Court documents have revealed that Tom Wootton, the Conservative mayor of Bedford Borough, holds a financial interest exceeding £2.7 million in farmland affected by the East West Rail (EWR) project, a major £6 billion rail scheme linking Oxford and Cambridge. Despite campaigning against EWR's preferred route and commissioning a publicly funded study into alternative routes to protect his family's farm, Wootton did not declare this interest during a parliamentary meeting with the rail minister. Land Registry records show that parts of his land would be acquired for the railway, entitling him to compensation.
An EWR spokesperson stated that Wootton's roles as mayor and affected landowner were handled separately by different teams. The revelation comes amid a recent government inspection report criticising Bedford Borough Council's governance and leadership under Wootton. The case raises questions about transparency and adherence to the council's code of conduct, which requires councillors to declare financial interests related to council business.
Read the full story: Bedford Independent local news.
Source: Bedford Independent local news. Aggregated summary, not independent reporting.