Archives
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Life
HMOs scandal rattled Labour Party leader of BDC
GAGGED – that’s how you feel when you try to have a civilised conversation with the so-called leader of the…
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STC
Verbal Outburst by the STC Chair
I’m increasingly turning my attention to BDC, but that doesn’t mean I’ve taken my eye off STC. Oh no! I…
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Places
TOP 10 WEIRD HISTORICAL FACTS ABOUT OUR DISTRICT
My blog is best known for local council scrutiny. This article is something different: no councils, no politics, just ten…
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STC
YET ANOTHER SKELETON IN LABOUR’S CLOSET
Some time ago, S247 decided to fight for the Section 106 money sitting unspent at Bolsover District Council. I’m proud…
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Other
Bolsover District Council DEBT
How much debt does BDC have? £1 million? £5 million? Maybe £10 million? Or maybe £50 million? You don’t know?…
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STC
STC EMERGENCY MEETING, 3 SEPTEMBER 2026
Under old-Labour, most of the key issues at STC were settled in the back room and then rubber-stamped in the…
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Politics
WHOLE ROOM LAUGHED AT CLLR YATES
Cllr Yates made the whole room laugh, like a political clown. David Lammy much? Try to find him in the…
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Events
REAL MONEY, FOR REAL STUFF
This time I’ve got something truly unique for you — a glance behind the scenes of a blogger’s life. I’m…
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Events
Good News – Bad News
It was a mixed week in STC. We started with unusually good news, just to have it countered with disastrous…
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People
OPEN LETTER TO LEADER OF SHIREBROOK TOWN COUNCIL
Dear Mr Smith,My name is Sylwester Zwierzynski, and I’m the owner and editor of a blog about Shirebrook, www.shirebrook247.com. The…
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People
Dead Law — The Freedom of Information Act in Shirebrook
I have just received a response to the Freedom of Information request I sent to STC on 16 November 2025.…
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Life
BDC APOLOGISES OVER ITS £879,000 S106 FIGURES ERROR
I found two mistakes in BDC’s FOI reply. I challenged one of it — and this time, they admitted the…
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STC
STC councillors’ attendance update
I decided to compile a councillors’ attendance chart, so I have less work at the end of the year. While…
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Other
Will Shirebrook lose £500,000 in S106 money?
S106 money. Once again, this town is sleepwalking into another scandal. I’d planned a major piece on this, but I’m…
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STC
July 2026 Full STC Meeting Report
Another Labour councillor has resigned. Ten so far this term… or eleven? I’ve lost count. But the number doesn’t change…
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Events
“NOT BEST PRACTICE”
I am on the trail of a story that will overshadow everything I have written so far. I’m working flat…
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Events
2026 STC AGM — CALM AND PEACEFUL, BUT…
Those who regularly attend STC AGMs know that these meetings are usually full of drama, fiery speeches, backstabbing, and avoidance…
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STC
TAXES IN SHIREBROOK
Some time ago, someone on Facebook tried to argue that the Reform Party in DCC raised taxes more than the…
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STC
LABOURNOMICS: £1 A YEAR FOR 199 YEARS
Shirebrook Town Hall. Born out of scandal. Financed by selling off STC assets, then partly rented out to Bolsover District…
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STC
Two STC Full Council Meetings — April 2026 Report
STC just beat another record. They achieved a 300% increase in meeting frequency in April 2026 compared to 2025. Three…
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Politics
WHO RUNS STC?
You can pretend that a man can become a woman, but reality is different. You can pretend that the Sun…
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STC
STC councillors attendance in 2025
It took me an insane amount of time to make heads and tails of STC’s attendance record for 2025. But…
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Events
Co-option speech
Once again, I was rejected by the Labour Party politicians at the co-option meeting. No surprise there. Below are links…
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Other
100 Days of the New/Old Shirebrook Town Council
1 April is commonly known as April Fools’ Day, but this year it was also the 100-day anniversary of the…
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Places
WARNING: The Cracking Wall of the Leisure Centre
The photograph above, taken by me on 16 February 2026, shows the exterior north-east wall of Shirebrook Leisure Centre. You…
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Politics
225%: That Is How Change Looks Like
I rarely praise STC, but today is the day. Since Reform and Independent councillors joined STC, there has been a…
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Life
79.9% of your tax goes to…
Oh boy, do I have something special today! For the last two years, I have been fine-tuning my favourite AI…
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STC
Freedom of Information Act – Ignored, Neglected, Broken
At the last electors’ meeting, I asked why the Town Clerk of STC never responds to Freedom of Information Act…
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Politics
DEAR DIARY – TODAY I WAS AT A FULL COUNCIL MEETING
I still can’t get over the fact that people don’t understand that a blog is, in essence, a modern-day diary.…
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STC
LABOUR PARTY IS SCARED
Labour Party councillors chose to ignore STC’s own Co-option Policy and handled the process differently, not only from the established…
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