How Government plans for new ‘super councils’ may affect Derbyshire’s county election

With just weeks to go before the Derbyshire County Council election both residents and prospective councillors are facing a particularly uncertain future under national plans which could see the landscape of Local Government transformed within the next three years.

The Labour Government’s ongoing Local Government Reorganisation White Paper plans to set up single, unitary authorities across England with elected mayors in counties like Derbyshire have coincided with nationwide county council elections taking place in England on May 1st..

Consequently, the Local Democracy Reporting Service says, candidates will be bidding to secure just two-year terms instead of the normal four as LGR proposals could see councils in two-tier authority areas like Derbyshire – that operate county and then district and borough councils – scrapped or merged and replaced with newly-formed unitary councils as soon as 2028.

Derbyshire County Council’s Leader – during the council’s latest term – Cllr Barry Lewis, has referred to the timing of the Government’s LGR plans as a ‘massive distraction’ with so many county councils preparing for the 2025 county council elections this spring.

The Government has argued that LGR plans for new unitary councils – dubbed by some as ‘super councils’ – will include elected mayors with more powers on planning and transport, and that the changes will create savings, create greater efficiency, improve public services, and support economic growth.  

But critics are concerned about the loss of district and borough councils, a risk of greater Government control, the removal of local decision-making, tax increases, powers being taken away from communities, feared changes to county boundaries and some also doubt the plans will create savings.

However, it is not yet clear how the prospect of LGR may influence county council election voting as the devolution plans have already created a split between the current Derbyshire County Council administration calling for a one single unitary council system while the county’s district and borough councils are calling for a north and south two-layer unitary authority.

Both the county council and the district and borough councils submitted their LGR preferences to the Government before the March 21 deadline and their final proposals are due to be submitted by November 28 but the final shape of these proposals may well still be affected by the outcome of the intervening county election at the beginning of May.

Concerning LGR, a consultation is due to seek the views of all Derbyshire residents, businesses, community representations and public sector partners and the Government is hoping for unitary mayoral elections to happen by 2027 with the first newly-changed councils to be running by 2028.

In the meantime, Derbyshire people will be going to the polls on May 1 for the countywide election to vote for their preferred candidates in their area divisions as the 353 candidates aim to seize one of 64 available seats representing 64 divisions across the county.

Newly agreed changes to divisional boundaries mean that Derbyshire county’s 2025 election will be the first one where the council has had 64 divisions instead of 61 with all but three areas seeing their boundaries redrawn under recent changes and almost all divisions also gaining new names.

Voters will no doubt also be considering Derbyshire County Council’s service responsibilities in their decision-making which include schools, roads, waste and recycling, care for older and vulnerable people and safeguarding children.

The political make-up of the current Conservative-led council during the last four years has included 40 Conservatives, 15 Labour councillors, four Liberal Democrats, two Amber Valley Independents, two Independents and one Green Party councillor.