David Williams June 5th 2012 (Home : Answerphone); email Dear Sir / Madam KEEP CODNOR AND WAINGROVES TOGETHER (in the Ripley Derbyshire County Council Electoral ‘division’, not Heanor) It is understood that the Local Government Boundaries Commission for England (LGBCE) is currently deliberating the changing (or not) the boundaries of a number of English County Council electoral ‘divisions’, including those for Derbyshire. As a resident of Waingroves, Ripley, Derbyshire, these apparently comprise moving a substantial part of Waingroves and Codnor (adjacent to Waingroves) from the Ripley county electoral division into Heanor. From the perspective of Waingroves residents, this has to be opposed for a number of reasons: 1. Waingroves has a natural affinity with Ripley, being a village adjacent to the town. This arises out of Waingroves’ history as a village founded on coal mining from 1859 when the pit was sunk to 1922, when it closed because of a strike. Bordering Waingroves is Codnor, which like its neighbour experienced rapid population growth based on the expansion of the coal mining industry, particularly from the mid-1800’s. All the coal mines established were owned by the Butterley Company – based in nearby Ripley. Since all the pits were owned by the Butterley Company So, as the social infrastructure (schools, council housing, hospitals, local government, community and sports facilities) developed, all economic and social life tended to be attracted towards Ripley. This trend continues until the present day. Local communities in Waingroves and Codnor use Ripley for entertainment (e.g. public houses and clubs), shopping and services, not Heanor. 2. Local government re-organisation from 1972 to 1974 followed local social realities so that under the newly created Amber Valley Borough Council, Codnor and Waingroves have shared two ward councillors since then. However, Codnor has its own parish council and Waingroves has a single seat on Ripley Town council. To transfer Waingroves to a Heanor electoral division would make local government administration more complex by adding another electoral complication. 3. The Post Office as a public sector organisation has certainly recognised these local and public factors as the post codes for Codnor, Ripley and Waingroves all have the first three digits as ‘DE5’ whereas Heanor’s post code is ‘DE75’. 4. Codnor and Waingroves share a common green space between them in the form of Codnor Common but there is no green space between the two adjacent settlements and Ripley. By contrast, there is green space between Codnor and Heanor and Waingroves and Heanor. 5. Local secondary schools also underpin social reality as for example, Ripley Mill Hill school’s ‘catchment’ area includes primary schools in Waingroves and Codnor. Heanor primary schools are conspicuous by their absence from Ripley Mill Hill school’s catchment area. In terms of the schools organisation, Codnor and Waingroves form part of the Ripley ‘cluster’ not Heanor. 6. Cover for fires in Codnor and Waingroves stems from Ripley Fire Station, not Heanor fire station. 7. In health services, appointments to see family doctors for Waingroves are invariably through Ripley General Medical Practioners’ surgeries or with the GP in Codnor, which has its own GP surgery. 8. Hospital appointments for Codnor and Waingroves people are routinely at Ripley (and Derby) hospitals, not at Heanor hospitals. I call upon the LGBCE to acknowledge these realities of social, administrative, geographical and political life in the Ripley area of Derbyshire and construct electoral boundaries so that Waingroves and Codnor together form part of Ripley electoral divisions under Derbyshire County Council boundaries. YOURS FAITHFULLY David Williams Town councillor (Ripley), resident of Waingroves. .