A request for contributions from residents is made annually by the DRFA. The aim is that by collecting a small contribution each year from all residents, a sufficient reserve fund can be built up to be ready to resurface the road when this is needed in future years.
The Derby Road Fund also pays for the maintenance of the current road surface, the streetlights, clearing the gullies each year and covering any other emergency works that may arise.
For many years, the contribution was collected on a voluntary basis. Following disputes between residents and previous committees over claims that contributions were compulsory based on historical covenants (some dating back to the nineteenth century), in January 2020 the Committee sought legal advice from a solicitor on the issue.
The solicitor’s findings were that none of the historical covenants were enforceable against residents of Derby Road or the adjoining side-roads in relation to contributions to the fund. The Committee accepted these findings and subsequently confirmed to residents that contributions are indeed voluntary.
While contributions are voluntary, it is only through everyone working together and contributing to the fund that we will be able to ensure that the road remains in a safe and usable condition for all residents in the future. It is our hope that all households will be able to support us in this common endeavour that is for the benefit of all residents.
The contribution was originally based on the rates system, but as the number of households on the road grew, a flat fee was then introduced for all households regardless of the size of a property, its location or its amount of frontage on Derby Road itself.
In 2021, the contribution system was changed to one based on Council Tax bands for properties. Residents were consulted on this and the change was voted in at the 2021 AGM as part of the Constitution. The original document explaining the reasons for this change that was sent to residents in 2021 can be viewed here
Having been frozen for four years, at the 2025 AGM, residents approved a modest increase of 2.7% to the contribution levels. Details of the new 2025/26 contribution levels are given here
The Derby Road Fund also pays for the maintenance of the current road surface, the streetlights, clearing the gullies each year and covering any other emergency works that may arise.
For many years, the contribution was collected on a voluntary basis. Following disputes between residents and previous committees over claims that contributions were compulsory based on historical covenants (some dating back to the nineteenth century), in January 2020 the Committee sought legal advice from a solicitor on the issue.
The solicitor’s findings were that none of the historical covenants were enforceable against residents of Derby Road or the adjoining side-roads in relation to contributions to the fund. The Committee accepted these findings and subsequently confirmed to residents that contributions are indeed voluntary.
While contributions are voluntary, it is only through everyone working together and contributing to the fund that we will be able to ensure that the road remains in a safe and usable condition for all residents in the future. It is our hope that all households will be able to support us in this common endeavour that is for the benefit of all residents.
The contribution was originally based on the rates system, but as the number of households on the road grew, a flat fee was then introduced for all households regardless of the size of a property, its location or its amount of frontage on Derby Road itself.
In 2021, the contribution system was changed to one based on Council Tax bands for properties. Residents were consulted on this and the change was voted in at the 2021 AGM as part of the Constitution. The original document explaining the reasons for this change that was sent to residents in 2021 can be viewed here
Having been frozen for four years, at the 2025 AGM, residents approved a modest increase of 2.7% to the contribution levels. Details of the new 2025/26 contribution levels are given here
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