Derbyshire Community Party

28/07/2026

Next government announcement will be about aspiring to have more vocational education in schools, from a few years time, and valuing hard hats as much as graduation caps or some such rubbish.

Every government announces this in the first couple of weeks, and then nothing happens.

Look closely to see if how it is funded is mentioned. That's why it doesn't happen.

You heard it here first...

02/06/2026

***Belper's turn to be let down in favour of Derbyshire County Council like Heanor was***

When I was deputy leader of the borough, we planned a new waiting room and toilets for the station, cycle storage, ticket booth and drinks and snacks station. The car park was to be resurfaced and remodeled to make 100 more spaces with a pourus surface.

It would have bought £45000 a year revenue for the council, and given Belper people, who currently shiver through the winter, a warm space to wait for the train. And new toilets so residents and visitors had somewhere nice 'to go'.

Now, under the current Labour minority administration, it's been scaled back to just 20 extra car parking spaces, and nothing else - with money being directed instead to the soon not to exist Amber Valley Borough council buying a semi-detached one-bed house at 3 Gladstone Street, Heanor, from Derbyshire County Council, to turn it into an affordable rented council property.

A deal with Derbyshire county council again - sounds familiar.

Heanor was let down with the grammar being rented as an office block to Derbyshire county council and now Belper let down for a deal with Derbyshire county council - so we won't get the station, toilets and 100 extra parking spaces that we deserve.

Cllr Ben Bellamy

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/heavily-scaled-back-derbyshire-car-10993223?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwdGRjcASL7ntjbGNrBIvud2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHv_RmYWBKru8fPaPyv97EDnj5sIgH1qaPWmK5YGAHaMmSrwHcAueD78Ff9Zl_aem_WohcBZr3SPFxnae_be-avw

The Field Lane car park next to Belper railway station is set to be increased by 20 spaces - instead of 100

13/05/2026

Delighted that at tonight's annual meeting of Amber Valley Borough council, Derbyshire Community Party's Cllr Fay Atkinson was appointed Chair of Planning and Cllr Ben Bellamy was appointed Chair of Licensing by majority vote, against the ruling Labour group's wishes.

This is the first time in history that these key positions have been held by anyone outside of the Labour or Conservative parties, and Labour now does not have a majority on either committee.

Independent voices standing for their community can make a difference.

12/05/2026

***DENBY****

The Government has responded to our petition

“Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills”.

Essentially the reply is one that promises to look at the supercharger scheme at some point , later in the year, when it's all too late. It mentions the ceramic industry in Stoke on Trent, but ignores us.

What an absolute disgrace.

Their response below:

,................

The Government has responded to the petition you signed – “Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills”.

Government responded:

The Government intends to publicly consult on the eligibility of the British Industry Supercharger this year. However, consultation outcomes, including future sector inclusion, cannot be pre-empted.

The British Industry Supercharger delivers targeted relief to eligible energy-intensive industries (EIIs) for their electricity policy and network costs on the basis of their high exposure to carbon leakage, the offshoring of production and jobs to overseas competitors who do not face equivalent climate change policy controls.

The current list of eligible sectors is set out in secondary legislation under the Electricity Supplier Obligations (Amendment & Excluded Electricity) Regulations 2015 (as amended), the Electricity Capacity (Supplier Payment etc.) (Amended and Excluded Electricity) Regulations 2024, and the Energy-Intensive Industry Electricity Support Payments and Levy Regulations 2024) (as amended).

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) intends to review the eligibility criteria for the British Industry Supercharger this year, as referred to in the Minister for Industry’s response to a parliamentary question (UIN 128253) tabled on 20 April 2026, to ensure that current government policy remains targeted, effective and proportionate. However, any changes to eligibility criteria under the scheme are subject to public consultation, and approval from the UK Parliament and government ministers. While an exact date has not been provided as to when this consultation will begin, DBT encourages the ceramics sector to engage with this review and submit all relevant evidence when the opportunity arises.

The Government has set out its actions to support UK industry and boost economic growth in our Modern Industrial Strategy. Through targeted support to IS-8 and frontier industries, the Government will improve resilience of supply chains, increase trading opportunities, and reduce regulatory burdens. Support to these strategic sectors will not only improve economic growth but also create jobs up and down the country. However, all industries will have a role to play in revitalising our economy.

