The Mercian Regiment have recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.  On Friday 4th December I deputised for the Mayor of Amber Valley at a Welcome Home Parade for the regiment in Derby.
There was a short service in Derby Cathedral attended by some 400 soldiers of the regiment.  This was followed by a march past through the streets of Derby to the Assembly Rooms.  The citizens of Derby turned out in force to welcome the regiment home.  The streets were lined with people who applauded as the soldiers marched past.  It was very moving.
The arguments as to whether our troops should be in Afghanistan at all were forgotten as the people of Derby recognised that the troops had done an excellent job under very trying conditions.  Well Done, lads and Welcome Home.

Local elections for Amber Valley Borough Council and a by-election for Belper Town Council will take place on May 1st.  We are busy at the moment delivering leaflets to your homes.  If you see us around then please talk to us about any questions you may have.  We are only too pleased to help.
Make sure you use your vote and, if have a postal vote, make sure you post it in plenty of time.

Alan and Barry would like to wish all residents of Belper a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Cllr Alan Cox has decided to retire as Leader of Amber Valley Borough Council after a record 5 ¹/₂ years in the job.  Alan says that during that time there has been a massive improvement in the services provided in the Borough.  He highlights three main areas of improvement in Belper.  First, the increase in recycling from the low of 3% when Labour were in control to approaching 30% today; the decision to transfer the Council houses to Amber Valley Housing provided the impetus for the investment needed to bring them up to date; and the streets of the Borough are now far cleaner than they were because of the attention that has been provided in that area.  All these improvements have been brought about at the same time as Council Tax levels have been kept in line with inflation.
Alan has said that he is particularly pleased that he has been able to keep every election promise that has been made by the Conservative administration since it was put in control in May 2000.
In an email to members and officers he says that he is standing down at this point because he feels that it is now time for a younger person with the vision and energy to tackle the next stage of improvements in services.  A new Leader will be appointed at the Council meeting on 17th December.
Alan intends to carry on as a Councillor representing Belper North and will be seeking re-election next May.

I really enjoyed this year's conference in Blackpool.  It was one of the best that I have ever attended.  Everybody was in a good mood and looking forward to a General Election (if Gordon Brown finally gets around to calling it).  The policies that were put forward were well accepted by those at the Conference and, reading the press, were equally well received by the political commentators and the public.
The best speech of the week (in my opinion) was made by Iain Duncan Smith (IDS).  Remember the quiet man?  Well, he isn't now!  He held the conference spellbound with his speech on Social Justice.  He stood in the middle of the platform with no notes and no autocue - this must be catching because David Cameron did the same in his closing seech.  IDS spoke for half an hour .  He spoke from the heart and he spoke with passion.  At the end of the speech he was given a standing ovation which lasted for seven minutes.  Things would have been a lot different for the Conservative Party (and the country) if he had spoken like that four years ago instead of doing what his advisors told him.
Apart from the policies the main thrust of the conference was to get the Labour Party to honour their manifesto commitment to have a referendum on the European Constitution.  Although the latest treaty is not called a constitution it is basically the same as the constitution rejected by the French and the Dutch.  The leaders of Europe say it is.  In fact the treaty, in some cases, goes further than the constitution so there should be a referendum.
Next year's conference is being held in Birmingham and I'm already looking forward to it.  Maybe the Conservatives will be in power at Westminster by then.

Alan Cox

Your local Borough councillors, Alan Cox and Barry Lewis, will be holding a surgery on Saturday 22nd September in the Conservative Club, Campbell Street from 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon.
This surgery is for any resident of Belper North who wishes to come and discuss any issues that you may have.
We hope that you will take this opportunity to come along and meet us.