Councillor Rachael Hatchett

22/07/2026

16/07/2026

I am so pleased to say that work has finally begun on the landslip at Leashaw ending nearly four years of disruption caused by the road closure.
Work was scheduled to start on 13th July so I went up there on Monday afternoon to take a look - as you will see in the video.
A big thank you to people who have, on the whole, borne with the situation with good humour and patience and a huge thank you to the parish council, who have worked relentlessly to keep pressure on and push for a solution. Also thank you to the officers at Derbyshire County Council for beavering away in the background to overcome significant problems to get the project underway.
Since I was elected just over a year ago, I have made it a priority to get this road re-opened. I have
• Worked closely with Highways officers, holding them to account on progress.
• Maintained ongoing liaison between the parish council and Highways officers.
• Brought together parish councillors, Highways officers and Cabinet Member Cllr Hill for a site meeting in July 2025.
• Attended regular parish council meetings and public meetings, making sure residents’ concerns continued to be heard.
I am so relieved that the contractors have been appointed and are starting to make things happen. What we need now is good weather and no surprises. The aim is to have the ground stabilised and rebuilt by the end of the year so that Derbyshire Highways can resurface the road in January 2027. Keep your fingers crossed!

Promoted by Amber Valley Green Party at c/o 1902 Green Lane, Walsall WS2 8HE See le

11/07/2026

Another lovely Saturday afternoon, this time at Kirk Langley Village Fete. I think everyone was feeling the heat so an ice-cream and a cold drink were very welcome. Tutbury Band were excellent, as was local musician Josh Kemp.
The fete is organised by Kirk Langley Parish Council and volunteers to help with organising it are always needed - get in touch at https://www.kirklangleyparishcouncil.gov.uk/
Promoted by Amber Valley Green Party c/o 1902 Green Lane, Walsall, WS2 8HE

28/06/2026

Fabulous afternoon at Duffield Carnival where I met up with councillors Eva Long and David Walton and helped out on the Plastic Free Duffield stall.
Promoted by Amber Valley Green Party c/o 1902 Green Lane, Walsall, WS2 8HE

20/06/2026

On Thursday, I dropped in on an Old Farm Bus youth club at the Scout Hut in Duffield. It's funded by Duffield Parish Council and I recently contributed a small grant from my Community Leadership Fund.
Cllr Jan Thompson and I went along to see what they get up to. Turns out it's a fantastic space for young people, with at workshops in music, sports, rap, games, D&D, crafts and more.
Thanks to everyone for making us so welcome.
Promoted by Amber Valley Green Party c/o 1902 Green Lane, Walsall, WS2 8HE

14/06/2026

A couple of weeks ago I posted about the film called the People's Emergency Briefing which was based on a National Emergency Briefing held in Westminster in November last year.
One of the speakers at the National Emergency Briefing was Prof Hugh Montgomery OBE. He has put together a list of 7 simple acts which would make a massive difference if everyone did them, and here they are.
If you haven't already seen the People's Emergency Briefing, there are screenings in Bakewell on 26th June and Duffield on 15th July.
Promoted by Amber Valley Green Party c/o 1902 Green Lane, Walsall, WS2 8HE

09/06/2026

Derbyshire County Council wants to know what you think about the services it runs, where you live and what changes and improvements you would like to see.
The online survey is open until 19th July. Complete it here

As part of our annual 'Your Council Your Voice' resident's satisfaction consultation, we're running an online survey to give an opportunity for residents of Derbyshire to tell us what they think about a number of issues including how they feel about the services we run, what they think about where t...

07/06/2026

Had a lovely weekend at Belper Goes Green. The weather forecast was poor and more sunshine would definitely have been welcome but we had two more-or-less dry days so no complaints.
This is such a brilliant celebration of community, arts and what we need to do to make our planet a good and safe place to live. It's a festival of peace, love and hope, in marked contrast to the hate, anger and violence we see elsewhere.
I was proud to be there - helping with the Green Party and Derbyshire Dales Climate Alliance stalls and being part of the event's

volunteer team.

02/06/2026

The first council meeting of the new municipal year was held last week. Here are a few thoughts about how it's going ...

Promoted by Amber Valley Green Party c/o 1902 Green Lane, Walsall, WS2 8HE

27/05/2026

One of the highlights of the year in Belper will be taking place over the weekend of 5th-7th June with the return of Belper Goes Green, the Eco, Community & Arts Festival hosted by Transition Belper.

This year Transition Belper have partnered with Belper Community Transport and Amber Valley CVS to offer transport to and from Belper Goes Green to people with disabling conditions who live in the DE56 area and might otherwise be unable to attend.

In order that this can be a FREE SERVICE, I've joined with other Green Councillors to sponsor it, using my Community Leadership Fund.

The service will be available on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th June between 11.00am and 5.00pm.

📞 To book transport, call: 07928 376697
Please mention:
👉 Belper Goes Green
👉 Booking code: BGG2026
Bookings are available on a first come, first served basis.

Promoted by Amber Valley Green Party c/o 1902 Green Lane, Walsall, WS2 8HE