A man jailed for attempted murder, who is believed to have links with the Salford area, is on the run after escaping from a low security prison in Derbyshire.
Sean Christopher McDonagh 27, who was sentenced to twelve years behind bars at Cardiff Crown Court in June 2000, vanished from Sudbury jail near Ashbourne on Friday.
It is the latest in a series of escapes from the prison in recent months, which has prompted severe criticism of a policy of holding dangerous offenders in open prisons.
Derbyshire Police say twelve prisoners who have escaped over the last seven months are still at large, including a convicted killer from Greater Manchester.
On the good news front latest statistics show that Sudbury is the safest place to live in England. Well there are no criminals around are there!
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-04 12:17:42
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Easter Jollies at Crich Tramway Museum
The Trams at Crich Tramway Village will be back on the tracks during the Easter Holidays, ready for a fun and action packed year of great days out and special events.
There will be an egg trail each day and craft workshops including rabbit and chick mask making.
Cara Marchant, marketing coordinator said: "The Easter events offer something for everyone where children of all ages will find lots to keep them entertained. Even the grown-ups can join in."
There's also the 'Discovery Depot' – a huge indoor play area with ball pits, 'snakes' to weave through and soft shapes for the toddlers to enjoy safe play. While the more adventurous take to the outdoor adventure playground.
Another highlight of the Easter break will be the 1940s Weekend which will take place on Easter Sunday and Monday, April 8 and 9.
Crich Tramway Village is open at weekends in March then daily from March 31 until October 29 and weekends in November and December. It is situated near Matlock, Derbyshire, eight miles from M1 junction 28. Admission prices: adult £9.50 senior £8.50 child (3-15) £5 family (two adults, three children) £26.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-04 12:12:12
There will be an egg trail each day and craft workshops including rabbit and chick mask making.
Cara Marchant, marketing coordinator said: "The Easter events offer something for everyone where children of all ages will find lots to keep them entertained. Even the grown-ups can join in."
There's also the 'Discovery Depot' – a huge indoor play area with ball pits, 'snakes' to weave through and soft shapes for the toddlers to enjoy safe play. While the more adventurous take to the outdoor adventure playground.
Another highlight of the Easter break will be the 1940s Weekend which will take place on Easter Sunday and Monday, April 8 and 9.
Crich Tramway Village is open at weekends in March then daily from March 31 until October 29 and weekends in November and December. It is situated near Matlock, Derbyshire, eight miles from M1 junction 28. Admission prices: adult £9.50 senior £8.50 child (3-15) £5 family (two adults, three children) £26.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-04 12:12:12
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
New Signs for Dales Trail
Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) staff are currently replacing 95 signs and way marker posts in the 51-mile section of the Pennine Way National Trail thanks to a £7,000 grant from Natural England.
The 270-mile National Trail, which runs from the Peak District National Park to the Scottish Borders, is undergoing a revamp to its way marking and the YDNPA is one of the first National Park Authorities to take advantage of the funding to carry out the work.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-02 16:45:29
The 270-mile National Trail, which runs from the Peak District National Park to the Scottish Borders, is undergoing a revamp to its way marking and the YDNPA is one of the first National Park Authorities to take advantage of the funding to carry out the work.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-02 16:45:29
Sunday, April 01, 2007
TV Screen in Derby Market Place
Work to install a big TV screen in Derby's Market Place is set to start next month.
The city council had hoped that the screen would be installed by April.
But a number of delays in planning and paying for it, plus the fact that TV licence detector vans have been in the area recently, have led to the date being put back.
Council leader Chris Williamson said that work to install the supporting posts would get under way.
"Once that work is done, we're hoping we can have the screen in place by May," he said.
"It will be a big thing for Derby to have this screen, particularly in what we're trying to achieve in boosting the Cathedral Quarter."
Chris Sabian, Peak District View- 2007-04-01 06:05:50
The city council had hoped that the screen would be installed by April.
But a number of delays in planning and paying for it, plus the fact that TV licence detector vans have been in the area recently, have led to the date being put back.
Council leader Chris Williamson said that work to install the supporting posts would get under way.
"Once that work is done, we're hoping we can have the screen in place by May," he said.
"It will be a big thing for Derby to have this screen, particularly in what we're trying to achieve in boosting the Cathedral Quarter."
Chris Sabian, Peak District View- 2007-04-01 06:05:50
At last an ice rink for Derby
Councillor Chris Williamson, leader of Derby City Council, announced plans on Wednesday to set up an ice rink in the Market Place during this year's festive period, after similar schemes in other centres proved popular with shopkeepers.
