Borough of Bedford
Shown within Bedfordshire
Geography
Status:	Borough
Region:	East of England
Admin. County:	Bedfordshire
Area: - Total	Ranked 104th 476.41 km²
Admin. HQ:	Bedford
ONS code:	09UD
Demographics
Population: - Total (2002 est.) - Density	Ranked 111th 149,204 313 / km²
Ethnicity:	87.0% White 7.7% S.Asian 2.6% Afro-Carib.
Politics
Bedford Borough Council http://www.bedford.gov.uk/
Leadership:	Mayor & Cabinet
Mayor:	Frank Branston (Independent)
MPs:	Patrick Hall, Jonathan Sayeed, Alistair Burt

Bedford is a local government district and borough in the East of England. Its council is based in the town of Bedford. Unlike most English districts, Bedford's council is led by a directly-elected mayor, currently Frank Branston , who is an independent.

The borough was formed on April 1, 1974 as a merger of the existing borough of Bedford, along with Kempston urban district and Bedford Rural District . It was was known as North Bedfordshire until 1992.