Anyone who has anything more than a passing interest in the behaviour of the Derby City Council Labour Leadership will be well aware of the constant politicking taken in every nook and […]
Cllr Rawson reveals Labour Group’s cynical political priority
International Women’s Day 2016 : Celebration Festival
For the past few years a team of Volunteers, led by Vanessa Boon, have put on an International Women’s Day event in the Centre of Derby. Whilst there are many important messages […]
I absolutely agree with Councillor Banwait….
I absolutely agree with Councillor Banwait when he criticised the Tory Councillors for proposing a motion at this evening’s Council meeting to ‘Save Moorways’. I totally agree that this gave the campaigners, […]
11 months later: JET still can’t justify 2nd payment from Police &CC
In my article last October, titled “JET: Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) waste £11000 of public money on a fruitless contract” I highlighted how the PCC was refusing to pay the 2nd […]
Voluntary Sector Grants: Council confirms no facts were used in making decision
In a previous article I questioned whether the Council had full knowledge of the facts in support of their decision to cut Voluntary, Community and Faith (VCF) Grants. The first of my […]
The Homelessness Paradox; It’s not just a housing shortage.
Home-lessness is often confused with House-lessness, and the belief that to be homeless means that someone therefore lives on the street. This is part of the paradox. There are very few true […]
Voluntary Sector Grants : Cllr Repton promises to help every organisation mitigate the loss of funding.
During the Cabinet agenda item on February 10th about the Voluntary Sector Grants cuts, Cllr Jones made the valid point that the Council had indicated that they would offer “mitigating actions” to […]
JET: Nail-biting times for Sharief – can they keep paying his £60k pa rent?
“JET’s survival could only be secured by remarkable and individual actions…..This is particularly true of the Sharief family who have donated £39,600 over the last 3 years to JET” (Quote from JET’S […]
Banwait chairs Derby’s limp ‘puppet’ Council Cabinet
The Council Cabinet sounds like an auspicious public body where brave, controversial decisions are made with open, independent and vibrant debate. Where the elected representatives stand their ground, speak on behalf of […]
Banwait’s Budget Illusion and the extra £9m funding
Cllr Banwait has made it his mantra that every cut that has had to be made by the Council was driven solely by the Tory Government Cuts. I’ve commented many times that […]
Derby City Council : Clueless in the Chamber
Just who does the Derby City Council leadership think they are kidding when they speak of “consultations” with the public? Saying that you are “consulting” when in fact you are following a […]
Cutting Voluntary Sector Grants: Imagine the Council were that stupid!
Imagine this being an empty room in the Indian Community Centre! Imagine that all of the elderly ladies stayed at home! Imagine that they didn’t meet their friends, didn’t share a meal […]
SV2 : Hope and opportunity for survivors of sexual violence
Rape, sexual violence, and exploitation are some of the most traumatic events that can happen to anyone; and it happens to people of all ages, all genders, all cultures and all upbringings. […]
Voluntary Sector: 100% Council Grant cuts will be negligent and cynical
In a few weeks time, the Council will decide on whether to proceed with their plan to cut 100% of the Voluntary Sector Grants. If this is carried out, it will not […]
Teaching Assistant Crisis: Did Banwait mislead the Council over UNISON?
During the Full Council meeting on November 25th 2015, Cllr Banwait was asked a question from a member of the public and his response was punctuated by an attack on UNISON, one […]
Junior Doctors Day of Action – Derby
The day finally arrived which the Junior Doctors never expected to happen, and which they didn’t want – a day of action to express their frustration at the Government’s proposals to accommodate […]
Teaching Assistant Pay Crisis: Banwait’s sinking fast without any ideas!
Derby City Council’s Equal Pay Review should be about a focussed set of changes to assure gender equality between all employees in similar jobs. It should not be a vehicle to promote […]
Derby City Council (ILF) funding for disabled people: some good news but still risky for the most vulnerable.
At the end of June 2015, the centrally managed Disabled Persons Independent Living Fund (ILF) was closed, and this portion of the social care package finances was transferred, and became the responsibility […]
Derby City Council propose cutting 100% of all Voluntary Sector grants: Do they know the consequences?
In my earlier article, “Derby City Council has “lost the plot” on Voluntary Sector Grants” I provided a critique of the Council’s most recent consultation into the funding of the Voluntary, Community […]
The Hopelessness of Derby City Council’s Homelessness strategy
Having the safety and security of a house is one of the most basic of needs. Resolving homelessness, whether that is as extreme as sleeping rough on the streets, or the daily […]
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