Please get in touch to Save Our Care Homes

https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/politics/campaign-urges-relatives-and-staff-to-get-involved-to-save-derbyshire-care-homes-3476403

Coun Fordham urged anyone wishing to get involved in the campaign to email soch.dcc@gmail.com in confidence.

To sign the Save Our Care Homes petition, visit bit.ly/SaveOurCareHomes.

7,500 SIGNATURES NEEDED

Today we have gone live with the petition to save Derbyshire’s Care Homes from sale or closure.

https://apps.derbyshire.gov.uk/applications/petitions/details.asp?PetitionID=354

At first it was feared that this was of the 7 care homes that need physical work and maintenance - but upon reading the report it is clear that this is just the start.

The very start of the document clearly and deliberately compares Derbyshire with authorities who run very few or even no care homes, with authorities that have sold or closed all the local authority care homes.

There is NO comparison with similar authorities who have similar numbers of care homes such as Cumbria, Hampshire or Lancashire. Instead there is a clear direction of  travel toward none.

So please, if you support Derbyshire County Council being a provider of Direct Care Homes for Older People then please sign the petition and encourage others to do so.

Consultation to close care homes stopped

 

Derbyshire Care Home Closures Halted

I can confirm that I have the confirmation of a call-in on yesterday’s Cabinet decision and have secured signatures from:

Cllr Ed Fordham (Liberal Democrat)

Cllr Barry Bingham (Liberal Democrat)

Cllr Gez Kinsella (Green)

Cllr Joan Dixon (Labour)

Cllr Paul Niblock (Liberal Democrat)

Cllr Sue Burfoot (Liberal Democrat)

 

I will now prepare the formal document to submit to you.  At this stage I am confident that the proposed decision breaches Articles 7.2 (e), 7.2 (f) and 7.2 (g).  Please take this email as notice of the call in to ensure that the implementation of the Cabinet decision is put on hold, and I will now prepare a formal documentary submission for you. I hope to have this ready by Monday.

 

Our principle objections are:

-             This does not significantly differ from the previous consultation

-             This will cause real stress, fear and worry to an already vulnerable group of residents

-             This report does not address the information contained in previous reports on the viability of the homes

-             Consultation with councillors, where the care homes has residents and associated relatives interested in the care homes, have been non-existent or cursory

-             We are yet to see the final Market Position Statement and to take account of the viability of the PVI sector following the impact of the pandemic and of the 2022/23 financial settlement on the sector (which will not include the additional Infection Control funding that has kept the sector going over the last 2 years).

 

I would be very grateful if you could confirm to myself and those copied in that this has been received and accepted. Please note I am copying in my gmail account as I am out this afternoon and don’t want to carry my laptop with me. Can you also confirm in writing that the Adult Social Care team are fully aware and cognisant that they cannot proceed in any way to implement the decision whilst the call-in is underway. Can I further give notice to you both that I will be submitting an FOI to the Adult Social Care team to ensure that this is cessation of the decision is complied with over the coming days and weeks.

 

Many thanks,

 

Ed Fordham

Councillor for Loundsley green and Newbold

Liberal Democrat Group Leader

Derbyshire County Council

Derbyshire Email Scandal

It has emerged and been confirmed that for some time - possibly a period of years - Derbyshire County Council has been accessing, reading and in some cases responding to the private emails of councillors.

Cllr Ed Fordham, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on the County said “This is a scandal. There have been concerns for some time that emails of councillors have been interfered with, but it has been largely dismissed. It wasn’t until I myself realised that staff were accessing my email directly that I demanded clarification and honesty. 

“I was stunned that confirmation came back that four staff indeed did have access and they did read my email. At no point whatsoever have I been asked for consent, I have never agreed to this and I did not know. Much of my correspondence is of a very personal nature regarding issues facing my residents. Often I am raising serious concerns with managers about the effectiveness of departments and the quality of work done. Now I find that these - often highly personal and highly confidential - were being read all along by staff who did not have my consent.

