Labour Government accused of “gerrymandering” after Derbyshire council reshuffling from ten to two was announced

The Derbyshire LGR decision map. Image from One Derbyshire Two Councils.

The Labour Government has been accused of “gerrymandering” after the reshuffling of Derbyshire’s 10 councils into two was announced.

Today (July 16th), central Government announced that all of Derbyshire’s 10 councils, including Derby, would be scrapped and replaced with two authorities on a north-south divide.

The north-south split will see Amber Valley carved in two, with Belper, Denby, Duffield, Horsley, Horsley Woodhouse, Kedleston, Kilburn, Kirk Langley, Mackworth, Quarndon, Shipley and Smalley being pulled into the southern council, while all other areas of Amber Valley will be in the northern council.

Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derbyshire Dales, High Peak and North East Derbyshire councils abolished and, with the upper half of Amber Valley (21 parishes), will form the northern council.

Meanwhile, Derby, Erewash and South Derbyshire councils will be scrapped and will form the southern council with the lower half of Amber Valley (14 parishes).

Opposing concerns include Amber Valley wanting to be kept intact, fears over the economic future of a northern council, including deprivation issues, the impact of a “Greater Derby” model on surrounding areas in the southern part of the county, and larger authorities being less able to meet local needs.

However, supporters said these changes would lead to better quality and more efficient services for residents, with less confusion over which council does what, and a need to save authorities from financial decline through the efficiencies of scale.

Overall, this council reshuffle is set to see 447 councillors replaced with 162, though that detail is yet to be finalised, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has been told.

Amber Valley Borough Council had not supported the chosen option, opting for the choice which retained the area as a whole and merged it into the northern authority.

Its own consultation said options which involved splitting the borough in half were the least supported by residents.

Meanwhile, this north-divide has been viewed by Councillor Alan Graves, Reform leader of Derbyshire County Council, as an attempt at “gerrymandering” – organising voting areas to ensure the success of one political party.

He said the Government should have supported the county council’s bid for just one council for the whole of Derbyshire, covering a population of more than one million people, becoming one of the largest in Europe.

Cllr Graves, following the Government’s announcement, said: “I am disappointed they haven’t gone for the one council option, which they have supported in Gloucestershire.

“Any savings compared to the one council option are reduced by about four-times.

“I do believe there has been some gerrymandering, with the Government supporting the options backed by Labour-run city councils in the East Midlands, including Derby. That is clear gerrymandering.”

Communities Secretary Steve Reed has rejected the accusation of “gerrymandering” in Labour’s electoral favour.

Speaking earlier today, Mr Reed said: “The majority of proposals that I have just outlined today as decisions have cross-party support.

“I accept that reasonable people may agree or they may disagree with the decisions, but the important thing now for residents is that we move ahead to realise the savings to secure the economic growth because it is those things that will benefit local people.”

The chosen reshuffle option was backed by Derby, Chesterfield, Erewash and the High Peak, the most of all the five options submitted to Government, but the one most resisted by Labour-run Amber Valley.

Cllr Graves said: “They have appealed to the local Labour councillors instead of doing what is best for the people of Derbyshire. We will do our best to ensure the proposal works and that we can form the new councils on time.”

He said the two-council split would leave the northern council poorer and unable to support itself and the southern council richer.

Cllr Graves said the one positive of the change is the proposal leads to “fewer politicians”, saying “If I myself am a casualty that is fine – fewer politicians is a good thing”.

Councillor Chris Emmas-Williams, Labour’s Amber Valley leader, said: “We’re disappointed that Government has chosen a proposal which would split Amber Valley between two new unitary authorities.

“This wasn’t Amber Valley Borough Council’s preferred option, and proposals to split the borough received the lowest level of support through our public consultation in June 2025.

“This represents a significant change for our residents, communities and colleagues. We will now take the time to fully understand the implications of today’s decision and will continue to keep people informed as more information becomes available.

“Throughout this process, our focus remains on delivering the high-quality services our residents rely on every day.

“There are no immediate changes to council services, and residents should continue to access services in the usual way.”

Meanwhile, Councillor Alex Dale, Conservative opposition leader on the county council, said: “Today’s announcement confirms what many people feared from the start: Labour’s Local Government Reorganisation process was never genuinely about listening to local communities.

“Instead, the Government has backed a Derby-centric proposal, riding roughshod over the concerns raised by residents across the towns and villages surrounding the city, who made clear they did not want their communities absorbed into a Greater Derby authority.

“We stand ready to work with local residents to continue opposing these ill-thought-through plans.

“We also have significant concerns that this decision risks creating an unbalanced settlement across Derbyshire, with the new northern authority facing major challenges including rurality, deprivation, health inequalities and an ageing population, while having a significantly weaker economic base than the south.

“If local government reorganisation is being forced upon Derbyshire, a county-wide unitary authority excluding Derby City, which we first proposed last year, would have done far more to protect Derbyshire’s identity, keep rural communities together and deliver genuine efficiencies for residents.

“We also remain unconvinced that the timetable is realistic or that the promised financial benefits will ever fully materialise.

“The economic case for LGR that ministers relied upon at the outset has steadily evaporated as the true scale of costs and disruption has become apparent. Residents want good services and value for money from the hard-earned taxes they pay, not years of expensive structural upheaval and uncertainty.

“The Government must now explain how both new authorities will be fairly funded, because residents cannot simply be expected to pay higher council tax to make this reorganisation work.”

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Labour’s Chesterfield Borough Council leader, said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redesign and modernise council services so that they better meet the needs of our residents and businesses, and I welcome today’s news.

“We are confident it provides the best foundation to plan for the future needs of our communities, ensuring local government has the capacity, resources and resilience to support growth, deliver vital services and respond to changing demands in the years ahead.”

Cllr Robert Pearson, Leader of South Derbyshire District Council, said: “This is a significant day in the context of local Government in Derbyshire, and something we have been preparing ourselves for over the past 18 months.

“It has been an uncertain time for us all since we first heard the announcement about Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in December 2024. Now we have clarity.

“In the meantime, our focus will not waiver on delivering quality services to shape our environment, drive our economy and support our communities across South Derbyshire.”

The council reshuffle is aimed at improving services for residents and making financial savings.

However, just last week the chief executives of all 10 Derbyshire councils said proposed savings had all but disappeared.

Elections for the two new councils will take place next year and the new authorities will launch in April 2028.