Democracy delayed is democracy denied

 Jim McMahon OBE MP

Minister of State (Local Government and Devolution)

Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government

2 Marsham Street, Westminster, London, SW1P 4DF

Cc. Emma Alexander, Chief Executive, Derbyshire County Council

Dear Minister,

I write regarding the policy paper English Devolution White Paper published 16th December 2024, which invites expressions of interest from local authorities by 10th January 2025.

Since your announcement there has been no formal discussion within the elected councillors in Derbyshire on the Governments proposals. However, I understand that the Leader of the Conservative Group may have written to you on this matter.

As councillors we felt it was important to make you aware that there has been no consultation within the Council. Previously when we created Vision Derbyshire (joint working with Boroughs and Districts) there was active dialogue with all Districts and Boroughs, when this progressed to a request for an East Midlands Mayoral Devolution Deal and to create EMMCCA (East Midlands Mayoral Combined County Authority) we had a sustained debate and discussion within Council and a resolution was agreed. This time? Nothing. 

Further, the Mayor was only elected last year and with that devolution deal came a pledge from your own Department that it would not be followed by a local government re-organisation. This is not the time for you to renege on that pledge and to cancel our scheduled elections this May.

If a submission has been sent in that asks, calls or intimates that elections should be cancelled, that submission has not been agreed or authorised by Derbyshire County Council. 

In short, no consensus has been achieved by the Leader - he has acted alone and without support or agreement from the Council.

Please allow the Mayoral Devolution Deal to settle and achieve its goals and do not cancel the 2025 elections in Derbyshire.  Cancellation is a cheap attempt by a failing and unpopular Conservative Administration at County Hall to undermine and subvert the role of the newly elected Labour Mayor of the East Midlands. Indeed when the Conservative Leader was not elected to a role in the Mayoral accountability structures, he immediately withdrew Derbyshire’s funding. At every stage the Conservative Leader of Derbyshire has sought to undermine and stymie the Mayoral Devolution Deal after he failed to secure his party’s nomination for the very role of Mayor. 

Please, if Unitary status is to happen then enable Derbyshire to go through the due process and not be propelled into a fast track which it does not need. That fast track approach has not agreed and is only sought by a Conservative Leader wanting to cling onto power for another year by cancelling the elections.

I ask that you allow Derbyshire to vote in May 2025. Democracy delayed is democracy denied. 

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely 

Cllr Ed Fordham 

Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Derbyshire County Council

Derbyshire County Council, Smedley Street, Matlock, Derbyshire.

Let Derbyshire vote in 2025

Statement from Cllr Ed Fordham and the Liberal Democrats: Let Derbyshire Vote in 2025

I am both angry and disappointed in equal measure at the actions of Cllr Lewis.

By calling for a cancellation of the elections his action are entirely self serving. The people of Derbyshire deserve the right to vote on the last 8 years of Tory cuts.  For the elections to be cancelled would be a disgrace and I would say illegitimate.

I can confirm that I will also be submitting a letter to the Secretary of State urging that  the elections go ahead. Cllr Lewis has no mandate from the Council, no public support. His request is ‘not in our name’.

Knowing he will be ejected by the voters he is seeking to cling to office for another year. Cllr Lewis is running scared.

He claimed Vision Derbyshire was all of us working together, it was Council that voted for a Mayoral Devolution Deal. That consensus is now being smashed.

Cllr Lewis lacks courage and can no longer be trusted. I am utterly appalled at this high handed action. We will oppose his actions even if the Labour Government are giving him a free pass - the people of Derbyshire deserve better.

My message to the Government is quite simple: Let Derbyshire Vote in 2025.

Democracy delayed is democracy denied.

Cllr Ed Fordham

Leader of the Liberal Democrats

Derbyshire County Council

Former Cllr and Leader of Richmond, Serge Lourie

 Farewell Serge Lourie, Liberal Democrat, friend, councillor, leader, work colleague, runner, walker, housing champion, fundraiser, community champion, terrible humorist, but a model of how each and every one of us can strive to be a force for good. 

It was 1994 I think, I was President of the Students Union at the University of Nottingham and the new president elect was Madeleine Durie. I was in London and we met up at her house and she said I should meet the neighbour: Liberal Democrat Cllr Serge Lourie.

And so started a long acquaintance with Serge. He was probably most excited when he found I had been born at Kingston Hospital and birthday after birthday I would get greeting along with appeals for donations to the Hospital.

When I found myself on the Management Committee of ALDC (The campaigning local government arm of the Lib Dems) Serge was a significant voice for devolution, for fair votes in local elections, for land value taxation - determined, but always very good humoured. 

When I found myself at the Liberal Democrat office at the LGA Serge was a wise and friendly voice for advice on issues facing Boroughs and in particular in the battle to have realistic and achievable plans that built more affordable housing.

