Welcome to the offical site for
​Amber Valley Labour Group

​​Welcome to Stronger Together – Labour’s roadmap to develop key policies ahead of the next General Election.
Stronger Together is our chance to take on the challenges of the post-crisis world and grasp the opportunities of the future. To build a future that everyone in Britain can be proud of.
That task is beyond the Conservatives, but Labour has done it before. Together, we can do it again.
Keir Starmer MP
Leader of the Labour Party
After a Labour group meeting was held this week  the group have issued the following two statements.
We want to make it quite clear that the Labour Group will not form any coalition of any sort with any of the opposition parties that our 42 candidates are standing against in the forthcoming elections.
Secondly
“We are aware that there has been some concern over some Social Media platforms with targeted  personal attacks on candidates for the upcoming elections. We totally distance ourselves from this awful behaviour and one of the first things that a new council will be calling for is for the authority to pass the following motion.”
Amber Valley Borough Council in signing the Civil and Respect Pledge (already signed by 1145 councils) agree that the Council will treat councillors, clerks, employees, members of the public, and representatives of partner organisations and volunteers with civility and respect in their roles and that it:
  • Has put in place a training programme for councillors and staff
  • Has signed up to the Code of Conduct for councillors
  • Has good governance arrangements in place including staff contracts and a dignity at work policy
  • Will seek professional help at the early stages should civility and respect issues arise
  • Will commit to calling out bullying and harassment if and when it happens
  • Will continue to learn from best practices in the sector and aspire to be a role model council  
  • Supports the continued lobbying for change in legislation to support the Civility and Respect Pledge including sanctions for elected members where appropriate
Cllr Chris Emmas-Williams
Leader of the Labour Group AVBC

LATEST NEWS
​A Labour government led by Keir Starmer will build new technical excellence colleges. Creating skills, learning, and training opportunities is one of my priorities if elected as East Midlands mayor.
Imagine the potential for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire!
​Introducing..
Our parliamentary candidate, Councillor Linsey Farnsworth !
Last week was a busy one, with every one of our members, and councillors in Amber Valley buzzing about our Parliamentary Candidate selection process in full swing!
With three fantastic candidates to choose from we most certainly had a lot to be buzzing about. 

A HUGE 69% of the Amber Valley Labour membership voted in this selection, believed to be the largest turnout for selections in England so far!! Amber Valley is more than ready for change!!

Councillor Linsey Farnsworth, our selected candidate is ready to bring that change! In May she took a seat held by the Tories for 21 years, in Kilburn, Denby, Holbrook and Horsley. She managed to take this "unwinnable" seat by Linsey and her team knocking on every door in the ward and speaking to 3265 people.

Linsey feels passionately about Amber Valley as it is her home and where she is raising her family. She wants to bring about the positive changes in Amber Valley that we all so desperately need and she is more than capable of making sure that the people of Amber Valley have their voices heard again!

Her 20 years of public service in the CPS and her work as an international liaison prosecutor, tackling serious and organised crime has given her the insight into the inner workings of government so she knows how to get things done and she will fight for the people that are her community.

From speaking to people on the doorsteps Linsey knows that that the constituents are facing many challenges due to the cost of living crisis and she is focussed on how Labour in government can make things better for people, both locally and nationally.

