BREAKING NEWS: Lib Dem Dave Hodgson is the new Mayor of Bedford

The Liberal Democrat candidate received a total of 13,555 votes making him the next Mayor of Bedford.

He beat the Conservative candidate Parvez Akhtar by around 2,000 votes in the second round of the count.

None of the candidates won 50 per cent of the votes in the first count for the next Mayor of Bedford.

Conservative candidate Parvez Akhtar and Liberal Democrat Dave Hodgson received the most votes and went through to the next round.

The number of votes for each candidate counted in the first round were:

Conservative - Parvez Akhtar 9,105

Liberal Democrats - Dave Hodgson 9,428

Independent - Apu Bagchi 7,631

Independent - Tony Hare 4,316

Labour - James Valentine 3,482

Green Party - Eve Robinson Morley 1,183 The number of votes in the second round were:

Parvez Akhtar 11,543

Dave Hodgson 13, 555 Following a verification at Bedford Corn Exhange this morning it was revealed that the decision will have been made by just over 30 per cent of the voting public within Bedford Borough 35,807)