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Redbrik Foundation Chesterfield 10k route confirmed

Organisers of the Redbrik Foundation Chesterfield 10k have confirmed the route for this year’s race due to take place on 17th October 2021. Supported by Chesterfield Borough Council, the 10k will be the first running event of its distance to take place in the centre of the market town.

The race begins in Queens Park before runners head out onto the A617 on the popular Chatsworth Road section of the route towards Brampton, passing close to event charity partners Ashgate Hospice.

After passing the halfway point, runners will make their way eastwards towards the historic town centre before heading down Glumangate past the service station at Redbrik’s Chesterfield office and taking in the famous Crooked Spire.

Runners will then return to Queens Park to be cheered towards the finish line, taking a final lap of the green space.

Charity partners for the event are Redbrik Foundation, Ashgate Hospicecare and Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice. Previously more than £140,000 was raised for good causes by the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon.

John Timms, Event Director at Redbrik Foundation Chesterfield 10k, said: “We’re delighted to confirm the route for this year’s 10k.

“Following feedback from the previous Chesterfield Half Marathon’s and Chesterfield Borough Council, we have designed the route to provide an enhanced experience for our runners and also reduce traffic disruption and length of road closures significantly.

“It also offers more opportunities for people to come and watch the event, with spectators able to stay in Queen’s Park or the town centre. Friends and family can easily see runners a few times within walking distance from the start.”

The 10k is an accessible event and aims to promote and support local people’s health and well-being with a fast, picturesque route.

In addition to the 10k, the 1km Blachford Fun Run and Pronto Paints Well Being Challenge will also occur on 17th October 2021 – more details to follow soon.

Find out more about the event here. To register for an early bird ticket before the deadline of 31st March, visit https://redbrik.co.uk/events/

 

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Fire safety advice now available to Chesterfield and Derbyshire businesses

Businesses across Chesterfield are being encouraged to ensure they are minimising the risks of fire, with guidance, support and advice now available from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The service has launched a campaign to contact businesses across the county, who trade in hot works or are having hot works completed on their premises, to offer essential safety advice on keeping their business and employees safe from the risk of fire.

Hot works is the term given to work that involves, but is not limited to, soldering, welding cutting, grinding, and using hot air guns. This work can pose a serious fire safety risk, which is why businesses have a legal and moral duty to ensure their premises, and any works carried out, are safe.

During the campaign, Derbyshire’s Business Safety Advisors and Firefighters will be working alongside local councils and network groups to complete site visits and deliver online presentations, where they’ll offer businesses free support and advice. They will cover topics such as whether the work is necessary or if there’s an alternative, identifying hazards, and how to raise the alarm if an accident was to occur.

Business Safety Advisor Andrew Mosler said: “It’s really important businesses understand the fire risks involved with hot works, and how to reduce them, as the implications can be devastating.

“If not carried out safely hot works can result in a fire which can have financial implications due to the loss of business premises, customers turning to competitors and increased insurance premiums. In the worst case scenario a fire could result in serious injury or loss of life.

“Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service has a whole team of dedicated Business Safety Advisors to help you keep your business safe from the risk of fire. The team provide free advice on ensuring your business is compliant with fire safety legislation, completing your Fire Risk Assessment, the types of fire extinguisher you may require, how often to test your fire safety equipment, or any other fire safety enquiries you may have.”

Whether you’re in retail, manufacturing, hospitality, or any other sector, a Business Safety Advisor will be able to help.

If you would like more advice on keeping your business safe, please get in touch with your local Business Safety Advisor, Andrew Mosler, on 01773 305681 or via email: amosler@derbys-fire.gov.uk

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Chesterfield says ‘we’re back’ for friendly local shopping

Chesterfield Borough Council and Destination Chesterfield are supporting the re-opening of the high streets this April with the message ‘we’re back’ to encourage shoppers back to Chesterfield’s high streets. Find out more at www.chesterfield.co.uk/wereback

The mini campaign includes a video on social media, featuring some of Chesterfield’s many independent businesses and market traders, asking people to come back shopping in Chesterfield. The video reminds people that safety is everything, but we do need to support our local high streets.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “It will be great to see the start of the re-opening of our town centre and high streets this April.

