Dear Members,
As we head towards summer — and with the World Cup now somehow only days away — South Derbyshire is doing what it always does best: getting on with it.
Across our towns and villages there is a real sense of summer life returning again. Village events are back in full swing, lighter evenings have arrived, England shirts will soon start appearing again, and after the recent heatwave, it finally feels like summer has properly turned up.
While national politics often dominates the headlines, local politics is still where people see whether somebody is actually turning up, listening and fighting their corner. That is exactly what your Conservative team has continued doing across village halls, at parish council meetings, checking potholes, fighting against pylons, working to deliver local services, and doing whatever is needed to stand up for our communities.
Too much modern politics feels disconnected from everyday life. Most residents are not spending their evenings debating Westminster tactics or obsessing over political point-scoring online. They care about practical things — whether roads are safe, whether villages keep their identity, whether planning decisions make sense, whether infrastructure is fair, whether councils are listening, and whether anybody is prepared to actually stand up for local communities.
That is where your Conservative team has focused its energy. Not outrage for the sake of it. Not performance politics. Just hard work, visibility and trying to get things done properly — which, in local government, still occasionally requires the patience of a saint and the persistence of a terrier.
Over recent months, Conservative councillors and campaigners across South Derbyshire have been heavily involved in local issues affecting residents right across the district. That includes challenging planning pressures, scrutinising major infrastructure proposals, supporting residents facing flooding and drainage issues, pushing for highways repairs, tackling enforcement concerns, and making sure local voices are actually heard.
One thing I never want residents to think is that decisions are simply being imposed on them while nobody fights back. Residents deserve representation that is visible, active and prepared to ask difficult questions. And while we may not win every battle immediately, there is enormous value in communities knowing somebody is prepared to stand alongside them and push for fairness.
Being in opposition should never mean sitting quietly and pretending everything is fine. It means scrutiny, challenge, pressure, and occasionally surviving meetings that feel like they have gone into extra time and penalties.
Over recent months, we have continued holding the administration to account on planning issues, governance concerns, spending decisions, service delivery, transparency, and infrastructure failures affecting residents. Importantly, we have also continued putting forward constructive alternatives.
Earlier this year, the Conservative Group presented an Alternative Budget focused on supporting residents, protecting parish councils, backing local businesses, and delivering better value for taxpayers. That included proposals such as a council tax freeze, support for community grants, protection for parish funding, and a £300,000 Business Start-Up Fund.
Practical ideas. Common sense. And policies rooted in the real world rather than political fashion — which, these days, sometimes feels surprisingly rare.
One thing local government quickly teaches you is that the issues never really stop. Every week brings flooding concerns, drainage problems, planning disputes, dangerous junctions, enforcement complaints, poor mobile signal, highways defects, parking issues, and resident concerns about protecting the character of local communities.
It can be relentless at times, but that is exactly how it should be. Residents deserve councillors who are visible, accessible and willing to put the work in all year round — not just when election leaflets suddenly start appearing through letterboxes like an endangered species returning for mating season.
Representing local communities properly is a privilege, and however busy it gets, it remains work I genuinely care about and take seriously.
One issue residents continue raising with me constantly is the condition of our roads, and frankly, they are right to be frustrated. At this point, some roads across the district are less “carriageway” and more “optional off-road experience.”
Recently, I carried out another pothole reporting walk in my own ward across Aston, submitting multiple reports directly to Derbyshire County Council covering serious defects and safety concerns. Residents are tired of temporary fixes, patch-and-go repairs, and hearing potholes have been “resolved” despite still being visible from space.
People pay enough in taxes. They expect roads that are safe to drive on, and we will continue pushing until standards improve. Although if pothole reporting ever becomes an Olympic sport, Aston Ward may finally bring home gold.
Politics nationally is changing rapidly. Many residents feel frustrated with politics generally, and trust has clearly been damaged across the political spectrum. Trust will not be rebuilt through gimmicks or shouting. It will be rebuilt through hard work, competence, visibility, honesty, common sense, and local leadership people can actually see.
That is exactly what I want South Derbyshire Conservatives to represent — a modern Conservative movement that is rooted in community, proud of our towns and villages, serious about delivery, prepared to challenge authority when necessary, and willing to fight for residents when it matters.
Because local politics still matters enormously, and South Derbyshire deserves representatives who genuinely care about the future of the place.
Finally, thank you to every member and every supporter who still believes local politics can make a difference. Your support genuinely matters.
South Derbyshire is a special place — a place of proud villages, strong communities, good people and a stubborn refusal to give in when challenges appear. And as summer approaches, with village events, community gatherings and hopefully an England team that survives beyond the quarter-finals, there are still enormous reasons to feel optimistic about the future of our district.
We will continue doing what we have always done: standing up for South Derbyshire, protecting what matters, and getting stuck in when our communities need us.
And as a final note, I hope next time I write to you, it is on the back of England lifting the World Cup.
Come on, England.
Daniel Corbin
Chairman
South Derbyshire Conservative Association
Leader of the Conservative Group & Leader of the Opposition
South Derbyshire District Council
