Dear Resident

At last the stone wall at Lower Somercotes has been rebuilt after I have raised this matter many times at Derbyshire County Council with regard to the safety of it and the way it looked.  It took less time to build Hadrian’s Wall to separate Scotland and England than it did for me to sort this issue!

I hope the continuous running water from a drain at the mini-island near to the Cotes Park has also now been stopped by Severn Trent.

The 30 mph speed limit has now been extended out on the B600 to the Pilkington Factory so all the houses as you approach from Alfreton are covered by a 30 mph limit.   A new safe pedestrian refuge has been installed on Hockley Way, funded by Derbyshire County Council, Somercotes Parish Council and Alfreton Town Council.

I wrote last time that I had secured funding for improved lighting on Windmill Rise and Spencer Drive.  The scheme will also now include James Street at Leabrooks and the Windmill Rise scheme will now do all the road from Parkside through to Somercotes Hill.  I am also bidding for money for Sherwood Street and for another light column on Park Mews on the footpath from Parkside through to Church Street.

I have again raised the issue of the lack of dropped crossings at West Way and Birchwood Way on the Cotes Park Industrial Estate.   They are on the programme to be  done and I am hoping they will be installed this financial year.

I would like to thank Thornton’s for sponsoring the Easter Litter Pick at Pennytown Ponds and after meeting with them I am also hopeful that they will become involved with the community more.  I have left them a number of items that highlight what has been achieved in the community by everybody.

On the Youth Service proposals to close buildings and remove the mobile provision, over 16,000 people have signed a petition against it; let’s hope they pause and rethink what has turned out to be a resounding “No” to the changes.  We will see.

Sorry I was not successful in getting Somercotes Hill and Leabrooks Road on a resurfacing scheme this financial year due to reduced government funding.  It was very high on the priority list but missed out.  Various patching works on footways and roads will be done and Quarry Road will be surface dressed.

£150 is set to be spent on Somerlea Park Junior School for rear windows on the kitchen and the enclosing of the rear corridor where the children hang their coats.  This will help the School reduce their heating bills.