Derbyshire County Council

Derbyshire County Council
Type
Type
Leadership
Nick Adams,
Reform UK
since 21 May 2025[1]
Alan Graves,
Reform UK
since 21 May 2025
Emma Alexander
since December 2021[2]
Structure
Seats64 councillors
Political groups
Administration (42)
  Reform UK (42)
Other parties (22)
  Conservative (12)
  Labour (3)
  Liberal Democrats (3)
  Green (2)
  Independent (2)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First-past-the-post
Last election
1 May 2025
Next election
3 May 2029
Meeting place
County Hall, Smedley Street, Matlock, DE4 3AG
Website
www.derbyshire.gov.uk

Derbyshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Derbyshire in England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Derby. The county council is based at County Hall in Matlock. The council has been under Reform UK majority control since the 2025 election. The council is a constituent member of the East Midlands Combined County Authority.

History

Elected county councils were created in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over administrative functions which had previously been performed by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions. The borough of Derby was considered large enough for its existing borough council to provide county-level services, and so it was made a county borough, independent from the county council. The 1888 Act also directed that urban sanitary districts which straddled county boundaries were to be placed entirely in one county, which saw Derbyshire gain part of New Mills from Cheshire but cede its part of Burton upon Trent to Staffordshire. Derbyshire County Council was elected by and provided services to the parts of the county (as thus adjusted) outside the county borough of Derby. The county council's area was termed the administrative county.[3]

The first elections were held in January 1889, and the council formally came into being on 1 April 1889, on which day it held its first official meeting at County Hall, Derby, the courthouse (built 1660) which served as the meeting place for the quarter sessions. William Evans of Allestree Hall, a former Liberal MP, served as the first chairman.[4]

In 1974, the Local Government Act 1972 reconstituted Derbyshire as a non-metropolitan county, with some adjustments to the county council's territory, most notably gaining Derby.[5] The lower tier of local government was reorganised as part of the same reforms. Previously it had comprised numerous boroughs, urban districts and rural districts; they were reorganised into nine non-metropolitan districts.[6] Derby regained its independence from the county council in 1997, when the city council was made a unitary authority.[7]

In 2024 a combined county authority was established covering Derbyshire, Derby, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, called the East Midlands Combined County Authority. The combined authority is chaired by the directly elected Mayor of the East Midlands and oversees the delivery of certain strategic functions across the area.[8]

Governance

Derbyshire County Council provides county-level services. District-level services are provided by the area's eight district councils. Much of the county is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[9][10]

The eight district councils are:[11]

Political control

The council has been under Reform majority control since 2025.[12]

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[13][14]

Party in control Years
Labour 1974–1977
Conservative 1977–1981
Labour 1981–2009
Conservative 2009–2012
No overall control 2012–2013
Labour 2013–2017
Conservative 2017–2025
Reform UK 2025–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1974 have been:

Councillor Party From To
Peter Regan[15] Labour 1974 1977
Walter Marshall[16][17] Conservative May 1977 May 1981
David Bookbinder[15][18] Labour May 1981 1992
Martin Doughty[19] Labour 1992 2001
John Williams[20] Labour 2001 2009
Andrew Lewer[21] Conservative 2009 May 2013
Anne Western[21][22] Labour May 2013 May 2017
Barry Lewis[23][24] Conservative 24 May 2017 May 2025
Alan Graves[1] Reform UK 21 May 2025

Composition

Following the 2025 election, the composition of the council was:[25]

Party Councillors
Reform UK 42
Conservative 12
Labour 3
Liberal Democrats 3
Green 2
Independent 2
Total 64

The next election is due in May 2029.[25]

Premises

The council is based at County Hall, Matlock.[26]

From its creation in 1889 until 1955 the council met at County Hall, Derby, which had been built in 1660,[27][28] despite Derby being outside of the county council's area. In 1955, the council moved to a converted former hydrotherapy complex called Smedley's Hydro in Matlock, which had been built in 1867, renaming the building County Hall.[29]

Elections

See also: Derbyshire County Council elections

Since 2013 the council has comprised 64 councillors. Following the most recent Boundary Review, from the 2025 election each electoral division was represented by a single councillor. Elections are held every four years.[30]

Notable former members

  • Dennis Skinner (1964–1970), later member of parliament for Bolsover
  • Andrew Lewer (2005-2014 Leader 2009-2013), later member of European Parliament for East Midlands

References

  1. ^ a b "Council's new team at the top announced". Derbyshire County Council. 29 May 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  2. ^ Bisknell, Eddie (24 November 2021). "Derbyshire council fills leadership role paying a salary up to £176,000". Derbyshire Live. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  3. ^ Pulling, Alexander (1889). A Handbook for County Authorities. London: W. Clowes and Sons. p. 13. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  4. ^ "Derbyshire County Council". Ripley News. 5 April 1889. p. 3. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  5. ^ Local Government Act 1972
  6. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 3 March 2023
  7. ^ "The Derbyshire (City of Derby)(Structural Change) Order 1995", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1995/1773, retrieved 28 July 2023
  8. ^ "The East Midlands Combined County Authority Regulations 2024", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2024/232, retrieved 6 May 2024
  9. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 22 October 2023
  11. ^ "District and borough councils". Derbyshire County Council. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  12. ^ "Reform wins control of Derbyshire County Council in local election". BBC News. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  13. ^ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Derbyshire" in search box to see specific results.)
  14. ^ "Derbyshire". BBC News Online. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
  15. ^ a b "New No. 2 in Labour top jobs struggle". Derby Evening Telegraph. 11 May 1981. p. 3. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  16. ^ "Tories control county". Ripley and Heanor News. 13 May 1977. p. 14. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  17. ^ "Payments up by £11,000". Stapleford and Sandiacre News. 16 July 1981. p. 2. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  18. ^ Hess, John (13 April 2011). "David Bookbinder sees the Labour Party as the lesser of all evils". BBC News. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  19. ^ Hattersley, Roy (9 March 2009). "Sir Martin Doughty". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  20. ^ Paget, Tim (8 November 2019). "Tributes to Staveley community champion and former Derbyshire County Council leader John Williams". Derbyshire Times. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Derbyshire election 2013: Labour wins back control". BBC News. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Conservatives celebrate Derbyshire County Council result". ITV News. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  23. ^ "Derbyshire County Council's new cabinet line-up announced". Derbyshire Times. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  24. ^ Patel, Asha (2 May 2025). "Reform takes control of Derbyshire County Council". BBC News. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  25. ^ a b "Derbyshire". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  26. ^ "Contact us". Derbyshire County Council. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  27. ^ Historic England. "County Hall, Derby (1279174)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  28. ^ "Short History of Derby UK". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  29. ^ Roy Christian (15 August 1963). "Matlock and Matlock Bath: The Varied Fortunes of a Derbyshire Spa". Country Life. pp. 356–358. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  30. ^ "The Derbyshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2024", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2024/xxxx, retrieved 5 October 2024
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