Minutes 20210413 of the Full Council Meeting
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DRAYCOTT PARISH COUNCIL Minutes of the Full Council Meeting held virtually via ZOOM on Tuesday 13th April 2021 at 7.30pm Present - Chairman – V Clare, Councillors – R Brown, M Wilson, C Wheatley, T Scott, D Dundas (intermittent access), K Rose, J Fletcher, A Meakin, B Rogerson, M Knight Police – No County Council – R Parkinson Members of the Public – none Minutes recorded by - Sheena Butcher Public Speaking – 297/20 Apologies for absence – none (Cllr Dundas had internet issues so did not take part in any decisions) 298/20 Variation of the order of business - none 299/20 Declaration of Interest / Disclosable Pecuniary Interests – none 300/20 Dispensations – None 301/20 Minutes - the minutes of the Planning and Transport Committee and Full Council meeting on 9th March 2021 were approved to be a true and accurate record of the meetings and were signed accordingly by the Chairman 302/20 To receive reports from: County Council Restructure of ETE and Community Services to become Place Changes are being made to the structure of some of Derbyshire County Council’s Place based services. ETE will be known as Place from 17 May, aligning with when Chris Henning, the new Executive Director of Place, joins the council. The council has taken the opportunity to bring together more of the Place based services, to provide greater synergy in the way that it can respond to the needs of residents. The intention is that Libraries and Heritage and Trading Standards will move to become part of Place in the autumn. Community Safety will remain in CCP. The Place department will have three directors and there will be a balance of responsibilities across each of them as follows: Environment and Transport Director with responsibility for: • environment - climate change, countryside service and heritage and conservation service • waste management – procurement and operations • transport – all aspects of operational transport services Economy and Regeneration Director with responsibility for: • economic growth and development with regeneration and recovery, employment and skills, transport strategy • planning, highways DC and trading standards • major programme and projects - development and management • libraries and heritage services Highways Director with responsibility for: • all aspects of the highways function Page | 84 • highways hub and customer engagement • flooding • emergency planning Whilst the department transitions to these new arrangements and permanent appointments are made to the new director roles, the current director roles will be fulfilled as follows: • Joe Battye continues as Economy and Regeneration Director • Julian Gould continues as Acting Highways Director • Claire Brailsford commences as Acting Director Environment and Transport from 1 April Don Gibbs, Director for Community Services retires from the council shortly and until these services transfer over to Place, alternative reporting arrangements have been put in place. Council provides support for young people's mental wellbeing Derbyshire County Council has been given funding to provide training to education settings to look after young people’s mental health and wellbeing. During the pandemic, students may have experienced a range of issues based on their experiences and the training course means teachers and education staff will be able to recognise, understand and help them cope. It will also give them confidence to support their colleagues, parents and carers. So far 157 educational staff from 95 educational settings have attended training with a further eight webinars planned for 2021, which it is hoped will reach a further 150 educational staff. The £141,600 of government funding has been given to the county council to deliver ‘Wellbeing for Education Return’ courses and provide ongoing advice and support. The council's Children’s Services team has been working with schools, NHS England and other external partners to tailor locally the training materials. The course is available to all state-funded education settings in Derbyshire, including academies, special schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision. More care worker jobs are available with Derbyshire County Council Members have been asked to help spread the word about positions that are available supporting some of Derbyshire’s most vulnerable residents. Derbyshire County Council is offering flexible, long or short-term care worker contracts with a fast-track application process. The county council wants to hear from people looking to work various hours including former carers who may consider a return to the profession, people aged 18 or over or retirees. Recruits are needed to offer support to help older and disabled people lead dignified, fulfilled lives in our care homes. Tasks would include helping people get washed and dressed, preparing light meals or snacks and supporting people to take their medication or offer personal care. New starters, along with all other care staff, will have access to all the personal protective