About Chesterfield

Chesterfield’s Retiring Workers Offered Help to Receive Right Pension Advice

6th February 2015

Chesterfield’s soon-to-be-retired workers are being encouraged to question their pension providers about options for their pension pot with only two months until major legislation changes.

The advice comes from Independent Financial Planners Cheetham Jackson, based on Saltergate, who are concerned that many people are not aware of new flexible pension rules that mean they may be able to access their entire pension pot from 6 April 2015.

According to Paul Bamford, an advisor at Cheetham Jackson, anyone due to retire prior to April 2015 should seek independent advice as their pension providers can only signpost information attached to their own plans and not give regulated advice.

He said: “We are speaking to an increasing number of people approaching retirement before April 2015 who haven’t been told of the options by their pension provider. I have concerns that people will be locked into an annuity which takes away options to use their own money in the most effective way. If the information isn’t being volunteered by pension provider, people assume an annuity is ‘the norm’. It is imperative people start to ask more questions about their options”

Cheetham Jackson offers complimentary, no-obligation drop-in advice sessions at its offices on Saltergate in Chesterfield, where advisors are on hand to offer impartial advice.

Posted in About Chesterfield

Combined Authority Plans Move Step Closer

4th February 2015

Plans have moved forward for all of Derbyshire’s councils to work together as a combined authority to boost jobs and the local economy.

Councillor Anne Western, Leader of Derbyshire County Council, said it was a “historic day” as the council’s cabinet approved plans to bring together Derbyshire’s eight district and borough councils with Derby City Council and us to:

support local businesses to grow and prosper
encourage investment in businesses, transport and new homes
create more and better quality jobs.

If the proposals get the green light from all Derbyshire’s councils, it could also mean more government funding for the area.

A public consultation held to find out what local people thought of the plans received an overwhelming response and support compared to similar consultations carried out elsewhere in the country.

There were more than 750 responses to the consultation with 67 per cent saying they supported the idea and 70 per cent saying they agreed the geographical area of the Combined Authority should be Derby and Derbyshire.

Councillor Western said:

“This isn’t about merging local councils – each one would continue to run services in their own right.

“A combined authority is the key to unlocking a devolution deal from government and will put us on an equal footing with the big northern cities.

“It would mean councils across Derbyshire coming together to improve the local economy and conditions that support growth and create jobs for the good of the whole of Derby and Derbyshire. It will also mean we can access more Government funding to help do this.”

She added:

“We are setting the template for two-tier local government up and down the country. We’ve got huge ambitions we just need the tools to do the job properly.

“Working together on this proposal has already transformed relationships between councils across the county and I’m pleased that local people have recognised this is a brilliant opportunity to change the way councils do business and help us to work in a more efficient way.”

If the plans are approved by all 10 councils – including at a meeting of our Full Council on Wednesday 4 February 2015 – the proposals will be submitted during the next two weeks to central Government for further formal consultation with a view to setting up a combined authority in October.

Posted in About Chesterfield

Two Chesterfield Schools Set to Share £400k Funding Boost

3rd February 2015

Two Chesterfield Schools have been earmarked for help from Derbyshire County Council’s £16m capital grant allocation. The money is designed to fund modernisation projects.

The schemes which look set to be approved in a cabinet meeting on 10 February 2015 are:

Spire Infant School – pupil numbers have risen and a new modular building is needed at a cost of £325,000. A contribution of £146,600 is being made by Barratt Homes. £178,400 is from the capital grant allocation.
Hasland Hall School is already having work to its windows, roof and cladding carried out. Additional work is needed costing £95,950.
Councillor Kevin Gillott, Cabinet Member for Children and Young people, said:

“Making sure Derbyshire children get the best possible education is one of our main priorities.

“By carefully allocating the money we do have, we are doing what we can to ensure our schools are modernised and meet the needs of pupils and staff.”

Posted in About Chesterfield

International Football Returns to Chesterfield

27th January 2015

The Proact in Chesterfield will once again host international football when the England Under-17s play Slovenia in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship on March 23rd.

Chesterfield FC have previously staged several other international fixtures, including last year’s UEFA European Women’s Under-17 Championship Finals.

Chief executive at the club, Chris Turner said: “We are delighted to have been chosen once again to provide the venue for a Young Lions match.

“We believe that we offer excellent facilities and the fact that The FA has decided to stage another competitive international fixture at our stadium clearly endorses that view.

“Some of the players who will feature in the match could go on to play at the highest level so it is a great opportunity for the Chesterfield public to view potential stars of the future.”

The Under-17 tournament for Europe’s 16 elite nations will be played at venues across the Midlands with St George’s Park at its heart.

