Government dismisses Derby/Derbyshire referendum on huge council change

The Goverment has dismissed calls for a referendum in Derby and Derbyshire over the biggest change in local government for decades.

Derbyshire County Council leader Alan Graves and Derby’s Conservative group leader Steve Hassall set up an online petition calling for a formal public vote on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

Initial proposals drawn up so far could lead to the whole of Derbyshire being split into two huge unitary councils. A public consultation on the plans is currently live.

If the proposed plan turns to reality there will be a northern Derbyshire council and a southern Derbyshire council. A two-council approach, it is said, “will create councils which are big enough to deliver, but close enough to communities to listen and respond to the needs of local people”.

This effectively means Derby City Council, the county council and borough and district councils would be abolished in their current form and merged with a wider authority covering either northern or southern Derbyshire. The boundaries between the north and south councils have yet to be decided but options are detailed in the consultation.

LGR proposals are in place across England because the Government wants to simplify local government structures, making them more efficient and effective for residents.  

But there is deep concern among some politicians that LGR is being “rushed” – with final proposals needing to be submitted to the Government by the end of November. 

Councillor Graves and Councillor Hassall say the public consultation questions residents over which proposal would work best for them – but not if LGR should take place or not.

The petition on the change.org website calls for a local referendum to be held. It says: “The public should be given a direct say. This petition calls for a binding local referendum, so residents can vote for, or against, reorganisation before any final decision is made in November 2025.”

Councillor Graves said: “Personally, I am not convinced that the majority of people care what the structure of the council looks like provided the services are provided. However, I may be wrong which is what this petition seeks to find out. 

“A referendum would in effect save more money than the cost of reorganisation. I believe if we get to a referendum, most people would choose to stay the same.”

Councillor Hassall added: “This is about democracy. LGR will reshape our councils, our communities, and how local services are run, yet no one voted for it. It wasn’t in any manifesto and there’s no public mandate.

“Democracy isn’t free, but neither is doing the wrong thing without consent. A referendum is a modest, one-off cost and the right thing to do.”

But the Labour Government has dismissed any chance of a referendum happening. It said a referendum is not part of the statutory process.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “We are fixing the foundations of local government by ending the costly and inefficient two-tier system and creating simpler structures to ensure residents can rely on good local services. Our ambitious devolution agenda is already shifting power out of Westminster to local people, with mayors delivering housing, jobs and skills across the country.”

The public consultation lasts until Sunday, August 10th. Residents can have their say on the proposals by visiting the consultation website.