equipment they need to stay safe while doing their job in line with Government guidelines. Page | 85 The council currently has vacancies in Swadlincote, West Hallam, Belper, Heanor, Eckington, Shirebrook, Staveley, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Ashbourne and Bakewell. No previous experience is necessary as full training is given. Positive beginning for county council's Green Entrepreneurs Fund More than 130 people from businesses and community groups across Derbyshire joined the virtual launch of Derbyshire County Council's Green Entrepreneurs Fund – a £2m grant fund for organisations interested in developing and investing in green energy and carbon reduction schemes. Businesses and organisations heard details about how they can apply for funding through the scheme being run in partnership with the University of Derby to help support green economic recovery across Derbyshire. Find more information about the programme including application forms, timetable for grant funding and eligibility criteria. Borough Council Your right to vote Erewash Borough Council has issued a final reminder to local residents that they must be registered by next Monday 19 April to have their right to vote in next month’s local elections. Anyone old enough to vote who is not on the Council’s Register of Electors by the deadline day will lose their vote. The deadline for new applications to vote by post is the following day – 5pm on Tuesday 20 April. Residents will go to the polls on Thursday 6 May to vote in the Derbyshire County Council elections and to elect a Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire. Nine county councillors will be elected to represent Erewash on the county council. The Register of Electors is checked and updated every year but anyone who has recently moved house or just moved to the borough – or young people who have celebrated their 18th birthday over the last year – need to ensure their details are registered. It is quick and easy to register to vote online on the Erewash Borough Council website. Residents who want to check that they are registered to vote in Erewash can ask via an online form that will be responded to within one working day. This year’s elections will be held in covid-secure polling stations with a range of safety measures in place, including the mandatory requirement that voters wear face masks and are encouraged to take their own pencils/pens to mark their ballot paper. Anyone who needs to apply for a postal vote should email [email protected] or call 0115 907 1190. The deadline for new applications to vote by proxy is 5pm on Tuesday 27 April. Erewash Borough Council’s elections team can help with any enquiries. Royal Mail has 35,000 Priority Post Boxes with late collection times, some also including collections at weekends, that were introduced to help with the delivery of Covid Test Kits. This service may help postal voters. Visit royalmail.com/priority- post-boxes to find a priority box in the local area. Candidates There will be 37 candidates standing in the Erewash area at next month’s Derbyshire County Council elections, which take place on Thursday 6 May. Page | 86 After the close of nominations on Thursday 8 April, it was confirmed that the Conservative Party and Labour Party each have nine candidates, the Green Party and Liberal Democrats each have eight and Reform has three candidates standing in the Erewash division. Voters will go to the polls to elect nine county councillors in total to represent the nine divisions that make up the Erewash area. One candidate will be elected for each division – Breadsall and West Hallam; Breaston; Ilkeston East; Ilkeston South; Ilkeston West; Long Eaton; Petersham; Sandiacre; and Sawley. In addition, by-elections are taking place in two Erewash Borough Council wards following the resignation of two councillors. In Ilkeston’s Hallam Fields ward, the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats will each field one candidate – while in Long Eaton’s Nottingham Road ward, the Conservatives, Labour, Green Party and Liberal Democrats have each nominated one candidate. Voters in the parish wards of Borrowash East and Borrowash West will also receive ballot papers to elect a parish councillor– where there will be one Conservative candidate in each ward and one Ockbrook & Borrowash Neighbourhood Network Independent candidate in each ward. Four candidates have been confirmed for the role of Derbyshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner. Information on all candidates can be found on the elections page of the Erewash Borough Council website. Town Halls reopen Erewash Borough Council’s Town Hall receptions in Ilkeston and Long Eaton re- opened to the public from Monday 12 April following the easing of some Covid-19 restrictions under Step 2 of the Government’s roadmap to recovery. Opening hours are 9am-4pm Monday to Friday. The move is aimed at helping those residents who do not have access to the council’s online services although the council is encouraging residents to stay at home and use other means of contact if at all possible.