The arbitrary cuts to Voluntary Sector grants back in March 2016 were cynical – they were never necessary. I wrote on a few occasions that the Council could not control their finances […]
Council cuts to charities is now undermining community
Teaching Assistant dispute: simple explanation of the Council’s pay omnishambles!
Why are the Teaching Assistants in dispute? What is the real reason for the pay cut? How is the Council being disingenuous? What is the only solution that makes sense? (NB There […]
Derby City Council gambles £15,000 on 2nd, St Peter’s Qtr ballot
On 7th September Derby City Council Cabinet approved the “loan” of £15,000 to an external company, St Peter’s Quarter Derby Ltd (SPQ), to fund a 2nd ballot of its members to decide […]
STRIKE!: Teaching Assistants target Banwait’s Boulton ward for support
“It’s immoral what is happening to you, absolutely immoral. This Council has got choices…and it has chosen to hit you…and it’s wrong. We must stop them! And it must never happen again. […]
Racism: clearly alive and thriving in Derby
Guest Author: Ruth Richardson – Youth Worker; Multi-Faith Centre (Roma Community Care) Whether it is covert, or overt, the young people of Peartree are routinely experiencing racism. Many of the children and […]
Council refuses information request on Labour Party agent’s privileged access history
The Grant Thornton report issued in June 2016 was very critical of the access rights given to James Shires, the Labour Party agent. Shires has his own security pass for the Council offices, and […]
Cllr Paul Pegg re-writes history, and takes credit for work done by Officers.
Once again Cllr Paul Pegg has been found skirting with reality in his recollection of the facts of history. At the Council meeting on 14th September 2016 a question was asked about […]
Audit report confirms Derby City Council can’t make “informed decisions” or “assure value for money”
Derby City Council’s new external auditors, Ernst & Young, have issued a very critical interim report( 23 September 2016) about the way that the Council has been managing its finances for the […]
Proposal for a “Fair Deal for School Support Staff”
The Teaching Assistant / School Support staff dispute is in grid-lock with Derby City Council – there is another strike this week! Background If the Schools Support staff were asked to accept […]
Why does the Mayor of Derby find this banner so ‘offensive’?
It would seem that the Mayor of Derby doesn’t know whether to be sympathetic to the cause of the Teaching Assistants, or to be offended by a banner which one parent felt […]
Derby Feste 2016 ; The weird and the wonderful
The annual street festival was back in Derby with a collection of some very strange, weird, astounding , and wonderful acts. It never disappoints!
Disability social/health care funding – there is hope after the Independent Living Fund (ILF)
In June 2015, Marta was part of a high profile demonstration organised by Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) at the House of Commons that tried to storm Prime Minister’s Question Time. For […]
“Dear Cllr Banwait…” Open letter in response to Teaching Assistant complaint.
Dear Cllr Banwait I have seen the response that you have sent to the Teaching Assistants who have written to you complaining about the unresolved pay dispute. Your letter deals with many […]
A woman born in the 1950s? Hoping to retire at 60? You may be disappointed!
Attention! Women born in the 1950s! You should be concerned, and annoyed about your state pension (SP). If you thought you were getting it at 60, after a lifetime of hard work, […]
Derby City Council Labour Group vote against measures to reduce electoral fraud
In the Full Council meeting today, Cllr Ruth Skelton (Lib Dem) proposed a motion to volunteer Derby as a pilot area for implementing improvements to combat electoral fraud. This was based on […]
Strike! Teaching Assistants/ School Support staff continue their fight against a 25% PAY CUT
Today the Teaching Assistants / Schools Support Staff are on strike for the first time, in the new term. Anyone who thought that the school holidays would dampen their resolve is very […]
TA/School Support Staff : Letter from Derby City Council Chief Exec sparks angry response.
Following discussions between Derby City Council (DCC) and UNISON on Friday 9th September ( which proved to be unsatisfactory) and in an attempt to head off the Strike action planned for next […]
Derby City Council Funding – remains flat for 8 years.
The Derby Labour Party rhetoric is that, Council funding has been cut, for the last 6 years, since the Conservative Party came to power in 2010, leading to a reduction in services. […]
“Disgusting despicable individual” – Banwait abuses fellow Councillor in public
The Grant Thornton report issued in June 2016 referred to the “fractious” political culture within the Council, and within the Chamber. The opposition group leaders would attribute the start of this to […]
Domestic violence is not always physical. Freedom to take back control!
Domestic abuse and violence are part of a range of tactics, predominantly perpetrated by men, to keep women under control. Many of the methods of abuse do not involve any form of […]
