor Rodenhurst. The elected [[Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner]] of that force is [[John Tizard]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections 2024 |url=https://m.luton.gov.uk/Page/Show/Council_government_and_democracy/Local-democracy/voting-and-elections/previous-elections/pcc/Pages/pcc-elections-2024.aspx |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=m.luton.gov.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bedfordshire PCC: Labour beats Conservative Festus Akinbusoye |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd1vmld34w4o |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Bedford forms part of the [[Bedford (UK Parliament constituency)|Bedford constituency]], represented in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|United Kingdom Parliament]]. The current Member of Parliament (MP) for Bedford is [[Mohammad Yasin (politician)|Mohammad Yasin]], who is a member of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]].