The closure of Moorways Swimming Pool has prompted much public annoyance throughout the City, and is the subject of a high profile campaign and petition to the Council. The fact that Derby’s […]
Council clueless about costs of Moorways Swimming Pool
Council cuts to charities is now undermining community
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
Indian Community Centre leads on Cancer Awareness for the elderly.
Health awareness is about community, it’s about people being encouraged and educated by peers, in culturally appropriate ways, from people they trust. Rarely does it happen from leaflets lying on a desk, […]
No transparency over use of Council’s £2.2m saving. Why not in the public interest?
As I reported earlier this week the Council saved £2.2m in it’s Revenue Budget in 2015/16. This was confirmed in the Council Cabinet papers presented at the meeting on 13th July 2016 […]
STRIKE! Teaching Assistants/Support staff fighting for fairness
At 10.29am there was a handful of us standing on the Council House steps – waiting with anticipation, seeing the odd Councillor scuttle in through the main doors. And then, like the […]
Teaching Assistants dismissed, and forced by Derby City Council to “accept” Pay cuts
Last night, all of the Teaching Assistants (TAs) in Derby who had not already accepted Derby City Council’s new Terms and Conditions were dismissed. This resulted from the Council’s inability to negotiate […]
Labour Council leadership dismiss People’s wish to save Citizen’s Advice Bureau
Despite 5014 people signing a petition, and despite the benefits of the Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB) being well-documented, the Labour Council leadership arrogantly dismissed the attempts by the public to save the CAB. There […]
“Labour Govt demand £39m savings from Derby City Council”
In the latest literature from the Derby Labour Party: It mentions in bold, after the statement, about the £116m that “They ( Tory Govt) have now demanded a further cut of £45m.” […]
Derby Labour Party’s £161m budget cuts lie!?
Derby Labour Party is handing out leaflets which state “Since the Tories came to power £116m has been slashed from services in Derby. They have now demanded a further cut of £45m”. […]
Council to spend £6m on a “Dithering Differently” programme.
Just over 3 years ago, when the Council presented the budget for 2013/14 – it told the people of Derby it needed to save £62m over the following 3 years. At that […]
Derby City Council’s Budget con-trick. Where did the £70m go?
In October 2014 the Council reported that £69m cuts needed to be made in the 3 years following 2014/15. 2015/16 – £22m ; 2016/17 – £24m ; 2017/18 – £23m – due […]
Myth of the Council’s “statutory service” rhetoric
Over the last few months the Council leadership has repeated the position that the Tory budget cuts have meant that, now, only statutory services can be supplied, and that all non-statutory activities […]
Ken: Disabled and trapped by Council Cuts, now sees hope.
“I would say I was existing. I was clean, I was fed, I was put to bed….so, just fed and watered. I didn’t feel like a complete human being….I didn’t feel complete.” […]
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