Latest news with #AmberValleyBoroughCouncil
BBC News
16-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Unsafe rockface keeps Milford children's playground closed
A play area next to a rockface in Derbyshire has been shut to ensure the public's playground off the A6 in Milford was shut after an inspection of the potentially dangerous rockface in further inspections can be carried out by specialists the play area must stay closed, said Amber Valley Borough council has apologised for "any inconvenience" but said it could not give a date for when it would reopen. A spokesperson said: "This is a precautionary measure to ensure public safety, and the closure will remain in place until the inspection has taken place and the findings have been reviewed."At this stage we are unable to confirm a reopening date."We know how important this play area is to the local community, and we're doing everything we can to progress the inspection. However, public safety remains our priority."
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
MP resigns borough council seat ahead of elections
The Labour MP for Amber Valley has stepped down from her seat on the borough council ahead of the local elections. Linsey Farnsworth was elected to Amber Valley Borough Council for the Kilburn, Denby, Holbrook and Horsley ward as a Labour councillor in May 2023. The former solicitor was then elected to Parliament in the general election the following year. She told the BBC she was resigning now so a by-election can be held on the same day as Derbyshire County Council elections, which would "save the public purse thousands of pounds". "I was honoured to serve as the first Labour councillor in over 20 years to represent Kilburn, Denby, Holbrook and Horsley - and to represent the ward where I live", she told the BBC. "When I was elected to Parliament, I renounced my councillor allowance from day one. "And I have now resigned my borough seat so the by-election can tie in with the county council elections - saving the public purse thousands of pounds compared to running a costly standalone contest. "It has been a privilege to serve as their councillor and I want to reassure my constituents I will continue to support them as their MP, as well as people across Amber Valley." Councillors received an email informing them of the vacancy. A by-election will be scheduled once the council has received a written request to do so from two local government electors from within the local authority area. The electors can be registered anywhere in Amber Valley and not solely within the ward itself. The minimum timescale required to hold a by-election is 25 working days. Councillors were told by officers in an email seen by the BBC that in order to hold the by-election on 1 May, the same day as the county council elections, the request must be received no later than 5pm next Tuesday, 25 March. The by-election will be held at a later date if the request is not received by then. A spokesperson for Amber Valley Borough Council said: "We can confirm that Linsey Farnsworth MP has resigned her seat on the borough council today. "We understand that the timing for her resignation was chosen so that the forthcoming by-election would coincide with the Derbyshire County Council elections on May 1." The other MPs elected in 2024 who remain councillors are Baggy Shanker, the Derby South MP, and John Whitby, the Derbyshire Dales MP. Both sit on Derby City Council but are under local pressure to resign their seats. Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Lack of SEND support leaving families suicidal - MP Amber Valley Borough Council
BBC News
07-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Plans for two Derbyshire councils agreed by leaders
Derbyshire councils have agreed on a draft blueprint for the future of local government in the region that would create two new councils covering the whole county's eight district and boroughs, alongside Derby City Council, have agreed on plans for a 'North Derbyshire' and 'South Derbyshire'.Derbyshire County Council has not given the plan its backing, and will be submitting its own rival government wants regions across England to submit draft proposals by 21 March as part of an upcoming local government shake-up. Each of the councils will sign off on the plans in individual meetings over the next couple of weeks in the run-up to the leaders of the mostly Labour-run councils say the plan involves "two options of equal merit" that meet the government's first would see Amber Valley Borough Council form part of the northern unitary alongside High Peak Borough Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, North East Derbyshire District Council and Bolsover District Council. A separate southern unitary would be formed by Derby City Council, South Derbyshire District Council and Erewash Borough Council. The second option would maintain the same structure as the first, however Amber Valley would be placed in the southern council instead. There will be a consultation process in the coming months for Amber Valley residents to express their preference for which council their area should fall into. Final plans will be submitted in November this councils expect the two authorities to work in "genuine partnership" to deliver local services. The leaders said in a joint statement: "We have explored a range of options that ensure that Derbyshire's historic boundaries remain intact."Most importantly, we believe these authorities would be of the appropriate size – the two councils would serve similarly sized populations of around 500,000 residents – to strike the right balance between retaining the strong local connections we already have with our communities and being financially sustainable." The leaders also dismissed the separate plan that will be submitted by Derbyshire County Council, which would involve a single unitary council covering the whole of Derbyshire excluding Derby, as "too large, and too far removed from the diverse communities that we serve"."We have invited the leader of Derbyshire County Council to be part of our joint discussions, but this has been declined."It is thought the county council's plan would cover about 800,000 people, with the government recommending the new councils cover a minimum of 500,000 residents. Derbyshire's Conservative leader Barry Lewis denied he has been unwilling to engage with the other told the BBC: "Derbyshire County Council has been clear from the outset that we believe a whole-county unitary authority, excluding Derby City, offers the best long-term solution." The Labour MP for High Peak, Jon Pearce, said on Facebook he welcomed the new plan but wanted reassurances on how "[High Peak's] very differing needs would be addressed". He has supported High Peak moving towards Greater Manchester's orbit instead of staying within move is not supported by the East Midlands mayor and is thought to be unlikely to be accepted by the government.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plans to convert listed pub into home
A 200-year-old rural Derbyshire pub that was closed due to "mounting losses" could now be shut for good and become a home. The Black Swan pub in Wirksworth Road, Idridgehay, a few miles west of Belper, was shut in March 2024 "when annual losses approached five-figure sums", an application from owner Tim Tomlinson says. Mr Tomlinson has applied to Amber Valley Borough Council to convert the Grade II listed pub, which was built in the early 19th Century, into a house, with its car park becoming a garden. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said a decision on the plans will be made by the borough council in the next few months. Documents filed with the application detail that the former owners of the pub had tried and failed to sell the venue as a going concern more than eight years ago. During this time the kitchen was stripped out in a bid to turn the premises into a house, which is said to have led to significant community opposition. After a lack of success the venue closed for a year before reopening in 2017 under the ownership of Mr Tomlinson, who reinstated the kitchen and "invested significantly" in the pub's refurbishment. The documents went on to say a proposed redesign of the venue to help it separate the dining and drinking areas was rejected by council planners, contributing to its eventual closure. Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Amber Valley Borough Council Local Democracy Reporting Service
