'Unusual' election campaign under way in Derbyshire

This is an unusual election for Derbyshire.

That is because it is expected to be the last time we see elections to Derbyshire County Council in its current form, before the government pushes ahead with its plan to streamline councils.

The shake-up announcement saw many councils across England apply to delay their elections this year so that they could focus on reorganisation.

Derbyshire applied but did not meet the criteria for a delay.

Party leaders also tell me it is unusual because it is the first county council election in a long time where the result seems so unpredictable.

Labour seemed to have the momentum last summer to take the county council from the Conservatives after taking the majority of the district and borough councils in 2023's local elections, and sweeping to power across all of Derbyshire's parliamentary seats in the general election in July.

But months on, after a difficult period in government, and more insurgent candidates gaining traction locally, the outcome now looks far more uncertain.

With little certainty over what awaits them in four weeks' time, we asked party leaders in Derbyshire how they plan to persuade people to vote for them on the doorstep.

The Conservatives have been in charge of the county council for eight years and were riding high last time they won in Derbyshire in 2021.

They were by far the biggest party, surging ahead with 45 seats versus Labour's 14.

The Conservative leader of the council Barry Lewis also sought to become the party's candidate for the new East Midlands Mayor, elected last year, but lost out to the former Conservative MP for Mansfield, Ben Bradley.

The contest ended up being another Labour win.

In this election, in his North East Derbyshire ward, Lewis is facing a strong challenge from the Greens, as well as an independent candidate who recently left the Conservatives.

But he says the party is defending a proud record locally.

"We've had eight years at County Hall where we've done, I think, a reasonably good job of ensuring we invest in those key items the public really want to see us invest in," says Lewis.

"Which is ensuring our roads are safe, ensuring that our adult social care, elderly are looked after and our young people are looked after as well.

"And we want to continue doing that. We've just invested £50m in our highways, we've lobbied government for more resources.

"Ensuring we invest in adult social care and children's services, ensuring all our children are safe and well educated. That's what we are focused on here at County Hall as Conservatives."

Labour's buoyant mood in Derbyshire this time last year has been replaced with jitters thanks to anger on the doorstep about national policies, local fall-outs and challenges from Reform UK in particular.

The leader of Derbyshire Labour Joan Dixon says the current Conservative administration has "failed on so many levels".

"They have failed the most vulnerable children with an awful [SEND] Ofsted report, they have closed all our residential care homes, they put up prices for the cost of care at home and the roads are a disgrace.

"People are suffering... they've nearly bankrupted the county.

"We will look at the financial situation, start fixing the foundations of the finances at County Hall and start to rebuild those services that people really rely on in Derbyshire."

The Liberal Democrats finished with four councillors in 2021, a tally they will be happy to see boosted by another four or so on 1 May.

Areas like Chesterfield, where there is no real Conservative presence and the party is already strong on the borough council, are seen as key to boosting their prospects.

The party is also looking to strengthen its presence in the Derbyshire Dales, where the party leads a coalition on the district council, and some South Derbyshire villages like Hilton.

Their leader in Derbyshire, Ed Fordham, says the Liberal Democrats offer "something that is optimistic and positive about the future".

"We believe that things can be done differently, things can be done with you and things can be done for the benefit of the community, not just County Hall's convenience," he said.

"We need to acknowledge the scale of failure [of the Conservatives]."

North East Derbyshire councillor Stephen Reed recently defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK.

Both Labour and the Conservatives fret about how strong Reform may perform in areas like Amber Valley – where they nearly elected their first MP in Derbyshire last July – Bolsover, Erewash and North East Derbyshire.

However, Reform have had their local rows here too, with recent Amber Valley members leaving the party en masse amid rows about selection and party management.

Still, Reed believes local support is strong.

He says Reform in Derbyshire would operate as "the British DOGE at a county level", in reference to Elon Musk's waste-cutting agenda in US government departments.

"People in Derbyshire should vote Reform because it means change," he said.

"Reform is committed to cutting the waste. We will go through the budget line by line... and we will look at where we're getting value for money for residents.

"If we're not getting an efficient service, it's gone, scrapped. We will tell the people and show them where their money's going.

"And we will reinvest into the public services that everybody's wanting, so that's roads, transport, education, social services and infrastructure."

The Greens managed to elect their first and only county councillor in 2021. The party has its strongest presence in the Derbyshire Dales and Amber Valley areas at district council level – where they're hoping for more gains this time.

But their biggest prize would be taking the Conservative leader of the council's seat in North East Derbyshire.

Frank Adlington-Stringer, who also stood as the party's mayoral candidate in 2024, thinks they stand a chance with their pledges to protect green spaces, advocating for housing development only when it comes with the appropriate infrastructure, and protecting vulnerable people.

"The Conservatives and Labour are finished, two-party politics has died a death," he said.

"When I speak to people on the doorstep... they're looking for an alternative.

"They find hope in the Green Party. They want someone who will stand up for them, their communities and their neighbours."

But a number of independent groups in Derbyshire have also sprung up with a similar anti-establishment message.

Many of them are recent defectors from the bigger parties, but others have found themselves falling foul of their old parties, and are running disruptive campaigns locally.

Ross Shipman left the Liberal Democrats in North East Derbyshire earlier this year to form an independent grouping on the council.

He is now collaborating with independent candidates across Derbyshire in an effort to bring about a more independent presence on the county council that would "invest to save for the future".

"[Local people] want something different," he said.

"They want people to take decisions for the communities they serve, and make sure they focus on local people.

"Hopefully we can get more independent voices elected across Derbyshire so that we can start holding the national parties to account."

More information on the election and how to make sure you are registered to vote is available on Derbyshire County Council's website.

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