New Plan For Empty Historic Shop
A former beer shop in Belper could be turned into a sandwich and coffee shop. The new venture could move
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Author: Eddie Bisknell (LDRS)
Price of School Meals Frozen
The price of school meals in Derbyshire has been frozen by the county council, months after the authority slashed staff
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School Transport Failure of County Council
Derbyshire County Council has been forced to apologise after “failing” to consider the safety of a young girl’s route to
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Double “Never Event” at Royal Derby Hospital
Two people were put at risk after Royal Derby staff forgot to take the guide wires out of tubes used
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Vintage Car Museum Planned For Ambergate
Plans for a vintage car museum in a former Derbyshire wire factory have come forward. The proposals have been submitted
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NHS Trust Refuses to Explain Lost £59million
A financial bungle has led to the trust which runs Derby and Burton’s hospitals missing out on £59 million in
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Tea Room Rebuild Confirmed
After nearly 40 years lying derelict, Belper’s historic Swiss tea rooms will be demolished and replaced. Members of Amber Valley
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Competing Building Plans for Old Thorntons Site
Competing plans have been submitted for the former Thorntons factory site in Belper. The site, in Derwent Street, sits opposite
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AVBC Aims to Introduce New Legislation For Dog Owners
Dog owners in Amber Valley are set to be the focus of a raft of new council offences – with
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Next Move on Belper Tea Rooms
Belper’s historic tea rooms, derelict for nearly four decades, are finally set to be demolished and replaced. After 38 years,
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Mental Healthcare Review May Lead To More Cuts
A full review of ALL psychological therapies in Derbyshire is set to be launched. This comes months after the Local
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‘Cygnet Health Care’ Seek to Distance Derby Facility From Panorama Abuse Hospital
The firm behind Panorama’s hospital abuse investigation has sought to reassure patients and their relatives at its Derby site. Cygnet
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Derbyshire’s Failing Schools
More than 40 per cent of all secondary pupils in Derbyshire are in schools poorly rated by Ofsted. Figures released
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Waterpark Plan Threatens Peregrine Falcons
The fastest animal in the world could hamper colossal plans to turn a derelict Derbyshire quarry into a waterpark leisure
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SEN Funding Crisis
Dozens of parents of kids with special educational needs rallied in Derbyshire to raise concerns over a funding “crisis” for
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Cost of Council Plan to Put Care Mothers on Contraceptives
Derbyshire County Council is set to pay £860,000 hiring a firm to run a controversial programme which requires troubled mothers
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Huge Waterpark Planned for Amber Valley Quarry Site
A colossal scheme to build a waterpark resort in a disused Derbyshire quarry have been met with both excitement and
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Derbyshire County Council Fails to Declare Climate Emergency
A motion calling on Derbyshire County Council to formally declare a climate change emergency and to set a target to
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Plans to Build on Heage Green Belt Continue Before Approval of Local Plan
Plans are being fleshed out for scores of homes and business space in Heage – ahead of the land’s potential
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AVBC Renting Out Space in Council Headquarters
A Derbyshire council has put an entire floor of its headquarters up for rent to help cover its budget gap.
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Brownfield Building For Duffield: Luxury Homes
Plans to build 15 striking modern homes have been put forward for land on the outskirts of Duffield. The proposals,
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Ecclesbourne School Trying To Get Expansion Approved Again
Ecclesbourne School is trying again to push through “critical” expansion plans for its sixth form block – eight months after
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Massive Cost of County Council Fighting SEND Parents
Hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money has been spent fighting Derbyshire parents’ attempts to get school support for
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Uncertainty Over Council Tax Freeze
Uncertainty over Brexit and local government funding could cause the county to drop pledges for a two-year Derbyshire council tax
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Controversial Plan for Repeat Care Mothers
Mums in Derbyshire who are repeatedly having their children taken away from them and put into care are making an
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Election: Party Views on Green Belt
Plans to pave the way for thousands of houses on protected green belt land have stoked a wave of controversy
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Council Considering Voluntary Smokefree Areas
The county council could be set to ban smoking in bus shelters and outside school gates. In new plans to
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Nature Reserve Saved from Further Quarrying
Quarrying planning permissions which could have threatened a Derbyshire nature reserve have now been revoked. Derbyshire County Council’s planning committee,
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Holly Bush Inn Owners “fuming” About Milford Road Closure
