Welcome to my first newsletter of 2026.
I hope everyone has had a good start to the year.
I wrote with optimism in my last newsletter that this year could be an exciting one. So far it has lived up to my expectation. I am estatic that Amber Valley Borough Council has granted permission for work to commence on the Belper Mills.
This ruling is a new dawn for these historic buildings, which are key to the East Midlands’ only Unesco World Heritage Site.
As the preliminary work begins, before more extensive visible work commences, I continue to support efforts that deliver a community-led museum and visitor centre in the North Mill, the oldest part of the site. This includes work to ensure the financial sustainability of such a venture.
Thank you to everyone who has worked to get us to this point. This includes Amber Valley Borough Council, Belper Town Council, EMCCA, Our Belper Mills, Belper North Mill Trust, the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site coordination team, Derbyshire Historic Building Trust – and the site’s owner First Investments Real Estate Management.
In other news, East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward has closed her ‘Big Transport Conversation’, where she asked residents how she should spend a generational £2 billion for transport in the region. You can see below the places I visited in Mid Derbyshire to see how their public transport was, and encouraged residents to respond to the mayor.
I hope to see some of this money used to improve transport infrastructure across Mid Derbyshire. Too many communities suffer from unreliable bus fleets that cause cancellations, are without electronic signage letting residents know when the buses are coming, or don’t have a bus shelter.
You can read my newsletter here.
Yours sincerely,
Jonathan
Jonathan Davies MP
Member of Parliament for Mid Derbyshire