This coming Saturday (23rd September) is the last Saturday of the month, which means it is time for our Councillors Shoppers Surgery, which runs from 10 am until 11.30 am just across from the Market Arcade.
However, this month’s surgery is a bit special, given that it’s our 12 anniversary since starting our mainly open-air surgery with 12 years of Glossop weather from sunny to cold and frosty and occasionally wet!
Our surgeries range from very busy to occasionally quiet, and across the course of the last 12 years, we have had a wide range of queries, comments and issues, from everyday problems like dog fouling, fly-tipping and grass cutting to more unique and unusual cases quite often cutting across not only High Peak Borough and Derbyshire County Council services but a whole host of other bodies as well.
However, regardless of the issues, with the combination of Borough and County Councillors in attendance, if we don’t know the answer from amongst your local Labour Councillors, we will know someone who will.
One issue that often comes up at our surgeries is public transport, whether it’s easy questions like which bus goes where or when or which ticket is best or the thornier issues like why there isn’t a specific service or buses at a particular time or day of the week.
Transport is the responsibility of the Conservative-led Derbyshire County Council. Our bus services have been going backwards for years. In contrast, it has been great to see this week the launch of the Bee network across Greater Manchester with Labour GM Mayor Andy Burnham bringing services back fully under public control for the first time since they were deregulated in the 80s. Meaning better services, lower fares and more accountability to local people.
Sadly, at the moment, we won’t see much change with our cross-border routes (237, 341 and 358) on contracts that last until January 2025 when the Bee network reaches our neighbours in Stockport and Tameside.
The next Labour government has promised to deliver the same opportunities to improve bus services as we are seeing in Greater Manchester. We are hopeful that a possible East Midlands Mayor next year will work with us to make sure we can gain the benefits from access to a better network with extra services, especially in the evenings and Sundays, and proper full access to students and pensioner passes.
So, if you see us on Saturday morning, even if you don’t have a particular issue, please say hello. If there is anything we can try and help with, please let us know, and if you’re not, about on Saturday, we will be back again on the last Saturday of the month. We are happy to help if we can.
Content by: Council Leaders Anthony Mckeown and Damien Greenhalgh.
