Derbyshire Liberal Democrats

22/05/2024

Looks like we are having a General Election on 4th July 2024 to elect a new MP for North East Derbyshire.

I will be standing as your Liberal Democrat candidate for North East Derbyshire because, like you, I don’t want to be represented by a Conservative MP for a minute longer after the disasters that have unfolded under their watch, and Labour have proven time and time again to take this constituency for granted by fielding yet another candidate who lives over 40 miles away from North East Derbyshire.

Our area needs somebody who understands the differing communities that form North East Derbyshire, and bangs the drum in Parliament to get things done.

For far too long warm words have at a stretch, only given us the bare minimum we should expect, but the reality is North East Derbyshire deserves so much more.

We need an MP who understands the challenges people are facing.

We need an MP who cares about the environment we live in.

We need more MPs who live in the ‘real world’ and has their finger on the pulse of our small towns and villages.

We need an MP who can get things done and deliver for North East Derbyshire.

I would be that MP.

More about me..

🏠 I live and own a home in the constituency with my 4 year old, and have lived in Derbyshire all my life.

🏥 I work in the NHS in IT procurement, and have previously worked in local government. I have first hand experience understanding the public sector and what’s needed to see them work for our residents.

🗳️ I have been elected as a District Councillor for Tupton and the eastern part of Wingerworth since 2019.

💪 I am stepping up as your Lib Dem candidate because I want to help change the political narrative and lead a movement that will end the continuation of failing Conservative and Labour MPs here in North East Derbyshire.

With your help we can change our politics, please donate to my community led campaign here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/ross-shipman-for-north-east-derbyshire

Anything you can spare to support me would be welcome and very much appreciated. 🥰

If you are unable to donate, please like, share and comment on any of my posts to spread the word. (It’s FREE and very helpful! ♥️)

03/05/2024

23/04/2024

25% of burglaries in Derbyshire went unattended by Derbyshire Constabulary last year, despite a government promise to attend all of them, an investigation by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

Derbyshire’s Lib Dems said it showed the Conservative government was making yet more “empty promises” on crime and letting burglars and other criminals off the hook.

In total, a shocking 733 of domestic burglaries in Derbyshire went unattended by a police officer in 2023.

Staggeringly, the latest Home Office statistics show that three in four burglaries went unsolved in the year ending September 2023, or 213,814 burglaries over that period.

The figures were revealed through a series of Freedom of Information requests by the Liberal Democrats to all police forces in England, with 24 forces providing full responses. They show that 25,938 domestic burglaries went unattended by police across England and Wales in 2023 - accounting for 20% of all cases recorded.

This is despite a claim from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) last June that all domestic burglaries were being attended by police. Former Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman welcomed the claim at the time, saying she was delighted that police had “fulfilled their commitment to attend all domestic burglaries.”

The Liberal Democrats are calling for a legal Burglary Response Guarantee under which all domestic burglaries would be attended by the police and properly investigated. This would be accompanied by a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and focused on tackling neighbourhood crime like burglaries.

Liberal Democrat Candidate for Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner, David Hancock said:

“This empty promise from Conservative ministers is leaving our community to pay the price with scores of burglaries going unsolved.

“Burglaries are an appalling crime to have to endure and it can leave people in Derbyshire feeling unsafe in their own homes. The ongoing failure to investigate and attend every burglary is letting criminals off the hook while victims are abandoned and let down.

“The Liberal Democrats would bring in a legal guarantee to ensure burglary victims are visited by a police officer and their cases properly investigated. It is the very least that the public expects and deserves.”

22/04/2024

PROPOSED CLOSURE OF CARE HOMES
“This next round of Care Home closures is a betrayal and a disgrace and flies in the face of all the words and speeches and guarantees given previously. The Conservative administration at County Hall is literally putting the Council on a course that is entirely negative, closes homes, puts pressure on the NHS and will harm residents and patients.

“The people who have put their trust in the Council in old age and at their hour of greatest need are being betrayed, sold off and literally evicted. I could not be more angry, more upset and more worried. This literally places the lives of those who live in care homes on the line. The stress and the worry will, as it did before, lead to people dying early. It is sickening.

“This is a brutal approach, it is the approach of a Council that has failed and it is wrong.

“The Council can blame who they like - but the raw truth is this is the direct result of the policies of the Conservative Party locally and nationally and the guilt lies firmly at their door.

“The moment of truth will come when councillors vote in the Chamber and we will see who is voting to harm residents of Derbyshire. It will isolate those who live in our homes in trust, and we will see who is voting to evict them.

“The Liberal Democrat Group stands firmly
In favour of the residents, retaining the care homes and against closure.”