England are the reigning champions after John Peacock’s team won last year’s tournament in Malta, but The FA has not previously hosted the Under-17 competition, which dates backs to 2002.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Visiting

Council Tax freeze on the cards for a second year

21st January 2015

Borough councillors in Chesterfield are to be recommended to freeze Chesterfield Borough Council’s portion of Council Tax for a second year running.

Councillors will vote on the motion to be proposed by the council’s leader, Councillor John Burrows, at the council meeting on 26 February as part of the council’s commitment to help hard-working families in the borough.

This comes despite the news that Chesterfield again is one of 19 authorities in the country facing the biggest spending cut in Government grant funding – a 6.4 per cent reduction in the coming financial year.

A number of councils in the south have seen an increase to their spending power.

Councillor John Burrows, Chesterfield Borough Council’s leader and executive member for regeneration, said: “We know that hundreds of hard working families in Chesterfield are struggling to make ends meet, which is why we are proposing to freeze our part of the Council Tax for the second year running.

“This is a difficult decision because of the scale of cuts we have received in our grant funding from the Government, which will have reduced from £8.7 million in 2010/11 to £5.3 million in 2015/16.

“In the last year we have been forced to make difficult decisions about how we fund and deliver our services – such as introducing a donation charge for the annual fireworks event and reducing funding for events in the town centre.

“We will be having to make more tough decisions in the coming year but we remain committed to providing the best possible facilities and services for our residents and businesses.”

Although Chesterfield Borough Council collects Council Tax, the council keeps only 10 per cent of the money collected.

For the average band A property, this means the council keeps only £96.59 each year or £1.86 each week of the money collected to fund its services including: refuse collection, street cleaning, sports and park facilities, regeneration, housing, markets, museums, theatres and tourism.

The rest of the Council Tax is collected by the council on behalf of different authorities.

Source:Chesterfield Borough Council

Posted in About Chesterfield

Franke Sissons serves up more help for Ashgate Hospice

21st January 2015

Ashgate Hospicecare is now benefitting from two new food delivery trolleys thanks to local manufacturer and Chesterfield Champion, Franke Sissons.

Designed to help staff deliver meals to the wards at the hospice as smoothly and efficiently as possible, the bespoke trolleys are made from local stainless steel, manufactured by Franke for the past 230 years, and also feature Perspex viewing panels, courtesy of Chatsworth Signs.

A long-term supporter of Ashgate Hospice, Franke Sissons is pleased to be able to help the charity once again, having previously donated commercial kitchen equipment as well as financial support.

Lorraine Chambers, Estates and Facilities Manager for Ashgate Hospicecare explains, “Franke Sissons has regularly stepped up to support the hospice. These new trolleys will make life so much easier for our team delivering meals and beverages throughout the hospice.”

Ashgate Hospicecare, provides specialist palliative and end of life care to local people and their families across North Derbyshire and the High Peak and Dales. It is one of the largest hospices in the UK caring for more than 2,000 patients every year.

It costs £6.8m each year to run Ashgate Hospicecare. It receives an NHS grant of £2.5m but has to raise a further £4.3m to ensure these vital services continue to be provided. Ashgate Hospicecare nurses provide care at the hospice, in peoples own homes and at Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

Caption: Photo (right-left) Chef at Ashgate, Andrea; Estates and Facilities Manager, Lorraine Chambers; two Ashgate volunteers, Trevor Knowles, Draughtsmen; Franke Sissons, Simon Todd & Paul Gibbons; Chatsworth Signs.

Source:Franke Sissons via DRA Public Relations

Posted in About Chesterfield

Latest good news on jobs

21st January 2015

The latest job figures announced today show significant annual falls in the number of people claiming out of work benefits and the total number of unemployed people across the region, along with a large annual increase in employment.

In Chesterfield the number of people claiming out of work benefit stood at 1,385 in December, which is 522 fewer than the same month in 2013 and 61 fewer than the figure announced in November.

In Derby and Derbyshire, there were 491 fewer Jobseekers’ Allowance (JSA) claimants in December than there were in November, representing an annual fall of 5,517, or 36%.

Across the East Midlands, the total number of people in employment increased by 11,709 in the three months to November, an increase of 49,750 on the same period in 2013.

The total number of unemployed between September and November increased by 603, but was down by 19,094 on the year.

The East Midlands Chamber, which represents businesses in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, has welcomed the news, but says firms are still struggling to recruit skilled staff.

Chris Hobson, the Chamber’s Head of Information and Representation, said: “Today’s employment figures are once again extremely positive and show that significant progress has been made in getting more people off jobseekers’ benefits and into work.

