The Borough of Bedford is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Its council is based in Bedford, its namesake and principal settlement, which is the county town of Bedfordshire. The borough contains one large urban area, the 71st largest in the United Kingdom that comprises Bedford and the adjacent town of Kempston, surrounded by a rural area with many villages. 75% of the borough's population live in the Bedford Urban Area and the five large villages which surround it, which makes up slightly less than 6% of the total land area of the Borough.

The borough is also the location of the Wixams new town development, which received its first residents in 2009.

History
The ancient borough of Bedford was a borough by prescription, with its original date of incorporation unknown. The earliest surviving charter was issued c. 1166 by Henry II, confirming to the borough the liberties and customs which it had held in the reign of Henry I. The borough became a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835.

The District of Bedford was formed on 1 April 1974 as a merger of the existing borough of Bedford, along with Kempston Urban District and Bedford Rural District. In 1975 the district was granted a royal charter granting borough status as North Bedfordshire. The borough changed its name back from North Bedfordshire to Bedford in 1992.

Bedfordshire's administrative structure was reorganised as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, meaning that Bedford Borough Council became a unitary authority in April 2009. Bedford Borough Council assumed responsibility in areas such as education, social services and transport which were previously provided by Bedfordshire County Council.

Governance

The council is based at Borough Hall on Cauldwell Street on the banks of the River Great Ouse in the centre of Bedford. The building was previously known as County Hall and had been the headquarters of Bedfordshire County Council prior to 2009.

Parishes

Most of the area of the pre-1974 municipal borough of Bedford is unparished, although the parish of Brickhill was created within that area in 2004. The rest of the modern borough, including Kempston, is parished. The parishes are:

Biddenham
Bletsoe
Bolnhurst and Keysoe
Brickhill
Bromham
Cardington
Carlton and Chellington
Clapham
Colmworth
Cople
Cotton End
Dean and Shelton
Elstow
Felmersham
Great Barford
Great Denham
Harrold
Kempston
Kempston Rural
Knotting and Souldrop
Little Barford
Little Staughton
Melchbourne and Yielden
Milton Ernest
Oakley
Odell
Pavenham
Pertenhall
Podington
Ravensden
Renhold
Riseley
Roxton
Sharnbrook
Shortstown
Stagsden
Staploe
Stevington
Stewartby
Swineshead
Thurleigh
Turvey
Wilden
Willington
Wilshamstead
Wixams
Wootton
Wyboston, Chawston and Colesden
Wymington

Freedom of the Borough
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Bedford.

Individuals
 Etienne Stott: 11 December 2012.

Military Units
 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment: November 1955
 RAF Cardington: 16 July 1959.
 287 Regiment Royal Artillery: 5 May 1963.  
 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment: 1980.
 201 (Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Yeomanry) Battery Royal Artillery (Volunteers): 3 May 1986.
 RAF Henlow: 26 September 1992.
 774th USAF Airbase Group: 15 December 1994.
 134 (Bedford) Squadron Air Training Corps: 1 August 1999.

See also
 List of places in Bedfordshire
 St Paul's Church, Bedford

References

External links

 
Local government districts of Bedfordshire
Local government in Bedfordshire
Unitary authority districts of England
English unitary authorities created in 2009
Boroughs in England