“I believe - and the advice I have been given confirms this - that this is highly illegal and in flagrant breach of Data Protection Law and GDPR.  Further, I believe that this practise was knowingly enabled by senior staff.

“I formally raised this with the Head of Paid Service and the Director of Legal and Democratic Services on Thursday 4th November. By Friday 5th November I had forced the Council to cease unauthorised access to the emails of Liberal Democrat councillors and I have now tabled a motion to the next meeting of Full Council. 

“It is perhaps even more astonishing that the information officers were accessing was financial information provided to me by local residents and groups.

“The Council has now referred itself to its internal investigator - but I am calling for an automatic referral by the County Council to the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) for a genuinely independent investigation.  If the Council does not refer itself then I shall.

“My predecessor as Liberal Democrat Leader, Cllr Beth Atkin, often raised concerns about her emails and access and they were dismissed - it is now evident that her fears had substance.

“What Derbyshire County Council has been doing is out of order, ethically wrong and without the very basic principle of consent. GDPR law was only brought in in 2018 and yet this practise clearly was going on long before this. I fear that we have IT policies that have been ignored, sidelined and this is a Council that has become complacent and arrogant and I believe, acting outside Data Protection and GDPR law.

“It is also clear that the practise of accessing emails of councillors has not been confined to myself and the Liberal Democrats, but to every single councillor, and at no point did the Council get individual written consent.

“This practise has to stop and I am demanding that it is stopped immediately - residents and councillors deserve better.  Bad practise such as this should be exposed so that everyone can learn - learn that this is unacceptable.  This is why I have now tabled my motion to Full Council on 1st December.”

This scandal comes in the context of the news that the County Council is also banning staff from having direct contact with the media - this is not healthy, nor natural and sets a poor example to residents whom the Council is supposed to serve

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/politics/investigation-after-councillor-discovers-derbyshire-county-council-reads-confidential-emails-3460438%3famp

Chesterfield Market

It’s certainly got them talking

https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/chesterfield-market-trader-slams-facebook-moaners-3457247?fbclid=IwAR3lWFAmU5VqxtZRpeC7cSRCC3yxbgXNQoD3TtZKdsQPnJatZR3uFTUlHPA

Questions to Full County Council

The meeting will be on 1st December 

From Cllr Fordham 
Rightly, the Council is supporting measures to ensure that PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis) is available across Derbyshire at no direct cost to the patient within the NHS. Given this is an important step in the battle against isolation, stigma, and prejudice within and across the LGBTQ+ communities, will the Council undertake to work with Derbyshire LGBT+, with Derbyshire Community Health Trust and all other NHS trusts who operate within the county to promote this availability and roll-out of PrEP within Derbyshire and will the Council provide regular structures updates to all members on progress?

From Cllr Fordham
Given the pandemic can I ask the Portfolio Holder for adult care to detail the measures taken by the County Council to ensure that all Adult Care and Nursing Homes have improved their resilience in the event of a resurgence of the pandemic or indeed a new and different situation. Given we have a role in working with the private health and care sector - how is this monitored, reported and checked by the County Council to ru ensure it is both effective and thorough?

From Cllr Fordham
To ask the Council to make available a list and schedule of properties owned by the County that are currently vacant, not occupied, nor in regular staffed use and to provide a metric for their value and worth and purpose within our portfolio? And to compliment this with an insight into listed and historic buildings that the Council owns to which we have a responsibility for maintenance?

From Cllr Burfoot 

Given the inevitable loss of millions of Ash trees on public owned land throughout the country, as a result of the dreadful Ash dieback disease, can the Council explain what measures are being taken to fell dead and dying Ash trees on our land and verges; and can we ensure we are in dialogue  with all Local Government bodies in Derbyshire and that we are informing all neighbouring landowners with diseased Ash trees all of which are potentially in danger of falling onto roads and into rivers?

