Needham's Recreation Ground

I promised to try to improve the facilities for young people at the Ashbourne Lane site. After consultation with local residents new play equipment has been provided, and also new junior goal posts.

Chapel Memorial Park

As Chair of the Chapel Parish Amenities Committee I have been glad to encourage the 'The Friends of Memorial Park' to get funding for a new Multi Use Games Area. A bid is now in for lottery funding and we are hopeful for a positive result soon. If successful this new facility for young people should be completed during the summer.

Whitehough Weight Limits

The County Council are proposing that there should be a 7.5 tonne weight restriction on the road from Whitehough down to Whitehall, and also from Whitehough down to Lower Lane, Chinley. Access to property and land will be exempt.

Chapel Milton Speed Limits

Following a consultation the speed limit through Chapel Milton will be reduced from 40mph to 30mph. The new limit would begin where Hayfield Road goes under the bypass and continue right through to New Smithy and Chinley. This conforms to the latest government guidance where there are properties on 'A' roads. The signs will need to be illuminated, which is likely to cause some delay.

The Conservatives in control of Derbyshire County Council have voted to cut the Home Care service so that many people now receiving care at home will no longer be eligible.

"This is a direct cut to a vital service for vulnerable people" said County Councillor Barrie Taylor. Liberal Democrat councillors voted against the Tory budget.

The New Mills pioneering, hydroelectric scheme, Torrs Hydro recently celebrated its first birthday.

Liberal Democrat Councillorr Janet Carter, says: "I wish to congratulate the community-owned and funded Torrs Hydro scheme on their tremendous success - which was recently recognised when they were shortlisted in 2010 for the prestigious Ashden Award. The scheme has certainly put New Mills on the map - bringing good media attention, with other communities wishing to follow their example."

A £1Million cut in Derbyshire County Council's £16M road repairs' budget threatens a number of much-needed resurfacing and pothole elimination projects in New Mills, reports the town's County Councillor Beth Atkins.

In the past year, Beth has seen major repair work carried out on St Marys Rd, Apple Tree Road, Bate Mill Road, Hayfield Road and Market Street - but fears a slowdown in work in the next 12 months.

Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne today launched the Government's Action Plan on climate change.

The cross-Government action plan on climate change sets out strict actions and deadlines for Whitehall to live up to its green ambitions, meet tough domestic carbon targets and encourage greater action internationally.

The Carbon Plan is published in draft today with the Government inviting the public and organisations to give their views on the contents. A final version will be published in the Autumn and then updated annually.

The draft Plan highlights three key changes that will be required across the UK economy, including the way electricity is generated, the way homes and businesses are heated and the way people travel.

Internationally, the plan sets out how the UK will work within the European Union and with other countries to promote ambitious action on climate change.

The Government also announced that at least 1,000 Green Deal apprentices aged 16 and over could receive Government funding towards their training.

Nick Clegg said:

"We want to be the greenest government ever. We will reshape the economy, change the way we power our transport, heat our homes, and generate our electricity. We must put the development of the green economy at the centre of our ambitions to rebalance the economy.

"The Green Deal is about the future - and it is important we ensure that future generations have the skills they need to take advantage of the opportunities of the green economy. These apprenticeships are a perfect example of how government and business can work together towards a low carbon future."

Joining the Liberal Democrats was for Issan Ghazni about making a difference and creating a fair and equal society. This he managed to achieve during his time as National Diversity Advisor to the Party, devising structures and policies to promote pluralism within the Party.

His election as Chair of EMLD from 2011 will ensure he is able to continue to work for ethnic minorities within the Party. It is one of the aims of EMLD that in time our elected representatives in Westminster will better reflect Britain of the 21^st century.

Cllr David Lomax, Liberal Democrat Group Leader on High Peak Borough Council, joined over 90 senior Liberal Democrat Councillors in letter to the Times attacking the front-loading of local government cuts imposed by central government.

Despite the spin placed on the letter by the BBC, the letter does not deny either the need for cuts, nor the deficit which has required them. Rather the letter argues that the cuts are too big and proceeding too quickly, and that councils could protect more frontline services and save more money in the long term if spending reductions were carried out in a more controlled manner. The senior councillors are stating publicly what many Lib Dems in local government have been muttering for a while: that councils recognise that they must play their part in reducing the national deficit and controlling spending, the speed and depth of the cuts to government grants have left local authorities with little room to manoeuvre.

Tim Farron MP, President of the Liberal Democrats writes:

"One of my longest running campaigns is the one to make sure that our hard working mountain rescue teams have their VAT refunded. In the last 24 hours we have had a major development that I wanted to share with you.

Currently our Mountain Rescue teams have to pay VAT on the equipment that they use to rescue people and save lives. I have always thought this is totally wrong. To me they are the 4th emergency service. During the 2009 floods they were there helping people evacuate their homes, during the cold snap they supported the Ambulance Service and ferried people to hospital who lived in isolated areas that were hard to reach - and all that is alongside their day-to-day work rescuing people from the fells that the Lake District is so famous for.

Business Secretary Vince Cable and Skills Minister John Hayes urged more employers to drive economic growth by creating a new generation of skilled workers, while underling the government's commitment to increase the budget for Apprenticeships to over £1,400 million in 2011-12.

Dr Cable welcomed the expansion of British Airways successful engineering apprenticeship scheme, to take on 120 students this year. This will give more students the opportunity to become full time employees of British Airways.