News

31Jan 2020 by Phillip Mackin
We Remain European

We Remain European

News
We Remain European As I write this, it is the final day before the UK leaves the European Union. It is a sad day, but it is still only one day. Brexit is far from over - and for many people it won't be until after the transition period ends that we will finally realise what Brexit meant. I want to say how proud I am of all Liberal Democrats - members, supporters, and voters. Right through from the referendum, and two general elections, it has been a privilege to campaign alongside friends and make the case for a strong UK inside a strong EU. I regret we didn't win the argument, but I will never regret making it.
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27Jan 2020 by Gemma Quinton
January Speaking Event – ‘What’s Wrong with First Past the Post?’

January Speaking Event – ‘What’s Wrong with First Past the Post?’

News
January Speaking Event - 'What's Wrong with First Past the Post?'  On 30th January 2020 Amber Valley Liberal Democrats have the pleasure of welcoming Philip Rogerson, a volunteer for the 'Make Votes Matter' movement, to deliver a talk on 'What is Wrong with First Past the Post?' Philip is currently a chaplain to North Yorkshire Police. Having served in West Midlands Police (Birmingham) and South Yorkshire Police (Sheffield and Barnsley) he retired in 2005, after being in charge of police training across England and Wales. An active member of the Liberal Democrats, Philip recently became more involved as his daughter, Judith Rogerson, is the PPC in Harrogate and Knaresborough. The event will take place at the Village Inn, Marehay, Ripley with food being served at 18:30. The talk will commence…
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09Dec 2019 by Phillip Mackin
Belper NHS Hustings

Belper NHS Hustings

GE19, News
Belper NHS Hustings Two of our local Lib-Dem candidates attended the Belper Hustings about the NHS on 5 December 2019 – Felix Dodds is our candidate for Mid-Derbyshire, and Kate Smith our candidate for Amber Valley. Also present were two Labour candidates, a passionate Green candidate, and a large audience – but no Conservatives. Everyone present was seriously disappointed that the “party of government” did not bother to turn up, but instead sent a written statement to read out.As Lib-Dems, we are proud to be the party of William Beveridge, who proposed the national health service in his 1942 report, which was then implemented by the Attlee government after the war.Our major concerns for the NHS today are about funding, workforce planning, and the failure of the Conservative government to…
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10Nov 2019 by Gemma Quinton
November Speaking Event – Universal Credit

November Speaking Event – Universal Credit

News
November Speaking Event - Benefits System Amber Valley Liberal Democrats will be holding our next local speaking event on Friday 29th November. The topic for the evening is the benefits system.Our speaker Maggie, a Welfare Rights Officer, will be discussing Universal Credit, the bedroom tax, welfare legislation and food banks. She will walk us through the current welfare benefits system, bust some common myths, and help us understand how the system impacts people's lives.
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01Nov 2019 by Phillip Mackin
General Election 2019

General Election 2019

GE19
General Election 12th December 2019 Today we are celebrating our continued membership of the EU, and also launching our general election campaign locally.The Liberal Democrats are the only party who can Stop Brexit, fight the climate emergency, and build a brighter future for Britain. Find out more about our candidates below. If you are not already registered to vote, you have until midnight on 26th November. Go to www.gov.uk/register-to-voteIf you are unsure which parlimentary constituency you are in, you can search for your postcode at www.theyworkforyou.com Felix Dodds for Mid-Derbyshire Felix is our candidate for Mid-Derbyshire, which includes residents in Belper and Duffield. “Britain’s future is brighter if we remain in the EU: a stronger NHS, new jobs and industries, a cleaner and safer planet. But only if we put aside the…
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03Oct 2019 by Phillip Mackin
Whole Council Elections for Amber Valley

Whole Council Elections for Amber Valley

Local News
Potential Move to Whole Council Elections Read the consultation Read our full response Amber Valley Liberal Democrats have responded to a consultation from Amber Valley Borough Council, regarding the possibility of whole-council elections, rather than the current system of elections-by-thirds. We would be opposed to this change for a number of reasons, but chiefly because of the difficulties in finding larger numbers of candidates for a whole-council election, and also because of the democratic deficit for young voters turning 18 between elections. You can find our full response attached above, as well as a link to the original consultation on Amber Valley Borough Council's website. This issue will be debated and decided at the next full council meeting on 13th November. 
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10Sep 2019 by Gemma Quinton
September Speaking Event – Renewable Energy Sources

September Speaking Event – Renewable Energy Sources

News
On September 28th 2019 Amber Valley Liberal Democrats have the pleasure of welcoming Tom Snowdon as guest speaker for the next Politics and Passion event, located at the Village Inn, Marehay, Ripley. Tom will be delivering a talk on renewable energy sources. A professional Procurement Manager, Tom has an MBA and a BSc in Applied Sciences. His early career in engineering and project management provided the experience to become a Chartered Engineer. For the last 10 years he has worked as a Strategic Procurement Manager for a global renewable energy business. His work has enabled Onshore and Offshore wind farm projects, as well as supporting the Solar and Hydro assets of the business. Tom has been a member of the Liberal Democrats for over 18 years, standing in several elections…
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11Jul 2019 by Phillip Mackin
Remembering Srebrenica

Remembering Srebrenica

News
Remembering Srebrenica Yesterday, local members went to the Guildhall in London to attend events for Srebrenica Memorial day, to hear speeches from community leaders and survivors of Srebrenica and Prijedor, and to remember the 8000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys murdered in July 1995. Belper resident Ahmed Velic says: "It always brings me a great sadness every year when I think about what happened, but memorial events like this mean a lot to me personally, and to the Bosnian community. "I want people to learn from the experience of Bosnia - especially now, when we hear political leaders making nationalistic speeches and creating divisions between us, we should remember our liberal values of tolerance and good will to others." https://youtu.be/m8MBcWRuGco The charity Remembering Srebrenica organises events across the UK, bringing…
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28Jun 2019 by Gemma Quinton
July Speaking Event – European Issues.

July Speaking Event – European Issues.

News
July Speaking Event - European Issues On the 13th July 2019 Amber Valley Liberal Democrats will hold their regular Pies, Politics and Passion event at The Grapes in Belper. The evening will start with food being served at 18:30, followed by our guest speaker Simon Ferrigno at 19:30, and conclude with a question & answer session. Simon is Chair of the European Movement Derbyshire. He is a researcher and writer on sustainability, and is presently project manager for Belong Nottingham's 'African Perspectives on David Livingstone' project. Simon's 2012 book, 'An Insider's Guide to Cotton & Sustainability', is about to publish its second edition. If you would like to join us, please be sure to RSVP by 5th July to ambervalleyliberaldemocrats@gmail.com.
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15Jun 2019 by Phillip Mackin
East Midlands Hustings

East Midlands Hustings

News
East Midlands Leadership Hustings The Liberal Democrat leadership contest came to Nottingham this week for the East Midlands hustings event. Candidates Ed Davey and Jo Swinson took turns to answer questions on a whole range of topics. They explained their vision for the party's future under their leadership, and their thoughts on key Lib-Dem policy areas such as Brexit, renewable energy, fracking, the climate emergency and how to move forward with liberal values in an effort to combat populism and nationalism.  Local member Phillip Mackin commented: "It was so great to see so many people here today from Amber Valley - everyone's really engaged with the contest, and it's a difficult decision because they are both fantastic candidates. I may go online and watch the recording before I make my decision."…
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