“It is however essential that we keep our own and everyone else’s safety in mind when we go back to shopping locally in Chesterfield to make sure our town centre stays open. I urge everyone to continue with hands, face and space as we start to re-open.

“Our local shops and retailers have worked so hard over lockdown, offering click and collect and delivery options but it has been a massive struggle for businesses and now it’s up to us to get back out shopping locally. Our businesses really need your support.

“Spending a few pounds a week with local businesses will make a massive difference to them. It’s been convenient to shop online but let’s do more of that with local businesses and also shop safely with them once again in our town centre and high streets.

“Chesterfield is a fantastic place to shop. We pride ourselves on being a friendly town, with many great independent businesses who are ready to welcome everyone back. So, come back and support your town this April.”

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield commented: “The lifting of restrictions on non-essential retail is very much welcomed and further progress in the high street’s journey towards normality. Seeing our favourite businesses adapt with online shopping and click and collect services during lockdown has been inspiring, but shopping in Chesterfield is an experience that can’t be replicated at home.

“Lockdown has shown us all the importance of the high street and the contribution it makes not only to the economy but to the lives of local people and I would encourage everyone to support the high street and shop local to help the many businesses based on it in their recovery.”

To also help support local businesses that are re-opening, and to showcase Chesterfield as a great place to visit, the council is offering local businesses the chance to take out free listings on the Visit Chesterfield website until 31 March 2022.

Independent businesses who are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity can find more details on www.visitchesterfield.info/advertising. Businesses will need to complete an application form and send it along with high resolution images or videos to tourism@chesterfield.gov.uk.

Find out more about shopping in Chesterfield here.

 

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Bolt tightening ceremony marks another milestone in Chesterfield Waterside

Progress on the town’s £340 million Chesterfield Waterside scheme has taken another step forward with the completion of the steel framework for One Waterside Place.

Contractor Britcon (UK) Ltd, a leading Civil Engineering, Building and Steel Frame Solutions company, began erection of the steel frame for the seven-storey office block in February earlier this year.

With people still being advised to stay at home amidst the pandemic Cllr Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, joined a bolt tightening ceremony, marking another stage in the development’s progress, via video conferencing technology.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see this building progressing at such pace. When complete One Waterside Place will provide modern office accommodation for businesses and in turn will create more jobs for local residents.

“It is just one of several high-quality developments around the borough that will help ensure we are in the strongest possible position to recover from the impact of the pandemic, as a thriving borough with lots of opportunities for business development and economic growth.”

Peter Swallow, Chair of Chesterfield Waterside Ltd and Managing Director of Bolsterstone Group said: “The bolt tightening ceremony represents another milestone in the construction of One Waterside Place and is further step forward in the creation of a quality modern office environment in Chesterfield; one that that meets the demands of the most discerning occupiers in the post Covid economy.

“Construction is on track to be completed later this year with tenants already committed to moving into some of the floors of this ‘Grade A’ new office building. It is a tremendously exciting time not only for Chesterfield Waterside, but also the town as a whole.”

Nick Shepherd, Managing Director of Britcon added: “We are delighted to be working with Chesterfield Waterside Ltd in delivering this iconic and modern commercial office building. Working in partnership with our client and associated stakeholders we are not only delivering a construction project, but also pulling together our experience and resources to utilise the build process as both an educational and local employment opportunity.”

The event held special significance for Peter Swallow and Nick Shepherd who were once both students at Chesterfield College which sits above the development. Britcon and Chesterfield Waterside are working with closely throughout the whole build process and hope to invite students to site once restrictions allow. Construction of the office block began last year following the securing of a forward funding agreement between Chesterfield Borough Council and Chesterfield Waterside Ltd, as a key strategic investment opportunity for the town.

