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.
The decision to launch a local government reorganisation process was taken by central government, which wants to simplify how councils are organised across the whole of England and make them more efficient, reducing costs while delivering better and more joined-up services.
This affects areas with a ‘two-tier’ system (as currently exists in areas like Derbyshire), and also areas which have small unitary councils (like the city council that covers Derby).
In short this means that under the Government’s plans, district, borough, county and small unitary councils 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 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.
In total, 10 different councils provide services across the county:
'Lower tier' councils
The lower tier councils covering different areas of Derbyshire are Amber Valley Borough Council, Bolsover District Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council, Erewash Borough Council, High Peak Borough Council, North East Derbyshire District Council and South Derbyshire District Council
Lower tier councils are responsible for services including:
'Upper tier' council – Derbyshire County Council
Upper tier councils are responsible for services including:
Unitary councils – Derby City Council
A ’unitary council’ is responsible for providing all council services to the communities it serves.
Each of the 10 councils has its own political leadership and senior management team and sets its own share of the Council Tax bill.
Town and parish councils
Some areas also have town or parish councils which are much smaller in scale and are responsible for services, facilities and public spaces within a community such as parks, village halls, allotments, litter bins, local events, etc.
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.
Below are the key dates within the Government’s current timetable:
March 2025 – Derbyshire’s eight district and borough councils submitted a joint interim proposal to Government, in line in March 2025. Some further work was done to the develop the options within this proposal. The updated proposal is subject to public consultation.
30 June to 10 August 2025 – public consultation and engagement about our proposals will take place with communities across Derbyshire. We want people’s views to help shape a final proposal, which must be submitted for review by Government in November. Take part in the consultation by visiting bit.ly/Derbyshire-consultation.
28 November 2025 – final proposals must be submitted to Government.
Spring 2026 – Government has indicated they will provide feedback on the final proposals setting out next steps (including when we can expect a final decision on the future model of unitary local government for Derbyshire to be made). This could include further statutory consultation on the proposal.
2027 - subject to the Government decision, elections to a new 'shadow' council will take place.
2028 – most new unitary councils are expected to be in place by 2028, under the Government’s current timetable for local government reorganisation.
Government set out criteria which local councils must follow when drawing up proposals, which include:
The Government has said it would like all existing councils to work together and ideally reach agreement on the best way forward. However, the 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 – and engaging with local communities – to help produce full proposals by 28 November 2025.
These proposals must be supported by evidence that shows they meet the Government’s criteria.
Derbyshire’s eight district and borough councils submitted a joint interim proposal to Government in March 2025.
Working with the other district and borough councils, and Derby City Council, we have done some further work to develop a proposal for consultation with the public.
Our proposal would see Derbyshire's 10 existing councils be replaced by two new authorities:
Under the proposal, each of the two new councils will deliver all services in their local area.
There are three possible options for how the area currently covered by Amber Valley Borough Council could be included in the new structure: placed entirely in the northern council, entirely in the southern council, or with different parishes joining each of the two councils, depending on where they may best fit.
Option A: A north / south split of the county, with Amber Valley being part of the northern council
Northern council: Amber Valley, Derbyshire Dales, High Peak, Chesterfield, Bolsover, North East Derbyshire (Population: 584,000)
Southern council: Derby City, South Derbyshire, Erewash (Population: 494,000)
Benefits:
Constraints:
Option B: A north / south split of the county, with Amber Valley being part of the southern council
Northern council: High Peak, Derbyshire Dales, North East Derbyshire, Chesterfield, Bolsover (Population: 456,000)
Southern council: South Derbyshire, Erewash, Amber Valley, Derby City (Population: 622,000)
Benefits:
Constraints:
Option C: A north / south split of the county, with different parishes from Amber Valley joining each of the two councils, depending on where they best fit.
Northern council: High Peak, Derbyshire Dales, North East Derbyshire, Chesterfield, Bolsover, parishes of Amber Valley* (Population: 567,000)
(*Joined by the following parishes of Amber Valley - Shipley, Heanor and Loscoe, Denby, Kilburn, Belper, Hazelwood, Shottle and Postern, Idridgehay and Alton, Ashleyhay, Alderwasley, Ripley, Codnor, Aldercar and Langley Mill, Ironville, Riddings, Somercotes, Alfreton, Swanwick, Pentrich, South Wingfield, Crich, Dethick, Lea, and Holloway.)
Southern council: Derby City, Erewash, South Derbyshire, parishes of Amber Valley* (Population: 511,000)
(*Joined by the following parishes of Amber Valley - Kirk Langley, Mackworth, Kedleston, Ravensdale Park, Weston Underwood, Quarndon, Turnditch and Windley, Duffield, Holbrook, Horsley, Horsley Woodhouse, Smalley, Mapperley.)
Benefits:
Constraints:
The map below shows the detail of option C - with different parishes from Amber Valley joining each of the two councils, depending on where they best fit.
You can read our One Derbyshire, two councils information booklet for more information about what’s happening, what’s being proposed and how you can have your say on the plans.
