Councillor Alan Graves, Leader of Derbyshire County Council, has shared a Christmas message for the residents of Derbyshire.

In it he talks about the beauties and traditions of Derbyshire at Christmas. Councillor Graves also stresses the importance of community and checking on our neighbours. 

Finally, he wishes us all a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and looks forward to a brighter 2026.

Watch it here

For children in our care, that gift could come through the warmth, stability and care of a foster family. Opening a home to a child in need can provide hope and comfort when it matters most.

This festive message encourages people to reflect on what really matters during this time of giving. Every child deserves a happy and healthy childhood, and together a brighter future can be shaped for every child.

We are part of the Foster for East Midlands Councils (FFEMC) regional partnership with Derby City, Nottinghamshire County and Nottingham City Councils, all working together to find loving homes for the children in our care.

FFEMC aims to increase the number of foster carers available in local communities so children who need support through a difficult time in their lives can stay near home, close to their family and remain at the same school with their friends.

With food prices still high and household budgets feeling the squeeze, stocking your cupboards with festive favourites can feel like an extra pressure.

The good news is your festive food shop is one of the easiest places to save money, and smart planning doesn’t just protect your wallet – it massively cuts food waste too.

Every year we overspend because:

• we want to treat our guests, and it’s hard to judge portions in the season of giving.
• we worry the shops will run out or close, so we double-buy “just in case”.
• we feel pressure from social media and supermarket displays, which make everyone’s spreads look fit for a king.

It’s no wonder so much food gets wasted, with Which? identifying that cheese, biscuits, chocolate, alcohol and vegetables as the biggest culprits.

But a bit of planning goes a long way. Check out this handy guide from the national Love Food Hate Waste campaign.

We'll use the money to employ an extra 20 staff within key SEND teams to increase the number of Education, Health and Care Plans being produced, speed up reviews and strengthen communication with families.

Extra staff will be drafted in to focus on carrying out timely assessments for the issuing of ECHPs to ensure more are completed within the 20-week deadline and to focus on processing and completing annual reviews of these.

The b_line3 card offers single bus fares for £1.50 for young people aged 19 up to their 22nd birthday.

b_line3 cards entitle eligible young people to £1.50 single fares on many of the county’s bus routes run by Stagecoach, High Peak, Arriva, Diamond, Central Connect, SPCT and Andrew’s of Tideswell services for journeys starting and/or ending in Derbyshire (including Derby City). The pilot b_line3 scheme does not include any buses run by trentbarton.

So far this financial year we've saved money by buying external work more cheaply. We recently set up a programme delivery office to manage work in a more efficient way, and this new team is putting both the larger highways jobs, and many smaller ones, through competitive tendering exercises.

As a result the price for many jobs has been coming in under what they had been estimated to cost. These savings have been ploughed back into the service and have funded a £3 million councillor-led programme. All councillors were asked to suggest two roads that most needed resurfacing in their area. Officers are currently looking at all the suggestions and a list of which roads will be resurfaced will be agreed and published later this year.

Money has also been saved by new ways of working, identified by our in-house laboratory team.

Derbyshire Wayfarer Ranger tickets provide discounted travel on buses and off-peak trains throughout Derbyshire as well as to and from Burton on Trent, Leek, Macclesfield, Sheffield and Uttoxeter. There are different prices for one-day or seven-day tickets.

Until now, Derbyshire Wayfarer Ranger tickets have only been available to buy from libraries and tourist information centres as scratchcards, on buses and at railway ticket offices. Going digital means the ticket is available to a wider number of people and is more accessible.

The tickets can now be bought through the TravelMaster App and displayed as an mTicket. 

Once you've bought them, tickets can be held on a phone for up to 31 days and then activated on the day of travel – and it's possible to gift tickets to other people. Tickets are available for adults, children (under 16), groups and seniors (who hold either a Senior Railcard, Gold Card or other English National Concessionary Travel Scheme card.)

Active Travel England, part of the Department for Transport, has upgraded our Capability Rating from level 1 to 2, recognising our progress in providing and promoting opportunities for alternatives to travelling by car.

The higher rating means that we are eligible for increased funding opportunities and technical support from Active Travel England, to take further measures to make travelling easier on foot, by bike, in a wheelchair or on a scooter.

It follows recent successes including completing sections of the White Peak Loop, which is a 42-mile route through the Derbyshire Peak District, and progressing projects such as the Little Eaton branch line – a former railway line being turned into a multi-user path due to open next summer.

The total award for Derbyshire over the four-year period starting 2026 to 2027 will be £6.5million, in addition to funding received directly through the East Midlands Combined County Authority. This will be used for projects such as a feasibility study for completing the White Peak Loop, work to progress the Derwent Valley route and measures to improve travel in and around market towns.