With the steel frame complete, Britcon will now begin installing the concrete flooring ahead of making the building watertight and then beginning the internal fit-out before tenants move in later this year.

Chesterfield-based accountancy firm BHP Chartered Accountants have already committed to occupy a floor of One Waterside Place once complete.

One Waterside Place is part of a wider business and residential offering in phase one of Basin which comprises offices, a hotel, multi-storey car park and build-to-rent apartments, which will be centred around the new canal basin and pedestrianised public realm which will become the new home for the renowned Dame Barbara Hepworth sculpture.

Recognised as being one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects, Chesterfield Waterside is being led by Chesterfield-based Bolsterstone Group Plc working in conjunction with Arnold Laver Group and Chesterfield Borough Council.

To find out more about the office space available at One Waterside Place, please contact Harry Orwin-Allen at Knight Frank on 0114 272 9750 or Tim Richardson at FHP Property Consultants 01332 343 222.

Keep up-to-date with the latest developments at Chesterfield Waterside at ChesterfieldWaterside.co.uk or follow the development on Facebook and Twitter. You can also find out more on our developments page.

Waterside Ltd. supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through  Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Plastic Free Chesterfield urges businesses to ‘build back greener’

As Chesterfield’s shops, restaurants and cafes start to plan their re-opening from 12th April, local campaign action group, Plastic Free Chesterfield, is calling on the borough’s business sector to Build Back Better and Build Back Greener from the Covid-19 pandemic, by pledging to reduce their single-use plastics.

A Surfers Against Sewage survey last year found that 63% of respondents want to decrease their personal consumption of plastic packaging and 60% want to use refillable containers more once lockdown eases.

Plastic Free Chesterfield is offering to support businesses with advice on how to reduce their single-use plastics, listing swaps they can take on their website, along with a Facebook group to network and ask questions from other businesses who have made changes.

Greg Hewitt, Plastic Free Chesterfield Community Lead said: “Whilst businesses are currently closed and are preparing to open, then can use this time to their advantage by planning ahead, and reducing their single-use plastics, ready for opening. For those hospitality businesses the government has already helped, by banning single-use plastic straws and stirrers, but for other businesses, there are always ways of making sustainable swaps.”

Companies who can make at least three swaps away from single-use plastic will be awarded the status as a Plastic Free Champion business, gaining a certificate and plaque, as well as free publicity from the group.

Destination Chesterfield recently signed up to become a Plastic Free Ally in the town. The organisation has pledged to make a number of changes at its in-person events, including swapping single-use plastic cups and coffee cups for glass and china glasses and mugs for drinks, metal cutlery will be used instead of single-use plastic cutlery and paper, and card or cotton bags will replace single use plastic bags.

Businesses wishing to Build Back Greener should get in touch with Plastic Free Chesterfield via their website

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Promising response to Green Entrepreneurs Scheme from Derbyshire businesses

More than 130 people from businesses and community groups across Derbyshire joined the virtual launch of Derbyshire County Council’s Green Entrepreneurs Fund – a £2 million grant fund for organisations interested in developing and investing in green energy and carbon reduction schemes.

Businesses and organisations heard details about how they can apply for funding through the scheme being run in partnership with the University of Derby to help support green economic recovery across Derbyshire.

There are 3 separate funds:

Green Entrepreneurs Demonstrator Fund
£1.2 million set aside for a small number of high-quality projects from entrepreneurs wanting to establish green, alternative energy or low carbon initiatives in Derbyshire to provide community heat and power schemes. The minimum grant available through this fund would be £100,000. Applications for expressions of interest will open 1 April 2021.

Green Entrepreneurs Small Grant Fund
Grants of £10,000 – £20,000 for new and existing businesses with game changing proposals in alternative energy, clean fuel and carbon reduction. £500,000 will be made available through this fund. There will be 3 separate rounds in which to apply for funding – the first will launch on 1 April 2021 followed by further rounds opening on 4 October 2021 and then 3 January 2022.