The owners of the Holly Bush Inn in Makeney, near Milford say they are losing trade due to a sudden
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Candidates for Amber Valley Borough Election
Below is a list of the Amber Valley Borough Council candidates for the local election on Thursday, May 2. The
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Interview With Head of Derby Hospital – Brexit, Budget & Staff
The man at the helm of Derby and Burton’s hospitals has spoken candidly about Brexit, budget pressures and hard-working staff. Gavin
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Nature-Reclaimed Brassington Quarry To Be Preserved
A Derbyshire quarry is set to have its planning permissions revoked so that plans to keep it as a nature
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£69.5million More in Cutbacks by Derbyshire NHS
Derbyshire health chiefs have signed off on unprecedented multi-million-pound cutbacks, along with a landmark merger of the county’s main NHS
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Derby Hospital Actively Turning Down Patients To Avoid Tax
Consultants at Derby and Burton’s hospitals are actively turning down taking on extra patients and working more shifts to avoid
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New Hotel Proposed for Field Lane Car Park Extension
Amber Valley Borough Council is fleshing out plans for the new hotel in Field Lane, Belper, with an aim to
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Protest to Save Green Belt
Deleting land from the protected green belt in Amber Valley to make way for thousands of houses will take the
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Gender Pay Gap Report on Derbyshire NHS, Councils and Other Companies
NHS The pay gap between men and women in much of Derbyshire’s NHS has WIDENED. To follow gender pay gap
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99 Affordable Homes Built
Nearly 100 affordable homes have been built in Amber Valley over the past year – while almost 1,800 people remain
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Changes to How New Housing Provides Supporting Infrastructure
The frustration felt in communities across Derbyshire when hundreds of homes are built without plans for a new school, better
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Differences in Council Tax by Area
By now most Derbyshire residents will have or will be about to receive the news of how much extra they
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Hundreds of Nursing Vacancies at Derby and Burton Hospitals
Around 20 nurses are quitting their jobs every MONTH in Derby and Burton – resulting in hundreds of vacancies. In
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New Rules for Taxi Drivers
Amber Valley taxi drivers will have to make sure they don’t smell or smoke e-cigarettes under new council rules –
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NHS Talks Cuts to Mental Health Therapies
Psychological therapies paid for by Derbyshire’s main NHS organisations are facing cuts, health chiefs have announced. This comes several months
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Nether Heage Expansion Approved Despite Opposition
Plans for 175 houses on the site of a former prisoner of war camp, now an industrial estate, have been
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Art for New Library and Care Home
A new image has been released of what the new care home and library destined for the Belper’s former Thorntons
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Brownfield Building to Double Nether Heage
Nether Heage is set to almost double in size with plans in the pipeline for scores of new homes. The
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Green Belt Deleted – Opposing Voices
Controversial plans allowing thousands of houses to be be built on vast swathes of green belt land in Amber Valley
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Transparency and Legality of Cutbacks Consultation Questioned
Allegations of “political football” and “grandstanding” were made as county councillors debated the transparency and legality of a consultation on
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Bike Riding Belper Gang
Problem: A group of bike-riding teenagers, some believed to be as young as 10, are causing disruption, damage and scaring
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County Council to Outsource Lowest Paid Jobs
The county council has signed off plans to outsource many of its lowest-paid staff, including cleaners, caretakers, plumbers, bricklayers and
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NHS Funding Cuts May Reduce Cancer Care and Joint Replacements
Cutbacks in NHS cancer care and hip and knee replacements may be on the way in Derbyshire to tackle a
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Green Belt Deletions in Amber Valley
Space to build 2,010 extra houses in Amber Valley by 2028 is set to be freed up by deleting land
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County Council Prepares For Brexit
In a meeting of the full council on Wednesday 7th february 2019, leader Cllr Barry Lewis set out the authority’s
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Council to Cut Jobs Supporting Vulnerable Children
Derbyshire County Council is set to axe 200 staff from a service which supports vulnerable kids and teenagers. A leaked
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Criticism of Police on Speed Limits
The deputy leader of the county council has taken aim at the police for “point blank” rejecting every attempt from
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Doctors Slam Cuts
Derbyshire doctors have slammed plans from NHS chiefs to make voluntary sector cuts. Derbyshire’s Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are in
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UK’s First “Young People’s Forest” to be Planted Near Heanor
Ambitious plans to plant the UK’s first “young people’s forest” on a former coal mine near Heanor are set to
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Council Staff Stressed, Anxious, and Fear For Their Jobs.
