"Second class to Chesterfield" - Staveley business owners and MP hit out at council

The exclusion comes despite support from North East Derbyshire MP – Lee Rowley – who said it was ‘important that residents and businesses feel involved’ with the process of Staveley’s ‘town deal’.

The group applied to join the board in order to ‘provide a voice for the town’s residents’ and says Chesterfield Borough Council has left them feeling ‘second class to Chesterfield’.

Paula Smith, a member of the Improvement Team and owner of Hair With Attitude, said the group simply wanted a say on where money was being spent.

"There are questions that want asking but we can’t ask them if they’re not on the board so it feels as though they are avoiding having to explain decisions”, she said.

“It’s a two borough council but it doesn’t feel that way: Staveley feels second class to Chesterfield the way decisions are made. We are passionate about the town and if (the improvement team) was able to be on the board they’d be a voice for the town - they’d represent the people of Staveley.”

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Chesterfield Borough Council said representatives would meet with the team on a quarterly basis – to allow for “issues or concerns to be considered where appropriate at future Board meetings”.

Mr Rowley said he was disappointed by the decision to not to grant the group with a seat on the town deal board. Writing on his Facebook account he said: “I have spoken up for the group to be included multiple times in recent months and proposed their inclusion at the last meeting. Unfortunately, the Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council and the Board took the view that they should not be included at this stage. I think that is a mistake – and was clear that I disagreed at the time.”

A spokesperson for Chesterfield Borough Council said: “It is a matter for the Board to consider whether it wishes to make additional appointments. The Board took the view that the business sector was already represented and that an invitation would not therefore be extended at this time to the Staveley Improvement Team (SIT) for one of their members to join the Board.

“However, given their evident passion for the Staveley area and interest in the Staveley Town Deal, the Board agreed that the Board’s Chair, Ivan Fomin and Chesterfield Borough Council’s Chief Executive, Huw Bowen should meet with SIT on a quarterly cycle. This would allow SIT to raise any issues or concerns they have and for these to be considered where appropriate at future Board meetings.

“We also recognise that SIT has a particular interest in Staveley 21, one of the Town Deal projects which Chesterfield Borough Council leads on, with the aim to make improvements to Staveley town centre. Our officers will continue to engage with SIT as the detailed proposals emerge for this particular project.”

Despite the group not being given a seat on the board, Paula said she remained optimistic for the future of Staveley. She said: “I know we’ve got damn good backing from the community. We are a community that is passionate about the town but we’d just like to see that come from the council, as well.”