Posted in Local government, Services on Sunday January 3, 2010| 2 Comments »
Christmas Trees can be put out with the green bins, between 4th and 29th Jan, if unlike me you can remember which is the green bin day. Christmas Cards can be take to collections points (the nearest is Sainsbury’s car park, Ashbourne) between 4th and 31st Jan or M&S Simply Food.
Can anyone more alert than me put up a comment saying when our next green bin collection is due?
Posted in Local government, Roads on Thursday December 31, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Work on repairing the B5056 at the landslip just north of the Bentley Fenny Bentley is to start on Monday 11th January. Here is the County Council’s update:
I can confirm that the start date for the Fenny Bentley landslip works is 11 January 2010. Along with nearly all civil engineering contractors and suppliers the Contractor for the works shuts down for a fortnight at Christmas, returning to work on 4 January. During his first week back he will be busy mobilising the plant, equipment and materials required on site. He will also have to arrange his site accommodation, mess and welfare facilities.
Regards,
Brian Martin
Senior Project Engineer
Posted in Local government, Services on Thursday December 31, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Local government, Services on Wednesday December 23, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Local government, Roads, Transport on Tuesday December 15, 2009| 2 Comments »
On the 17th November there was a public meeting organised by Derbyshire County Council on the current temporary closure of the B5056. Our report of that meeting at PARWICH.ORG can be seen by clicking here.
Cllr Simon Spencer committed the Authority to keep residents up to date in writing on the various issues raised that could not be conclusively dealt with in the meeting.
Earlier this month Cllr Chris Jackson (Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport) sent out a letter with their minutes of the meeting and their current action plan from the meeting. Yesterday they also emailed us this so we could put it on the Blog. To access these papers click on the following links:
(Note: the minutes and action plan are not exactly as sent to us as the originals contained some full names and addresses which we have removed. Added 16th Dec.)
You can contact the Cllr Chris Jackson directly with any responses or further thoughts or alternatively any comments added below will be forwarded by the PARWICH.ORG Team to Highways.
Posted in Local government, Services on Saturday December 12, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Click on the following for the Christmas collections:
Click on the following for recycling Christmas Trees and Christmas Cards:
Posted in 2009, Environment, Local government, Memorial hall, Posts of Note on Wednesday December 9, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Our thanks to Kevin “Magnus Pyke” S, for providing the following article.
Radon is a radioactive gas which is produced in the Earth’s crust from the breakdown of radioactive uranium. Certain parts of the country are prone to the release of radon from the ground, and the Derbyshire Dales have been designated as a radon affected area.
Please click to enlarge.
Radon in the soil and rocks mixes with air and rises to the surface, where it is quickly diluted in the atmosphere. Concentrations in the open air are very low and do not present a problem.
However radon that enters enclosed spaces, such as buildings, can in certain circumstances reach quite high concentrations. This can be a problem because it is a colourless, odourless gas which consequently goes unnoticed.
Posted in Local government, Roads on Thursday October 29, 2009| 2 Comments »
Derbyshire County Council are holding a public meeting about the B5056 closure at 7pm on Tuesday 17th November at Tissington Village Hall. Our Councillor, Simon Spencer, will be at the meeting. We will post any further details as they become available.
If you have anything you want us to pass on to the County Council before the meeting or are unable to attend and have points you want raising, please add comments below. Alternatively those of us in Parwich Parish can pass our thoughts on to the Parish Council for next week’s meeting, either by emailing ppccl@fsmail.net or attending the public session at the start of the meeting.
Posted in Local government, Peak Park on Wednesday July 1, 2009| Leave a Comment »
The Peak District National Park Authority are sending a survey to just over 7% of the Park’s residents this week, asking for comments on how the Park is managed and on services for local people. Given our previous support for more democratic control for the National Park Authority we would strongly urge anyone receiving a survey to take the time to complete and return it.
To see their full press release (more…)
Posted in Local government on Friday June 12, 2009| Leave a Comment »
The following was forwarded to us for publication from Colin Swindell, who was the second-placed candidate for the Dovedale division in the recent County Council elections:
As the Labour Party Candidate in the County Council Elections held on 4th June, may I express a heartfelt thanks to the many people who helped me to achieve such a respectable result.
First and foremost, thank you to everybody who put trust in me and voted for me in the election. I am aware that many people voted for me on personal merit, despite having allegiances with other political parties, and for this I am truly grateful. (more…)
Posted in Local government on Tuesday June 9, 2009| 4 Comments »
Congratulations to the five MEPs elected for the East Midlands:
On behalf of the blog we have emailed all five with the following letter, hopefully encouraging them to engage with the site and respond to the issues raised here over the last year. (more…)
Posted in Local government on Monday June 8, 2009| Leave a Comment »
The five MEPs elected for the East Midlands are:
The four sitting MEPs that stood were re-elected, and the fifth seat was won by Emma McClarkin for the Conservatives. The turnout in the region was 38% overall, but it rose to 46% in the Derbyshire Dales. (more…)
Posted in Local government on Friday June 5, 2009| 5 Comments »
The results for the Derbyshire County Council elections in our local divisions are now in.
