Consciously Local - Bedford First Economics
This is a call to every resident of Bedford: What kind of town do we want?
A thriving market town with independent boutiques and specialist shops?
A buzzing social and economic hub where money flows between neighbours, not out of town?
A place of opportunity, where our spending builds the future we want?
If we want Bedford to win, really win, then every pound we spend must be a conscious choice. Not convenience. Not habit. Consciously Local. That means asking, with every purchase: Does this money stay here, making Bedford stronger? Or does it disappear into a corporate spreadsheet?
Convenience might tempt you to buy your steak from Tesco, but your local butcher keeps more of that money in Bedford, pays local wages, and delivers better quality. Habit might send you to Starbucks for a pumpkin spice latte whatever, but why feed shareholder profits when Coffee with Art sells better coffee and reinvests in our community?
Most of these choices are made on autopilot. But when you become Consciously Local, you turn every purchase into an act of regeneration. You help money circulate here: funding jobs, supporting families, and growing the local economy pound by pound.
Why Consciously Local Works
When you spend with an independent Bedford business, up to 70p in every pound stays in our local economy. That’s the Local Multiplier Effect in action, money circulating between Bedford’s shopkeepers, tradespeople, suppliers, and landlords.
Spend with a national chain? That figure drops to around 38p per pound. Spend online with a multinational? The benefit to Bedford is close to zero.
Local spending works harder because:
Wages stay local – Staff spend their earnings in other Bedford businesses.
Suppliers are local – Restaurants buy from Bedford butchers and service providers.
Profits are reinvested locally – Independent owners live here, pay local taxes, and often sponsor community projects.
The Compounding Effect on Our Town
Economists call this the spillover effect. Strong local spending doesn’t just help the shop you buy from, it strengthens the whole web of businesses they rely on.
Example: You order a takeaway from Etna instead of Domino’s. That money doesn’t just go to the pizzeria, it goes to the Bedford baker supplying their dough, the local accountant doing their books, the printer making their menus. It circulates.
Each transaction fuels the next. That’s how towns grow resilient, vibrant economies. But the reverse is also true: every pound sent out of Bedford weakens that web.
What Consciously Local Looks Like
Make the trip into town, even if you could get it cheaper or faster elsewhere, invest in the experience. Mooch the shops. Have lunch. Stay for a coffee.
Choose independents on delivery apps. If you use Deliveroo, pick Rice Thai, not Wagamama; Etna, not Pizza Hut. You’re not “just ordering food”, you’re directing capital to the local economy.
Plan to buy local first. For gifts, clothes, stationery, repairs, Bedford businesses before Amazon.
Why This Is Economics, Not Sentiment
Some people think “shop local” is a warm, fuzzy slogan. It’s not. It’s a hard economic strategy.
The difference between a thriving Bedford and a boarded-up Bedford is the aggregate effect of thousands of tiny consumer decisions. Research shows that shifting just 10% of household spending from chains to independents can generate millions in extra local economic activity each year.
This isn’t theory, it’s measurable GDP growth at the local level. It means more jobs, higher wages, stronger public services, safer streets, and a town centre that attracts visitors rather than repels them.
The Consciously Local Pledge
Bedford First – Every purchase starts with “Can I buy this locally?”
Celebrate Local – Share and promote the businesses that do it right.
Shift Your Spend – Move a % of your regular budget from chains to independents.
Be Visible – More people in town means more safety, more life, more trade.
Bedford will not be saved by government schemes or outside investors alone.
It will be saved by us, pound by pound, choice by choice.
Consciously Local isn’t a campaign. It’s a discipline. We will get the town that we deserve. If you agree with the theory but don’t support it yourself, you are part of the problem.
—
Peter McCormack
