New option for the scrapping, merging and creation of new Derbyshire councils has been put forward

At an Amber Valley Borough Council meeting on March 19, councillors agreed to put forward a potential option for a three-council system.

The meeting was told that one potential layout for this system would be the following:

• Council one – Bolsover, Amber Valley and Erewash (324,000 population)
• Council two – High Peak, Derbyshire Dales, Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire (373,000 population)
• Council three – Derby and South Derbyshire (381,000 population)

This new three-council option has been put forward after leadership was told there may be a change to the specification from Government that the scrapping, merging and creation of new councils should see areas with a headcount of around 500,000 population.

Cllr Chris Emmas-Williams, Labour leader, said the new option was simply being put forward so that every viable choice could be open to public consultation.

It joins two other options, both of which would see the whole county split into two councils – one for the North and one for the South.

In one choice, Amber Valley forms part of the northern council, along with High Peak, the Dales, Bolsover, Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire, and in the remaining choice, it would join the southern council alongside Erewash, Derby and South Derbyshire.

Submissions by the districts, who have teamed up to put forward a joint bid, along with Derby, have now all been agreed, but will no longer bear the city’s name.

The city council had been set to approve the two north and south options but did not agree to any interim proposals after a deferral was voted through by the authority’s opposition parties.

Meanwhile, Derbyshire County Council has continued with its own separate submission, without talks with the districts or city, for a two-council option involving Derby remaining the same and the wider county area around it forming a new council – the “doughnut” approach.

At the meeting councillors made clear that plenty of residents had so far not taken kindly to the idea of being merged in with a new council which would include Derby city.

Cllr Emmas-Williams also suggested more people in Amber Valley look to the northern parts of the county, as opposed to the south.

However, Amber Valley does share a joint housing strategy with Derby and South Derbyshire and not with other authorities.

Cllr Emmas-Williams said no option was off the table yet, despite those that were being put forward as interim plans to Government.

He said the authority had a duty to seal the best choice for the people of Amber Valley.

However, he said ideally the borough could remain its own unitary, due to it being the largest by population.

Cllr Ben Bellamy, Belper Independent, said a three-council system could fit the bill in terms of having more local accountability and councillors covering areas that were not too large.

He said: “I would worry about any proposal that tucks us in with Derby city, we will be in with their problems like the Assembly Rooms and everyone knows the issues they have financially.

“I don’t see the north/south split solving any problems. They would have a lack of a local focus and be expensive.”

Cllr Mick Wilson, Labour, said some areas will need to see town councils created in order to meet local accountability for some services.

Cllr Matt Allwood, Labour, said: “We are in the middle here, the centre, and we should be the ones people are fighting over.”

Cllr Lian Pizzey, Green, said Derby had operated for years with a population of less than 500,000 so did not see why this was seen as a necessity for new councils.

He said a three-council system would allow councillors to represent a tighter area, with a more local focus.

Cllr Tony Harper, Conservative, said he did not want to see 300 councillors lose their jobs through the plans. He worried about a merger with Derby due to the pressure to build more housing in Amber Valley.

Cllr Nicholas Beswick, Labour, said: “We are in a stronger position because of our location, our financial position and our services.

“We have the whip hand. We need to be aware of the strength of our position in this. We get to decide.”

Cllr Jamie Wells, Green, said he wanted councillors and residents to read up on all the pros and cons of each option to avoid any “knee-jerk” reactions.

He said parts of the borough do look to Derby as the closest neighbour.

Public consultation on the options will take place some time over the next few months and final submissions for local government reorganisation are due in November.