STC 2026 shenanigans begin!
Less than ten days before the scheduled Finance & Growth Committee meeting, the Town Clerk cancelled it and convened a Full Council meeting instead. According to the Standing Orders of STC… well, who cares about Standing Orders, right? Changing the meeting format so close to the date has monumental ramifications.
It means councillors will not be able to propose agenda items, and residents will not be able to submit questions. Yes — the 2026 Labour/Town Clerk political games have begun, right out of the gate.
CHAPTER: SHORTCUT
To be perfectly honest, the Finance & Growth Committee would not have met anyway. It currently has no quorum. However, this unusual manoeuvre looks like a borderline unlawful shortcut under the Standing Orders, used to restart STC operations as quickly as possible. What STC should have done was convene an Extraordinary Meeting to appoint committees and their chairs, and then meet properly in the following weeks to clear the backlog.
Instead, no one appears to have considered that route, and the Town Clerk took it upon herself to decide how STC should resume operations. That may be better than nothing — but I challenge anyone to point to a paragraph in the Standing Orders that allows a Clerk to cancel meetings at will and replace them with another format.
CHAPTER: TOWN CLERK AGENDA
Who actually drafted this agenda? Were there any undeclared interests involved in shaping it? No idea. One is for sure- no resident and no councillor could apply to include anything in meeting due to SO limitations. Labour-led councils ignoring democratic procedures? Colour me surprised…
What is on the agenda? It’s wild. You can read it for yourself on STC website:
https://www.shirebrooktowncouncil.gov.uk/uploads/fc-2026-01-14-agenda.pdf?v=1767967658
For someone less inclined to watch STC closely, the agenda looks professional. Nothing out of the order. But here’s the thing: for someone who knows how local government should operate, this document is wild. Starting with…
CHAPTER: ELECTIONS
STC needs to elect a Chair, Vice Chair, Committee members and Committee Chairs. Did we already forgot how did STC reach a point where no committees are operating, and which political decisions led to that failure? It is Labour induced crisis. And now, Labour will “fix” it.
The problem is this: without addressing previous scandals, corruption and nepotism, they will be building future on rotten foundations. And the agenda contains nothing about previous issues. Who decided those matters should not be revisited? Town Clerk? Or Labour? Because for sure it wasn’t opposition.
CHAPTER: SO-CALLED OUTSIDE BODIES
Please don’t ask me what they do. I was a councillor, and I never received any updates or information about the activities of those “bodies”. That includes the Neighbourhood Watch Liaison. Do you know why safety is never on Labour’s agenda? Because they assigned it to a 92-year-old man.
A man so far removed from reality that he walked into the STC Chamber and started a meeting. He is not the Chair. Not the Vice Chair. Yet we have someone like this acting as liaison in one of the most critical areas of town operations: safety.
Apart from that, all other “bodies” were abandoned. Bolsover Partnership, Pleasley Conservation Group, and BDC Parish Council Liaison — all of those positions were abandoned, and residents didn’t even notice. That’s how effective and important they apparently are.
CHAPTER: BUT WAIT! THERE IS MORE!
Now we get to finances. First: according to agenda, all bank signatories resigned. IN reality: one died in office. How did the Town pay invoices without anyone authorised to sign them off? No idea.
Then, councillors are expected to review the cash book for the period from 1 April 2025 to the end of December 2025. Can you imagine that? A book-thick pile of spreadsheets printed in small font with hundreds of lines of figures. All produced by the Town Clerk, who also holds the title of Responsible Financial Officer. We know how many errors have appeared in recent finance reports, so it would be prudent to ask what controls are in place to prevent repeated mistakes by the Responsible Financial Officer?
CHAPTER: TO DISCUSS THE CURRENT YEAR’S BUDGET
This is essentially proof that the “Finance and Growth Committee” is useless and a total waste of time. Labour usually held a full committee meeting to agree on a tax rise. Now? They will bang out the budget for the entire year in a few minutes, carved out of a Full Council meeting. If you’re worried about the quality of that budget, you’re probably right.
