Derby, like all cities, needs to spend considerable amounts of money each year on maintaining, and developing schools, roads, housing, and completing significant new infrastructure projects. These are long term programmes, which […]
A joint letter signed by Derbyshire’s Chief Constable, Peter Goodman, and Police and Crime Commissioner, Hardyal Dhindsa, has called on the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd to end the damaging cuts to the […]
The final proposal on the Library strategy, Option B+, states that it will save Derby City Council £648,000 per year, by converting 10 of the 15 libraries into Community ( Volunteer) managed […]
The brown bin, garden waste, charging scheme, introduced in 2014/15, which was publicised as saving the Council £1m per year, is a sham.! It was based on flawed assumptions, was poorly […]
It is difficult to know which bit of rhetoric about the Council’s finances the public should now believe from Cllr Banwait! The tax payer has been told consistently that the Council has […]
In a few days time, the Mad Hatter’s Cafe on Alvaston Park will close. It will be replaced by a Council run operation using the Derby Live team that run the Orangery […]
Last Wednesday’s Full Council meeting was dedicated to a debate over the Labour Group’s proposed budget for 2017/18 – 2019/2020. Within that plan is the much publicised and discussed idea to change […]
Over the last few years, the Council has claimed that it saves £100,000 pa by cancelling bin collections over the Xmas period. You might wonder, how a saving of this magnitude could […]
The Derwent by-election activity is gathering pace and it will be an intense and close campaign ; the Conservatives won in May 2016 by just 3 votes. The Labour Party are taking […]
A protest was arranged today at 1.30pm by the Parents affected by the TA/School Support staff dispute in the Council reception. Also in attendance, were TAs and UNISON. It was a noisy […]
The Teaching Assistant (TA) / School Support staff strike action continued today with the Mackworth Ward being the target – it is home to Labour Cllrs Pegg, Whitby, and Froggatt. The striking […]
In the most recent Budget consultation (published 12 December 2016) , it states that £28m cuts are required over the next 3 years from 2017/18. For the sake of clarity – there […]
The consultation on the re-structuring of the City’s libraries closes today. The Council’s preferred Option (B) does not stand up to much financial scrutiny…there is a questionable £400k gap. The solution is […]
Between 1989-1991 the Council decided to install 3 automatic, single toilet units on 30 year contracts at a total forward rental cost to the Tax payer of £1.9m. This was being paid […]
For a Council that is having to monitor revenue spending very closely, then the business cases for these significant projects, need to be robust and transparent. We look forward to the point […]
The Labour Council has been unrelenting in its pursuit of the rhetoric about Tory Government cuts. Funding has been so severely shaved that vital services and public events have had to be […]
In austere times, when funds are short, and critical services/events of public value have been cut then windfall receipts can present an opportunity. At the Cabinet meeting this week, the following is […]
A Council that is battling with austerity funding , and diverting scarce resources away from discretionary services ( including Xmas lights) to mandated, statutory obligations shouldn’t be considering funding £60,000 on a […]
Derby City Council exhibits significant gender pay inequality despite a comprehensive Equal Pay Review. Through Freedom of Information I asked for a detailed breakdown of all salaries into salary bands, and between […]
(UPDATE : Since writing this article, the Council have changed the FOI response to reflect a much lower, competitive £/ream price and so the £115k waste statement is no longer valid. It […]