As my parents moved back to South West London after 50 years in Lincolnshire, Serge was one of the folks with whom I was able to touch base on news and moral amongst the Lib Dem’s as we sought to recover from the terrible national elections of 2014.

No longer a councillor, he had stepped back from front line politics, but his judgement, his instinct and his counsel, if sought, was offered freely, thoughtfully and with good humour. He was, I think, a little bemused when I sought his advice: “surely there are others more in touch” he would say.

He was gently put out and also amused when I described him as a equivalent & polar opposite of the professional grumpiness of Lord Tony Greaves, but he also appreciated that I respected his experience and accordingly his judgement.

He has gone too soon, but today, Madeleine’s father, Serge’s neighbour rose to pay tribute to his friend. It was emotional, funny, wide ranging and heartfelt - Sir David reflected our own sorrow for the hundreds of us there when his voice broke as he spoke of the energy and the love that Serge brought to the causes he championed.

As I sat in the sun at the reception afterwards chatting to runners, walkers, Liberal Democrat councillors, MPs, Lords, charity volunteers, people from Bushy Park, Kingston Hospital, from local housing associations and from friendships spanning decades - I gave thanks that I knew him, that I had the good fortune to sit alongside him in a work context, and grateful for his interest in me.  

Enjoy the next race, you have run your personal best in this world, and I was pleased that I came down from Derbyshire to Kew to be there and to see you over the finishing line. Thank you, Ed

ANIMALS AND REMEMBRANCE

LAUNCHING CHESTERFIELD’s ARMISTICE AND REMEMBRANCE OF THE SERVICE OF ANIMALS IN WAR and ARMED CONFLICT

Two dates:

Friday 1st November 11am at Shentall Gardebs, at the front of Chesterfield Town Hall (set up will be from 10am).

Sunday 3rd November 5pm at Dog Lead-Free Area, Holmebrook Valley Park (set up from 4pm).

All welcome, including dogs, horses etc… dress up warm.

Autum Report

 AUTUMN 2024 REPORT 

From the Liberal Democrat Group on Derbyshire County Council.  This report is circulated for the four Liberal Democrat Derbyshire County Councillors.

WELCOME TO AUTUMN AND FINANCIAL CRISIS

Last year, at almost exactly this time I wrote:

”The County Council managed to achieve a £26million over-spend in the first four months of the year. This level of budget variance places the Council on course for bankruptcy and so emergency measures have been put in place to seek to avoid these.”

Now, a year later, the Council is reporting a budget overspend in the first quarter of £20million.

If repeated through the year this would multiply to £80million. That won’t happen, but it does mean that the Council is making deep and savage cuts to try and balance its books.

Perhaps the most worrying feature of the reporting we are getting is that the anticipated savings are coming in under-budget. In other words, it is unlikely that in- year savings will meet the short fall, but services will be ceased, closed or cut instead. The other factor is the raiding of reserves. In the last two years the County Council has burned through £100million of reserves already and there is a pro-active selling of property and assets to try and find the cash.

The grim reality is that the Council does not have the money to deliver the services it would like, and that successive Governments of all political persuasions have underfunded local government to the point of crisis.

Will this new Labour Government reverse the under-funding and give local government more money – it might – but I fear not to the extent that is actually needed.

As a Liberal Democrat Group we have constantly and consistently pushed for better scrutiny of the Council’s finances by councillors – this has been partially successful and for the first time, this years budget went before one of the Council’s scrutiny committee. Secondly, we have objected to the way the Council spends its money and are the only party that has voted AGAINST the Conservative budget each year (labour always abstain), and third we have warned that the selling of asset and the raiding of reserves is foolish and ultimately in the long term – self harming.

WRITTEN QUESTIONSTO THE COUNCIL

As you will be aware, councillors can table and ask written questions, the relevant Conservative Portfolio reads out an answer and we then get a follow-up question. Since I have been asking more questions of the Conservative Administration, they have moved questions to being virtually the last item on the agenda in an attempt to silence us.

Here are the four questions I tabled at the meeting this week – 9 October 2024

1. Question from Councillor E Fordham to Councillor C Cupit, Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport “What dialogue has taken place regarding the Chesterfield footbridges over the A61 between the Highways department and Chesterfield Borough Council regarding making the bridges less accessible for attempted suicide?”

2. Question from Councillor E Fordham to Councillor A Dale, Cabinet Member for Education “What measures are in place in schools in Derbyshire to aid, support and assist staff and pupils in the face of attempted suicide by young people?”

3. Question from Councillor E Fordham to Councillor C Hart, Cabinet Member for Health and Communities “What measures have been taken since the last council meeting by social services regarding the further attempts at suicide in Chesterfield amongst both adults and children?

