Nationally we are used to the routine that every 4 or 5 years the whole of Parliament stands for re-election – an “All Out” electoral cycle. Whether or not we like the […]
Council consults on electoral cycle – time to change to “All Out” elections
Assembly Rooms “airbrushed” out of Council’s uninspiring Culture and Visitor Strategy
At the 12 February 2020 Cabinet meeting 2 reports will be presented : Developing Derby as a Visitor Destination : Destination Management Plan (DMP) 2020 – 2025 Derby Culture Strategy 2020 – […]
Dignity Action Day – Celebrating Respect in the Community.
St Martin’s Church in Allenton was the venue for this year’s Dignity Action Day event; the programme also included an insight to the work on “Shared Histories”. The Shared Histories Project was […]
“Stand Together” : Holocaust Memorial Day in Derby 2020
From the Civic reception with the Mayor of Derby, with national and Ambassadorial representatives from Bosnia, Ukraine and Amenia, to the Bridge Chapel, stone setting on the Cathedral Green, to the Bosnian […]
Party first; the week the Tory Council ‘faced the music’ and its credibility fell apart
May 2018 was a pivotal point in Derby’s political history as it saw the end of the “toxic Banwait era” Labour lost its majority but was still the largest party. The Tory […]
Upbeat Communities : There’s money to be made from Syrian refugees
In September 2015 the Government announced that the UK would accept 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020; this was called the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (SVPR). The scheme focussed on families who […]
Sinfin Moor Social Club saved by local resident and shareholder Sanjeev Chopra
The Derby News article of November 24th “Sinfin Moor Social Club : Sikh Gurdwara for Tory votes?” detailed the controversial activities that could have led to the Club being closed down. This […]
Derventio Housing’s housing benefit ‘cash machine’ now funds 3 Directors on nearly £100k salary each.
Derventio Housing is not a charity, it is a Community Interest Company (CIC). Its purpose is to generate a surplus which can then be used to support the community it was established […]
Jericho House Derby: Inspirational and entertaining comedy play about drug addiction
I had the opportunity to meet the team of Jericho House, earlier in the year, who do great work with recovering drug addicts in Derby. Jericho House (for recovering drug addicts) “loved […]
Jericho House Derby: Inspirational and entertaining comedy play about drug addiction
I had the opportunity to meet the team of Jericho House, earlier in the year, who do great work with recovering drug addicts in Derby. Jericho House (for recovering drug addicts) “loved […]
Sinfin Moor Social Club : Sikh Gurdwara for Tory votes?
Last Thursday Derby City Council Planning committee followed officer advice and granted planning permission to change the use of the Sinfin Moor Social Club from a ‘social club’ to a ‘place of […]
Remembrance Day 2019
Council fails in its bid to overturn democratic decision on Yellow Cab Strategy
On 22 August, the Licensing Committee made a controversial decision to amend the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles strategy 2020 and to give taxi drivers longer to comply with lower emission requirements […]
Assembly Rooms : Council uses inflated benefit figures in D2N2 funding bid to massage its business case.
Derby News’ article on January 2019 “Assembly Rooms: Is the Council’s ‘Refurbished’ option really Value for Money?” concluded, based on leaked documents, that the Conservative Council’s preferred option of a Refurbished Assembly […]
Mocking a hate incident is never acceptable…even in the Council Chamber
From Oct 12th-19th is Hate Crime Awareness Week. A timely occasion given the escalation of division in this country, particularly over Brexit. Abuse of politicians, to the point of being intimidating, has […]
Does the recent UNESCO Heritage advice signal the end of ‘The Landmark’ building project?
The Landmark building project was approved by the Planning Committee back in February 2019. Despite being initially rejected by the Committee, and considered by many residents to be unsightly ( albeit supported […]
Assembly Rooms refurbishment : Council will inevitably announce a cost overrun to the £24m budget – just a matter of time!
Last week, Derby City Council declared that the completion date for the refurbished Assembly Rooms had slipped from Autumn 2020 to November 2021. Despite this, they maintained that the budget will remain […]
The Life of a recovering Addict is amazing!
There seems to be no common thread as to why people become drug addicts. They come from all walks of life, all upbringings and all dimensions of the demographic spectrum. Each person’s […]
OFSTED and Care Quality Commission report very critical of Special Educational Needs provision in the City
For the past 4 years I have been writing about how Derby City Council’s Special Education Needs (SEN) provision for children has fallen woefully below standard. How the development of children with […]
70 years celebration of Derby’s War Memorial Village
Following the visit of HRH Princess Anne to the War Memorial Village, last month, to mark its 70th Anniversary, yesterday, was a day of celebration in the village and ending with a […]
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