Government launches consultation on the future of local government in Derbyshire

Joint press release issued by the Leaders of Amber Valley Borough Council, Bolsover District Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, Derby City Council, Erewash Borough Council, High Peak Borough Council, North East Derbyshire District Council and South Derbyshire District Council.

Proposals for how council services could be delivered to Derbyshire’s communities in the future have been put out for consultation by the Government.

The seven-week statutory consultation is the next milestone in the Government’s Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) process, which will see the biggest shake up of local councils for more than 50 years.

Launched today (5 February), the consultation is seeking views on five proposals for the county area of Derbyshire, which were submitted to Government in November last year:

✅Seven of Derbyshire’s eight district and borough councils, together with Derby City Council, submitted their ‘One Derbyshire, Two Councils’ plan to create two new unitary councils to cover the whole of the county. This plan includes four separate proposals, which differentiate on the basis of where the boundary line between the northern and southern councils is drawn.

✅Derbyshire County Council submitted a separate proposal to create a single unitary council covering the whole of the county.

The statutory consultation is a formal, legally‑required process which must be carried out by the Government before it can make a final decision on which proposal to support.

It is separate to the two local LGR public consultations (one by Derbyshire County Council and one by the districts, boroughs and Derby City Council) which ran last summer and helped to shape the proposals.

Derbyshire residents, businesses and organisations are now being encouraged to have their say on the final proposals in this next round of consultation, which closes on 26 March.

The councils themselves are also invited to submit a formal response to the consultation.

The results will help the Government understand what people and organisations think about each of the proposals, before ministers make a final decision in the summer.

In a joint statement, the Leaders of Amber Valley, Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derby City, Erewash, High Peak, North East Derbyshire and South Derbyshire councils, said: “All councils in Derbyshire were asked to respond to the Government’s call to simplify and transform the way council services are delivered to local people in the future.

“The needs of our communities – now and in the future – are at the heart of our plan to create two new unitary councils covering all of Derbyshire, and its development was shaped by technical evidence and thousands of contributions from local residents and organisations.

“This next stage allows Government to gather further views before reaching a decision on which proposal to implement.

“Our shared priority remains ensuring that any future arrangements deliver effective, sustainable and responsive services for the people of Derbyshire, and we would encourage residents, businesses and organisations to take part in the consultation.”

People can find out more about the proposals – and submit their views – via the Government’s website: Consultation on Proposals for Local Government Reorganisation in Derbyshire and Derby - Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government - Citizen Space

Printed copies will be made available at public buildings including council offices, libraries and sports centres. Alternative formats of all documents should be requested by contacting the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) at: AlternativeFormats@communities.gov.uk

The results of the consultation will help inform the Government’s decision on how local government should be structured in the county area of Derbyshire in the future. A final decision is expected in mid-2026.

Under the Government’s current timetable, elections to any new shadow authority or authorities would take place in 2027, and the new unitary council or councils would start to operate on 1 April 2028.

5 February 2026