Last year, Exeter introduced a rink for the first time. Lead councillor for economy Ian Martin, said it had been a huge success.
"We had a lot of return visitors and in total we had around 27,000 visits," he said. I was impressed with the fact that the retail economy really benefited from this."
The rink was in place for six weeks.
Mr Williamson said that Derby's open-air rink would be in the Market Place between November and January, subject to a contract being signed in the new few weeks.
"It is all about bringing in another reason for people to come to the Cathedral Quarter and that side of Derby while capitalising on the extra footfall created by the new Westfield centre when it opens," he said.
The rink will be operated by Creative Ice, which will cover its costs by keeping the money charged to skate.
It's a pity it isn't permanent. But if it is a success maybe the proposed cinema for the Riverlights will be exchanged for an ice rink. Afterall, Nottingham has two!
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-01 05:14:28
Last year, Exeter introduced a rink for the first time. Lead councillor for economy Ian Martin, said it had been a huge success.
"We had a lot of return visitors and in total we had around 27,000 visits," he said. I was impressed with the fact that the retail economy really benefited from this."
The rink was in place for six weeks.
Mr Williamson said that Derby's open-air rink would be in the Market Place between November and January, subject to a contract being signed in the new few weeks.
"It is all about bringing in another reason for people to come to the Cathedral Quarter and that side of Derby while capitalising on the extra footfall created by the new Westfield centre when it opens," he said.
The rink will be operated by Creative Ice, which will cover its costs by keeping the money charged to skate.
It's a pity it isn't permanent. But if it is a success maybe the proposed cinema for the Riverlights will be exchanged for an ice rink. Afterall, Nottingham has two!
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-01 05:14:28
Tory Plans for Local Elections
Derby's controlling Labour group is currently considering whether or not to bid for Government cash for reducing congestion, but it is likely that any grant would come with the condition that road charging is introduced.
The city's Conservative group is totally opposed to the introduction of congestion charges
Richard Smalley, Conservative group deputy leader, said: "Congestion charging, or road pricing as it has been called, does nothing to reduce congestion.
"It is a blunt tax, and people who drive are taxed to the hilt. They are already taxed on fuel, on road fund licence - congestion charging is not the way forward.
"It will cost people around £1,200 pounds a year or more to access the city centre for work. If they have just left school or university and are on a low income, it could deter people from working in the city."
The Tory group said it instead wanted to continue supporting a feasibility study into tram and electric bus schemes in the city and explore the possibility of a direct rail link to East Midlands Airport.
The Conservatives also outlined plans for an extended pedestrianised area in the city centre.
Mr Smalley said he personally wanted to extend the restriction on traffic to Wardwick and Friar Gate to create a more cafe-style environment. The group said it would also push for more demanding recycling targets and a separate Green Commission at the council to scrutinise council actions and decisions.
On education, Conservative group leader Philip Hickson promised people living in the city would get to send their children to city schools.
"At the moment places are being taken by people who live outside the city.
"People who live in the city will get a city school under us," he said. "This ties in with our green agenda because, at the moment, we have parents travelling the length and breadth of the city to get to schools."
Arts and culture were also high on the list of priorities in the manifesto, with plans to establish a summer music festival in the city as well as a venue to host big name acts.
Mr Hickson said: "We want that festival established in the next year to bring talent and entertainment to the city over the summer period.
"We also need a new venue developed for attracting big name entertainment to the city as well as supporting amateur dramatic groups."
There are promises to increase funding to the youth service and improve and rebuild Derby Library.
The Tories would also increase pressure on getting development under way at the Friar Gate Goods Yard before buildings fall into disrepair.
Mr Smalley also said it was essential to improve gateways into the city through using innovative signage and public art.
Perhaps David Cameron should listen to these boys. At least they seem to have some new ideas albeit expensive ones.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-01 03:32:14
The city's Conservative group is totally opposed to the introduction of congestion charges
Richard Smalley, Conservative group deputy leader, said: "Congestion charging, or road pricing as it has been called, does nothing to reduce congestion.
"It is a blunt tax, and people who drive are taxed to the hilt. They are already taxed on fuel, on road fund licence - congestion charging is not the way forward.
"It will cost people around £1,200 pounds a year or more to access the city centre for work. If they have just left school or university and are on a low income, it could deter people from working in the city."
The Tory group said it instead wanted to continue supporting a feasibility study into tram and electric bus schemes in the city and explore the possibility of a direct rail link to East Midlands Airport.
