Derby Liberal Democrats

As the lead petitioner, Lib Dem Campaigner Maggie Hird said, "I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has signed the petition and collected signatures to protest against Labour's plans to only have 4 of the 17 libraries remaining as part of the statutory service. The petition has now been handed in to the Council.

The Government has finally come clean over its plans for Brexit. They want to pull Britain out of the Single Market.

Such an extreme version of Brexit might please UKIP supporters but it will be bad for jobs and the economy - and it wasn't what the vast majority of people voted for last June.

Millions of moderate Leave and Remain voters need someone who will fight their corner. The only party united in doing that is Tim Farron's Liberal Democrats.

The planning agreement to build the homes in Highfields Farm (beyond Heatherton) includes giving support for bus services. The developers are working with Trent Barton and the City Council on this. Local councillors have also had a meeting with Trent Barton. Until the new roads are adopted, buses won't be going through the site. Instead the V3 service on Rykneld Road will be improved and the Harlequin is likely to have a Sunday service again.

Varsity estate residents approached local Lib Dem campaigner Maggie Hird to find out when they and their children will be able to use the children's play areas and football pitch on their estate which have been chained up for at least eighteen months.

Someone has removed the chains from the larger of the two play areas, probably out of frustration!

It has been over a year since the last Mickleover Forum was held. We know the Labour-controlled council has cut the local community budget. This shouldn't stop our local Tory councillors from organising a Forum meeting themselves.

Here is what our agenda would be for the next meeting:

1) Library cuts - The next step

Since the Brexit vote last June, the value of the pound has fallen by 20% (one fifth) against other currencies.

This means that it is now more expensive for us to buy things like petrol that are traded on the world markets in dollars.

Food imports have also become more expensive because they are bought by food retailers in Euros or other currencies that are not as weak as the pound.

Labour's Cabinet meeting in early March highlighted their cursory regard for local people. First was a scheme to encourage Derby Homes tenants to pay their rent and get in touch online rather than in person. Just five tenants responded to their consultation, out of maybe 20,000. Could they not have spoken to tenants who were phoning up for other reasons to gain a wider sample of views? Second was the adoption of a Derby and Nottingham Metropolitan Strategy. This could see Derby and Nottingham working closely together. Only 34 people out of 151 replies from both areas said they were from Derby. Could the Council not have asked people coming into the Council House or going online to reply?

The European Union is to fund half of the cost of work to reduce the risk of flooding and increase bio-diversity along the Cuttle Brook in Sunnydale Park. The other half (£276,300) will come from a Government grant.

The park is a Local Nature Reserve and the work will create a wide variety of habitats for plants and creatures.

Liberal Democrat Lucy Care given better chance to win in Derby North than unknown Labour candidate

Derby North is one of many constituencies where Labour are yet to select a candidate, according to the Labour party website: http://www.labour.org.uk/pages/seats-now-open-for-application

Liberal Democrat candidate, Lucy Care said "At present the election in Derby North is simply a two-horse race between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives."

News has emerged that the development at Newhouse Farm could now be as large as 1100 new homes - comparable to the size of the existing Heatherton Village.

This proposal - which is available to read on South Derbyshire Council's website and at Mickleover Library - is very close to both Mickleover and Littleover, and with so many new houses would put huge pressure on local roads and local services. However it's outside the city's legal boundaries and Conservative-controlled South Derbyshire council seem determined to force it through in spite of its negative impact on Derby.