#TurningAmberValleyRed #Labour #LabourParty #ambervalley #LinseyFarnsworth4MP #UKLabour #generalelection
[2,370] people are waiting for treatment at [DERBYSHIRE HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST], according to figures published by the NHS today.
Of those waiting, a total of [585] have been waiting longer than a year. The NHS target is for patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks for hospital treatment, but [74%] patients on waiting lists locally are waiting longer than that.
The number of people waiting for treatment across England has increased every single month since Rishi Sunak pledged to cut NHS waiting lists. Since he became Prime Minister, waiting lists have grown by 724,000 patients.
Doctors’ strikes are hampering NHS efforts to bring down waiting lists, but the Health Secretary hasn’t met junior doctors since May or consultants since March. Rishi Sunak still refuses to meet either group of doctors.
Labour will cut waiting times and ensure that the target of treatment within 18 weeks is met once again. The party is pledging to oversee the biggest expansion of NHS staff in history, training thousands more doctors and nurses a year. The health service will also focus more on providing healthcare in the community and make greater use of modern technology, so problems are caught earlier when it is simpler to treat patients and cheaper for the taxpayer.
THE TORY GOVERNMENT ARE FAILING OUR SCHOOLS, AGAIN!
Parents need to know their children are safe in schools, not worrying that it could collapse with them in it!
Despite warnings years before the government are only just acting, as the children return from six weeks of holidays and they are refusing to publish a full list of the schools affected.

The Leader of Amber Valley Borough Council, Labour Councillor Christopher Emmas-Williams has sent the following letter demanding answers!

Labour Win Back Amber Valley

​Chris Emmas-Williams Newly Elected Labour Leader of Amber Valley Council
​
In this article, the leader of Amber Valley Council sets out the plan of action now that Labour is back in control.
This year’s elections for the Borough of Amber Valley were always going to be different due to there being new ward boundaries for 42 seats (reduced from 45 councillors) and then the Government announcing that Photo ID would also be used for the first time. I was first elected in 1986 when the council was elected by thirds of 15 seats for three years out of four, and also had the committee system in place for service delivery, subsequently, we moved to the Cabinet system that we have today.

For this election, we had an excellent organising team, considerable help from our regional office team, and visits from Sir Keir Starmer, Liz Kendall, and Alex Norris. We also delivered a thumping 10-seat majority with 26 Labour councillors and kept control of the four major Town Councils of Alfreton, Belper, Heanor, and Ripley. I believe that the electorate has had enough of tired and incompetent councillors and put their trust in us to deliver during this very difficult financial period.

Just before the election, we had some defections to other parties and whilst we were fairly confident, we were not complacent, especially after losing control two years ago – despite us having an excellent track record on the Local Plan, regeneration, and the environment. This year’s manifesto centred on delivering our Local Plan (we’d not had one since 2006), continuing with our green agenda after we declared our Climate Change Emergency, regenerating our four town centres, building affordable ‘council houses’ for first-time buyers and furthering energy efficiency measures to reduce carbon emissions and fuel poverty.

As part of our Climate Change Emergency, which we declared four years ago, we created an Officer/Member Working Party, which led to a £700k grant. This allowed us to deliver housing improvements such as insulation and solar panels, start our ‘Forest of the Future’, and plant over 14,000 trees in a year with more to follow, sadly, that working group didn’t meet in the last year. The cabinet meetings, which were held at 10.30 am, will be moved to the evenings to show more transparency and give residents the chance to witness the decision-making process that affects them.
We know that we have a difficult period to steer the authority through, especially as the Council has not had the accounts externally audited for the last two years, which I was staggered to hear after we took control of the Council. We are more determined than ever to put Amber Valley Borough Council back on the political map and deliver our excellent manifesto.

AVBC statement on Radio Derby

​"It is clear that the Tories on both the Borough and County Councils knew for some time of the precarious situation at Belper Leisure Centre, not least because a County Councillor is a member of the Leisure Centre's charitable board.
​But they did nothing to address the problem and allowed it to get much worse.

As soon as Labour took control of Amber Valley Borough Council, we started to investigate how we could help, and met with the Leisure Centre and other interested parties a week after taking office. As well as 13 years of Tory austerity and a council which is already operating at a deficit, we have inherited a situation where council finances have not been fully audited and signed off for two years, the entire time that the Tories have been in office since Labour were last in control. On top of this we face other constraints including the large sums of money required and the short timescales.

Nevertheless, we continue to look for ways in which the Borough Council can support the Leisure Centre.
​Belper's Labour councillors have called a public meeting to bring the community together to explore ways of rescuing this valued local facility from years of Tory neglect, and for our part we will do whatever we can."


