FAQs about the One Derbyshire, two councils proposal

What is your proposal for local government reorganisation in Derbyshire?

In response to the Government’s call for local councils to work together, Derbyshire’s eight district and borough councils, and Derby City Council, have been working in partnership to draw up a joint approach.

In November 2025, Leaders of seven of Derbyshire’s district and borough councils, together with the Leader of Derby City Council, officially submitted their local government reorganisation proposals to the Government – setting out the clear benefits of creating two new unitary councils to deliver all services to local people in the future.

The ‘One Derbyshire, Two Councils’ plan proposes to reduce the number of local authorities covering Derbyshire from 10 to two, with one covering the north of the county, and one covering the south.

The final 'case for change' document details the Leaders’ collective vision ‘for Derbyshire to be a place where people proudly work, live, belong and thrive’ and how creating two new unitary councils would:

Keep councils connected to local people – big enough to deliver but close enough to listen and respond to local needs.
Better enable the provision of effective and value for money services – councils with the ambition and financial stability to transform the services residents receive, especially those relating to adult care, children’s services, SEND and homelessness.
Preserve local identity and protect Derbyshire’s historic boundaries, cultural heritage and environmental assets.
Meet Government’s criteria for unitary local government – with the two councils each serving populations of around 500,000 people.
Support the Mayor of the East Midlands and East Midlands Combined County Authority to grow an inclusive economy, reform public services and secure better outcomes for the region’s communities.

The ‘One Derbyshire, Two Councils’ plan includes four separate proposals differentiated on the basis of where the boundary line between the northern and southern unitary councils could be drawn:

Proposal A (supported by Amber Valley Borough Council):
- Amber Valley joins the northern Derbyshire unitary council with High Peak, Derbyshire Dales, Chesterfield, North East Derbyshire, and Bolsover.
- The southern council includes Derby City, South Derbyshire, and Erewash.
Proposal B (supported by South Derbyshire District Council):
- Amber Valley joins the southern Derbyshire unitary council with Derby City, South Derbyshire, and Erewash.
- The northern council includes High Peak, Derbyshire Dales, Chesterfield, North East Derbyshire, and Bolsover.
Proposal A1 (based on Proposal A, and supported by Bolsover and North East Derbyshire):
- A boundary change is proposed using the geographies of existing parish councils within Amber Valley borough as the building blocks for the proposed configuration of the two new unitary councils, with the populations of the named parish councils either being part of the northern Derbyshire unitary council or the southern Derbyshire unitary council.
Proposal B1 (based on Proposal B, and supported by High Peak, Chesterfield, Derby City and Erewash):
- A boundary change is again proposed but this time using the geographies of different parish councils within Amber Valley borough as the building blocks for the proposed configuration of the two new unitary councils, with more of Amber Valley borough’s population falling under the remit of the southern Derbyshire unitary council.

Derbyshire Dales District Council resolved not to approve the main ‘One Derbyshire, Two Councils’ case for change, but did formally support Proposal A1 as its preferred option for local government reorganisation in the area of the county of Derbyshire.

Which of the four options does Derby Council support?

Derby City Council supported option B1. We believe option B1 (which creates two new unitary councils with a boundary line through Amber Valley) will put us in the strongest position to deliver high-quality services to Derbyshire’s diverse communities.

To reach a conclusion we’ve had to understand and balance a whole range of complex issues which determine how much demand may be placed on council services, and how well the new councils would be able to meet that demand.

This includes housing needs, opportunities for economic growth including jobs, skills and industry, and the health, social care and education requirements of residents now and in the future, including the most vulnerable or deprived who rely on local councils.

Why do you think creating two unitary councils is the best option for Derbyshire?

This is a complex issue – but the people and places of our historic county have been at the heart of our work to develop a proposal for Derbyshire.

Our shared vision proposes a future where services are simpler, communities feel supported, and every part of our county thrives – together with a commitment to significantly transform the services that local people rely on.

We propose a new structure that:

Keeps councils connected to local people – big enough to deliver but close enough to listen and respond to local needs.
Can provide effective and value for money services – with the vision and financial stability to transform the services residents receive.
Preserves local identity and protect Derbyshire’s historic boundaries, cultural heritage and environmental assets.
Meets the Government’s criteria for reorganisation. These include:
- Providing high quality and sustainable public services
- Working together to understand and meet local needs
- Creating opportunities for stronger community engagement and neighbourhood empowerment
- Improving efficiency, capacity and financial resilience
- Supporting devolution

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

Reducing the number of councils from 10 to two will generate long-term savings through things like:

reduced duplication of services
fewer council buildings
fewer councillors and senior managers
better economies of scale.

Financial analysis within the final proposal forecasts cumulative savings of £167m in the first six years, and an annual saving of £44m from year six onwards – equivalent to 3% of the total budget of all current Derbyshire councils.

