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Thanks to everyone who took part in our public consultation about proposed changes to our household waste recycling centres.
Changes are being introduced to make the service more efficient and effective and to help save money, and Cabinet Members have agreed to:
- Charge a fee to dispose of tyres and asbestos set at £4 per tyre and £6 per sheet.
- Continue to operate the recycling centres seven days a week but reduce the opening hours by two hours each day at eight of the centres when they are typically less busy. The new opening hours will be 9.30am – 5pm each day – except at Buxton where the current hours of 8.30am – 6pm will remain due to different contractual arrangements at that site.
- The development of a trial scheme to allow registered small businesses and sole traders to pay to use two of the recycling centres to dispose of business waste outside of the hours the centres are open to the public. A detailed plan for this trial scheme, proposed for centres in Ashbourne and Bolsover, will be presented to Cabinet at a later date for approval.
No date has been set for the changes to be implemented but plans are being drawn-up for them to be introduced later this year.
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We want to know what you think to possible changes to two specialist services for children with disabilities and their families.
In common with authorities across the country, we’re facing budgetary pressures far greater than experienced before, due to factors beyond our control. And changes are needed to support the council setting a balanced budget.
We’re looking for views on either closing The Getaway building in Ilkeston, which offers short respite breaks for children with disabilities, or reducing capacity for short breaks and using some of the space in the building for a home for children with disabilities in the council’s care.
The Outback in Chesterfield provides early help services for families with disabled children. We’re seeking views on stopping these services, or refocusing them to prevent family breakdown and stopping children with disabilities coming into council care.
These changes are proposed to help save around £1.9m from the service's budget.
A strong message has been sent out to Derbyshire retailers who flout the law when it comes to underage sales of alcohol following a successful prosecution by our trading standards team.
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An Ilkeston shopkeeper and business were this week fined nearly £600 and ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge after admitting to selling lager to an underage person.
Hamant Patel, 63, who runs Hazeldene Stores in Green Lane, Ilkeston, appeared before Southern Derbyshire Magistrates on Monday (11 March), to face a charge of selling alcohol to an underage person, contrary to the Licensing Act 2003. The business faced the same charge.
Trading standards had carried out an investigation and test purchases at the store, previously giving Patel comprehensive advice and guidance on how to avoid falling foul of the laws around underage sales.
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Calling all farmers and landowners – could you be part of the project to plant a community forest in Derbyshire?
 Grants are available for farmers and other landowners along the eastern and southern fringes of Derbyshire with space available to plant trees as part of the county’s Heartwood Community Forest.
The project to create the community forest is being funded by the England’s Community Forests Trees for Climate fund.
The fund, which is part of the government’s Nature for Climate programme, offers one of the most competitive grant schemes for tree planting available today and grants can be used to support a range of different woodland options from small-scale tree planting and low-density tree planting to large multi-use woodlands extending more than 5ha.
Photo credit: Christopher Parkes Photography
Could you offer a few hours a week or month to sit on our school appeals panel?
Panels are held when a parent or carer appeals the decision to refuse their child a place at their preferred school. The appeals are heard by an independent panel of three people, and the council is looking for more appeals members.
The appeals are held online during the working week throughout the year. Dates are set in advance and appeal panel members can choose how often they take part.
No specific experience or formal qualifications are required to apply as appropriate training will be provided.
Looking for ways to cut food waste and save money?
Choosing only what you’ll use is the theme of this year’s Food Waste Action Week which starts today (Monday 18 March).
Research by the charity WRAP has shown that nationally we could reduce food waste by 60,000 tonnes just by buying loose fruit and veg. And chances are you’ll save a bit of money too.
So, step away from the temptation of that family size bag of potatoes and kilo of carrots if you really only need a couple of bakers and a handful of carrots!
And why not try other new ways to cut food waste and save money – such as downloading the Too Good to Go app. Use the app to explore shops and restaurants in your local area and save Surprise Bags of surplus food from going to waste at a great price.
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Would you like to have your say on a new political map for the county designed to ensure county councillors represent around the same number of people?
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) has published proposed changes to the county council’s electoral divisions following a growth in population in some areas.
A report outlining the county council’s position on potential changes was agreed last summer and can be seen on the council’s website alongside a full submission report. Click on agenda item 64/23 Derbyshire Electoral Boundary Review to find out more.
The LGBCE will make its final recommendations in July, following the latest public consultation. To take part visit the LGBCE website
Warn your local communities to be on their guard against scammers pretending to be from community alarm companies.
We’ve received several reports of attempts by scammers to con Derbyshire residents out of money – coinciding with the appointment of a new provider for the council’s telecare service.
In one instance, two men targeted an elderly woman on her doorstep, asking for her bank details before they could install new community alarm equipment. In another case, a man received a phone call asking for bank details for his community alarm service.
Neither we, nor any of our representatives, would ever ask for bank details or payment over the telephone or come unannounced to the door.
Anyone who is unsure about the legitimacy of a call is urged to hang up and contact their community alarm provider either by phone or by pressing their pendant.
If someone is at the door and they feel threatened, call the police.
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