Will STC dedicate funds to safety, youth and elderly projects? Or finally allocate money to finish the pavilion at Warren Terrace? Or look to the future and explore AI opportunities in local government? Or will they raise taxes and call it a day?
For the first time in decades, there is a real and sizeable opposition to Labour in STC. I hope they don’t just roll over and do what Labour wants, which is to pump more money into the Leisure Centre without asking how it was spent.
CHAPTER: THAT’S ALL, FOLKS!
Any updates on ongoing issues in the agenda? No. Update from BDC? No. Crematorium issue? No. Audits? No. HMOs Labour scandal? No. Upate on Section 106 pot spending? IN your dreams. Nothing. Literally nothing of substance on the agenda after a nine months of doing nothing. You need to ask yourslef: which key decisions affecting the town are being discussed outside public meetings? Why are most pressing issues not reflected in the published agenda? Why are we going same path again?
CHAPTER: TWO-PAGE LIMIT
I could end here. There is nothing more on agenda and a one-page article would satisfy my sense of duty to the community and keep me within my self-imposed two-page limit. But then I thought: let’s review who might become the new Leader of STC.
Everything below is therefore extra — the cherry on top of an otherwise dry review of the first STC meeting in nine months that actually has a chance of being completed. So let’s look at who has the biggest chances of becoming the Leader of STC.
CHAPTER: “80+ CLUB” OF OLD LABOUR
Brian Murray-Carr is out of the race. He is old. Very old. Ninety-two years old. At times, he doesn’t know where he is. At times, he confuses facts. Just a few weeks ago, he tried to lead a meeting despite not being the Chair. Councillors laughed nervously instead of telling him directly: You are too old, you don’t know what’s going on, it’s time to resign and pass the torch.
The second remaining member of Labour’s “80+ club” is Fred Gobey. Over the last two years, he has spoken only a few sentences. Literally, he attends STC meetings to recycle air: no input, no ideas, no work — just presence and a vote for Labour.
Some Old Labour councillors resigned honourably, understanding that their time had passed and that the town needed a younger generation. Fred Gobey does not understand that. He can barely string together a coherent sentence, so I doubt he will seek any position. He will keep recycling the air and vote for whatever Party operatives tell him to vote for.
CHAPTER: DALE SMITH
He once tried to push this town into £12,000,000 of debt. A £3,000,000 debt in Creswell led to a 160% council tax rise, so he would need to abandon that twelve-million-pound idea publicly.
If he does that, I could see him as a leader. Yes — I, Labour’s self-declared enemy number one, am saying Dale Smith could be a good leader. Take that, Labour.
The question is: would he actually be a good leader? As with every candidate discussed here, no one can know until the person actually sits in the big chair. Words mean nothing — actions matter. Believe it or not, regardless of who wins, I will be rooting for them. Our town needs a leader, not a party puppet or a bodyguard and fixer for the Town Clerk’s family interests.
CHAPTER: SHAUN CHEESEMAN
He asked questions that the Town Clerk and the “leaders” never wanted to hear. Like me, he managed to extract several vital answers — answers that may well have triggered doubts about the town’s leadership.
Watching him from the sidelines, it’s hard not to notice that his concern for the town’s interests has clashed more than once with Labour’s interests. Would the Labour machine allow someone like that to take a senior position? I doubt it. But then again — maybe that is the plan. Put forward someone who has shown backbone and isn’t afraid to challenge party heavyweights, so opposition would be more inclined to vote for him too? Kinda unifying offer? Maybe, who knows.
My only criticism of this councillor is his tendency to speak at a normal volume during meetings, which in the STC Chamber means too quietly. It’s a large room. To be heard, you need to project. My advice to Cllr Cheeseman: speak louder, and you’re good to go.
CHAPTER: MICK YATES
Labour. More precisely: Old Labour. He served on STC when those strange net-zero deals were signed and run without proper scrutiny. He is the husband of the current BDC leader, which makes it difficult to believe he would fight BDC hard for STC’s interests. In reality, he would act as an agent of old Labour structures — their voice and their messenger. I don’t know him personally, so I don’t have any opinion about him.