Green Entrepreneurs Scholarship Fund
A training fund to support individuals to retrain with skills to enable them to enter the field of alternative energy. £100,000 will be made available through this fund. Grants will be awarded monthly from July 2021 onwards.

Leader of Derbyshire County Council Councillor Barry Lewis added:

“We’re championing business innovation and want Derbyshire to become a leader in the field in the development of green energy as part of our bold ambition to cut the council’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2032 and that of the Derbyshire economy by 2050.

“We believe there is a unique opportunity to bring greater benefits to local communities and the local economic conditions to create high quality jobs driven by utilising the local skills base in engineering and manufacturing.

“We’re excited to be able to offer businesses the financial support needed to help turn their ideas into reality, through game changing proposals that help to tackle climate change and impact positively on the way we all live in the future both in Derbyshire and further afield.”

Councillor Tony King, Cabinet member for Clean Growth and Regeneration, said:

“We’ve had an unbelievable response to the scheme so far from businesses and community organisations across Derbyshire.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the applications start to come in with proposals for projects to kick-start the county’s carbon reduction and alternative energy agenda and boost the local economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I would urge anyone who was unable to join the virtual launch to visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk/gef to find out more.”

Professor Kathryn Mitchell DL, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, said:

“I am delighted that the Green Entrepreneur launch was such a success. It is really encouraging to see so much interest and enthusiasm from local businesses in taking up opportunities like this to operate more sustainably and to make a real contribution towards reducing their carbon footprint.

“We look forward now to working with the county council to deliver the scheme to our entrepreneur community, and to make Derbyshire synonymous with sustainable business.”

Find more information about the programme including application forms, timetable for grant funding and eligibility criteria.

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Spireites Community Trust launches scheme to kick-start careers for young people

Chesterfield FC Community Trust is encouraging young people to access a new traineeship scheme aimed at helping to boost careers and employment across North Derbyshire.

The Trust’s REBOOT traineeship programme is offering an opportunity for young people looking to kick-start their future, reboot their career and achieve their goals.

The course takes place in the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere of the HUB at the Technique Stadium and is delivered by a friendly and supportive team of tutors.

Scott Atkinson, the Trust’s head of education and wellbeing, said: “Our expertise in working with children, young people and adults with additional support needs, through both our education and health & wellbeing programmes, makes REBOOT a great option for anyone who has struggled to overcome barriers in engaging with mainstream education.

“Although the course is focused on enabling students to achieve positive outcomes in education and work experience, we give equal importance to providing unrivalled pastoral care, through engaging personally, instilling confidence, raising aspirations and inspiring change.”

The 12-week traineeship course is for 16-24-year-olds who are not in education, training or employment (NEET). You may have just lost your job due to redundancy, completed your education but have not moved into employment yet, or need further work experience in an area you would like to work in or gain your qualifications.

It includes functional skills Maths and English (if required), employability skills, work experience and confidence building activities.

The support on offer has so-far achieved a 90% average of getting people into the next stage of their career either into employment, training or further education.

To enquire about the programme, email education@spireitestrust.org.uk. The course is due to begin on Monday, 19th April 2021.

Chesterfield FC supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through  Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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National Accolade for Chesterfield Royal Hospital Pharmacy Team

The Chesterfield Royal Hospital’s Haematology and Oncology Pharmacy Team has won a prestigious national award.

They’ve been named ‘Pharmacist Team of the Year 2021’ at the Clinigen Direct Love Your Pharmacist Awards 2021 at the 25th European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) congress after a year where they’ve had to adapt their service due to the Covid pandemic.

Principal Pharmacist for Haematology and Oncology, Ibrahim Al-Modaris, said: “This year we’ve had to work differently for a number of reasons, not least because we were urging a lot of our patients to stay at home as they may well be shielding but also because lots of our team have young children who might force us to isolate if they become slightly unwell (like all children do!) which would put a strain on our specialist service. Remote access and the ability to work from home had to be developed as a priority.