4. Question from Councillor E Fordham to Councillor J Patten, Cabinet Member for Children and Families “What is the policy for the timing of responses to parents for children services, upon receipt of a concern about child protection, and how many days should the parent wait before getting a call back from Children Services?” 

The debate around the issues I have raised about suicide were quite constructive and I felt I made some progress on this difficult topic, in persuading councillors to take the matter more seriously. Rather than try and summate the discussion I will circulate the verbatim account when it come out from the Minutes Officer and Democratic Services. As a group we have taken the view that it is the role of a Liberal Democrat to tackle difficult subjects and have the courage to take a stand when others won’t. I hope you agree.

 

WINTER FUEL ALLOWANCE

With the change of Government the Conservative Group have decided to go onto the attack against the Labour Group and accordingly there was a motion criticising the cut in Winter Fuel Allowance.

The motion was unduly partisan, and the Labour Group sought to amend it to no-avail. The truth of the matter is that both were playing party politics.

As Leader, I’m able to say that we voted for the Labour amendment (which was defeated) and for the Conservative motion unamended.

If asked we can report that, when given the opportunity, the Liberal Democrats on Derbyshire County Council voted to condemn the Labour Government on cutting the Winter Fuel Allowance. 

As ever, if there are issues you wish to be raised by me or any of the Liberal Democrat Group, please do get in touch ed.fordham@gmail.com

 

With all best wishes,

 

County Councillor Ed Fordham

(representing Loundsley Green and Newbold)

For and on behalf the Liberal Democrat Councillors

on Derbyshire County Council.

Rise in attempted suicide

I have tabled the following questions to Full Council:

To ask what dialogue have taken place regarding the Chesterfield footbridges over the A61 between highways and Chesterfield Borough Council regarding making the bridges less accessible for attempted suicide?

To ask what measures are in place in schools in Derbyshire to aid, support and assist staff and pupils in the face of attempted suicide by young people?

To ask what measures have been taken since the last council meeting by social services regarding the further attempts at suicide in Chesterfield amongst both adults and children?

Mental health intervention needed in town

Local County Councillor Ed Fordham, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Derbyshire County Council, will raise the death of Chesterfield character Danny Parkes and also the spate of recent public suicides in the town at the next meeting of the Council.

Ed says “I have consistently raised issues around suicide, attempted suicide, mental health and public risk and sought to get both the Borough Council and the County Council to do more. Prevention is the real game here and I believe that the County Council is often too reactive and fails to intervene early enough in situations that require expert mental health care. Any family or individual who has been touched by a death in their family or friends through failed mental health strain knows that early intervention is crucial.

“Danny Parkes was a difficult but loveable rogue, but in truth he was also a deeply troubled guy who needed and deserved our help. The truth is, we as a society were unable to help him early enough and the collapse of his life become inevitable and visible for many of us. I strongly believe the Councils could and should have done much much more.

“Further, the recent spate of attempted and sadly successful suicides has highlighted that Chesterfield has a problem. I have constantly called for all footbridges to be made suicide proof - and this has been turned down. Indeed, in the proposed multimillion revamp of the Railway Station and Town Centre the footbridge over the A61 will remained unchanged and a constant and ongoing risk for people. 

“My solution to all of this, is that the County Council take the initiative and set up a highly visible mental health support shop in of the empty units in the Town Centre. This should be a partnership with the Borough Council, the Police, but also with the Hospital and staff from the specialist Hartington Unit. This ‘shop’ would enable the intentions to be supportive, much earlier in the life cycle of trouble and also would seek to tackle the problems rather than just arrest or move individuals out of the Town Centre. I strongly believe that we can and should do better to help those who are vulnerable for whom life has become unduly complex and burdensome. 

“I am desperately keen that we do everything possible to end the tragedy of early death through life collapse and attempted suicide from bridges around the town. Danny Parkes and others deserve that at least.”

The questions I have tabled:

1. 27th March 2024.  The issues relating to anti-social behaviour in Chesterfield have yet again bounced up the agenda of the Borough Council and the Police, and the Crime Commissioner - with more exclusion orders and actions underway to move people out of the immediate town centre. The ramifications for nearby residential areas is increasingly acute and negative. Is the County Council assured that the mental health and adult well-being teams are being included early enough in these decisions and actions to enable that meaningful life changing and positive interventions are made, rather than just moving problems out of immediate sight and into residential areas of the town?
2. To ask the Council if it would consider developing a partnership front-line service of DCC staff in adult care and trained with an understanding of mental health to work in Chesterfield in connection with the Hospital, CBC and Police to enable an earlier intervention and a more nuanced constructive engagement with what are often difficult situations in the Market Squares? Can consideration be given to a highly visible 1-stop shop open at the hours needed to secure effective engagement for those people who find themselves in need of help and advice, so we can provide pro-active assistance before someone’s life enters a downward spiral.