Cllr Ed Fordham, Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Derbyshire County Council.

The local authority could shut care homes in several towns, including Ashbourne, Ilkeston and Swadlincote

16/04/2024

Filming session with BBC East Midlands Politics Show this afternoon - laying out my three priorities should I be elected as Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner:

1. Invest in bobbies on the beat rather than expensive new buildings
2. Focus on crime prevention by tackling the root causes of crime
3. Improve transparency and accountability across Derbyshire Constabulary

You can vote for these priorities on 2 May 🗳️

08/04/2024

The full list of candidates has been published for the Derbyshire Police & Crime Commissioner elections on 2 May 2024.

I will be supporting my good friend and colleague David Hancock for Derbyshire Police & Crime Commissioner.

Whilst he and I agree the position is a waste of tax payers money, and the previous police and fire authority did the same job at a fraction of the cost, we have to work within the democratic structures we are forced into.

If elected, David would use the position to lobby for it to be dissolved. He also understands that the Police and Crime Comissioner is there to hold the leadership at Derbyshire Police to account on behalf of the residents it is suppose to serve, not for it to become a daily photo opportunity, as we have seen in the past.

David will be a police and crime. Commissioner who will pull no punches when it comes to saying what needs to be said to improve the policing across Derbyshire and Derby City.

Transparency in our police force is a cornerstone to it functioning properly. It needs accountability and strong leadership willing to take responsibility when required, otherwise there will never be any real change.

Key commitments:

Focus on crime prevention and tackling root causes ✅
Invest funding in more officers out in our communities, instead of expensive buildings ✅
A strong voice representing the communities he serves to change the way the police operate ✅
Being transparent and honest about the issues facing Derbyshire Police ✅
Working with Police forces around the country and adopting policies that are proven to work ✅

Vote David Hancock for Derbyshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner on 2nd May 2024 for REAL CHANGE and POSITIVE ACTION in our communities.

05/04/2024

Liberal Democrats from across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire are delighted to announce that Helen Tamblyn-Saville has been selected as our candidate for next month’s EMCCA Mayor election.

An experienced business owner, and former district councillor, Helen has a track record of listening to voters and being pro-active in the community, particularly campaigning on safety issues and climate action. As someone who runs a retail business, action to revitalise our struggling town centres are among her top priorities.

The fact remains that we shouldn’t be having this election. The area the mayor serves makes little sense to most people, and the needs of the two counties are different. This election places too much power in the hands of one person. If elected, Helen would work collaboratively with the different councils to feed the funding to where it can improve peoples lives for the best.

04/04/2024

After a pleasant afternoon in Derby City on Tuesday, during which I delivered my nomination forms to the Returning Officer; I can confirm that it has been accepted (a huge thank you to all of 100 people who signed the paperwork to support my nomination). So I’m now, officially, your Lib Dem candidate for Derbyshire’s Police & Crime Commissioner.

01/11/2023

Delivering a unbeatable selection of fine home-cooked dishes plus a host of German & world ales, Eins

22/09/2023

Happy Derbyshire Day! 🥳

12/09/2023

08/05/2023

The results for Tupton (and East Wingerworth) ward

Ross Shipman (Lib Dem) - 609 - elected
David Hancock (Lib Dem) - 582 - elected
Pamela Windley (Lib Dem) - 508 - elected

John Cooper (Lab) - 506
Stephen Peters (Lab) - 497
Ross Griffin (Lab) - 424

Mark Faulkner (Con) - 258
Gary Green (Con) - 220
Harry Smith (Con) - 209

I am so proud we got all 3 Lib Dem Councillors elected so we can continue being an effective group on North East Derbyshire District Council, which is now under Labour control with a majority of 3.

Having 3 Councillors allows us to call for certain votes, gives us more Committee places to highlight your issues, and scrutinise the decisions of the administration more effectively. It also spreads the workload! 😅

There are big tasks ahead for the new Labour administration, not least the financial instability of the Council which needs a plan putting in place ASAP. The Council cannot be taking the best part of a £million out of reserves again next year for it’s day to day running costs.

They also have the opportunity to be a different kind of Council than we have seen in the past, one that works across party lines to come up with ideas and improves our district. If they go back to their old ways of bullishness and not listening to our residents, this will be a missed opportunity to take North East Derbyshire forward.

A solution need to be found to Northwood Development on Ankerbold Road. Tupton. It cannot be left for years with no end in sight.

Thanks again for all your support, love, encouragement and laughs along the way.

