LETTER: Council should be there for ratepayers

I read the headlines in last week's Derbyshire Times relating to Chesterfield Borough Council now withdrawing from taking the borough into the Sheffield City Region, allegedly due to the costs to the county council of holding a referendum.

Call me sceptical if you will, but I do not believe that explanation. Could it be that the borough council is fearful that the people of Chesterfield when or if given the option of whether to stay in Derbyshire or go into the regeneration zone controlled by Sheffield would overwhelmingly decided to stay where we are?

I know this is my preferred option and that of a lot of people I have spoken to but perhaps that is why the borough council never gave us the option to vote on the issue initially?

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We are led to believe councils are sitting on large reserves of money but due to there being a Conservative Government Labour councils like Chesterfield will not spend it, allegedly just to score political points.

Perhaps if they got shut of some of the layers of middle managers from councils they could save money that way.

Also cut out waste. A point in case being the nurseries at the rear of Eastwood Park, Hasland where the plants that adorn the traffic islands, borders and council gardens are grown. Every year there are vast quantities of plants left to rot in the ground. Why are they not sold if they are surplus to requirements, thus generating extra income?

It is about time the borough council realised they are there for the benefit of the rate payers of Chesterfield and not the other way round.

Proud to come from Chesterfield and live in Derbyshire.

Paul Gibbons

By email