“However, this growth in employment could be even better as many businesses are still telling the Chamber that they experience difficulties in finding suitably skilled workers.

“The results of our latest Quarterly Economic Survey (Q4 2014) showed that about two-thirds of firms – twice as many as in the same quarter of 2013 – struggled to recruit people with the skills they need. This is an area which requires urgent focus from policymakers.

“In particular, getting the link right between education and the world of work has never been more important if this country is serious about creating a new economy equipped for success in the long term.

“It’s an issue that the Chamber has long campaigned on and, unfortunately, the structural problems in this area, over the past few years in particular, are impacting upon businesses’ ability today to recruit the right staff to help them grow.

“The skills shortage is very much a current issue, so getting right policies in place to support recruitment is imperative, with priority being given to specific policies regarding relief on business investment and supporting those furthest away from the job market into employment.”

Source:East Midlands Chamber

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield

£400m Peak Resort development announced by Prime Minister David Cameron

15th January 2015

Prime Minister David Cameron announced Peak Resort, a £400m leisure development near Chesterfield, which will create 1,300 jobs.

The all-weather leisure, health, sport and education destination will be located on the edge of the Peak District National Park.

The tourism development, which will bring more than 1,300 jobs to Chesterfield has been welcomed as a further sign of the borough’s economic strength.

Chesterfield Borough Council and Destination Chesterfield, the town’s marketing campaign, both say the news that the Peak Resort project will soon get underway shows the private sector’s confidence about investing in the borough.

News about the start of work on the integrated all-weather, year round leisure, health, sport and education destination will be formally announced by the Prime Minister David Cameron during a visit to America.

Plans for the project – which is in the Chesterfield borough on the reclaimed opencast mining site, close to the Birchall Estate at Unstone, have been years in the making. It brings together leading hospitality, university, sport and medical expertise and will have 600 holiday apartments, hotel and hostel units with 250 woodland lodges.

Councillor John Burrows, Leader and Executive Member for Regeneration at Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “This is a fantastic boost to Chesterfield and its economy and another sign of the confidence the business community has about investing in our borough.

“I congratulate the developer Rupert Carr for his determination and hard work to make this happen. I also thank the council’s planning and economic development teams who have worked closely with him and his company over many years to make this project a reality.

“The development will provide 1,300 jobs when it opens, and hundreds more during the construction phase, so the opportunities for local people to get new jobs will be tremendous.

“And once completed the venue will bring thousands of extra visitors to our borough, improving Chesterfield’s tourism offer, with the knock-on benefits that this gives to our local shops and facilities.”

The move has also received the backing of Destination Chesterfield, the town’s marketing campaign.

Chair, Peter Swallow said: “The benefits of Chesterfield’s proximity to the Peak District National Park will be fully realised with the announcement of Peak Resort.

“The investment by the US firm Grand Heritage Hotel Group will put the town on the international map and I am confident Chesterfield will reap the domino effect of this investment far beyond the construction phase.

“Residents, retailers and developers in the area have an excellent opportunity now to capitalise on Peak Resort ahead of its opening and make Chesterfield the best it can be to ensure a positive lasting impression for all visitors.”

George Cowcher, Chief Executive of the East Midlands Chamber, which represents businesses in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, said: “This is fantastic news and will totally transform both the economy and the tourism offer of Chesterfield and the Peak District.

“This scheme has been in development for many years, so it’s great to see it has finally secured the funding to bring it to fruition, along with the green light to make it happen.”

“The visitor economy, particularly in this part of the region, is a key driver of economic growth and this new development will further enhance the offering, draw more visitors to the area and make Chesterfield and the Peak District an even stronger proposition for potential investors.”

A new regeneration investment organisation, bringing together the two investors – Birchall Properties, led by Rupert Carr, and the US owned Grand Heritage Hotel Group – will be created to lead the project.

Work will start on site between March and April.

The Peak Resort Masterplan by Stanton Williams (Retina Images)

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development, Leisure, Visiting

Anna Cattee qualifies as Notary Public

14th January 2015

Commercial solicitor, Anna Cattee, has become Chesterfield’s newest Notary Public.

Based at BRM Solicitors on Saltergate, Anna has undertaken two years of study for the role and is now one of only two people practising in the town.

The role of Notary Public is the oldest within the legal profession, focusing on authentication and certification of signatures and documents for use abroad. There are only around 1,000 Notaries Public in the whole of the UK.

Each Notary Public uses a unique seal to authenticate documents. With the role having international reach, Anna decided to represent Chesterfield by integrating Chesterfield’s famous Crooked Spire into the design of her notarial seal and has utilised the logo produced for the town by marketing campaign, Destination Chesterfield.