Pam, David and me are truly proud to represent this area and to have the opportunity for the next 4 years to be your voice when it feels like nobody else is listening. ♥️

08/05/2023

07/05/2023

👏 👏👏👏

What a result! The Liberal Democrats are now the largest party on Derbyshire Dales District Council, having won 12 seats in Thursday's elections. Huge congratulations to all our councillors, including 6 who are reelected and 6 new. The people of Ashbourne North and Darley Dale can look forward to the care, effort, responsiveness and communications that the people of Matlock and Ashbourne South have been receiving from their Lib Dem councillors since 2019.

03/05/2023

Tomorrow on Thursday 4 May, use your vote to back hard working Liberal Democrats who will fight for a fair deal for you and your community.

🕖-🕙 Polls are open 7am-10pm Thursday 4 May

You need photo ID to vote in person. Find out more 👉
https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voter-id

You need to go to your assigned polling station to vote. Not sure where your polling station is? Find out here 👉
https://www.libdems.org.uk/where

21/04/2023

To all the residents of Derby and beyond.

21/04/2023

A councillor has decorated a series of pothole plagued streets in a Derbyshire village with toy work crews – as he called on the council to tackle the issue.

18/04/2023

Roger Shelley and Marilyn Franks had a great time canvassing in Darley Dale at the weekend.

Issues discussed on the doorstep included traffic on the A6, planning, and the state of the roads - see photo in comments of the terrible surface behind Torfield Cottages, Green Lane - to be discussed with Platform Housing.

15/04/2023

Fly tipping outside Heatherton shops reported. The sad thing is Littleover village has some lovely charity shops that are always grateful for baby clothes and other things I can see in these bags.

14/04/2023

It seems there is no end in sight for the sewage scandal. Conservative Ministers need to get a grip.

Water companies must be forced to fix the leakiest pipes responsible for these monster sewage dumps.

The public won’t stand for it any longer!

14/04/2023

The Conservatives have effectively legalised fly-tipping through their inaction.

If fly-tippers aren’t being fined, it’s no wonder that they think they can dump their rubbish on the streets without consequence.

The Liberal Democrats have become the latest party to accuse ministers of failing to tackle rising levels of dumped waste.

12/04/2023

06/04/2023

Every vote for the Liberal Democrats on 4th May counts.

It's a vote to elect a strong local champion, someone who will fight for your community and your family.

24/03/2023

At 1am, Sunday (26th March 2023) morning the clocks go forward an hour to 2am, which must mean that spring is finally here! ⏰

The (hopefully) warmer weather offers a great opportunity to get outside in the garden. Take a moment first to think about home security and you’ll reduce your risk of falling victim to opportunistic thieves all summer long.

🚪 Ensure that doors and windows at the front of your home are secure if you are enjoying time in the garden.

🚜 Expensive garden equipment should always be locked away in a safe and secure location when not in use. The same goes for bikes which can be a tempting target if left unattended and unsecured. Fit good quality padlocks to sheds and garages.

🪜 Make sure tools such as ladders and spades are securely locked away as well. Don’t give thieves a chance to use these to help break into your home.

🖊️ Visibly and permanently marking your belongings helps you and the police identify them if they are stolen. It can also make it difficult for the thief to dispose of the property.

🔐 Remember to securely lock all doors and windows before leaving the house. It’s easy to forget when you’re in a hurry to get out and enjoy some fun in the sun, but it’s the simplest way for a burglar to enter your home.

🥛 If you’re going away, cancel any newspaper or milk deliveries. If you can, ask a neighbour or relative to make your home look occupied by clearing the post away from the door mat and opening and closing the curtains.

While you’re thinking about home safety, take a minute to check your smoke alarms, too. It could save your life! 🔥💨

18/03/2023

Busy times for the campaign in Spire ward in the heart of Chesterfield

18/03/2023

I think I speak for us all when I say representing Tupton and the eastern part of Wingerworth for the last 4 years has been an absolute privilege and honour.

On 4th May 2023, i will be seeking re-election as your Lib Dem District Councillor along with my friends Pam Windley and David Hancock.

We have been determined to show that hard work, commitment and working collaboratively can yield results for our area, and I truly believe we have delivered on that. I hope that has been your experience of us as your Councillors.

We are also putting forward 11 candidates for Tupton Parish Council to continue the work we have been doing over the last 4 years in charge.

Top: Camille Ramshaw, Paula Maude, Nadine Dart, Keith Windley

Middle: Ross Shipman, Cllr Pam Windley, Cllr David Hancock

Bottom: Tony Bingham, June Hancock, Coral Pollendine, Richie Moore

I hope our record speaks for itself, and you can put your trust in us to keep fighting for you at all levels of local government.