Lib Dem Councillor Tom Snowdon says that "despite the climate emergency, Chesterfield Borough Council has yet to take decisive action to raise the current low levels of recycling of the household waste they collect from across the town. Because of this they have failed to reach their own target"
"The Chesterfield Borough Council website states that "Our target is to recycle 50 per cent of the waste collected by 2020."
The redevelopment of the area around and between the Railway Station and the Town Centre is badly needed. It can create employment and provide a more welcoming face to those arriving in Chesterfield.
At Cabinet and at Full Council I have made the point that we need proposals which are not dependent upon the uncertain Government plans to go ahead with HS2. Even calling it the HS2 Station Master Plan is in danger of creating a false sense of failure should the Government scrap their plans for the Eastern leg of HS2.
Happy Chinese New year to all our Members and Friends
Happy Chinese New Year as February 12th 2021 starts the year of the Ox - the second of the 12-year cycle of animals in Chinese astrology that lasts until 30th January 2022.
Chinese New Year is also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, and is China's most important festival.
Ed Davey welcomes the decision to review the planning permission of a new coal mine in Cumbria
The Liberal Democrats have long called for a rethink on plans on for a new coal mine in Cumbria and I am delighted that's exactly what has happened.
If Boris Johnson is serious about climate action he will call on Cumbria county council to scrap the mine
Cumbria County Council now need to do the right thing and throw these plans out, or the Prime Minister must intervene to make sure the coal mine is scrapped.
It's astonishing that a new coal mine in Britain is even being considered - particularly the year we are hosting the vital COP26 conference.
The Government needs to transform its attitude to the climate emergency. That is why I have proposed a £150 billion green coronavirus recovery plan, reshaping our economy to protect the future of our country and our planet.
This is a once in a lifetime chance to solve the massive crisis we are in, we can't afford to miss
Responding to the defeat of the Genocide Amendment by the Government, Liberal Democrats Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran MP:
"Yesterday the Government used outrageous procedural manoeuvres to avoid any straight vote on the Genocide Amendment and avoid defeat, in a flagrant attempt to deny MPs from having their democratic say. If they were confident in their arguments, why do that? They are running scared of the Commons. By allowing parliamentary committees to rule on genocide, the Government has contradicted its own policy that genocide is a matter for the courts. Both relevant committees have already rejected these proposals.
"The Uyghur people have been betrayed and denied their day in court. The Government has turned a blind eye and has chosen to not put human rights first, despite clear cross-party support. Now is not the time for parliamentary games. Now is the time to stand up together against genocide and do the right thing when it comes to our trade policy. We will continue this fight in the House of Lords.
"The Liberal Democrats will always fight to protect human rights around the world, and we'll continue to push this government to do everything it can to end the genocide being committed against the Uyghurs and other persecuted peoples."
Residents want action from the council over the state of trees in a Chesterfield street.
Local Lib Dem campaigner Cllr Paul Niblock says "The residents of Walton Road have been repeatedly let down by Derbyshire County Council's half-hearted and delayed attempts to prune and provide proper maintenance of the mature trees on Walton Road."
Because for so long our story has been illegal.
Our role models have be forced to stay in the closet.
We have died in our millions under stigma.
Out talent has been suppressed.
We were refused the right to marry.
Our advocates have been imprisoned.
We have been tied to trucks and dragged through streets.
Our existence has been denied.
We have been medically castrated.
But we stand today in the UK on the shoulders of individual giants and this month we them our thanks. We will give them a name, a face, and share our appreciation
And we do this every year because across the world many LBGT+ communities still struggle. The persecution and misunderstandings are pushed, people are sidelined, fuelled and stoked by hatred, fear, homophobia, prejudice and erasure can thrive.
Here in the UK we stand up to be counted so that when two men are publicly beaten 70 times somewhere else in the world (as happened last month in Indonesia) there is a chance that they or their friends or acquaintances hear that we are fighting for them and advocating for them and yes, loving them for who they are.
And we celebrate it in the UK because these fears and hatreds are still here in homes, cities and villages, on the streets. Young people are still discovering who they are, older people are coming to terms with decades of denial and social pressure - and because, to take one example, until 2020 the institutions of UK did not recognise my marriage in Northern Ireland. That until 7 years ago my marriage to my life partner was illegal. These changes for equality have been hard won and yes, we had to fight for them. And so yes we celebrate, yes we share, and yes we are proud.
This is why LGBT+ history month matters - for these reasons and many many more, it matters.
So each day of this month @edfordham will be tweeting about LGBT+ History Month.
The 25th January marks the birthday of one of Scotland's important cultural icons, Robert Burns. Robert Burns was one of Scotland's national poets and was well known among experts around the world.Burns Night is celebrated by relatives and friends coming together to have a Burns Supper in honour of Robert Burns.
History of Burns Night
Robert Burns spent the majority of his life dedicated to poetry and at age 37 his health started to deteriorate and in 1796, he passed away. Five years later, Robert Burns' close friends got together to mark the anniversary of his death which was the first Burns Supper to take place. As the night was such a success, they decided to continue the tradition every year to honour their friend.
How is Burns Night Celebrated?
Burns Night is traditionally celebrated with a Burns Supper, which involves toasts, poetry readings and some tasty food! Haggis is the centrepiece at all Suppers and it is presented on a large platter that enters the room to the sound of bagpipes. Its eaten with Neeps and Tatties (swede and potato) and a glass of a Classic Malt Scotch Whisky
The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January 2021 is 'Be the Light in the Darkness'. This will resonate with us all, as we individually and collectively grapple with the challenges posed by the pandemic, particularly when the light at the end of this very long tunnel seems to recede every few weeks. We can each hold a metaphorical torch, to cast light around us locally and support and encourage each other through these difficult times.
By Cllr Jonathan Harris, Daventry District Council
The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP,
Chancellor of the Exchequer
HM Treasury
1 Horse Guards Road
London SW1A 2HQ
10th January 2021
Dear Chancellor,
As we leave 2020 behind, at the end of what has been an exceptionally sad and difficult year for many and begin 2021, we, the undersigned, would like to remind you that there are some 3 million people who have yet to receive any form of support or help through no fault of their own. We hereby call on the Government to end the disparities in government Covid-19 support packages that are currently excluding millions across the UK, putting livelihoods and businesses at risk.
