Dear Resident

It’s been more than three months since the County Council Election and I am now a Deputy Cabinet Member for Health & Communities.  My responsibilities include being the Chair of the Police & Crime Panel and Chairmanship of Derbyshire Sports Partnership, which is very exciting working to improve services for people. The new boundary changes means that there are now two Councillors who represent the Alfreton and Somercotes Electoral Division myself and Cllr Steve Marshall-Clarke both having joint responsibility.

On local issues of concern that we have been dealing with, we are pleased to say that Pennytown Ponds have been awarded the Green Flag status again.  We really appreciate that everybody’s hard work has been recognised and how positively that area is now being talked about by the local communities and how well used it has now become.

Lighting improvements have now been made to Sherwood Street, Park Mews, Ralph Drive, Windmill Rise and Springfield Crescent with an additional light column installed on the footpath link on to the estate off Sleetmoor Lane.  The lights also on the electricity poles on the ADASC football pitch side of Sleetmoor Lane are going to be located on the footpath side where people actually walk; something I have wanted to do for years!!

Lighting are being improved on Cockshut Lane, at Somercotes, due to the fact that the Electricity Board are putting the overhead electricity cables underground so the lights currently attached to the wooden poles will be now be free standing lamp columns.

Highways – the B600 Lower Somercotes has been completed and what a good job was done by the Contractors on the road, resurfacing and new drainage ahead of schedule and under budget.  Quarry Road has been surfaced dressed again and the B600 from the Royal Tiger Public House to the car wash is to be resurfaced due to its failure and also a section of the B600 from Flowery Lees Lane to Victoria Street in Alfreton, all in the financial year 2013/2014.

Patching works on Birchwood Crescent, Langley Avenue and footpaths on Castle Drive are to be improved.  The concrete traffic calming pads on Birchwood Lane have been reinstated and I have asked that they are re-marked and the road lining on there and Leabrooks Road are relined.  We have also got the County Council to remove some of the yellow lines on Victoria Street as you come off Leabrooks Road on the left near to Printscene and a couple of car lengths outside the Hairdressers, hopefully this will free up about six to seven car spaces.

Through the planning process, J C Balls have contributed monies to Pennytown Ponds and have also agreed to divert a water course on their land and resurface the footpath from Cotes Park Industrial Estate through to the red bridge which was badly eroded as well as creating five jobs.

You may have read about badger culling taking part in various parts of the Country.  We are pleased to have been part of the County Council’s decision to support Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s vaccination campaign and not allow any culling to take place on Derbyshire County Council land.  Not that we are a target County at this time but we have put these resources in place.

Yours sincerely
Councillor Paul Smith

Deputy Cabinet Member for Health & Communities
Representing the Alfreton and Somercotes Electoral Division