Local Councils Thank Public for Views on Service Reorganisation

Over 7,000 residents, businesses, and organisations have shared their views in the ‘One Derbyshire, Two Councils’ consultation, which explored proposals to reduce the number of local councils from ten to two – with one covering the north and one covering the south of the county.

The consultation, launched by Derbyshire’s eight borough and district councils alongside Derby City Council, ran for six weeks and aimed to gather as many perspectives as possible on the future of council services in the county.

In a joint statement, the leaders of Amber Valley, Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derby City, Derbyshire Dales, Erewash, High Peak, North East Derbyshire and South Derbyshire councils, said:

“Thank you to everyone who has shared their views on our options for the future of local council services in Derbyshire. People and places across Derbyshire must come first when we think about the future of the councils that deliver their services, and we felt it important to ask residents, businesses and organisations across the county what they think about the plans.”

“It will take us some time to thoroughly review and collate the results over the coming weeks, and people’s views will be used to inform our final proposal and business case for how local government reorganisation should be taken forward in the best interests of Derbyshire’s communities.”

The consultation closed on Sunday 10 August, and the results will now be assessed alongside other evidence to shape the final proposal, which must be submitted to the Government by 28 November 2025.

The Government will review the submission, along with any other proposals for Derbyshire, before making a final decision. Elections for the new shadow authorities are planned for 2027, with the new councils expected to begin operating from April 2028.

Background on the Proposal

Central Government has called for a local government reorganisation to simplify council structures across England, aiming to reduce costs and deliver services in a more efficient, joined-up way.

Currently, Derbyshire operates under a two-tier system:

• Derbyshire County Council manages services including social care, education, and transport.

• Borough and district councils handle services such as bin collection, planning, and leisure centres.

• Derby City Council, a unitary authority, provides all services within its area.

Under the proposed reorganisation, two new unitary councils would be created, each delivering all local services in its area – one for the north of Derbyshire and one for the south.

Specifically, for Amber Valley Borough Council, there are three options for how it could be divided under the new structure:

1. Placed entirely in the northern council

2. Placed entirely in the southern council

3. Split between the two councils, with different parishes joining each