Universal, Luton Airport and a wider pipeline of investment could reshape Bedford Borough for a generation. The question is whether our local businesses are ready.

By Leigh Coombs — Bedford Borough Councillor and Director of IT All Figures

The BedX panel on stage at King's House, Bedford, with the speaker list projected behind them.
The full BedX panel at King’s House, Bedford — Tuesday 28th April 2026. Photo: Leigh Coombs

This week I had the privilege of attending the official launch of BedX — the Bedfordshire Opportunity Exchange at King’s House in Bedford. More than 400 local businesses packed the room on Tuesday 28th April for what is, without exaggeration, one of the most important business gatherings our county has seen in years.

I went along wearing two hats. As your Bedford Borough Councillor, I wanted to understand exactly what the economic upside looks like for Bedford Borough — for our businesses, our residents, and our communities here in Shortstown, Cardington, Cople and Cotton End. As the director and owner of IT All Figures, a local accountancy practice, I wanted to be ready to help our local firms put themselves in the strongest possible position to win work from the once-in-a-generation pipeline now heading our way.

What is BedX?

BedX is a business-led initiative from the Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, created in response to clear and consistent feedback from the local business community: tell us where the opportunities are, help us access the supply chains, and give us the practical support we need to compete. It is open to every business in Bedfordshire, regardless of size, sector, or Chamber membership.

Gidon Freeman speaking at the lectern in front of the Universal Destinations and Experiences slide.
Gidon Freeman, Vice President External Affairs at Universal Destinations & Experiences. Photo: Leigh Coombs

The reason it matters now is simple. Universal Destinations & Experiences is bringing a multi-billion-pound theme park to Bedford. London Luton Airport is expanding. Further afield, Sizewell C in Suffolk is a major infrastructure programme already drawing on supply chains across the East of England. The Tier 1 contracts will go to large national firms — but the Tier 2 and Tier 3 opportunities are exactly where Bedfordshire’s small and medium businesses can win, and where the real local economic and social impact will be felt across our ward and the wider Borough.

Thank you to the speakers

A genuine thank you to every speaker who gave up their time to share insight and answer hard questions:

  • Gidon Freeman, Vice President External Affairs at Universal Destinations & Experiences, for an honest, practical view of what UDX is looking for from local suppliers and how Bedfordshire businesses can prepare.
  • Nick Platts, Managing Director of Luton Rising, for setting out the scale of the airport expansion and the procurement opportunities that flow from it.
  • Ashley Shorey-Mills, Supply Chain Engagement Director at Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, for sharing hard-won lessons from Sizewell C — what worked, what didn’t, and what Bedfordshire can learn from a region already living through a major infrastructure build.
  • Kirsty Maynard, Commercial Director at THSP and a BedX Steering Board member, for being a tireless advocate for the SMEs who will actually deliver this work.
  • Patrick Lyons, Inward Investment Lead at Bedford Borough Council, for showing how the Council is positioning the Borough to attract and retain the benefits of inward investment.
  • Gina Bubbins, Director of Business Partnerships at The Bedford College Group, for explaining how local skills and training will be aligned to the jobs that are coming.
  • Justin Richardson, CEO of the Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, for chairing the day and for the leadership behind BedX itself. Justin’s message to the room was unambiguous — the firms that win work from this pipeline will be the ones who get themselves ready before the tenders open, not after.
Nick Platts of Luton Rising speaking at the lectern in front of a Luton Airport Growth slide.
Nick Platts, Managing Director of Luton Rising, on the scale of airport expansion ahead. Photo: Leigh Coombs

How IT All Figures fits in

Readiness was the word of the day — and that is exactly where IT All Figures comes in.

Winning a Tier 2 or Tier 3 contract isn’t just about having the right product or service. It’s about being financially robust, compliant, and bid-ready. That means clean management accounts, up-to-date statutory filings, the right VAT and PAYE position, real-time cashflow forecasting, robust contract pricing, and the financial controls a Tier 1 procurement team will expect to see before they put your name on a purchase order.

If you run a business in Shortstown, Cardington, Cople, Cotton End, or anywhere else across Bedford Borough and you want to compete for this work, please get in touch. I would much rather have a coffee with you now than meet you in six months when you’ve found a contract you’d love to bid for and the books aren’t quite ready.

Members of the BedX panel taking audience questions.
Members of the BedX panel taking audience questions. Photo: Leigh Coombs

The bottom line

This is our moment. Universal, Luton Airport and the wider investment pipeline could reshape Bedford Borough for a generation — but only if our local businesses are ready, supported, and at the table. As your councillor, I’ll keep pushing for the local economic and social benefit to land here at home — across our ward and the Borough as a whole. As an accountant, I’ll do everything I can to make sure our businesses are in the best possible position to seize it.

Bedfordshire is open for business. Let’s make sure our ward and Bedford Borough are right at the front of the queue.

Leigh Coombs is a Bedford Borough Councillor representing Shortstown, Cardington, Cople and Cotton End, and the owner of IT All Figures, a Bedford-based accountancy practice. All photographs in this article: Leigh Coombs.