The Conservatives also outlined plans for an extended pedestrianised area in the city centre.
Mr Smalley said he personally wanted to extend the restriction on traffic to Wardwick and Friar Gate to create a more cafe-style environment. The group said it would also push for more demanding recycling targets and a separate Green Commission at the council to scrutinise council actions and decisions.
On education, Conservative group leader Philip Hickson promised people living in the city would get to send their children to city schools.
"At the moment places are being taken by people who live outside the city.
"People who live in the city will get a city school under us," he said. "This ties in with our green agenda because, at the moment, we have parents travelling the length and breadth of the city to get to schools."
Arts and culture were also high on the list of priorities in the manifesto, with plans to establish a summer music festival in the city as well as a venue to host big name acts.
Mr Hickson said: "We want that festival established in the next year to bring talent and entertainment to the city over the summer period.
"We also need a new venue developed for attracting big name entertainment to the city as well as supporting amateur dramatic groups."
There are promises to increase funding to the youth service and improve and rebuild Derby Library.
The Tories would also increase pressure on getting development under way at the Friar Gate Goods Yard before buildings fall into disrepair.
Mr Smalley also said it was essential to improve gateways into the city through using innovative signage and public art.
Perhaps David Cameron should listen to these boys. At least they seem to have some new ideas albeit expensive ones.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-01 03:32:14
Derby Canal display
An exhibition about the Derby and Sandiacre Canal opened yesterday in the Silk Mill Museum.
Produced by members of the Derby Canal Society, it combines images old and new with plans for the waterway's restoration.
Also on show are objects celebrating the canal's 18th-Century engineering.
Entry is free to the Silk Mill, which is in Full Street, Derby.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-01 03:26:54
Produced by members of the Derby Canal Society, it combines images old and new with plans for the waterway's restoration.
Also on show are objects celebrating the canal's 18th-Century engineering.
Entry is free to the Silk Mill, which is in Full Street, Derby.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-01 03:26:54
Chatsworth on TV
A Television company has announced the date that Chatsworth House will appear in a programme where people can vote for their favourite historic site.
Britain's Best is a new series being show on UKTV History. It covers 25 sites, including historic homes, castles and gardens. Chatsworth House is to appear in the first episode of the series, which will be screened at 9pm on Monday, April 9.
The show, presented by Alan Titchmarsh, will also have a website where viewers can add their comments to help compile an online guide to the sites.
Check out Chatsworth at www.peakdistrictview.com
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-01 03:22:58
Britain's Best is a new series being show on UKTV History. It covers 25 sites, including historic homes, castles and gardens. Chatsworth House is to appear in the first episode of the series, which will be screened at 9pm on Monday, April 9.
The show, presented by Alan Titchmarsh, will also have a website where viewers can add their comments to help compile an online guide to the sites.
Check out Chatsworth at www.peakdistrictview.com
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-01 03:22:58
Derbyshire top cop defends force
One of Derbyshire's top police officers has defended the force's reputation after a third officer in six weeks was convicted of a crime.
As previously reported, PC David Stoll was given a six-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, for misconduct.
He denied misconduct in public office but was found guilty after a trial at Nottingham Crown Court.
Earlier this month, former PC Mark Cutherbertson was jailed for nine months for lying in an attempt to dodge a speeding fine while he was still in the Derbyshire force.
Another former officer, Stephen Smith, 48, was also fined £1,200 after pleading guilty to passing on confidential information.
Assistant Chief Constable Peter Goodman yesterday defended his force.
He said: "We have over 2,000 officers in Derbyshire Constabulary, the overwhelming majority of whom are hard-working, seriously committed officers.
"If you look at those convictions, all are for very different things and if you look at the details, most of them are as a result of investigations carried out by the force.
"Like any organisation, we have a minority of employees that are bad apples and we are working hard to weed them out."
Two other police officers have also been arrested this month.
Sergeant Alistair Kenworthy was arrested following an allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman in a pub. He was suspended following an incident which is alleged to have taken place during Ashbourne's Shrovetide football celebrations last month.
Detective Inspector Louis Martin was also questioned by Derbyshire police colleagues and is subject to an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct.
But no doubt Derbyshire Police will win some meaningless award this year to show how "good" they are. What about Bent Force of the Year or Old Bill to Old Lag Award.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-01 03:14:12
As previously reported, PC David Stoll was given a six-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, for misconduct.
