With the cold and freezing weather kicking in Cllr Ed Fordham has welcomed the return of Chesterfield Winter Night Shelter for homeless and rough sleepers. Led by Derby City Mission and actively supported by a number of faith groups across Chesterfield, the Shelter offers the chance for people to sleep indoors during the coldest months of the year.

Using money from central Government, Chesterfield Borough Council, together with Bolsover Council and North East Derbyshire District Council has supported the initiative with £25,000 but there is a shortfall of a further £10,000 which needs to be raised locally..

Cllr Fordham asked the Borough Council to provide storage and support for the project all year around and to explore having a drop in faculty for 12 months of the year for those most in need. But also to help meet the shortfall in funding. He explained "I have asked the Council once again to pledge some of its own money in support and will continue to do so. It is only right that we support those who are most in need and at the time of the year when the weather is the cruellest."

Responding to comments by Branden Lewis that EU citizens living in the UK could face deportation, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Christine Jardine said:

"I am absolutely appalled. I have just been at a school where a Hungarian-born pupil told me she was scared about Brexit, and now I learn that the Conservative Government is threatening to deport people like her.

"Brandon Lewis has finally confirmed what we've known all along: Boris Johnson has no intention of keeping his promise to automatically guarantee the rights of EU citizens living in the UK.

"No one seriously believes the Home Office will have granted Settled Status to all 3.6 million EU citizens by the Conservatives' arbitrary December 2020 deadline. Thousands will inevitably be left effectively undocumented - and now the Government is saying it will deport them.

"That is totally unacceptable. EU citizens are our friends and neighbours, our carers and families, and Liberal Democrats demand better for them. That's why we're fighting to stop Brexit and prevent another Windrush-style scandal."

Since its launch in 1998 Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire Credit Union have gone from strength to strength, starting with less than 100 members they now have more than 5,000.

Cllr Emily Coy popped in to congratulate the manager Alan Ward and learn more about the non-profit making financial organisation set up by members to benefit the community.

Chesterfield Lib Dem spokesperson Emily Coy said: "A new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies demonstrates that Boris Johnson is only interested in helping the already wealthy. His real agenda, including Brexit, is to line the pockets of the rich and disadvantage ordinary working people".

Responding to new analysis published on Friday by the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies, suggesting Boris Johnson's proposed raising of the Higher Rate income tax threshold from £50,000 to £80,000 would cost more than £8 billion annually and mostly benefit those on high incomes, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Ed Davey said:

The climate emergency is now. The UK will not be net zero carbon by 2050 if Tories ignore the climate emergency. There is simply a lack of policies in place to deliver the net zero target by 2050.

Chesterfield Parliamentary Campaigner Emily Coy says

"We must act now to tackle climate change. The UK becoming net zero carbon by 2050 should be the final deadline but we should strive to achieve this as soon as possible."

Last July the Labour run Borough Council passed a Climate Emergency motion.

But they seem to be operating on a different meaning of the word emergency to everyone else. Despite Labour having demanded a couple of weeks earlier that the Conservative run County Council should be Carbon Free by 2030, they rejected this date for Labour run Chesterfield.

Prorogation?

Michael Gove - "It would not be true to the best traditions of British democracy" 9^th June 2019

Sajid Javid - "You don't deliver on democracy by trashing democracy." 16^th June 2019

Nicky Morgan - "Proroguing Parliament is clearly a mad suggestion…You cannot say you are going to take back control…..and then go - Oh by the way are just going to shut Parliament down……." 6^th June 2019.

Help Chesterfield to become a low carbon, resilient and sustainable borough

Volunteers are needed to join a new climate change working group in Chesterfield.

Chesterfield Borough Council is welcoming applications that will support borough wide representation on its new climate change working group.

The desired makeup of the group will see representatives from the education sector, Chesterfield Borough Council residential and commercial tenants, elected members, community kitchens, local business, local transport providers, local climate groups and the health sector for example.

A short prorogation is supposed to happen every year...