Derbyshire County Council has submitted to government a request to be included in the first wave of councils to progress reorganisation of the county's 2-tier council structure, in a bid to improve efficiency, reduce duplication and drive down costs.
Derbyshire currently has 8 'lower tier' district or borough councils and one 'upper tier' county council, each with their own elected councillors.
In December the government announced that all 2-tier councils should develop plans for reorganisation into a single tier, and councils wishing to be considered for the first phase of reorganisation had to express their interest by the deadline of 10 January 2025.
If the county council's request receives ministerial support, the timetable is for a formal reorganisation plan for Derbyshire councils to be submitted to government by May.
Councillor Barry Lewis, Leader of Derbyshire County Council said:
“This is the biggest reform of local government in over 50 years and on behalf of all our residents we must seize this opportunity to improve efficiency and drive down costs.”
“As a county we’ve already shown our commitment to making effective change by successfully creating the first Mayoral Combined County Authority.
“I firmly believe that further reorganisation would open up new opportunities by strengthening our current devolution deal, widening public sector reform, and streamlining how we deliver services – leading to greater opportunity for growth and prosperity for our area.
“Across 9 Derbyshire councils we have over 400 councillors, nine chief executives, several costly headquarter buildings, and many cohorts of senior management. We simply cannot miss this chance to deliver better value for money for Derbyshire taxpayers.
“I am confident that Derbyshire could take a strong, swift and effective approach to redesigning 2-tier local government, streamlining current arrangements, reducing duplication and providing a clear structure which makes sense to local people and helps to meet their needs. We now await government’s response.”
Under the government's plans the county council elections, due to take place on 1 May 2025, could be postponed if Derbyshire is accepted into the first phase of council reorganisation. The programme and timetable is determined by government rather than by local councils.
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