Second homes are a growing issue in many rural areas of the country. Although visitors with second homes bring economic benefits, they also reduce local housing stock and drive up house prices by making offers that most locals can't match. The squeeze on housing availability drives up rents as well as prices.
Liberal Democrat Cllr Steve Wain, as one of his last events as Matlock's mayor, re-opened the club following its renovation funded by a variety of sponsors including the Levelling Up Fund and Sport England. The building has been opened up to the outside with new floor to ceiling windows / doors and outdoor seating on three sides. A commercial kitchen and cafe have been added. A community larder (the Farmer's Larder) has opened in a downstairs room. Internal spaces have also been renovated. The building will be the centre for social and sports activities in Hurst Farm and the surrounding area.
Our Prime Minister came in for a fair amount of criticism when confronted in a media interview with the story of Elsie a pensioner who was forced to travel the buses to stay warm given she could not afford to have the heating on at home. Instead of showing some understanding and compassion he managed to talk about an extension to the Freedom Pass he had introduced as mayor which made such journeys easier!
According to research published in the Bloomberg article 'Boris Johnson's Flagship Plan to Fix Britain Is in Trouble', Derbyshire Dales has fallen further behind London and the South East in 5 out of 12 parameters, selected to compare parliamentary constituencies throughout the country. Each parameter was assessed for 2019 and then for 2021.
On the floor of the House of Commons yesterday, South Lakes MP Tim Farron criticised the government for making no mention of rural communities or farmers and the issues they have been facing.
In his speech, Tim emphasised that farmers are on the front line of providing food to the nation and tackling the climate crisis simultaneously, but the government's current policies are jeopardising farmer's efforts to improve the climate.
