In England, devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from national to local government.
The current Government has made devolution a priority and set out plans to create a new network of Strategic Authorities that will cover the whole of England by 2029. The new authorities will be led by elected mayors and will cover a number of local council areas.
Derbyshire is already covered by a strategic authority, since the election of the East Midlands Mayor and establishment of the East Midlands Combined County Authority in 2024.
The Government explained these plans in an English Devolution White Paper, published in December 2024.
This paper also set out plans for local government reorganisation.
Local government reorganisation is the process by which the geographic remit and the roles and responsibilities of local authorities are restructured.
As part of its plans for devolution, the Government announced a programme of local government reorganisation in areas with a 'two-tier' system (as currently exists in areas like Derbyshire), and also of small unitary councils (like the city council that covers Derby) that are part of or neighbour such areas.
In short this means that under the Government’s plans, district, borough, county and small unitary councils will no longer exist. They will be replaced by new unitary councils which will provide all council services to the communities they cover.
The Government believes that local government reorganisation, together with devolution over a larger strategic area, will improve public services and support economic growth.
Derbyshire is a two-tier area served by eight district and borough councils and a county council. The councils currently serving Derbyshire’s communities (excluding Derby) are:
The city of Derby is contained within the boundary of Derbyshire, but all council services are provided by Derby City Council, which is already a unitary council.
Some areas also have town or parish councils which operate within the borough of Amber Valley. These councils are not covered by the Government’s plans for local government reorganisation and will not be directly impacted by the proposed changes.
Unless there is a complete reversal of the policy set out in the Government’s English Devolution White Paper, there is currently no route by which we (or Derbyshire County Council or any other of the borough / district councils listed above) can continue to operate as a council in the future.
As things stand, we will become part of a larger unitary council. Most new unitary authorities are expected to be in place by April 2028.
Be reassured that we will continue to put our communities first – and our services will continue to operate as normal until then – while we work through the local government reorganisation process alongside our partners.
We cannot opt out. All councils must follow the process that is set out in the Government’s English Devolution White Paper, and ‘no change’ is not an option.
The Government has been clear that it wants all councils in two-tier areas and neighbouring smaller unitary councils to bring forward proposals for reorganisation. It intends to deliver this process as quickly as possible, including through legislation, where it becomes necessary to ensure progress.
Government set out criteria which local councils must follow when drawing up proposals, which include:
Government has said it would like all existing councils to collaborate and ideally reach a consensus on the best way forward. However, Government anticipates that in many county areas different final proposals will be submitted.
The final decision on proposals for local government reorganisation will be taken by the Government.
Council Leaders are responsible for holding discussions with other council leaders in Derbyshire and Derby to help produce full proposals by 28 November 2025.
These proposals must be supported by evidence that shows they meet the Secretary of State’s criteria for unitary local government and that there has been widespread consultation and engagement with the public, businesses and other public sector organisations.
Under the current system some services such as social care and highways are provided by Derbyshire County Council, while others such as bin collections, planning, housing and leisure centres are provided by Derbyshire’s district and borough councils.
Under the new system, each of the new unitary councils would provide all council services to their area, rather than being split between the two tiers of local government as currently happens.
We are committed to ensuring councils have a strong and visible presence in their communities. However, there will definitely be opportunities to rationalise our ‘assets’ including council offices and we will consider this as part of the next phase of our work towards the development of our final proposal.
The new unitary councils will set the level of council tax for households in the areas that they cover. There will need to be consolidation of levels as the council tax rates currently set are different in each of the existing district and borough council areas. It means some rates may go up whilst others may go down depending on where you live.
We will be carrying out an extensive consultation and engagement programme in the late spring / early summer of 2025 – to gather views from everyone within our communities to understand their needs and views before we draw up our final proposal.
This will include residents, businesses, and our workforce, as well as the various partner organisations and community / voluntary groups that we routinely work with.
More information about how you can get involved will be shared as soon as possible.
Once a proposal has been submitted, it will be for the Government to decide on whether it should be taken forward and there will be a further statutory consultation at that time. This will likely take place mid to late 2026.
Contact the team directly on 01773 570222 or email enquiry@ambervalley.gov.uk