Remote working

“We set up remote working, so we can log in to the Chesterfield and Weston Park systems, look up patients’ results via ICE and access clinic letters. We have access to almost all the relevant information we need for a consultation electronically. With a lot of our consultations with patients taking place over the phone or via NHS Attend Anywhere it is possible to do a clinic from home, and if we discover that there is a need to see the patients face to face, we have been able to arrange appointments or admissions as required. As good as it is being able to log in remotely however, being on site, in clinic, with our hardworking clinic support colleagues is still the more efficient way of working.

“The most important thing is that we have been able to keep most chemotherapy and anticancer treatment for our patients going after doing risk assessments for the treatments we offer. Despite the stressful time we were all in, I believe we managed to reduce some of the stress many of our cancer patients would have been feeling, worrying about how to get their medication while shielding for example. Each patient and each regimen had to be reviewed individually and we worked closely with their consultants and specialist nurses to deliver patients their medication while reducing their risk of exposure to COVID.

“For example, some of the oral chemotherapy we supply, to reduce the need for our patients to come in we have, in some cases, managed to supply two months’ worth of medication rather than just one. This not only reduced their number of attendances to collect the medication, but also the need to have monthly blood tests. We have also been able to arrange for homecare delivery of prescriptions in some cases, including by taxi for more patients who were shielding. We of course continued our counselling in clinic or from home to help advise patients on how to get the most out of their supportive medicines to reduce side effects from their chemotherapy as well.

Satellite Pharmacy

“I am very pleased to say that we’ve also been able to get our satellite pharmacy up and running in the NGS Macmillan Unit. This means that we have a Pharmacy Technician, Helen, in the building Mon to Friday, 9 to 5 who can supply and counsel patients on their oral medication. We have also kept the training going to enable more of our pharmacists to become prescribers which gives more flexibility in clinics with more staff able to assess chemotherapy patients and prescribe their treatment. This enables the consultants in clinic to spend more time with complex patients and address their needs. We are now also expanding this role from oncology to haematology as well.”

“This role of assessing chemotherapy patients and prescribing their treatment is one of the most exciting aspects of working as a haematology and oncology pharmacist at Chesterfield Royal and it really allows us to build good relationships with our patients. We are able to use our expert knowledge of medicines as pharmacists to help optimise patient’s cancer treatments at the point of assessment. We have also undergone the additional training required to request scans that patients will need to monitor the effectiveness of their treatment.

Redeveloping and improving inpatients services

“As well as this we have started work to develop and improve our inpatient service. This work will ensure a continuity of service as we work with our inpatient colleagues by providing specialist chemotherapy and cancer advice as needed. It also gives our patients a familiar face from clinic to reassure them during their inpatient stay.

“We have always worked very closely with our nursing and medical colleagues at Chesterfield Royal and Weston Park and that has continued. All the specialist nurses and healthcare assistants in clinic are always on hand to assist us in arranging various things like blood transfusions or scans that patients require, while our medical colleagues always offer helpful advice when things get complicated. We also rely on the efforts of everyone in the pharmacy production unit who prepare and supply all injectable chemotherapies for the patients as well as the ordering office and dispensary staff who keep us stocked up with medication for patients. Without the work of all these staff we would not be here now.

“It has been a difficult time for everyone, but I am very proud of how our team have risen to the challenge and embraced different ways of working to help each other and benefit our patients. I am sure that some of the ways of working we have adapted and developed will continue once we all get back to normal. We are very grateful to receive this award which is for everyone in our fantastic team and it should encourage us to keep the good work going.”

Chesterfield Royal Hospital supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through  Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Plans to revamp Chesterfield Market move forward

Chesterfield Borough Council’s plans to revamp the town’s historic market have taken a further step forward, with expected works to be completed in around a year’s time.

Last December, the council asked residents, market traders and local businesses to share their views and help shape the future of Chesterfield Market.

The aim of the surveys was to understand what people enjoy about Chesterfield Market, what might encourage them to visit more often, and understand how they think it can be improved.