Simon Spencer wins Dovedale making it a Conservative hold. Best wishes to former Cllr Ray Caswell who did not stand for re-election. The count was:
Dovedale (including Alsop and Parwich)
Simon Spencer, Conservative – 2321
Colin Swindell, Labour – 1000
James Jennings, Liberal Democrats – 813
Garry Purdy, Conservative has taken Wirksworth from Irene Ratcliffe the Labour incumbent. Congratulations to Garry, but also commiserations to Irene Ratcliffe, who has worked hard for the division also representing the County Council on the Peak Park Board. The count was:
Wirksworth (includes Ballidon)
Garry Purdy, Conservative – 1679 votes
Irene Ratcliffe, Labour – 1394 votes
Josh Stockwell, Green – 698 votes
In both divisions it would appear there was a massive drop in turn out from around 68% in the 2005 elections to less than 45% in the current election (not official figures).
To find out more about the results for other Derbyshire divisions see the County Council’s website (do have a look at their map and virtual council chamber) and for the results nationally see the BBC website.
The European Parliamentary election results are not due to be announced until Sunday night (see UK website for the European Parliament).
Posted in 2009, Local government, Posts of Note on Wednesday June 3, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Please click on each candidate’s name to view their answers to the questions which we recently sent to them. We’re grateful to all of them for taking the time and trouble to reply.
Dovedale (includes Alsop en le Dale, Parwich and part of Pikehall):
James Jennings, Liberal Democrat.
Simon Spencer, Conservative.
Colin Swindell, Labour.
Wirksworth (includes Ballidon):
Garry Purdy, Conservative.
Irene Ratcliffe, Labour.
Josh Stockwell, Green Party – NO REPLY.
East Midlands MEPs:
Roger Helmer, Conservative.
Glenis Willmott, Labour.
Derek Clark, UKIP – NO REPLY.
Bill Newton Dunn, Liberal Democrat.
Finally, there’s an interesting article by Matthew Parris in The Times on the state of political play in Derbyshire (“Labour on red alert as Derbyshire Tories scent victory at county council“), with quotes from several of our county council candidates. Please click here to read it.
Posted in Local government on Tuesday June 2, 2009| Leave a Comment »
As everyone will be aware elections for the European Parliament and the County Council are on Thursday 4th June. The polling station in Parwich Memorial Hall will be open from 7am to 10pm. If you are not sure which is your Derbyshire Dales polling station contact 01629 761335.
To read the candidates’ comments on our local issues click here. To find a full list of local candidates click here.
Colin Swindell, Labour candidate for the Dovedale Division is visiting Parwich tomorrow morning to meet the electorate:
I will be visiting Parwich on Wednesday 3rd June between 9am and 11.30am. I will be walking around the village putting a second leaflet out. If anybody is about I will be willing to talk about any concerns they may have. I hope to meet as many of you in person as possible during this time and would happily discuss any further issues with you. Alternatively, you can contact me on 07816 986 956 or email colinswindell@hotmail.co.uk.
Thanks,
Colin Swindell
County Council Candidate (Labour)
Dovedale Division
Posted in Local government on Sunday May 24, 2009| 11 Comments »
The following issues raised here at PARWICH.ORG will be forwarded to all the local candidates for the upcoming County Council elections and to the four MEPs that are standing again. We have not contacted all the European election candidates as there are some 80, but if there are any others you particularly want to respond let us know. Hopefully those contacted will comment below in the lead up to the elections.
Dear County Council & European Parliamentary Candidates
We are contacting you on behalf of PARWICH.ORG (https://parwich.org/), a community website covering the villages of Alsop en le Dale, Ballidon, Parwich and Pikehall split between the Dovedale and Wirksworth Divisions. These Derbyshire villages are within the Peak District National Park.
The following issues have been raised on the website by members of our communities over the last year or so: Roads & Traffic, the Peak District National Park Authority, Environment and Maintaining a Balanced Community. (more…)
Posted in Local government on Thursday May 21, 2009| Leave a Comment »
This is the fourth and final instalment of our issues for candidates posts covering Environmental issues. Also please use this post to add any additional comments relating to any local issues not already covered that you want raising with the candidates.
Environment
Do add any comments below on these or any other issues you want raising with the County Council and European Parliament candidates. We will be forwarding the results to the candidates over the week end.
Posted in Local government on Wednesday May 20, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Although this post has some overlap with the previous instalment, it is worth looking at the factors that impact on us as rural communities separately. What do you want raising with the candidates for the upcoming elections:
Community
Here are some of the issues previously raised on PARWICH.ORG: (more…)
Posted in Local government, Peak Park, Planning on Monday May 18, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Following on from Roads, here is your chance to raise issues relating to the Peak District National Park Authority for the candidates for the County Council and European Parliament elections. Look out for more posts on other topics.
