2019 AGM, postponed from November 2019 due to the GE.

Robert Court is the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Derbyshire Dales at the 2019 General Election.

He worked as a physics teacher in London and then until retirement as headmaster of Birkdale School in Sheffield. He has lived in Derbyshire Dales with his wife Andrea for over 20 years. He has played village cricket and taken part in amateur drama. He is involved in his village church and is governor of a local primary school. He has been a member of the Liberal Democrats since 2016 and was selected as our candidate in October 2018.

A recently published report from Derbyshire Dales District Council has shown that the air on Buxton Road Ashbourne has levels of pollution that are on average almost 20% above the suggested safe maximum. The pollutant in question is nitrogen dioxide (sometimes abbreviated to NOx) and is formed in vehicle engines, particularly older diesel engines. It is an internationally recognised hazard with EU legislation making 40ug m-3 the maximum long term exposure limit. It is associated with a variety of health conditions including respiratory diseases.

Both books are worth a read but it is to the rather less leisurely pursuit of trying to cross a busy road in Ashbourne, Derbyshire that this title refers.

All those with concerns about the climate emergency know that we should walk or cycle wherever possible in order to reduce the amount of pollution. However what do you do when to walk means you have to cross a very busy road? To drive would be safer for you and your family but that would make the journey of those who do not have that choice or who simply want to do 'the right thing' so much more dangerous by increasing the amount of traffic.

We request that Derbyshire County Council Highways Department urgently considers creating a pedestrian crossing on Clifton Road, Ashbourne. This road is frequently extremely busy and the single central refuge is inadequate to allow parents with children to cross the road in safety.

Here are some of the photos taken at the count. There are also a good selection on the Ashbourne News Telegraph website