Maintains Derbyshire’s historic border

Our proposal preserves local identity and protects Derbyshire’s historic boundaries, cultural heritage and environmental assets.

Creates new opportunity for our future

At a strategic level, reorganisation offers opportunities to:

eliminate artificial boundaries that can hamper service delivery
create stronger local leadership with enhanced capacity for transformation and modernisation
develop more strategic approaches to economic development, regeneration and county-wide infrastructure development
improve coordination between local services and external partners
strengthen Derbyshire's voice in regional and national forums.

The new councils will also be able to work more efficiently with the East Midlands Mayor and East Midlands Combined County Authority, which guides large-scale investment across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

Meets Government criteria

Importantly, this approach 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.

Have you considered other options?

Leaders of the district and borough councils, along with Derby City Council, have been working together in response to the Government’s request for proposals for local government reorganisation.

Since the start of 2025, a range of potential options have been explored and assessed in line with our priority to put people and places first, along with the Government’s criteria for reorganisation.

We believe our final proposal puts us in the strongest position to create councils which are big enough to deliver, but close enough to listen and respond to our communities.

Are there any other proposals for Derbyshire?

Derbyshire County Council was not involved in the initial development of the proposals by the boroughs, districts and the city.

It has developed its own proposal to create a single unitary council for the whole of the county. This would serve a population of £1.1milllion people – making it the second largest council in England, and Europe, and of a size similar to Birmingham City Council.

We don’t believe a council this big would be able to effectively meet the needs of Derbyshire’s diverse communities.

Although Derbyshire County Council has been developing a separate proposal to submit to Government, all ten councils have worked together to share information and ensure robust and accurate data is included to support the submission of proposals to Government.

Will the proposal save money?

Reducing the number of councils from 10 to two will generate long-term savings through things like:

Reduced duplication of services.
Fewer council buildings.
Fewer councillors and senior managers.
Better economies of scale.

Financial analysis* within the final proposal forecasts cumulative savings of £167m in the first six years, and an annual saving of £44m from year six onwards – equivalent to 3% of the total budget of all current Derbyshire councils.

* The financial forecast is based on substantial research and analysis but can only ever be an estimation at this early stage and is subject to change.

How will these changes be paid for?

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.

*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.

Which services would the new councils provide?

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.

What will it mean for my council services?

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 will change.

Will my council services be disrupted during local government reorganisation?

We know that it is really important to local people that we keep disruption to a minimum and ensure that our high quality local public services continue to support local communities during the transition.

We will make sure that all essential council services work together seamlessly. That covers everything from waste collection and housing support to public health and social care referrals.

There are already many examples of bringing together shared or joint services across Derbyshire and we will use this experience to minimise disruption for residents, businesses and staff.

Will you be closing any of the main council offices?

We have not yet taken any decisions around things like the location of council offices.

However, as part of this process there will be opportunities to make savings and rationalise our ‘assets’ including council offices, and we will consider this as part of the development of our plans.

But please be reassured that we are committed to ensuring councils have a strong and visible presence in our communities.

Will Council Tax go up or down following reorganisation?

It’s too early to say what will happen to the level of Council Tax yet, as many other factors affect the rate it is set at.

What we do know is that councils which come together to form new unitary councils have to consider how they set a single level of Council Tax that people in the new council area pay. This is known as ‘Council Tax harmonisation.’

Have local people had a say on your proposals for local government reorganisation?

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.

Local residents, businesses, public sector partners and community and voluntary groups were invited to put forward their views on our One Derbyshire, Two Council proposal as part of extensive engagement activity, which ran from 30 June to 10 August 2025.

We gathered detailed feedback from organisations and partner networks from across the county, to ensure the views of our varied communities were represented.

Our engagement activities included a survey, in which over 7,300 residents participated in, we facilitated 27 in-person sessions that included hundreds of conversations, and interviewed all our key partners including the NHS, police and local businesses, which has provided valuable insights and information.

Feedback included valuable information contained within the ‘open’ questions, which allowed respondents to share their views outside of the structured questions, and tell us – in their own words – what is important to them, now and in the future.

An independent provider ran the survey and analysed the results on behalf of the nine councils.

The feedback we received from local people, businesses and partner organisations – along with a range of other evidence – have helped to shape our final proposal.

Once a final 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.

What did people say and where can I see the results?

The extensive survey and engagement activity generated a whole range of varied views and responses from residents, businesses and organisations across all parts of Derbyshire.

The consistent message coming through from Derbyshire’s diverse communities was that people want simpler council structures that:

remain close to residents.
improve services
use public resources and money carefully.

A report setting out the full results of the public consultation has been produced by the independent provider which ran the survey on behalf of the nine partner councils (Public Perspectives).

It was published alongside the reports which were considered by Derby City Council on Thursday 6 November.