25/07/2026
๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ด๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ, ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐.
Yesterday at Derbyshire County Council, I was delighted to support, alongside my fellow Labour councillor Anne Clarke for New Mills & Hayfield, a motion proposed by Cllr Kez Kinsella to prioritise 20mph zones where:
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Road casualty data shows they're needed.
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There is local community support.
That seems like simple common sense.
I was proud to deliver Derbyshire's first โ and, sadly, for far too long, only โ 20mph zone in Padfield back in 2015.
Since then, I've tried to bring similar schemes to communities including Charlesworth and Chisworth, but those efforts have repeatedly been frustrated by successive Derbyshire County Council administrations and resistance from highways officers.
The reality is that Derbyshire's approach has become an outlier. While many comparable counties have seen road casualty rates remain stable or fall, ours have been moving in the wrong direction. That should encourage us to look at what works elsewhere and take a more evidence-led approach.
To be clear, ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐บ๐ฝ๐ต ๐น๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฑ. But where they can improve safety โ particularly around schools, in villages and on residential streets โ and where local people support them, communities should be able to make the case and be properly heard.
I'm pleased the County Council backed this motion, and I hope it marks the start of a more sensible, evidence-led approach to making Derbyshire's roads safer for everyone. ๐๐ป