This was the first step in the £3.25m Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield project which includes plans to revamp the town’s historic outdoor Market Place, as well as improve the public space around Elder Way.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “Chesterfield Market is the heart and soul of the town. It’s crucial that we work together with residents, market traders and local businesses to make sure improvements meet their needs. It was fantastic to receive hundreds of responses to our surveys, which shows the market means so much to everyone in Chesterfield.”

The surveys showed support for changing the layout of the market. 72% of the public, 89% of local businesses and 46% of market traders, supported changing the layout of the market

There was strong support for events, particularly specialist and event markets. These could include food festivals, farmers markets or vintage markets.

The public survey results show strong support for market traders and a desire to support local businesses.

Councillor Sarvent added: “Work is now underway to develop options for the market design and these will be available for comment as part of a consultation with the public, market traders and local businesses this summer. It is especially encouraging to see the public support for traders and local businesses as we move towards re-opening the town centre from lockdown next month.”

Details of how to take part in the next stage of the market consultation will be available from the council’s website this summer. Following this, it is expected works will be complete in Spring 2022.

As well as looking at the future of the market, the Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield project will also include improvements to the public space between the town centre and the Northern Gateway site.

The Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield project has benefitted from £650,000 of funding through the D2N2 Local Growth Fund.

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Over £23m to be invested in council housing across Chesterfield

More than £23 million is to be spent improving and increasing the housing supply across Chesterfield – as part of Chesterfield Borough Council’s commitment to enhance the borough’s housing offer and meet the needs of residents.

Councillors have agreed to the ambitious Housing Capital Programme – which sets out the council’s investment priorities for 2021/22 and the medium-term investment through to 2024/25.

The Housing Capital Programme sets out the priorities to ensure that council housing in the borough continues to meet the decent homes standard and provide the good quality, affordable homes for people in Chesterfield.

Modernisation and refurbishment of the council’s existing housing stock continues to be a main focus of the council’s programme of works – including roof repairs, the installation of windows and improvements to estate environments to ensure all properties continue to meet the decent homes standard.

Since 2019 the council will have added 64 new homes to its housing stock and a further 53 homes in the pipeline for 2021-2023, meaning the council will meet its target of adding new 100 new homes to the housing register by 2023 – giving local families more choice and access to modern properties.

The council will also continue to invest in homes for older people, with works currently progressing well at Mallard Court and Leander Court. When completed, this will offer modern, affordable and attractive housing for older people in Staveley for the future.

In response to the climate emergency that was declared by the council in July 2019, the council is also committed to ensuring that all of its homes are energy efficient – allowing Chesterfield to become a low carbon, resilient and sustainable borough.

Councillor Chris Ludlow, cabinet member for housing, said: “Our aim as always is to enhance Chesterfield’s housing offer so that people of all ages can find, and live in a quality home they can afford. Our capital programme shows that we are committed to improving our housing stock to ensure it meets the needs of the people of Chesterfield, as well actively contributing to the climate change agenda by ensuring all homes are energy efficient.

“Investing in affordable and social housing has never been as important, given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has had on many people financially, so it is vital that we continue to enhance the borough’s housing needs and supply affordable living. Our programme of investment has been developed and amended to recognise the challenges which have arisen from the Covid-19 crisis and, together with our partners, we are doing all we can to ensure any minor delays to key projects are resolved, allowing us to achieve our goals.

“We are committed to building a sustainable future and in response to the climate change emergency declared by the council in 2019, we’re taking measures to ensure our homes are energy efficient – which will not only help the planet, but will also give our residents access to affordable warmth.”

“During 2020 – 21 we achieved some key milestones in improving our housing stock and we’re proud that 100 per cent of our properties meet the decent homes standards. By continuing to refurbish and modernise our homes and estates, we can continue to ensure we maintain these standards for local families.”