This is a complex issue, but our key priority is to make sure the needs of our communities are met – proposing new councils that:
Big enough to deliver but close enough to listen and respond to local needs
Derbyshire stretches from the borders of Manchester to Leicestershire, encompassing diverse communities from rural Peak District villages to market towns and the city of Derby.
Our approach recognises that local services cannot be one-size-fits-all. Two councils will be large enough to deliver efficiently whilst remaining close enough to our communities to understand and meet local needs.
The two new councils will collaborate where it makes sense to do so but can also tailor services to the needs of the local the areas they serve.
Opportunities for savings
Early forecasts suggest this restructure could save between £56m - £93m*over five years through:
* Note: These figures are estimated using figures of similar Local Government Reorganisations. They do not take account of Derbyshire’s particular circumstances and are indicative only.
Maintains Derbyshire’s historic border
Our proposal protects Derbyshire’s historic boundaries in terms of the area councils cover – including the city of Derby, which is a key centre of economic growth.
Creates new opportunity for our future
At a strategic level, reorganisation offers opportunities to:
The new councils will also be able to work more efficiently with the new East Midlands Mayor and East Midlands Combined County Authority, which guides large-scale investment across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
Meets Government criteria
Importantly, this approach also meets the Government’s criteria for reorganisation – if councils don’t come up with a viable proposal for their areas, the Government has indicated it will impose (through legislation) a solution that it thinks will work for Derbyshire.
Leaders of the district and borough councils, together with Derby City Council, have been working together in response to the Government’s request for proposals for local government reorganisation.
A range of potential options were explored and assessed in line with our priority to put people and places first, along with the Government’s criteria for reorganisation.
We believe the proposal and options we have set out put us in the strongest position to create councils which are big enough to deliver, but close enough to listen and respond to our communities.
Derbyshire County Council submitted a separate initial proposal to the Government in March 2025, which would also see Derbyshire split into two unitary councils – one new council covering all of Derbyshire (except Derby city), and the current Derby City Council. This was submitted before the change in the political administration at the county council in May 2025 and, at the time of writing, their formal position is unclear.
Initial estimates suggest that the one-off costs to move services and set up the two new councils could be between £15m - £25m*. This will be funded from a mix of existing council reserves and Government support.
* Note: These figures are estimated using figures of similar Local Government Reorganisations. They do not take account of Derbyshire’s particular circumstances and are indicative only.
Each of the two new councils would provide all council services to their area, rather than being split between the two tiers of local government as currently happens.
If you live in a borough or district, where services are split between a district or borough and the county council, it means your services will ultimately be provided by a single 'unitary' council.
If you live in Derby, all your services will continue to be provided by a single council, but the area covered by the council might change.
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 development of our plans.
The new councils would not take over until April 2028 and it’s too early to say what would happen then as many other factors affect levels of Council Tax.
Council services have an impact on the everyday lives of people and organisations across our communities – and it’s important that local people have a say about how these services are delivered in the future.
You can have your say in our public consultation running between Monday 30 June and Sunday 10 August 2025. Your views will be used to shape our final proposal to the Government in November 2025.
Our consultation seeks views from people across the whole of Derbyshire, including residents, businesses, and our workforce, as well as the various partner organisations and community / voluntary groups that we routinely work with.
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.
Take part in the consultation now by visiting bit.ly/Derbyshire-consultation.
You can have your say in our public consultation running between Monday 30 June and Sunday 10 August 2025.
The easiest way to have your say in the consultation is to complete the online questionnaire by visiting bit.ly/Derbyshire-consultation.
You will be provided with background information, and the questionnaire should take around 10 minutes to complete.
We will be running some engagement sessions across the borough if you would like to discuss the plans in person. More information about these sessions will be published shortly.
Hard copies of the questionnaire are available on request – please contact Public Perspectives:
Email: Derbyshire@publicperspectives.co.uk
Freephone: 0800 533 5386 (please leave a message and they will call you back)
If you need help or support to respond to the consultation, or would like the questionnaire in an alternative format (large print, British Sign Language etc) or language please contact Public Perspectives:
Email: Derbyshire@publicperspectives.co.uk
Freephone: 0800 533 5386 (please leave a message and they will call you back)
The consultation is being conducted on behalf of Derbyshire’s eight borough and district council, and Derby City Council, by an independent and specialist research company called Public Perspectives This is to ensure the consultation process is robust and impartial.
Your personal details are managed securely and within data protection laws. Your responses are anonymous and confidential, which means your personal information will not be reported alongside your answers. Each of the partner council privacy notices will apply and anonymised data will be shared between councils. Please visit the following to read Public Perspectives' privacy notice: www.publicperspectives.co.uk/data-security-and-privacy/
You don’t have to provide your postcode information when completing the questionnaire, but it is valuable as it helps us build a picture of the views of people from different parts of the county.
Your responses are anonymous and confidential, which means your personal information will not be reported alongside your answers.
Your personal details are managed securely and within data protection laws. Your responses are anonymous and confidential, which means your personal information will not be reported alongside your answers. Each of the partner council privacy notices will apply and anonymised data will be shared between councils. Please visit the following to read Public Perspectives' privacy notice: www.publicperspectives.co.uk/data-security-and-privacy/
Contact the team directly on 01773 570222 or email enquiry@ambervalley.gov.uk
