Plans for two Derbyshire councils agreed by leaders

Derbyshire councils have agreed on a draft blueprint for the future of local government in the region that would create two new councils covering the whole county.

The county's eight district and boroughs, alongside Derby City Council, have agreed on plans for a 'North Derbyshire' and 'South Derbyshire'.

Derbyshire County Council has not given the plan its backing, and will be submitting its own rival plan.

The government wants regions across England to submit draft proposals by 21 March as part of an upcoming local government shake-up.

Each of the councils will sign off on the plans in individual meetings over the next couple of weeks in the run-up to the deadline.

The leaders of the mostly Labour-run councils say the plan involves "two options of equal merit" that meet the government's requirements.

The first would see Amber Valley Borough Council form part of the northern unitary alongside High Peak Borough Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, North East Derbyshire District Council and Bolsover District Council.

A separate southern unitary would be formed by Derby City Council, South Derbyshire District Council and Erewash Borough Council.

The second option would maintain the same structure as the first, however Amber Valley would be placed in the southern council instead.

There will be a consultation process in the coming months for Amber Valley residents to express their preference for which council their area should fall into.

Final plans will be submitted in November this year.

The councils expect the two authorities to work in "genuine partnership" to deliver local services.

The leaders said in a joint statement: "We have explored a range of options that ensure that Derbyshire's historic boundaries remain intact.

"Most importantly, we believe these authorities would be of the appropriate size – the two councils would serve similarly sized populations of around 500,000 residents – to strike the right balance between retaining the strong local connections we already have with our communities and being financially sustainable."

The leaders also dismissed the separate plan that will be submitted by Derbyshire County Council, which would involve a single unitary council covering the whole of Derbyshire excluding Derby, as "too large, and too far removed from the diverse communities that we serve".

"We have invited the leader of Derbyshire County Council to be part of our joint discussions, but this has been declined."

It is thought the county council's plan would cover about 800,000 people, with the government recommending the new councils cover a minimum of 500,000 residents.

Derbyshire's Conservative leader Barry Lewis denied he has been unwilling to engage with the other leaders.

He told the BBC: "Derbyshire County Council has been clear from the outset that we believe a whole-county unitary authority, excluding Derby City, offers the best long-term solution."

The Labour MP for High Peak, Jon Pearce, said on Facebook he welcomed the new plan but wanted reassurances on how "[High Peak's] very differing needs would be addressed".

He has supported High Peak moving towards Greater Manchester's orbit instead of staying within Derbyshire.

The move is not supported by the East Midlands mayor and is thought to be unlikely to be accepted by the government.

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