MAGGIE RECEIVES OBE

Maggie Throup OBE MP, Member of Parliament for Erewash, was presented with her Order of British Empire (OBE) by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales at an investiture ceremony held at Windsor Castle on 8th May 2024. The prestigious award recognises Maggie’s significant contributions to political and public service. Maggie, who has served as Erewash’s Member of Parliament for over nine years, has consistently championed the interests of local residents and businesses. During her time as the Vaccines Minister, Maggie played an instrumental role in coordinating the UK’s COVID-19 vaccination programme, ensuring that everyone across the country had access to the life-saving vaccine, which helped the country defeat COVID-19. At the ceremony at Windsor Castle, Maggie was presented with her award and said: “It was an immense honour to be presented with my OBE by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle, accompanied by my family. Receiving my OBE is a tremendous privilege and an honour I never expected. I am extremely proud to have been honoured in this way for political and public service, serving Erewash as their Member of Parliament for over nine years. My heartfelt thanks go to my late parents, family, friends and supporters, without whom this would never have been possible.” 

BLUE BADGE PARKING

Erewash council is seeking the views of blue badge holders over the £25million Town Deal that is poised to transform Long Eaton’s centre.  Those who park on the High Street are invited to take part in a consultation. This is ahead of the pedestrian area being revamped. Proposals for the project – which is being delivered by Derbyshire County Council as the local highways authority – are in the detailed design stage. Almost 200 blue badge holders who currently park on the High Street were contacted throughout March to let them know that work is scheduled to start early next year. They were asked where they would like additional alternative disabled parking to be provided to minimise disruption during this time. The majority of people who responded said that additional disabled spaces in Beaconsfield Street and Claye Street car parks would be the most useful. The improved parking provision will be made available before the works start, with a view to making it permanent. Blue badge holders can give their views at longeatontowndeal.org by following this link: High Street Public Engagement (longeatontowndeal.org) 

Erewash Borough Council helped to secure £25million of government levelling-up investment from the Town Deal Fund for regeneration projects in Long Eaton. Other improvements include refurbishing the former Stable Block attached to the town hall. This is being converted into office space. New lighting is being installed at the town’s West Park – where a new waterfront will complement a replacement bridge. 

WORK TO START ON NEW PLAYZONE

 Children in Erewash are to get a thrilling new state-of-the-art £400,000 play area – thanks to residents telling the council what it should look like. Work on constructing the borough’s biggest fun zone for toddlers and juniors is poised to get under way within weeks after the town hall’s Greenspace Team came up with two competing designs and asked local people to vote for their favourite. The winner – which was “Option One” – will include bridges and slides, one of which is a nine metre-high twisting tube. A separate play zone for children aged five and under features a rocking boat and a “3D rubber shark”. Erewash council has clinched government levelling up money to fund the project in Long Eaton’s West Park. The brief to designers was to make the attraction “innovative and exciting” – as well as accessible for children with disabilities. Erewash scoured play areas around the country for inspiration. More than 2,300 votes poured in after residents, schools and community groups were asked to pick their preferred design. The council’s Planning Committee formally gave the OK to it on Wednesday 1 May – clearing the way for existing play equipment at the site to be removed. Some of the old equipment will be refurbished and relocated – meaning other playgrounds across the borough will also benefit. Construction of the new play area is set to start in June or July and is predicted to take from six to eight weeks. Money for it is coming from what is known as the Shared Prosperity Fund. West Park’s café and other facilities will remain open during the building work, although the Splashpad may have to close for short periods. If that happens, information will be posted via social media. Erewash Borough Council Leader Cllr James Dawson said: “We went through a rigorous tendering and selection process to come up with two brilliant designs – and residents have picked a clear favourite. Children in the borough will soon have a fantastic place to spend time having fun while keeping fit and active.”

OPENING SOON

(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Nottingham Post) 

The new Lidl supermarket in Long Eaton is due to open on Thursday 6th June, the day after the old store in Chilwell, closes. The site on Nottingham Road, called Stadium Retail Park, already houses the recently opened Wickes DIY store. The Council rejected plans for the store in 2019 as they wanted houses to be built on the site.  

EREWASH PERFECT

 A Looming dilemma over where the newly-elected East Midlands “super mayor” should be based can be solved in an instant – because Erewash is ideal, according to the borough’s leader. Cllr James Dawson made the pitch as he congratulated Labour’s Claire Ward on her poll victory. A colossal £4billion is coming to the region as part of a government devolution deal that creates a “combined county authority” for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Its powerful new mayor will oversee strategic investment in transport and infrastructure across the two counties. But a decision has yet to be made over where  Claire will have her HQ. Erewash council’s leader said: “Naturally both Nottingham and Derby will be keen to be seen as the region’s ‘capital’. But the fact is that Erewash is slap bang between them – right on the border of the two counties – and we have unrivalled transport links to both cities. Long Eaton even has a Nottingham postcode despite being in Derbyshire. But don’t forget our great town of Ilkeston, which would also be perfect.” 

Cllr Dawson added: “Erewash council is very much looking forward to working closely with the new mayor to make sure our borough benefits from the billions that are being promised. As an authority that has been able to set a balanced budget despite massive pressures on our funding we are keen to see that not a penny of the new money is wasted.” 

The mayoral election on Thursday 2 May also saw a separate vote to pick Derbyshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner – with the winner also being congratulated by Cllr Dawson. A spokesman for the new East Midlands Combined County Authority confirmed that it has yet to be decided where the mayor and her team will be headquartered.