People urged to have their say on future of local government

A consultation has been launched urging people across Derby and Derbyshire to have their say on how local council services are delivered in the future, as part of the biggest change to local government in 50 years.

A proposal drawn up by Derbyshire’s eight district and borough councils, together with Derby City Council, would see the 10 councils that provide services across the county replaced with two councils – one covering the north of the county, and one covering the south.

Now, people and organisations across Derbyshire are being asked for their views about the ‘One Derbyshire, two councils’ proposal as part of a public consultation running until 10 August.

In a joint statement, the leaders of Derbyshire’s eight district and borough councils, and city council, said: “The current structure of local government in Derbyshire dates back to 1974 and the way people live their lives has changed beyond recognition since then.

“Government has asked councils to work together to come up with plans which modernise and simplify council structures, so all services are run by single authorities and they’re easier for people, communities and businesses to deal with.”

Marketing Derby is urging its Bondholders to take part in the consultation, with plans in the pipeline for a special exhibition at the Derby City Lab and a Bondholder-focused online event.

The decision to launch a local government reorganisation process was taken by central government, which wants to simplify how councils are organised across the whole of England and make them more efficient – reducing costs while delivering services that are better, and more joined-up.

The government asked local councils to work together to draw up initial proposals for their area and it is now time for local people to have their say, before proposals for Derbyshire are finalised and submitted to government later this year.

The leaders’ statement said: “Our proposal recognises that Derbyshire is a large county with differing needs – and in considering the options, we’ve put local people and places first.

“With one council covering southern Derbyshire and one covering northern Derbyshire, we believe we will have councils that are big enough to deliver efficient services, but close enough to listen and respond to the needs of our communities.

“We know local identity – at both a county and area level – is really important to people.

“The proposal for two councils will maintain our county’s historic border, including the city of Derby, which is a key centre of economic growth.

“And although the council boundaries will no longer exist in the way they do now, our communities and places will remain – that sense of belonging is about the people who make up a community, not lines on a map.

“We now want to hear from people and organisations across our communities.

“This is your chance to help shape how services will be delivered in your local area, and how your place fits into the wider plans for Derbyshire.”

Early forecasts suggest that the new structure of local government in Derbyshire could save between £56 million and £93 million over five years, through reduced duplication of services, fewer council buildings, fewer councillors and senior officers, and being able to achieve better economies of scale when buying and delivering services.

To take part in the consultation visit https://online1.snapsurveys.com/Interview/2a5d01f0-fc91-4567-ac16-e2ae57fce464.

Views will feed into the development of final proposals, which must be considered by existing councils and submitted to the Government by 28 November.

A final decision is expected next summer. If the Government accepts the proposals for Derbyshire, elections for the new shadow authorities would take place in 2027 and new councils would start to operate by April 2028.