In response to the last Derby News article on, “Council now misleading Department of Education on Special Needs Children Plans …”to avoid being in the headlines”, a parent from Sinfin contacted me, […]
Parent of Special Needs child tells of “lost 8 years” waiting for proper educational provision
Council now misleading Department of Education on Special Needs Children Plans …”to avoid being in the headlines”
The transfer of Statements to Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) for Special Needs Children is a programme that has to be legally completed by 31 March 2018. It started in September […]
Council to hit budget this year; with some interesting swings, and no need to close libraries.
Delivering on budget for any organisation is always a success, especially one the size of Derby City Council – this is the expectation for 2017/18 ( reported in the Cabinet meeting 14 […]
Cllr Nawaz; why was he punished when there was no “complaint” and no formal “hearing” of the facts?
Last week, Derby News highlighted that the Council’s Monitoring Officer, Janie Berry, had instructed the censoring of the public video record of the Full Council Meeting of the 24th January 2018. This […]
How much money did the Council get to spend each year. Nearly constant since 2010. Massive cuts?
There is only fact that is certain with Council finances, and that is the amount of money (revenue) available to the Council to spend each year ( exc. schools) No one knows […]
Council to spend over £1m to close the Central Library – no savings to the taxpayer until 2027.
The popular belief is that the Council is closing the Central Library to save money for the Council Tax payer; a necessity driven by funding cuts from Central Government. However, it will […]
Holocaust Memorial Day in Derby, 2018
In Derby, Holocaust Memorial Day is remembered through a number of events during the week. The focal point is at the QUAD which, this year was on Thursday 25th. The programme covers […]
Full Council Meeting : “a truly depressing evening”
At last nights Council meeting, Cllr Fareed Hussein sunk to a new low by accusing Cllr Smale that his motion to have Cllr Nawaz removed from a Committee was motivated by Racism! […]
Council’s library strategy will fail until it accepts that the answer is NOT with Community Managed Libraries (CMLs)
The Council’s policy, with respect to the 10 non-statutory libraries, was to encourage volunteer led community groups to run them; so-called Community Managed Libraries (CMLs- as defined by Locality). No such groups […]
Another no-show for Cllr Banwait at the Council Cabinet meeting – has he lost interest?
The Council Cabinet meeting, which meets every month, and is chaired by the Leader of the Council, Cllr Ranjit Banwait, is the main executive forum for authorising policy and expenditure. This is […]
Council finds £5.3m new savings! Choose to save care/library services, or create 11 more senior management jobs costing £500k pa?
The Council Cabinet will be discussing its 2018/19 Budget next week following a period of consultation at the end of 2017. It found savings in the budget of £5.3m principally due to: […]
Does the Council actually know who it is selling St Mary’s Gate to…and who will profit from it?
In September 2017, Cllr Martin Rawson “handed over the keys” to the 61,000 sq ft of Council buildings on St Mary’s Gate (Middleton House) to Adam Cavell, Director of City and Country […]
Christmas cheer ends abruptly as “caring” Council evicts “confused” Coleridge House residents.
Just prior to Christmas, the 17 elderly residents of Council Care Home, Coleridge House, many living with dementia, were served notice that they would have to leave by Xmas….or at best, early January. […]
Healthy imagination: exciting new Book Club to help recovering addicts
Usually, the simplest ideas are the best ones! Sophie Sparham, performance poet and writer from Derby came up with a great one – reading! But reading with a specific purpose – to […]
The state of the Council in 2017 – time to deliver for all, and resolve uncertainty
The Council’s many thousands of employees work throughout the year to keep the myriad of services operating, despite the shifting ground beneath them, the fluidity of leadership and the constant uncertainty of […]
Council declares it has £55 million of usable reserves…which it is choosing NOT to use to save services!
The Council has recently published its Statement of Accounts for 2016/17. It is a 141 page document which details comprehensively the Councils financial status for the year to 31 March 2017. Much […]
The 14 Budget Consultation questions that Cllr Shanker isn’t answering.
The Council’s annual budget consultation was issued on 2 November seeking public input by 13 December 2017. The press were invited to a meeting to ask questions, and interview Cllr Shanker ( […]
Cllr Sara Bolton resorts to petty politicking over community spirited photo of Cllr Smale helping library staff
December 2nd was “Small Business Saturday”. Chaddesden Conservative Councillor Jonathan Smale decided to visit a number of the shops and outlets in his ward, and show his support for the principle of […]
Cllr Graves, and Opposition Cllrs, walk out of Council Standards Committee – ” There is no integrity anymore”
The breach of conduct by Cllr Gulfraz Nawaz (Labour) has been widely reported following his action to provide a positive reference for a person, seeking a taxi licence, who had a criminal […]
Council is deliberately misleading Parents over the Special Educational Needs transfer programme; it is NOT “on target”.
For the Parents of the 1200+ children who require a statement of Special Educational Needs it is a daily grind to ensure that they get what they are entitled to from the […]
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