He denied misconduct in public office but was found guilty after a trial at Nottingham Crown Court.
Earlier this month, former PC Mark Cutherbertson was jailed for nine months for lying in an attempt to dodge a speeding fine while he was still in the Derbyshire force.
Another former officer, Stephen Smith, 48, was also fined £1,200 after pleading guilty to passing on confidential information.
Assistant Chief Constable Peter Goodman yesterday defended his force.
He said: "We have over 2,000 officers in Derbyshire Constabulary, the overwhelming majority of whom are hard-working, seriously committed officers.
"If you look at those convictions, all are for very different things and if you look at the details, most of them are as a result of investigations carried out by the force.
"Like any organisation, we have a minority of employees that are bad apples and we are working hard to weed them out."
Two other police officers have also been arrested this month.
Sergeant Alistair Kenworthy was arrested following an allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman in a pub. He was suspended following an incident which is alleged to have taken place during Ashbourne's Shrovetide football celebrations last month.
Detective Inspector Louis Martin was also questioned by Derbyshire police colleagues and is subject to an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct.
But no doubt Derbyshire Police will win some meaningless award this year to show how "good" they are. What about Bent Force of the Year or Old Bill to Old Lag Award.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-01 03:14:12
Why Gordon Brown has failed the poor
In our last look at Gordon Brown's final budget let us see how he has failed the less well off. Gordon Brown tried to use the final few words of his final Budget to give himself a much needed image makeover.
Uncle Gord is hoping that the Great British Public will be taken in by his sleight-of-hand and forget how taxes have shot up in the last decade. During the last four years of sustained economic growth, disposable income in the average household has risen by just £9 a week.
The primary reason hard-working people have seen their disposable income rise by a pittance is that the state is taking a hugely bigger slice of the national economic cake than ever before. According to the OECD, the state now takes 42.7% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as compared with just 39.5% in 1997.
The difference between a paycheque and a handout
So how is it that Gordon Brown can announce that people are better off after eleven Budgets and ten years of Labour and yet average households are taking home no more than they were four years ago in real terms? How can both these statements be true?
The answer lies in the way Brown sees income. He sees no difference between income from a pay cheque and income from a handout. It doesn't matter to Gordon that one type of income is earned through personal effort and the other is welfare received regardless of personal effort.
This psychological flaw is why Brown regards it as efficient to reduce your income savagely through tax and then return some of it to you through the welfare state. All that matters to Gordon is that income rises in certain sections of society so that he can claim to have reduced poverty, he doesn't care where that income comes from. You might think this sounds laudable, but there are big problems with this approach.
Welfare dependency destroys the poor
The main problem with most of Gordon's handouts is that they harm the people they are intended to benefit. Welfare payments do increase incomes among the poor but they also take away the incentive for the poor to improve their own lives.
The only true way out of poverty is to increase income from paid employment. For the low paid this means working longer hours and/or getting some training to increase their chances of getting a higher paid job. For the unemployed getting out of poverty means actually getting a job.
The rewards for getting a job, or taking on more hours, or increasing your earning power through training should far outweigh the rewards for not doing those things. But that is not what happens in Britain today.
Paying people not to work
Because Brown can see no difference between standing on your own two feet and being a client of his welfare state, he pays tax credits to those not in work. The Child Tax Credit (CTC) could be worth as much as £5,500 a year to an unemployed parent of three children. You don't need to work to claim CTC, and you get more if you have three kids rather than one. Can you see what type of behaviour is rewarded by the CTC?
Add CTC to Child Benefit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Job Seekers' Allowance or Incapacity Benefit and you have a fully funded 100% work-free lifestyle. This is why 'social protection' cost the taxpayer £80 billion in 2005/6.
Of course, Brown also developed the Working Tax Credit (WTC). This is only payable to people in work and on low incomes. Making work pay for the low paid should be sound strategy. But you can't get the WTC until you are 25 years old and working 30 hours a week - unless you have a child, in which case you can get it at sixteen if you work 16 hours a week. Can you see what type of behaviour is rewarded by the WTC?
The big money for teenagers is in benefits… not work
All this means that for someone who leaves school with few qualifications, the big money is in benefits - not in work. That's why all the tosh in the Budget about tax cuts to reward work is just a scam. And why Gordon Brown will never achieve a lasting and genuine reduction in poverty.
The system he has created starts the young on benefits from sixteen years old (and soon will pay parents benefits for their unborn children). The system punishes the low paid for working by imposing marginal tax rates of as much as 70% as earnings increase, benefits are withdrawn and income tax and NI start to bite. Now Brown has removed the 10% band for income tax in this year's Budget the low paid will suffer even more for working.