Together we can rebuild Britain. 
​A The Labour Party Government will put your values into action with our Five Missions.
Since the tories came to power they cut 21,000 police officers 22,000 support staff And closed 900 police stations!
Picture
Local activists along with former MP Judy Mallaber, Amber Valley Labour Group Leader Chris Emma’s-Williams and Town Council Leader Paul Jones gathering support in Heanor for the Nurses today Very positive response from the residents.
​The next Labour government will fix business rates, replacing them with a fairer system.
We are the party of business.
They have crashed the economy, now working people will pay for it.
Under the Conservatives, your bills are increasing. 
Labour would give you security by cutting energy bills this year with a one-off windfall tax on oil and gas profits.
​​Our children deserve decent playgrounds and parks, like the one we built on Three Corner Rec.
However, the current incumbents at Amber Valley are not only failing to deliver, but are unable to say what is happening with the £520000 we found and earmarked for playgrounds. Its not just in Westminster that the Tories are having a laugh.

Labour in power delivers: Labour councils save families over £330 in council tax
Our plan for energy
The Conservatives have created a cost of living crisis, but Labour have a plan to keep energy bills low.
Under Boris Johnson, the Government has failed to retrofit homes, to regulate our energy market and meet Britain’s fantastic renewable and nuclear potential.
Labour will take action to stop energy bills rising.
We would bring in fully-funded measures to reduce the expected price rise in April - saving most households around £200 or more.
And we’d also target extra support to squeezed middle, pensioners and the lowest earners.
Spread the word - sign and share the petition to back Labour’s plans today:
I'll sign the petition
The Conservatives have fallen asleep at the wheel on energy bills. After 10 years of failed energy policy, it’s time for something new.
It’s time for a new Britain. It’s time for Labour.
Labour will always be the Party of the working people - help us get out the message, sign and share our petition today.
Thank you,
Rachel Reeves
Security, Prosperity & Respect
Today, I set out my contract for a new Britain.
After over a decade of Conservative rule, there is a cost of living crisis. This government has lost its grip and working people are paying the price.
People's cost of living continues to increase while wages stagnate - and the country will be hit unfair tax hikes in April.
This is Labour's moment to set out our vision for a new Britain. A country built on the guarantee of security, prosperity and respect for all.
Here's how we get there:
Security: Labour will ensure that you feel safe in your neighbourhood and that our NHS is there for you when you need it.
Prosperity: We will give everyone the skills they need to prosper and opportunity to thrive.
Respect: We will create a country where everyone feels valued for who you are and what you do.
We need a country led by a Labour government; fit for the challenges we face - rebuilding after the pandemic, making Brexit work and tackling the climate crisis head on.
Local elections are on the horizon and we have the opportunity to demonstrate to communities across the country that where the Government turns its back, Labour provides solutions.
Let's get to work - it's time for a new Britain, it's time for Labour.
Keir Starmer
Leader of the Labour Party
Welcome to Stronger Together:
Britain in 2030 This report looks at the six big challenges facing our country over the coming decade, and how we can start to face up to them. It considers how we can deliver:
  • A green and digital future
  • Better jobs and better work
  • Safe and secure communities
  • World-class public services that work from the start
  • A future where families come first
  • A new international role for Britain
It also outlines the risks if the Conservatives remain in power and duck these key challenges.
​The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest challenge our country has faced in a generation. The way we responded showed time and again how we are stronger, together. Across our country, people united to look after their neighbours, volunteered to help our NHS and the vaccine effort, and supported local businesses as they adapted to new ways of working. Our friends in the trade union movement worked with business and government to build ventilators in record time, and to design a furlough scheme that protected jobs through the crisis. And our Labour councils, Labour mayors, Labour Police and Crime Commissioners and the Labour government in Wales were right there in our communities, helping them get through the crisis.
Britain showed we achieve incredible things when we come together. As we look ahead to the coming decade, we must harness the spirit of the last eighteen months to start building a better future for everyone. That’s what Stronger Together, the roadmap to develop key policies ahead of the next General Election, is all about.
