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Bin lorries across Derbyshire are about to take on a new mission – not just collecting household rubbish, but identifying where mobile signals are rubbish too.
 We're working with district and borough council refuse teams to sniff out the county’s worst mobile signal not-spots. Equipped with mobile signal testing devices, these lorries will be collecting crucial data on where mobile signals fail to deliver.
Mobile mapping specialist Streetwave has been commissioned to co-ordinate the project, with data collection expected to take around three months.
Once the data is received it will be used to create a countywide signal map, giving us the evidence we need to push for investment in better connectivity. Residents will be able to check their details and see whether they have the best coverage and downloads for their needs.
📸Pictured from left to right: Ian Green, Derbyshire Dales District Council (DDDC); Antonia Lavelle, DDDC; Henry Rutland, Streetwave; and Ian Stoddart, Derbyshire County Council.
We've submitted our initial proposals for local government reorganisation to the Government, presenting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to “Keep Derbyshire Together” and improve the quality of life for all our residents.
 The Government wants all two-tier council areas, like Derbyshire, to move to single-tier unitary authorities.
Our proposal is to have one single unitary council on the current county footprint, with Derby remaining in its current form as a city unitary council. Independent research shows this would save an estimated £133 million over the first five years.
We recently asked residents whether they agreed with “Keeping Derbyshire Together” under one unitary authority (excluding Derby city). More than 8,000 people took part in the poll, with 59% saying they agreed or strongly agreed with this approach.
Fancy a coffee? Bluebell Cafe will open its doors to visitors at Shipley Country Park for the first time on Saturday (22 March) marking the first in a series of steps to improve facilities in and around the visitor centre.
Derbyshire-based catering business Blueberry has modernised the cafe space at the centre, off Slack Lane, Heanor, and will be open weekdays from 9.30am to 4pm and at weekends from 9am to 5pm.
It’s just takeaway service this weekend, followed by full opening on Tuesday 25 March.
Located next to the main car park, Bluebell Cafe will be offering a range of homemade food and refreshments with a takeaway service available, as well as outdoor and indoor seating.
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Join in a celebration of making in all its forms which launches on Friday 28 March. Derbyshire Makes is our three-year cultural programme and there are lots of opportunities to get involved and all the activities are free.
It kicks off with the Derbyshire Makes Festival taking place from Friday 28 March to Sunday 27 April across six of our towns.
There will be drop-in workshops, talks, walks, exhibitions, film screenings and lots of hands-on making activities. Suitable for all ages.
Here are the dates for the six towns, but for all the activities on the days and the latest developments please visit Derbyshire Makes or follow @DerbyshireMakes on social media.
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Chesterfield. Friday 28 March to Sunday 30 March, 10am-4pm (Please note, all Sunday workshops in Chesterfield are fully booked)
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Heanor. Saturday 5 April, 10am-4pm, and Sunday 6 April, 10.30am-3.30pm
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Cromford. Saturday 12 April to Sunday 13 April, 10.30am-4pm
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Glossop. Tuesday 15 April, 2pm-8pm, and Wednesday 16 April, 10am-4pm
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Bolsover. Saturday 19 April 10am-4pm and Sunday 20 April, 10.30am-3pm
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Swadlincote. Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 April, 10am-3pm.
The festival brochure is available in our libraries.
📸Pictured is artist Lucie Maycock, who will be at the Chesterfield event.
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We’ve been awarded £2.7m by Active Travel England to transform the former Little Eaton branch railway line into a greenway – a traffic-free pathway for walking, wheeling, cycling and horse riding.
Work is underway to provide an all-weather 3.5 mile surfaced route between Little Eaton and Rawson Green, while maintaining a thriving wildlife corridor along the way. Completion of the greenway is due in spring 2026.
The project will provide a low carbon transport choice throughout the valley, linking communities and places of employment, and enable parents and children to access Little Eaton primary school by foot, cycle or scooter.
📸 Pictured from left to right: Jaimie Bingham, Derbyshire County Council (DCC) principal engineer; Councillor Carolyn Renwick, DCC Cabinet Member – Environment and Infrastructure; Adrian Hill, Active Travel England East Midlands regional manager; Robert Smith, DCC project engineer.
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The White Peak Loop, a 42-mile circular trail designed for walkers, cyclists, and horse riders, is now officially open for business.
The White Peak Loop connects the vibrant towns of Matlock and Bakewell, guiding adventurers along the renowned Monsal Trail and Pennine Bridleway National Trail before merging onto the High Peak Trail and returning to Matlock.
Predominantly set on surfaced, traffic-free paths, the route ensures a safe and enjoyable experience for all users.
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We've published our new Council Plan which sets out our key objectives and a new way of working which will guide how services are shaped over the next four years.
The Council Plan 2025-2029 outlines our vision and the outcomes we seek to achieve, along with employee values and customer commitments.
We've submitted planning applications to transform County Hall in Matlock into a hotel to be called Smedley's Hydro, after the building's original purpose.
These applications include plans for the south block of County Hall to become a hotel, the refurbishment and renovation of the Winter Gardens, demolition of the Smedley Street bridges, demolition of various outbuildings, the former stable block and the business centre and general repairs and improvements. Listed building consent for these works is also being sought.
County Hall was originally a hydropathic hotel when it was opened in 1853.
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A new road safety product, the VisionTrack with Solar IP, developed by Matlock-based company MVIS, has been placed on the A632 just outside Matlock as a trial for the next two months.
It gathers information about driver behaviour and road usage which is then fed back into a central system to analyse road safety.
It monitors a wide range of issues on the road including vehicles that have stopped on the road, debris in the road, pedestrians in the road, accidents, vehicles that don’t stop at junctions, vehicle count and speed monitoring.
We will use the information gained during the testing period to improve road safety. It will also help us gather evidence to bid for road safety cash from government.
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