Peak Park
Use the poll or comment below to have your say:
For matters already raised (more…)
Posted in Local government, Roads on Saturday May 16, 2009| 1 Comment »
A number of issues have been raised on PARWICH.ORG that require political support to achieve, ranging from roads to the Peak Park Authority and flooding. Over the next few days we will have a series of posts investigating what you want raising with the candidates for the June 4th County Council and European Parliament Elections. By next weekend we will collate your questions and comments on all the issues for forwarding to the candidates with any replies being posted here on the site.
Firstly:
Roads & Traffic
The following Highways related matters have been raised. Either by adding comments or using the poll let us know what you want sending to the candidates about the roads in our area:
What has already been said on this topic: (more…)
Posted in Local government on Tuesday May 12, 2009| Leave a Comment »
We are voting for both the European Parliament and Derbyshire County Council elections on the 4th of June.
Those not already registered to vote must do so by 5pm Tuesday 19th May if they want to vote in these elections (click here to find out how to register).
The local polling station is Parwich Memorial Hall which will be open from 7am to 10pm.
The County Council elections are the traditional first past the post system: you pick the candidate you want and the person with the most votes becomes County Councillor for that division.
Also-en-le-Dale, Parwich and much of Pikehall are in the Dovedale Division, where the candidates are:
Posted in Local government, Roads on Sunday May 10, 2009| Leave a Comment »
The following email has been sent to Councillor Simon Spencer. We will report back on his response.
Dear Mr Spencer,
I am writing on behalf of community website parwich.org. For some time now our community has been concerned at the deterioration of the B5056 by the Bentley Brook pub. This section of road has been subsiding for many months and we are concerned that the lack of action may lead to closure of the road for an extended period. Such a closure would result in considerable inconvenience for the residents and businesses of Parwich and surrounding villages as well as other people using the B5056.
Despite a major article in the Ashbourne News Telegraph, there does not appear to be any recognition from the authorities that the longer this section of road is left, repairs will take considerably longer and will be more expensive.
The following link to our website will give you a sense of the extent of the problem. Note that since these photos were taken, the road has sunk significantly further.
https://parwich.org/2009/04/05/a-dangerous-fault-line-on-the-b5056/
I would be grateful if you could use your influence to determine why no action is apparently being taken to address this problem and to determine what the plans are to rectify the situation.
Thank you for your help.
Posted in Local government, News on Thursday July 17, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Thank you to Andrew Lewer, Derbyshire County Councillor, for the following thought out response to our post on the new ‘Communities in Control’ white paper:
I would offer the following bullet point notes in turn to the ‘headline’ issues you put in your web-page on the ‘Communities In Control’ White Paper. I stress these are my personal views and not necessarily the settled policy positions of either DCC or DDDC:
New Rights to Demand Action – DCC already has a procedure whereby any petition signed by more than 10 households must be the subject of a properly written up paper presented by Officers to a Cabinet Committee meeting / DDDC will take a question from any member of the public to a Policy Committee and the Chairman (me in the case of Community and Environment) will answer it; research is provided by Officers and follow up with the member of the public in question, as necessary.
Increasing Accountability – This is an area where DCC could improve, though I would acknowledge geographical difficulties / DDDC’s Community Forums are attended by the Chief Executive in 80% of cases and by senior Directors if not, plus the Leader (Cllr Rose) and / or Deputy Leader and / or Policy Chairmen (Cllr Spencer and myself); all may be asked questions direct. (more…)
Posted in Local government, News on Sunday July 13, 2008| 3 Comments »
Our earlier post on local democracy mentioned an up coming government white paper. Thank you to Richard T for pointing out that it has now been published.
Click here:
The press release contains the following summary:
New rights for the public to demand action from their council
Councils will be subject to a new duty to respond to petitions. Petitions will enable local people to force an issue onto a council’s agenda. With enough signatures that issue would need to be discussed by the full council committee and could be subject to a vote. This could be used to raise issues as diverse as bin collections and street cleaning, or the state of local parks.Increasing accountability
Chairs and Chief Executives of local public bodies – such as Councils – will face regular public hearings as part of plans to increase accountability. (more…)
Posted in Local government, Local Links on Thursday June 26, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Some of you will have seen the article in the Ashbourne Telegraph on Councillor Ray Caswell’s resignation as Town Councillor for Ashbourne, on health grounds. We are pleased that he continues as County Councillor for the Dovedale Ward which includes Eton & Alsop and Parwich, and send him our good wishes. His group leader Councillor Andrew Lewer contacted us today to say that, while Councillor Caswell is unwell, constituents can contact him on any County Council issues.
Councillor Andrew Lewer can be contacted by phone via tel. 01629 580000 ext 6022, or email andrew.lewer@derbyshire.gov.uk
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