Britain in 2030 identifies the six big challenges facing our country over the next decade that the winner of the next General Election will have to confront. Whether it is making our country fit for the green and digital future, supporting better jobs and better work, ensuring safe and secure communities, delivering world-class public services that work from the start, creating a future where families come first, or ensuring a successful future role for Britain in the world – these are challenges no future government can afford to duck. We need to overcome them, and bring Britain together for a fairer, greener and more secure future. This report explains how we can start to do so.
Before we can take on the challenges of tomorrow, we must first understand the situation our country faces today. So this report examines the trends emerging from over a decade of Conservative rule. In that time, they have weakened our country’s foundations, entrenched insecurity and stripped back our vital public services. This left our country horribly exposed when the pandemic hit. However, the Conservatives appear unable to learn the lessons of the crisis, continuing to make the same mistakes.
Britain in 2030 considers the implications of this poor track record for the years to come. In this report we set out the evidence on current trends – trends affecting our working and family lives, the transition to net zero and the digital future, the safety and security of our communities, the public services we all rely on and our country’s international standing.
Another, very different future is possible. Labour is clear-eyed about the problems Britain faces in the coming decade and determined to face up to them. Each chapter of this report outlines what life could look like if we have risen to the challenges and seized the opportunities of the future.
We should make Britain a global leader in the green economy, supporting new jobs and industries with a managed, fair and prosperous transition that leaves no one behind. As Keir has said, our communities and planet can no longer afford inaction – we must treat the climate crisis with the seriousness it deserves.
It’s also essential that our country rewards a proper day’s work with a proper day’s pay. We need a New Deal for Working People, with rights from day one in a new job, and insidious practices like ‘fire and rehire’ outlawed.
​​​We also need to strengthen our communities and make them safer, with more police presence to crack down on crime and anti-social behaviour and local people given far more control over their local area.
We must ensure our health and education services are world-class once again, backing our NHS, investing in and reforming social care, and placing our schools at the very heart of their communities.
And we need to work to make every part of our country a great place to grow up in and grow old in, with action to put families – in all their diversity – first, as Keir has said he is determined to do.
Finally, we have to ensure a leading role for Britain on the world stage which delivers for people at home too, with a 21st century trade policy, a restored international aid budget and an unshakeable commitment to NATO.
Britain in 2030 sketches out these major challenges for our country and how we can start to face up to them. It provides a start rather than the final word, on what is needed if we are to build a fairer, greener and more secure future for Britain. But as we look ahead to the challenges of the next decade, what this report makes clear is that Britain simply cannot afford more years of the Conservatives and their ‘sink or swim’ mentality. To deliver the change our country needs, we need to rally together – a principle that is central to what the Labour Party stands for. The next stage of this project will be about developing the key policies we will need to deliver the better future for Britain that we have started to set out in this report. We will consult widely when we do, because we know that we are stronger when we work together.
The report draws on a series of events and conversations that have taken place across our movement. I’m grateful to all those Labour members who took part in our different Stronger Together events over the last months; to all the members of the Shadow Cabinet and Parliamentary Labour Party who have contributed; to our friends in the trade union movement, who confront many of the challenges highlighted in this report every single day; to the think tanks and socialist societies who have formed such an important part of the conversation; to the National Policy Forum members whose work has been fundamental to this report; and to our amazing Labour Party staff, both for their help in compiling this report and for everything they do every day to deliver a Labour Government.
Our country is at a crossroads. This is our chance to take on the challenges of the post-crisis world and grasp the opportunities of the future. To build a future that everyone in Britain can be proud of. That task is beyond the Conservatives, but Labour has done it before: creating the NHS, introducing a national minimum wage, slashing child poverty and bringing peace to Northern Ireland.
Together, we can do it again.
Anneliese Dodds MP
Chair of Stronger Together