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Chesterfield businesses offered free membership of crime-fighting partnership run by East Midlands Chamber

Up to 2,000 businesses in Chesterfield can sign up for free to an East Midlands Chamber-run scheme that helps to reduce town centre crime and anti-social behaviour. The Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) has secured funding from Chesterfield Borough Council to offer access to Disc, an online crime information-sharing system that connects businesses with local police forces.

There will be no cost for the first 12 months, with subsequent years costing up to £100 – and potentially lower if enough businesses take up the programme permanently.

Jackie Roberts, BCRP manager at the Chamber, said: “Businesses in town and city centres are struggling at the moment and crime will only make this worse.

“The Disc portal is an integral part of crime reduction strategies as it makes it so much easier for businesses to share intelligence about incidents and offender images between members, police, community safety officers and other partners such as the BCRP team.

“We’ve had a lot of reports during lockdown because police resources have been really stretched due to sickness, so the BCRP fills the gap where police can’t deal with petty crime.

“By working with local authorities such as Chesterfield Borough Council, we’re delighted to offer this scheme for free to businesses in order to make them more resilient – a key theme during the post-Covid economic recovery.”

What is the Business Crime Reduction Partnership?

The BCRP, one of 200 such programmes in the UK, is funded by both the Chamber and the Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa.

Its remit to reduce crime in participating towns, cities and retail parks fits into an overall objective to make them a safer place to work, visit, socialise and shop.

Members pay a fee and benefits include a GDPR-compliant data-sharing system that facilitates direct reporting to the police without the need to use the time-consuming 101 system.

Intelligence and crime reports can be submitted electronically to the police and other BCRP members, who also have access to app and web-based image galleries of people who have been arrested or are known offenders.

How BCRP membership will help Chesterfield town centre

There are currently about 80 businesses in Chesterfield signed up to an advanced version of the BCRP scheme that also includes radio connections.

The council’s funding will give about 2,000 businesses in sectors such as retail, hospitality and tourism the opportunity to sign up for the basic package, which uses the online Disc system.

It will be launched at the beginning of May ahead of the reopening of hospitality in the Government’s roadmap to ending lockdown.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “It is fantastic news that this funding has been made available for our local businesses.

“This project will help strengthen the link between retailers and the police which should help limit crime and anti-social behaviour in our town.

“I want to encourage every local business to sign up to this programme because I believe it will be a positive step for our town.”

Hardyal Dhindsa, Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire, added: “Tackling retail crime is a priority for me and I am pleased that my funding of the Business Crime Reduction Partnership with the Chamber is enabling partners like Chesterfield Borough Council to join us in tackling criminality. This is an excellent way of supporting businesses to reduce the crime and antisocial behaviour that they have said concerns them.

“We have been working hard, with local partners, to successfully address other problems in Chesterfield Town Centre through the Chesterfield Town Summit, and this is another tool in the box.

“I welcome the fact that Chesterfield Borough Council has recognised the important of supporting local business and I hope that in time we will be able to roll this programme out across Derbyshire with other local authorities.”

Further plans for BCRP roll-out in Derbyshire

Discussions are ongoing on how to roll out the offer to Staveley, while there are plans to roll out the Disc scheme in Matlock and Bakewell, in which a combined 40 businesses are signed up to the radio system.

Jackie added: “The hope is that by signing up businesses for the first year, they will be able to see the benefits of continuing with the scheme thereafter.

“The more businesses that are involved in the BCRP scheme and sharing information, the stronger it will be – and the better the area will be as a result.

“Councils and regeneration teams are placing crime reduction high on the agenda in order to bring back footfall into their towns.

“It also removes barriers to reporting crime as the Disc system automatically notifies the police when an incident is logged, while police are able to input feedback so businesses can follow what happens to offenders.”

The British Retail Consortium’s 2020 retail crime survey, published in March just before lockdown, found there were 424 violent or abusive incidents towards staff per day nationally, while businesses lost £770m due to theft and £2.2bn resulting from overall crime.

Anyone interested in discussing how to get involved with the Derbyshire Business Crime Reduction Partnership can email jackie.roberts@emc-dnl.co.uk.

 

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