The Government recognises the importance of the ceramics sector to many communities, particularly the deep importance of the tableware industry to Stoke-on-Trent. The ceramics industry has faced difficult economic circumstances, exacerbated by an uncertain geopolitical environment. The Government will continue to engage with the industry, trade unions and the sector’s main trade association, Ceramics UK, to better understand their challenges and explore how they can best be supported.

Department for Business and Trade

12/04/2026

PERFORMATIVE ACTION ON DENBY DOES NOTHING

Amber Valley Mp Lindsey Farnsworth wrote some days ago to Energy secretary Ed (stone) Milliband, demanding action or save Denby pottery

The response..... TUMBLEWEED

What is the point? It's time to DEMAND and answer Lindsey, and demand action

80-90 already REDUNDANT.

THIS IS FUNDAMENTAL. DEMAND ACTION!!!

25/03/2026

***'SuperPylons', each taller than the Angel of the North, provoke 'no opinion' from Belper County councillor Emma Monkman.***

Cllr Emma Monkman (attendance at county council meetings 44%),tonight declared in response to my question at Amber Valley as to whether she agreed that the route of the National grid pylons is the wrong one, that she didn't have an opinion.

What a massive slap in the face for residents who will have a string of nearly 190 foot pylons within a couple of hundred feet of their homes.

Absolutely disgraceful.

Cllr Ben Bellamy

21/03/2026

Save Denby - please join the campaign.

https://www.denbypottery.com/pages/save-denby?fbclid=Iwb21leAQrXWVjbGNrBCtdWmZkaWQWUDU5tjSPyPCuu7f8I6TJDSQp1mpMK2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHgGLrWZ1TQDrxtd91cN6tx8VnDFpnP9qqzGJ06AK27f7NfQe_nZaVejeonRG_aem_bcVCodX0cP2CnjYY69zjIw

Denby

13/03/2026

Derbyshire County Council's basic allowance is nearly £13,000.

That is based on the time a councillor is expected to give to their role.

Council meetings are fundamental to that. It is at meetings that you get to vote on behalf of your electorate.

Less than 50% attendance at meetings deserves an explanation - and a return of half of that allowance that has been claimed.

03/03/2026

Thee you go - the VERY NEXT DAY after the local plan approved, Labour's hunt for 'Grey Belt' and assessment of whether Green belt is really green belt or would be better with houses on, starts.

The cover illustration is the well known green fields of central Birmingham and the bullring, which is about as sensitive as they get.

03/03/2026

*****Amber Valley Local Plan doesn’t protect our green field's - it threatens them.*****

Last night Amber Valley agreed to adopt a new local plan. It should have been the subject of celebration, but sadly it is fundamentally flawed and bad for the community I represent in Belper. Derbyshire Community Party Councillors voted against its adoption, and here is why.

Here is why:

SPACIAL STRATEGY

The 'Spacial strategy' is for building 'in and around' the four main settlements of Belper, Alfreton Ripley and Heanor. Belper is surrounded on one side by Green belt and the other by the World Heritage buffer zone. Local developers will understandably take this a green light to revise plans for sites on greenfield around our town.

GREEN FIELDS AND GREENBELT

The plan boasts of 30 percent brownfield. This means 70 percent of new development is planned on green field sites. Labours Grey belt. The plan states "Most new growth will be concentrated in the most sustainable locations outside the Green Belt." Most is doing a lot of heavy lifting here for a group that previously had a policy of NO building in the Green Belt.

A FAVOUR FOR DERBY AT WHAT COST?

Derby housing need - the plan states "At the point of publication of this plan whilst no conclusions had been reached as to whether Amber Valley was required to plan for meeting any of Derby’s unmet need and if so, how much and where" ....and yet goes on to make provision to take 1320 houses to cover 'Derby's need'.

This is equivalent to a settlement the size of Kilburn.

When I was in charge of the plan, we were asking Derby and South Derbyshire to take some of our housing need, given our World Heritage and Greenbelt constraints. With the plan under Cllr Monkman, Labour run Amber Valley's contribution will be welcomed by Labour run Derby City council, but will do nothing to protect our Green fields or our community.