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Like councils up and down the country, we are facing continuing budget pressures due to rising costs and demand for services.
Our Cabinet Members will be asked to approve significant action at a meeting next week (Thursday 21 September) to help balance the books.
Steps proposed to help reduce an estimated overspend of around £46.4m by the end of the financial year include a freeze on recruiting staff and stopping all non-essential spending.
Council leader Councillor Barry Lewis said: “We have always been a well-managed, efficient and financially stable council which has balanced our books, maintained a robust level of reserves and been able to support vital, high quality, value-for-money services for our residents across Derbyshire.
“However, the reality is that the financial pressures we are facing, along with other councils and households, are now greater than ever experienced before, with most of these pressures being simply outside our control.
“We’ve been taking many measures over the past few years to make sure we carefully control our costs, such as vacancy control measures, but now we need to do much more.
“We are continuing to lobby the government for extra funding so that we can continue to run vital services to those who need them most, but we also recognise that even more difficult decisions will be needed to be made to try to balance the books.
“This is a position that no-one who goes into public service ever wants to be in. But despite this intense pressure on our budget, we are ambitious for Derbyshire, committed to supporting people through the cost-of-living rises, helping to drive our local economy, working towards a devolution deal and working with partners to get the best value in all that we do.”
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Do you, or anyone you know, have physical or learning disabilities, long-term or mental ill health or any difficulties with day-to-day living?
We’ve launched a new online information finder to help residents get support to remain living independently at home and we’d appreciate your help to spread the word.
It provides free, impartial information and guidance for anyone over 18 – including older people, their families or carers, people with physical or learning disabilities, long-term or mental ill health or anyone having difficulties with day-to-day living.
People are asked to answer some simple questions about how they live including how they manage to get dressed, to cook or get out and about.
Using their answers, the online information finder points them to a wide range of services, activities, resources and guidance that they can access themselves to help make their lives easier.
As well as county council support, it also promotes a wide range of services which are widely available through the private, community and voluntary sector including befriending services, community transport, technology to stay safe at home and mental health and wellbeing support.
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Don't throw away that broken iron, stool or laptop – take it to a repair café and see if it can live again.
Many of the repair cafés, which are run by a network of volunteers, had a break in August. But now they're back and raring to get their hands on your broken items rather than see them go to landfill.
A new repair café launches in Bakewell at the Methodist Church Hall on Matlock Street on Saturday 23 September bringing the total across the county to 17.
This Saturday (16 September) you can take your pick from repair cafés including Borrowash, Chesterfield, Hadfield and Tideswell.
Items you can take along include small electricals, clothes, garden tools, bikes, computers and hand tools. Small items of furniture can also be considered for repair. Repairs are free but donations are welcome.
Goods that are beyond repair can be taken to our household waste recycling centres.
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If you, or someone you know is disabled and looking for employment or training, our disability employment service is holding a jobs fair on Friday 6 October.
Come along to meet employers, find out about jobs, training and voluntary opportunities in Derbyshire and get support and advice.
The fair is being held at County Hall, Smedley Street in Matlock, DE4 3AG from 9.30am to 12.30pm – no booking required.
Our disability employment service can support you throughout the employment process – from help with applying for a job and preparing for interview to offering in-work support with assisting equipment or training.
Email the team or call them on 01629 532 440.
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Since we successfully bid to the Government for £47m to improve bus services in Derbyshire, we've been able to extend the timetables and some routes on 17 services.
Now, services are being improved for four more bus routes, with changes already in place for the 90, with the 61, 272 and 257 to improve later in September.
They are:
- Service 61 Glossop to Buxton
- Service 90 Ripley to Sutton
- Service 272 Sheffield to Castleton
- Service 257 Sheffield to Bakewell.
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Could you make a positive change to the way you travel?
Schools, residents and businesses across Derbyshire are being invited to take part in national TravelWise Week next week (16 – 23 September) to help promote cleaner and healthier transport choices.
Whether it’s walking, cycling or taking the bus there are lots of alternatives to travelling by car in Derbyshire.
Why not take a look on our website to see what you could do?
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Do you keep birds? You're being urged to take steps now to reduce the risk of your flock catching avian flu.
Our trading standards officers are issuing the call following an outbreak in Staffordshire.
The 10km surveillance zone from that outbreak covers a small part of Derbyshire including Doveridge, Somersal Herbert, and parts of Sudbury and local people should act now to protect birds they keep and avoid any further outbreaks of the disease.
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Don't forget our Woodland Festival is on this weekend, 16 and 17 September, at Elvaston Castle.
It's a brilliant day out for all the family, with lots of fun activities for children and plenty to keep you entertained.
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