CHAPTER: RICKY HOLLAND
He has no council experience. But perhaps that’s precisely what STC needs — no bias, a fresh look, a fresh approach. I would rather see him as a Leader than Mick Yates. I was inexperienced once, and I was massively successful in turning things around. Like me or not, I changed the political landscape of this town. For the better. As with Mick Yates, I don’t know him personally, so there’s only so much I can say.
CHAPTER: OPPOSITION CANDIDATE – ANDREW STEVENS
Of all the opposition councillors, Andrew Stevens stands out. My life experience tells me that if given a chance, he could transform this town beyond recognition. His only weakness is a lack of experience. But perhaps — as with Ricky Holland — that is also his greatest strength. The town needs someone outside existing arrangements, someone new, someone who will push it in the right direction.
I have no doubt he could carry the weight of change. The only question is whether he has the time and the appetite for it.
CHAPTER: SHELLEY ARAPI
She appears to be independent. Decades of business experience, her speech at the co-option meeting, and her lack of dependence on local political networks all suggest she is more than she presents herself to be.
In Britain, running a successful business is treated as normal. For me, it’s something I’ve only managed twice in my life, despite many attempts. Running a successful business requires an extraordinary mix of skills, relentless work and a good deal of luck. Successful business people rarely enter politics because politics bleeds time and money — and business people hate bleeding both. That’s why I suspect she would take on the role of a business community ambassador rather than seek the Chair.
CHAPTER: MARTIN BARBER
I can see him as a leader. I’ve watched him closely. He understands the game and has kept his composure under pressure on more than one occasion. He knows the basics of political life and could mount a credible leadership bid.
His problem is the same as for all opposition candidates: he would need to secure support from ALL opposition councillors and at least a few Labour votes — and then rely on them consistently. That is a tall order. How do you convince Labour to vote for someone who is not “one of them”?
CHAPTER: NEIL BRADBURY
He made a strong impression on me at the co-option meeting. He knows where he wants to be and what he wants to do. Does he want to sit in the Leader’s chair? That, I don’t know. Honestly, I only know what he shared during the co-option meeting. As I’ve said before, lack of political ties can be a tremendous asset.
CHAPTER: DAVID DOWNES
He was Labour and went independent after a series of scandals he could not ignore. He showed integrity. Leaving a dominant political organisation and standing up to it takes courage — and it puts a target on your back.
I don’t think he would even seek the Leader role. I see him more as an outlier — someone free to criticise anyone and propose solutions without worrying how different factions will receive it.
CHAPTER: OLIVER KERSHAW-DICKSON
He mentioned an audit of STC in a Shirebrook247 interview. That alone is enough to make him an enemy of Labour. An audit is the foundation for rebuilding this town. He would make a strong transition leader: clean up corruption, waste and overspending, then chart a future path. So, from my point of view he combines everything Labour dislikes: scrutiny, planning, accountability. In other words: no chance to receive support from their side.
CHAPTER: KERRY KIRK
Her co-option pitch focused on safety. I didn’t sense ambition to lead the whole council. Instead, she seems driven to make Shirebrook safer — and that’s a good thing.
I would happily work with her on grant applications for self-defence courses, CCTV expansion and other safety projects. Focusing on one core issue is not a flaw, and safety is a vital one. We live in one of the most dangerous towns in Derbyshire, and Labour’s decision to place illegal immigrants here does not help. She may not want to be a Leader, but she could be the first Neighbourhood Watch Liaison who actually does something.
CHAPTER: MY MONEY IS ON…
I think Labour will bet on Dale Smith, the current Vice Chair of STC. It’s a safe choice, a man with experience in STC. No matter who wins, I wish that person good luck. We need a good leader- no matter who he/she is.
As for the opposition — honestly, I have no idea. They need to field someone. Giving up without a fight would send a bad signal to the electorate. One thing is certain: the new Leader must follow the rules, confront the past and propose a plan for the future. The “that will do” attitude of tired Old Labour dragged our town into a year of total tragedy after a decade of crippling deprivation. We need change — that is a statement we can all agree on.
Sylwester Zwierzynski info@shirebrook247.com
Lead picture: Chat GPT Image model 1.5