Commenting on her new role, Anna said:-

“BRM has always had clients who trade, live and work overseas. When Rod Shiers (former Notary Public and partner at BRM) retired from the firm in 2012, it was essential that we continued to offer in-house Notarial services.

“I have always considered the role of a Notary to be a very interesting one, and was delighted to be offered the chance to become the firm’s first female Notary. I am very much looking forward to my new role.”

Source:BRM Solicitors

Posted in About Chesterfield

Support on offer for local jobseekers

12th January 2015

Free assistance is now available at Chesterfield Library to aid residents currently seeking employment.

As well as one-to-one computer sessions to help people find jobs and benefits information online, job hunters will also be able to access regular employability sessions each week.

Run by Derbyshire County Council’s Careers Service, the employability sessions will take place between 9.30am and 12.30pm each Friday and will advise anyone who is looking for work or a change in career, those at risk of redundancy, or those who want to create or update a CV.

Deputy Cabinet Member for Health and Communities Councillor Ellie Wilcox said:

“I am delighted to see our libraries providing such a useful scheme in their local communities.

“Our librarians will work with people to give all the help they can and they can then refer them to other organisations for further support if necessary.”

“Those who are job hunting can often be at a disadvantage if they can’t apply online and we want to help with this.

“We also want to help people with money worries to find out information about the benefits and support that they may be eligible for.”

Staff providing the sessions are working with organisations such as the Department for Work and Pensions, Citizens Advice Bureau, Derbyshire Unemployed Workers Centre, Derbyshire Law Centre, the Volunteer Centre and our own Welfare Rights Service.

Participants will be also be able to take away information sheets on a variety of subjects including job searching, volunteering opportunities, money matters, legal information and advice, a beginners guide to the internet, setting up an email account and using Netloan machines in Derbyshire libraries.

Further information about the work and benefits sessions and the employability workshops is available by contacting Derbyshire County Council’s Library Information Service on 01629 533444 or by emailing asklibrary@derbyshire.gov.uk. To book an employability workshop please call 01629 533400. Residents can also invited to drop in without reserving a place.

Source:Derbyshire County Council

Posted in About Chesterfield

Chatsworth at forefront of accessible tourism campaign following funding boost

12th January 2015

Chatsworth is among eight Peak District and Derbyshire businesses chosen to promote England as a leading destination for accessible tourism – now worth £3 billion to the national economy.

Official tourist board, Visit Peak District & Derbyshire is one of just seven destinations to secure a share in national tourist board, VisitEngland’s ‘Access for All’ project, funded by a 125,000 Euros (almost £98,000) grant from the European Commission.

All the businesses taking part along with Chatsworth – Crich Tramway Village; East Lodge Hotel and Restaurant, Rowsley; Hoe Grange Holidays, Brassington; the Peak District National Park Authority’s Parsley Hay Cycle Centre; Peak Shopping Village, Rowsley and Rivendale Caravan and Leisure Park, near Ashbourne – will have the opportunity to promote and improve their accessibility as part of the project.

Their employees will have access to the very latest training to boost their skills, while an informative guide will showcase the warm welcome and wide variety of experiences all visitors – including those with access needs – can expect in the Peak District and Derbyshire.

VisitEngland will also launch a national marketing campaign in the late summer and early autumn to promote experiences available for visitors with access needs and encourage more people to take a short break in England.

“We’re delighted to have the chance to take part in this VisitEngland initiative, which will put the Peak District and Derbyshire firmly on the map as one of the country’s leading destinations offering accessibility to all,” said Lindsay Rae, Industry Engagement Manager at Visit Peak District & Derbyshire.

“We already work with our Patrons, members and organisations such as Accessible Derbyshire to make people aware that much progress has already been made to improve accessibility to accommodation, attractions and activities in the area.

“‘Access for All’ involves some of the flagship businesses that have already made great strides in catering for this growing market, and will build on what has already been achieved.”

James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland, added: “We are committed to ensuring England is a destination that offers a warm welcome for all visitors. The Access for All project is a fantastic opportunity to continue to build England’s reputation as a leader in accessible tourism, and help grow this important and valuable market.”

New research by VisitEngland reveals that the overnight accessible tourism market is now worth £3 billion to England’s economy, with day visits boosting the figure to £12.4 billion. Over the past four years, overnight trips by disabled tourists and their companions have increased by 19 per cent, with spending up by 33 per cent.

Source:Visit Peak District & Derbyshire

Posted in About Chesterfield, Visiting