Community News 2025 02 17

Speak up for Nature
Show how much you care about your local environment and 'Speak up for Nature' in a public consultation about our draft Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Derby and Derbyshire (LNRS).

We've collected the views and opinions of hundreds of local residents and organisations and used them to help create the area's first Local Nature Recovery Strategy – a plan for how councils, businesses, landowners, land managers and other organisations will work together in the future to make sure nature and habitats on our doorsteps can thrive and survive.

Now we're encouraging local people to comment on the draft plan either online or in person at one of the events taking place across the city and county from 10am – 4pm at:

Bakewell Agricultural Business Centre: Saturday 22 Feb
Derby Arboretum Park: Saturday 1 March
Glossop, Manor Park: Monday 10 March
Swadlincote, Sharpe's Pottery Museum: Wednesday 12 March

As well as the events, there will also be two online meetings held at 1-2pm and 6-7pm on Tuesday 25 February which will provide an opportunity for the public to share their views and speak to members of the LNRS team about the draft plan.

The public consultation will be open until midnight on 20 March 2025.

Honour for Albert

D-Day veteran Albert Keir has been bestowed with the Honorary Freedom of the County of Derbyshire.

Mr Keir, 99, of Bakewell, was the second person to receive the prestigious title, following unanimous agreement by Derbyshire County Council councillors at a special meeting held at County Hall, Matlock on Wednesday. The first person to receive the honour was Chesterfield-born England footballer Millie Bright OBE who was presented with the Freedom of Derbyshire last July.

The Honorary Freedom of the County of Derbyshire was given to Mr Keir in recognition of his achievements during his life and career, including the part he played in the Second World War.

Following the unanimous vote by councillors, Mr Keir was presented with a certificate bearing his new title of Honorary Freeman of Derbyshire by county council Civic Chairman Councillor Tony Kemp. His name will also be added to the roll of honour kept by the Monitoring Officer.

Help shape dementia services

Are you living with dementia or do you help care for someone who is?

If so, the Derbyshire Dementia Together co-production group would like your help to shape the future of dementia services within Derbyshire.

The group will meet on Wednesday 26 February at County Hall in Matlock, DE4 3AG from 2.30pm until 4.30pm, and you're invited to go along.

The meeting will also be hosted online and there will be help for people who would like to attend in person but who don't have any transport.

To find out more, please email Derbyshire Dementia Information and Advice Service at derbyshire@alzheimers.org.uk or call 01332 208845.

Derbyshire Makes events
Are you interested in getting creative? Derbyshire Makes has announced a packed programme of free activities happening throughout the county this year.

Derbyshire Makes aims to celebrate making in all its forms and shine a spotlight on the county's extraordinary making heritage and creative and cultural industries.

We secured £780,000 in Arts Council England Place Partnership funding, which uses money from the National Lottery, to deliver the three-year cultural programme.

Events take place from the end of March and throughout April in Chesterfield, Heanor, Cromford, Glossop, Bolsover and Swadlincote.

For more information and how to get involved, visit www.derbyshiremakes.co.uk and sign up to the mailing list.

Derbyshire Record Office

Derbyshire Record Office is closed for two weeks so that staff can help colleagues with the final phase of moving out of Buxton Museum and Art Gallery.

Our Record Office in New Street, Matlock, is temporarily closed to the public from 17 to 28 February 2025.

Buxton Museum and Art Gallery is to permanently relocate from its former home at Peak Buildings in Terrace Road after parts of the building were found to be potentially unsafe.

Since then, museum staff have been concentrating on packing away 1,000s of artefacts and artworks – and they need the help of record office staff with the complex task. Some items will go into safe storage until a new home for the museum is found and others will be displayed in Buxton Library, from where staff will be working temporarily.

Health services for pre-school families
Do you have a pre-school child?

Proposed changes to health services for pre-school families which aim to ensure those most in need continue to be supported will be considered by our Cabinet next week.

It follows a joint consultation we ran along with Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust (DCHS) to seek the public's views on plans to change health visiting services to deliver them more effectively to ensure they remain sustainable and finite resources are targeted at families who need the most support.

Future use of care homes
Proposals for the future of our remaining in-house care homes and for closer working with health partners are due to be considered by our Cabinet.

Cabinet will consider a report on Thursday 20 February 2025, recommending changes which would support our intention to create an efficient, effective and sustainable care service.

By creating care homes focusing on either providing support to people with dementia or on providing short-term reablement and assessment care, we aim to create a more efficient and effective service able to adapt to both changes and growth in demand and support more Derbyshire residents to remain living independently in their own homes and communities.

A balanced budget for the year ahead
We've set a balanced budget for the year ahead following a meeting of Council this week, where it was agreed how we will manage our finances for the coming year.

At Full Council our net budget for 2025-26 was set at £769.8m and council tax will rise by 4.99%.

At the meeting a number of budget-related reports were agreed, including the Revenue Budget Report 2025-26 which can be found on the Council meeting agenda item 10.

The Revenue Budget Report sets out our current financial position and includes the impact of external factors beyond our control which continue to put our finances under huge pressure, including pay and price inflation and a continuing increase in cost and demand for services, especially children's services and adult social care.

The Revenue Budget Report and accompanying appendices also detail our reserves position and a Five-Year Financial Plan which includes savings that will need to be achieved by 2029-2030.