Amber Valley Borough Council

Garden waste collections are set to start again after a two-month pause in a part of Derbyshire.

Amber Valley Borough Council suspended the service with immediate effect in July due to "operational issues".

Amber Valley Borough CouncilCopyright: Amber Valley Borough Council

Those who use garden bins in the borough have been asked to present their bin on their next scheduled collection date, from Monday.

The council has apologised for the disruption to the service.

A children's padding pool is out of use after vandals blocked water valves with broken glass, a council has said.

Amber Valley Borough Council said workers noticed the glass at Heanor Splash Pad during a deep clean on Tuesday.

The council said: "We are sorry to report that following a deep clean and sterilisation of the Heanor Splash Pad, it was discovered that the valves had been blocked with broken glass, causing the main pump to fail - unfortunately yet another case of vandalism."

A spokesman added groups have been regularly drinking at night and smashing bottles on the splash pad, and despite efforts to clean up fragments, some have found their way through.

The authority said it was working to have a new pump installed as soon as possible.

Amber Valley Borough CouncilCopyright: Amber Valley Borough Council

Derbyshire Police said the antisocial behaviour issues at Heanor Memorial Park have been brought to the attention of the local policing team.

A force spokeswoman said: "It is a real shame that the splash pad has had to be closed, and this will be disappointing to hear for others wanting to make use of the facilities.

"Patrols are being carried out and we are making inquiries as to those involved."

Labour has suffered further defeat in local elections, losing control of another Derbyshire council.

Of the 15 wards being contested in Amber Valley, 11 had been held by Labour.

But nine of these red seats have turned blue, with Labour only holding two wards, Belper North and Somercotes.

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The highest profile casualty was council leader Chris Emmas-Williams, who was defeated in his Codnor & Waingroves seat.

The Conservatives also held four seats.

The council make up is now Conservatives 28, Labour 16, Green 1.

Six cemeteries in Derbyshire have been closed after a local council said it had seen a rise in visits which were "not considered essential".

Amber Valley Borough Council said it had noticed "an above normal" number of residents visiting its sites during the lockdown which posed a risk to maintenance staff.

"Access is only permitted for funerals, essential staffing and emergency or urgent works on site," it said.

“Tending to graves or memorials at cemeteries is not considered essential, but council staff will continue to manage the maintenance of cemeteries and their grounds."

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The cemeteries closed are:

• Rodgers Lane, Alfreton
• Cemetery Road, Leabrooks
• Matlock Road, Belper
• Ilkeston Road, Heanor
• Cemetery Lane, Ripley
• Crosshill, Codnor

The council added: "We appreciate this may cause disruption and distress, but the decision has been taken with the safety of residents in mind and to ensure government advice is followed."

Only five family members are currently allowed to attend funerals and the installation of plaques has been suspended.

Amber Valley Borough Council is facing an "extremely serious" financial crunch which could see it effectively run out of money in two years.

The authority's chief finance officer said "urgent action" was required to plug a budget gap equivalent to a fifth of the council's annual revenue spending.

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The council is forecast to spend millions of pounds more in a year than it brings in, despite major savings over the past few years.

It leaves the council needing to find further spending cuts or a way to significantly boost its income.

A Conservative Derbyshire councillor said he is "in no way racist" after calling for a ban on the burka and saying there are an "excessive amount" of mosques.

Cllr Henry Thompson, who represents Heanor East on Amber Valley Borough Council, made the comments on a recent Facebook post underneath a national newspaper story about banning the head covering.

He has since been suspended from the party, pending an investigation.

Amber Valley Borough CouncilCopyright: Amber Valley Borough Council

After the post came to light, he told the LDRS that “in no way am I racist" and that his comments were in relation to security concerns.

"None of this was me taking a jab at Islam, because I have nothing against people from different backgrounds wanting to be part of a chosen religion," he added.

He apologised for any offence caused but added he was writing in a personal capacity and stood by what he said.

The borough council's Labour leader has called for him to resign.

All the results are in from Amber Valley and with 24 seats, Labour have taken control of the council from the Conservatives.

Duffield has officially gone green - Dave Wells has snatched the seat off the Conservatives.

The authority now has three parties and an independent. Crikey.

The Tories have lost their grip on Amber Valley - they have held it for all but one year this side of the Millennium.

A school's plan to build an extension to its sixth form block have been rejected.

Ecclesbourne School, in Wirksworth Road, Duffield, had hoped to build the extension to free up more study, teaching, and cafe space - along with five extra parking spaces.

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The school said that existing space was "inadequate and overcrowded" because of rising pupil numbers which are due to increase from 1,420 to 1,625.

However, Amber Valley Borough Council voted last night to refuse the application, saying the plan would see an unacceptable reduction in recreational space at the school and did not take into account car ownership levels.

Planning officers warned the committee it would be difficult to defend an appeal on highways grounds if the school appealed the decision but the plan was rejected anyway.

Permission to build 200 houses near a former landfill site in Derbyshire was granted last night despite objections from residents.

The chairman of Amber Valley Borough Council's planning committee had the casting vote after six councillors voted for and six were against the development on land off Birchwood Lane in Somercotes, according to the Local Democracy Reporter Service.

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Resident Troy Smith said that the proposal presented a "clear and present danger to all living near to the site" and that it was "widely known to be contaminated".

An agent for the applicant said: "Hats off to the residents for wanting to make sure that the application is sufficiently examined and those who even asked Public Health England to look over the proposals."

However, she said the site could be made usable and work would be carried out to ensure this.