So, the next time you hear Gordon Brown boast that he has lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty, remember this: in 2005, 1.4 million people who were not working claimed tax credits. These are the people that Gordon claims to have helped.
But these people have not been lifted out of poverty. They are not working. They have been given a handout. A handout that makes it far less likely that they will ever work their way out of poverty themselves. A handout that actually entrenches poverty for generation after generation as their children learn how the system punishes work and rewards unemployment and the concept of work being better than welfare recedes into family history.
So what do we think of the next Prime Minister?- A complete and utter tosser!
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-01 03:01:54
Uncle Gord is hoping that the Great British Public will be taken in by his sleight-of-hand and forget how taxes have shot up in the last decade. During the last four years of sustained economic growth, disposable income in the average household has risen by just £9 a week.
The primary reason hard-working people have seen their disposable income rise by a pittance is that the state is taking a hugely bigger slice of the national economic cake than ever before. According to the OECD, the state now takes 42.7% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as compared with just 39.5% in 1997.
The difference between a paycheque and a handout
So how is it that Gordon Brown can announce that people are better off after eleven Budgets and ten years of Labour and yet average households are taking home no more than they were four years ago in real terms? How can both these statements be true?
The answer lies in the way Brown sees income. He sees no difference between income from a pay cheque and income from a handout. It doesn't matter to Gordon that one type of income is earned through personal effort and the other is welfare received regardless of personal effort.
This psychological flaw is why Brown regards it as efficient to reduce your income savagely through tax and then return some of it to you through the welfare state. All that matters to Gordon is that income rises in certain sections of society so that he can claim to have reduced poverty, he doesn't care where that income comes from. You might think this sounds laudable, but there are big problems with this approach.
Welfare dependency destroys the poor
The main problem with most of Gordon's handouts is that they harm the people they are intended to benefit. Welfare payments do increase incomes among the poor but they also take away the incentive for the poor to improve their own lives.
The only true way out of poverty is to increase income from paid employment. For the low paid this means working longer hours and/or getting some training to increase their chances of getting a higher paid job. For the unemployed getting out of poverty means actually getting a job.
The rewards for getting a job, or taking on more hours, or increasing your earning power through training should far outweigh the rewards for not doing those things. But that is not what happens in Britain today.
Paying people not to work
Because Brown can see no difference between standing on your own two feet and being a client of his welfare state, he pays tax credits to those not in work. The Child Tax Credit (CTC) could be worth as much as £5,500 a year to an unemployed parent of three children. You don't need to work to claim CTC, and you get more if you have three kids rather than one. Can you see what type of behaviour is rewarded by the CTC?
Add CTC to Child Benefit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Job Seekers' Allowance or Incapacity Benefit and you have a fully funded 100% work-free lifestyle. This is why 'social protection' cost the taxpayer £80 billion in 2005/6.
Of course, Brown also developed the Working Tax Credit (WTC). This is only payable to people in work and on low incomes. Making work pay for the low paid should be sound strategy. But you can't get the WTC until you are 25 years old and working 30 hours a week - unless you have a child, in which case you can get it at sixteen if you work 16 hours a week. Can you see what type of behaviour is rewarded by the WTC?
The big money for teenagers is in benefits… not work
All this means that for someone who leaves school with few qualifications, the big money is in benefits - not in work. That's why all the tosh in the Budget about tax cuts to reward work is just a scam. And why Gordon Brown will never achieve a lasting and genuine reduction in poverty.
The system he has created starts the young on benefits from sixteen years old (and soon will pay parents benefits for their unborn children). The system punishes the low paid for working by imposing marginal tax rates of as much as 70% as earnings increase, benefits are withdrawn and income tax and NI start to bite. Now Brown has removed the 10% band for income tax in this year's Budget the low paid will suffer even more for working.
So, the next time you hear Gordon Brown boast that he has lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty, remember this: in 2005, 1.4 million people who were not working claimed tax credits. These are the people that Gordon claims to have helped.
But these people have not been lifted out of poverty. They are not working. They have been given a handout. A handout that makes it far less likely that they will ever work their way out of poverty themselves. A handout that actually entrenches poverty for generation after generation as their children learn how the system punishes work and rewards unemployment and the concept of work being better than welfare recedes into family history.
So what do we think of the next Prime Minister?- A complete and utter tosser!
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-04-01 03:01:54
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