The Bedford Independent is a media outlet for Bedford residents, from the town centre to the most rural of the Bedford Borough's villages. It was founded in 2018 and its mission is to inform and inspire the people of Bedford with easy access to genuine and unbiased news.

Its independent reporting focuses on the people of Bedford, and its writers are from all walks of life. The newsroom creates stories based on local interest, including holding public officials to account. The Bedford Clanger is the sister publication of the Bedford Independent, focusing on fun and lighter topics, with a guide to events, festivals, and local businesses.

The Bedford Independent Everyday Heroes Awards recognise and reward local heroes, the "people who make Bedford brilliant".

Every morning at 6am, subscribers to the daily news briefing receive in their inbox an email about what happened in the past 24 hours across Bedford Borough. A weekly email goes out on Thursdays with a 'what's on' guide.

IMPRESS regulates Bedford Independent, and the outlet's revenue is generated through advertising, grants, memberships, and individual donations.

Source: Oasis Europe

Last updated date: November 2025

Location:
Bedford, United Kingdom
Year the organization started publishing:
2018
Languages:
English
Type of coverage:
Local
Area of coverage:
Bedford

Content

Editorial coverage:
Generalist, focused on multiple topics
Type of content produced by theme:
Education
Environment
Politics
Sports
Economy and business
Lifestyle
Health and well-being
Entertainment and culture
Law and crime
Society and human rights
Journalism genres:
Reviews
Interviews and reporting
Opinion
Satire
Journalism coverage types and techniques:
Breaking news
Live coverage of events
Crowdsourcing
Solutions or constructive journalism
Explanatory journalism
Collaborative journalism
Fact-checking
Tech platforms and other mediums used:
Website
Newsletter
Social media platforms
Print
YouTube
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Primary tech platform or medium used to publish content:
Website

Audience and reach

Social media audience

Facebook number of followers:
23,000
Twitter number of followers:
3,455
Instagram number of followers:
9,035
YouTube number of followers:
479

Management and team

Founders

Female:
2
Male:
1
Founders:
Paul Hutchinson, Erica Roffe, Julia Course-Crofts
Directors:
Paul Hutchinson, Erica Roffe, Julia Course-Crofts

Team

Full-time employees:
1
Part-time employees:
2
Freelancers or consultants:
0
Volunteers:
2

Business structure and revenue sources

Organization tax status:
For-profit
All revenue sources reported by media leaders:
Advertising
Audience support / reader revenue
Programmatic ad networks
Branded content or native advertising
Local advertising sold by own team
Event sponsorships
Individual donations
The primary source of revenue reported by media leaders:
Local advertising sold by own team
The second most important revenue source reported:
Event sponsorships

Transparency

Publishes information about annual revenue
Publishes the names of donors
Has an ethics policy / manual
Publishes an ethics policy / manual
Has a data privacy policy
Publishes a data privacy policy
Has a whistleblower policy
Publishes a whistleblower policy
Has a complaints policy
Publishes a complaints policy
Doesn’t have a sexual harassment or institutional violence policy
Is signed up to a press regulator, trust initiative, or part of a press association
Publishes up to date information about its team

Why is this profile included?

This media outlet is part of our directory because it meets SembraMedia’s inclusion criteria: it produces original content, serves the public interest, and works with independence and transparency. This profile was developed using information provided directly by the media outlet, through surveys or interviews. We aim to keep the information current, but SembraMedia does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness, and recommends verifying any key details with the media organization.

In SembraMedia we use own and third party cookies for analytical purposes that allow us to track, monitor and analyze your browsing and behavior to make improvements to the product based on the analysis made, as well as own technical cookies that allow the proper functioning of the website. You can accept all cookies by clicking the "Accept" button or configure or reject their use by clicking "Reject". More information in the Privacy and Cookies Policy.