16 November – Community News from Derbyshire County Council – Remembrance Day, Your Council Your Voice, primary school applications, Elvaston, safeguarding adults, business awards, lowering the cost of Christmas

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Derbyshire County Council remembers

We marked Remembrance Day at County Hall with a service in remembrance of those who lost their lives while fighting for their country, including all fallen Derbyshire County Council officers.

wreaths
wreaths 2

A two-minute silence was observed and wreaths were laid at the memorial inside County Hall by council Civic Chairman Councillor Jean Wharmby, leading councillors and staff, union representatives and guests, the Vice Lord-Lieutenant Colonel John S Wilson OBE, The High Sheriff of Derbyshire Louise Potter, and consort to the Civic Chairman and Royal British Legion representative George Wharmby.

The silence began after the playing of the Last Post and finished with Reveille, followed by the names of all fallen council officers being read out by Council Leader Councillor Barry Lewis.

Pictured are all those who laid wreaths at the memorial, with the wreaths including a purple one to represent all the animals who were lost or serve in war and conflict.

Pictured on the steps outside County Hall:

Front: Vice Lord-Lieutenant Colonel John S Wilson OBE DL and Derbyshire County Council Civic Chairman Councillor Jean Wharmby.

Second row far left: Councillor Ed Fordham on behalf of the DCC Liberal Democrat Group, behind is Jeanette Lloyd on behalf of Unison, Councillor Christine Dale on behalf of the DCC Labour Group, The High Sheriff of Derbyshire Louise Potter DL, Council Leader Councillor Barry Lewis on behalf of the DCC Conservative Group.

Back row: Maurice Bloom on behalf of the GMB, William Lowe on behalf of Unite, consort to the Civic Chairman and Royal British Legion representative George Wharmby, slightly to the front, DCC Armed  Forces Champion Councillor David  Wilson, back far right is DCC executive director Place, Chris Henning on behalf of the Corporate Management Team and DCC staff.


Still time to have your say in our survey

If you haven’t yet had your say in our annual survey we're asking you to do it now as the deadline approaches. 

YCYV 2021

There’s still time to take the wide-ranging survey which asks for your views on our services and on how our budget should be prioritised for the year ahead.

The Your Council Your Voice survey is an opportunity for you to tell us what you think about the services you use, how satisfied you are with them and which ones you think are the most important and why.

The survey, which closes on Sunday 28 November, also asks whether the Covid-19 pandemic has changed your opinion of the council and the services we provide, and if it has had an impact on your satisfaction with the way we run things.

If you take part you'll get the opportunity to enter a prize draw with one person winning £100 of shopping vouchers.


Find out all about gritting on our roads

Every year our gritting teams gear up to help keep us all safe on the roads. Our aim is to make the roads in Derbyshire as safe as possible and to minimise any delays caused by bad weather.

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Do you know which roads we grit? There’s lots of info on our website, and a map which tells you when a road was last gritted.

We treat around half of the roads in the county, with our gritting routes split into primary, secondary and tertiary routes.

Primary routes, around 1,000 miles of road, are treated during the day and night and will be pre-treated before bad weather hits. Gritting continues 24 hours a day if necessary.

Secondary routes cover around 550 miles of road and are generally only treated in the day with the first run being completed by mid-morning. This helps overcome problems of parked cars getting in the way of gritter vehicles doing their job on residential roads at night.

When bad weather hits keep your eye on our social media channels, Facebook and Twitter and if main roads are closed you’ll find out here.


Primary school applications open

Do you have a child who's due to start primary school in September next year? Parents can now apply for their child’s infant, junior or primary school place.

School places

Applications for children who were born between 1 September 2017 and 31 August 2018 will close at midnight on Saturday 15 January 2022. 

Parents can also apply during the same period for junior school places for children born between 1 September 2014 and 31 August 2015 who are currently in Year 2 at an infant school and will transfer on to other schools in September 2022.

Applying online is quick and easy and allows parents to make changes to their application at any point up to the closing date. Anyone who applies online will receive an email to confirm their application has been received.

When completing the application form parents will be asked to list, in order of preference, the three schools they would most like their child to go to.

Parents who do not have access to the internet can Call Derbyshire on 01629 533190 to apply between 8am and 6pm on weekdays and 9.30am and 4pm on Saturdays.  


Planning for the future of Elvaston

A planning application for Elvaston Castle Country Park is to be submitted.

Elvaston Castle

Detailed proposals to regenerate Elvaston Castle’s historic grounds have been made available to view ahead of planning applications being submitted for the first phase of a £35m regeneration programme.

Final touches have been added to proposals to reverse decades of underinvestment and secure the future of the 321-acre Derbyshire estate, which includes the much-loved historic Grade II* Listed gardens which are the finest example of renowned 19th century gardener William Barron’s work.

It follows a comprehensive public consultation exercise and many months of work with Elvaston Castle and Garden Trust, working with the National Trust.


Safeguarding Adults Week 2021

It is National Safeguarding Adults Week this week.

derbyshire safeguarding adults board logo

During the week Derbyshire Safeguarding Adults Board – which works to protect adults with care and support needs from abuse or neglect – will be running a social media campaign to make people aware of potential harms and where to go for help.

The posts will highlight things like scams, reaching out to lonely or isolated people, how to understand when friendships can be harmful, what to do if someone’s mental health is suffering, and how to raise concerns about a person in a position of trust.

The week aims to make everyone aware of the role they play in safeguarding adults in Derbyshire, how to spot the possible signs of abuse, and the actions you can take if you spot any.

Watch a short film designed to help identify abuse or neglect.

DSAB has also produced a three-minute animation to help people to understand what good friendships are and when they might be harmful. 

If you work with vulnerable adults in Derbyshire, you can find out more info by clicking the link below.


Awards to celebrate local businesses

Local businesses nominated for a Derbyshire Business and Enterprise Award were invited to a gala dinner and award ceremony which took place on Friday (12 November).

business chart account webinar

It’s been a tough year for our business community and the awards, which took place at Derbyshire County Cricket Club were a celebration of local firms and the resilience they have shown in the last 18 months.

You can find out who was nominated on the East Midlands Chamber website.

The awards were held as part of the Derbyshire Festival of Business which aims to connect and support local organisations, while showcasing Derbyshire’s extensive business capability to future clients, customers, and investors.

If you run a business in Derbyshire you may be interested in some of the FREE workshops and other events being held between now and March 2022.


Lowering the cost of Christmas

lower the cost of Christmas

If you’re looking for ways to make the festive season lower cost and waste free then why not sign up to our emails? Over the next few weeks, we’ll share tips and advice on everything from planning your Christmas dinner to low cost ideas for cheaper celebrations.