Staff at the county council are stressed, anxious and fear for their jobs, a review by a local government watchdog
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County Council: Stark Cuts Warning
The county council’s finance chief has issued a stark warning to the authority over its budget cuts targets. In a
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Green Belt Under Threat in Amber Valley
Details of the areas which Amber Valley Borough Council may delete from protected green belt land to pave the way
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Council Budget – Huge Job Losses, Council Tax, and Cuts
The county council has warned of “significant” job cuts after ruling out a top level rise in council tax. It
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Results of County Council Public Budget Consultation
Members of the public say that the county council’s top priorities should be caring for vulnerable adults and children, roads
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Monk Bar Gets Extended Opening Hours
Monk Bar has been granted permission to extend the hours in which it can sell alcohol and play live and
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Royal Derby Hospital – Winter Pressures, and Brexit Uncertainty
Winter pressures continue at Royal Derbys Hospital with cancelled operations, a late flu season and rising admissions. Alongside this are
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Police Budget for 2019 Includes Council Tax Increase
Derbyshire taxpayers are to each pay £24 more this year to get 120 more cops. On Monday 14th January 2019,
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Monk Bar Seeks To Extend Opening Hours
Monk Bar wants to extend the hours in which it can sell alcohol and play live and recorded music. An
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School Funding For “Minor Repairs”
Derbyshire County Council has published a list of how much each Derbyshire school has been given for minor repairs. In
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Derbyshire to Welcome 30 New Refugees
The number of Syrian refugees housed in Derbyshire is to be increased by a third. In total, the country has
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New Derbyshire Funding to Combat Smoking During Pregnancy
One in seven Derbyshire mothers smoked during pregnancy, now the county council is set to spend £120,000 to help bring
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Cromford Quarry to be Reviewed
A giant Derbyshire quarry will be reviewed by the county council due to concerns that its operator may miss a
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£200k Council Disputes Payouts
More than £200,000 has been paid out by the county council to settle disputes with disgruntled employees this year –
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HS2 Gives Too Little Time to Councils and Public To Read Plans
Council leaders have slammed a decision which left the public with just 10 weeks to read through eleven THOUSAND pages
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Homelessness Support Details
As temperatures continue to drop, local councils have issued advice for members of the public who are concerned about people
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“Worrying Times For Education” At Belper Secondary School
“These are worrying times for the education of our children,” says the leadership at a Derbyshire secondary school. The governing
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“Incidental” Library “Offer” Is All That May Remain At 20 Sites
An “incidental” library offer is all that may remain at 20 libraries due to be handed over to volunteers by
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Costly SEND Tribunals for Council
The county council is estimated to have spent more than £400,000 fighting losing battles against parents trying to secure special
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Half a Million in Cuts to Voluntary Services Which Plug Holes in NHS
The organisations which commission health spending in Derbyshire are set to make more than £500,000 of cuts to volunteer-run services.
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Gluten-free Prescriptions Cut
Prescriptions for gluten-free food will remain off the table for Derbyshire residents. In January, the four Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Groups
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Council Bickering Over Blame on Cuts and Benefits
A bitter war of words between councillors has seen Labour accused of taking Derbyshire “back to the 70s” – while
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Meeting on Energy Production from County’s Rubbish Being Kept Secret
Talks over a controversial Derby waste plant will also be off limits to the majority of county councillors, much to
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Cuts to School Dinners Threaten Jobs and Meal Safety
School catering staff have warned that children could die and staff would have to cut corners and work in their
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Derbyshire CCGs To Merge
The four NHS organisations which commission health services in Derbyshire have been granted approval to merge. NHS England has given
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Councillor Hits Out At NHS Chief Over “Easy Ride” Comments
A county council leader has hit out at an NHS finance chief who said that Derbyshire “has been given an
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Air Pollution Risk To Schools
A county councillor has called for schools to be moved away from busy roads due to high levels of pollution.
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NHS Finance Chief Claims “Easy Ride” on Derbyshire Cuts
Derbyshire “has been given an easy ride” where healthcare cuts are concerned, claims a regional NHS finance chief. Paul Briddock,
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County Council Defends Use of External Consultants
Derbyshire County Council’s head of adult social care has defended the use of external consultants brought in to find ways
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Derbyshire NHS Chief Faces Scrutiny Over Cuts
A regional NHS finance chief is due to undergo close scrutiny by the county council. Paul Briddock, director of finance
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Further Council Cuts Near £100 Million
The required future savings that Derbyshire councils say they need to make total nearly £100 million. This is despite the
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Hundreds of Jobs Cut By Council
Hundreds more jobs will be cut at the county council next year. Earlier this year, it was revealed that Derbyshire
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School Crossing Cuts
Two months after the county council axed plans to review the School Crossing Patrol service to save money, £60,000 has
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CQC Raises Concerns Over Local Care Provider
Vulnerable residents in Derbyshire and Derby are among nearly 10,000 deemed “at risk” of losing support due to funding fears
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Bessalone Hill: Appeal Lodged To Build 185 Homes
An appeal has been lodged to push through plans for 185 houses on a protected hillside near Belper. The applicants,
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School Catering Staff To Choose Between New Contract Or Termination
School catering staff who do not accept a reduced hours contract will have their employment terminated within four months, it
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Borough Council Quiet On Responses To Replacement Swiss Tea Rooms
Amber Valley Borough Council will not reveal how many responses it received to its tender for a replacement Swiss Tea
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Union Defends Dinner Ladies Against Council
A trade union has pledged to fight “worrying” plans from the County Council which could see school dinner ladies lose
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Muddled Council Restores HR Role At Additional Expense
The county council is set to spend £73,000 a year on a new head of Human Resources, after the post
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Derbyshire Road Injuries At Record Low
Deaths and injuries on roads around Derbyshire are at an all-time low. A report published by Derbyshire County Council shows
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Derbyshire NHS Chief Denies He Was Hired to Make Cuts
Dr Chris Clayton, Chief Executive Of Derbyshire CCGs Derbyshire’s NHS chief has denied that he was hired to make cuts
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Objections To Duffield Pub Plans
Plans to reopen a Duffield pub and sell alcohol until at least 1am every day of the week have met
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