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A52
ROAD NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE
 Drivers have been told to slow down
on the A52 dual carriageway because the surface
is not "fit for purpose". The road
suffered frost damage in recent cold weather but
officials have said the entire carriageway may
not have been laid correctly. The city council
has said motorists should drive at 40mph instead
of the usual 70mph to lessen problems and that it
wanted to get the winter weather out of the way
before starting major repairs. John Hansed, head
of highways, said the surface laid 10 years ago
was coming away.... more
>>> |
CITY
COUNCIL SAVES £¼M FROM MOBILE PHONE BILL
 Derby City Council reckons
it saved £250,000 by putting its mobile phone
bill up for auction, and now everyone else can
get financial help to do the same thing. The
saving came at the end of a 52-minute auction,
conducted electronically, with the eventual
winner offering a price around 60% of what the
council had expected to spend. It's a result that
has prompted the government's procurement arm to
offer financial support to other public bodies
tempted down the auction route.... more
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COUNCIL
BRIBES TO SPY ON NEIGHBOURS
 Bribes for people spying on their
neighbours could be paid by councils under new
proposals from the Government. Housing benefit
officials, environmental health squads, trading
standards officers and even private security
firms would be allowed to offer cash for
information about people suspected of committing
relatively low-level crimes under legislation
going through Parliament. It would give council
officials the same powers to bribe as MI5, MI6,
the Armed Forces and the police.... more
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CONVICTS
TO BE SENT TO CITY GATE HOSPITAL
 The new mental health
hospital is to take prisoners from jails and
courts and Derby City Council has admitted it did
not even know about the criminals when it
initially gave the go-ahead for the City Gate
complex without proper public consultation.
Developer Cygnet did not legally have to tell the
council who was going to be treated but Paul
Bayliss, an Alvaston ward councillor, was shocked
the public had not been told it would house
prisoners. Under planning law, applications can
be approved without the finer details of what
buildings are to be used for.... more
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NEW
BUS STATION FINALLY SET TO OPEN
 The new bus station will be
open from 5.30am to midnight Monday to Saturday
and 9am to 11pm on Sundays. The opening details
were revealed by Councillor Lucy Care, cabinet
member for highways and transport. She said it
would not be cost-effective to open the bus
station for 24 hours when those opening times
will meet the needs of the vast majority of
people. She added that the first date by which
changes to timetables and systems could be made
was March 28.... more
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COUNCIL
SNOOPERS DON'T NEED A WARRANT
 Nearly 20,000 council
snoopers have the power to barge into our homes.
Armies of clipboard-clutching officials can
demand entry to check anything from pot plants to
fridges. Town halls have an average of 47 staff
with the right to intrude. They can storm in to
check if pot plants have pests or imported
"passport" documents. Inspectors can
also enter to survey gardens, check if fridges
have the right energy ratings or if owners keep
rabbits. They can also use a little-known law to
see if the occupants are practising hypnotism
illegally.... more
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VELODROME
PROPOSED FOR THE CITY
 An indoor velodrome and a
50-metre swimming pool could be built in Derby as
part of a major overhaul of the city's sport and
leisure facilities. The new swimming complex
would replace Derby's ageing Queen Street baths
and the velodrome could also be used as a concert
venue with a capacity of up to 3,000 people.
Almost £50m could be spent on the facilities.
The proposals will be put to the city council's
cabinet in 2010. The proposals are the result of
work by the council and specialist
consultants.... more
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COUNCIL
TAX RISE OF 4% REVEALED
 Families face a 4% rise in
council tax next year. The increase of £1billion
was revealed in the small print of Alistair
Darling’s Pre-Budget Report. The report
shows the total council tax paid in the UK will
rise from an expected £24.8billion this year to
£25.8billion in 2010-11. Ministers insist,
however, that the council tax figures are just
“projections based on assumptions” and
deny that cuts in services will be required.... more
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| YOU KNOW
YOU'RE GETTING OLD WHEN ... |
| Your back goes out more than you do. |
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