A Better Deal for Derby

Cuts to local council funding from national government are a fact of life that Derby City Council must deal with like other councils all across the country.

About a third of funding for Derby's services comes from Westminster and is controlled tightly, with cuts continuing. Changes to this funding can only be successful when made rationally with clear facts to back them up, and in cooperation with other Local Authorities.

Derby's previous Labour leadership failed to work widely with other councils and just focused on emotion and endlessly blaming others. Labour wasted money and didn't spend based on evidence in consultation with local people, but on pet projects and in favoured areas without measurable objectives and poorly managed projects like the A52 upgrade that's overspent by tens of millions. Under the new administration things are improving, but there is still too little sign that the government is listening and much work remains to do.

We will enable the people of Derby to take an active part in running and supporting their local communities. We believe that communities are strengthened by people working together to improve community involvement and local facilities, rather than being run solely from the Council House.

We will -

  • Provide fair and effective funding for the whole of Derby, investing money more equally across Derby and on what local residents want - not just pet projects in favoured areas
  • Listen to communities to get the best ideas on how to use the funds that are available
  • Encourage the new Neighbourhood teams to use the skills we asked for them to have to work with communities to seek grant funding for local schemes and projects from Trusts and other grant-giving bodies
  • Work more effectively with national government and the Local Government Association to get the best funding possible for Derby based on an up-to-date formula that properly reflects Derby's needs
  • Maximise funding for Derby by having the Neighbourhood teams work with community groups to bid for extra funding from trusts and other funding bodies
  • Consult with local communities to find out what they want rather than spending money on changes they don't want
  • Empower communities to deliver changes to benefit their areas
  • Enable charities and community organisations to help meet communities' needs.