And can we make public our plans to handle this disease in the context of our biodiversity and climate change strategies?

Armistice Day

This morning, at 11am of the 11th day of November, I was able as Group Leader of the Liberal Democrats to lay a wreath at the memorial in Derbyshire County Hall in Matlock.

It is a privilege and an honour to do such a thing and so I asked permission - and it was granted by the Cvivi Chairman, Cllr Jean Wharmby - to lay a second wreath of purple poppies for the animals who serve in war.

The wreath comprises a wicker ring onto which I attached 28 hand made knitted, sewn and crocheted purple poppies made by friends, acquaintances and members of the public primarily from Derbyshire.  I then surmounted this with a paper-mache horse painted purple.

It felt very special, very appropriate and very solemn and I am grateful to Jean for her support and understanding in enabling this.

And so we look to next year.

Somewhat sadly this act of inclusion, this act which reflects more of the whole story of war and conflict has been seen by some as provocative.  They object to the purple poppies as a part of the formalities of remembrance.  To those critics I say remembrance is for everyone in their own way and no-one person or organisation owns Armistice Day.  Further, my laying of a purple poppy wreath, far from undermining the red poppies, adds depth and truth to the full scale of sacrifice and loss that past generations suffered. 

Wear your purple poppies with pride

Animal lovers gathered earlier in Holmebrook Valley Park with an arrange of dogs and a stunning pair of horses. They were there to unveil a memorial to recipients of the Dickin Award - the animals’ Victoria Cross.

The memorial consists of 74 purple stakes surmounted by a hand made purple poppy. Each represents the 74 awards of the Dickin Medal. 

The memorial and commemorative board was unveiled by June Lane, Chesterfield Purple Poppy campaigner, and the Mayor and Consort, Cllrs Glenys and Keith Falconer.

It is a hugely untold part of our history about the role of animals in war and conflict and I am determined to see them recognised.  The PDSA Dickin Medal is the only real tribute and with the purple poppy widely understood to be a complement to the Red Poppy campaign this seems a great way of marking this.

Unveiling this next to the off-lead dog area in Holmebrook Valley Park was very special - I was so pleased so many people and dogs came and excited that we were joined by horses Jazz and Sebastian from Holymoorside. 

It was incredible that we also were joined by Dexter the East Midlands Fire Dog and his handler Dave representing Derbyshire Fire and Rescue and that we had so many local animal charities and pet industry professionals.

There is so much to do to make Chesterfield Dog Friendly and this was one step on that journey - I’m grateful for the huge support we are getting from local people but also from business - notably Sorbo cafe, Dogland Ltd., Quinney’s Pet Supplies of Littlemoor, Adorn and Twelfth Craft in the Shambles - but also the RSPCA and Chesterfield Animal Rescue.

The memorial and display will stay up in Holmebrook Valley Park for the next few weeks but there are plans to make it permanent as part of the re-fit and overhaul of the Dog Lead Free Area in the Park.

On Thursday Cllr Ed Fordham will lay a purple poppy wreath at Derbyshire County Council in Matlock - although this opportunity is being declined in Chesterfield.

Thank you everyone for coming and a special thanks to Luke Dawn and Owen

Glenys Falconer, Mayor of Chesterfield, read 

ONLY A...

 

Those who say ‘it was only a dog’, or cat, or any other sweet companion

Have never know the blessing of those who give love so generously

Who forgive without regret. Lower our blood pressure, calm our anxieties, and

Their lives are the poorer.

We who know, grieve their loss, and hold them gently in our hearts and memory.

We see them run and jump, stretch and sleep, snore and slobber, and we smile.

We miss the fur that clogs the vacuum and the walks in rain and sun.

We miss the joy of play, and the quiet companionship always.

In time we will find we carry them with us, 

And the pain of loss will fade

And the joy of remembrance will wrap itself around our lives.

And we shall be the richer.

By Celia Cartwright