FAQs about the local government reorganisation

In England, devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from national to local government. 

The current Government has made devolution a priority and set out plans to create a new network of Strategic Authorities that will cover the whole of England by 2029. The new authorities will be led by elected mayors and will cover a number of local council areas. 

Derbyshire is already covered by a strategic authority, since the election of the East Midlands Mayor and establishment of the East Midlands Combined County Authority in 2024. 

The Government explained these plans in an English Devolution White Paper, published in December 2024. 

This paper also set out plans for local government reorganisation. 

Local government reorganisation is the process by which the geographic remit and the roles and responsibilities of local authorities are restructured.

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 better and more joined-up services.

This affects areas with a ‘two-tier’ system (as currently exists in areas like Derbyshire), and also areas which have small unitary councils (like the city council that covers Derby).

In short this means that under the Government’s plans, district, borough, county and small unitary councils will be replaced by new unitary councils which will provide all council services to the communities they cover.

The Government believes that local government reorganisation, together with devolution over a larger strategic area, will improve public services and support economic growth.

Derbyshire is a two-tier area served by eight district and borough councils and a county council.  

The city of Derby is contained within the boundary of Derbyshire, but all council services are provided by Derby City Council, which is already a unitary council. 

In total, 10 different councils provide services across the county: 

‘Lower tier’ councils  

The lower tier councils covering different areas of Derbyshire are Amber Valley Borough Council, Bolsover District Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council, Erewash Borough Council, High Peak Borough Council, North East Derbyshire District Council and South Derbyshire District Council.

Lower tier councils are responsible for services including: 

• rubbish collection
• recycling
• housing
• benefits and Council Tax 
• planning
• leisure.

‘Upper tier’ council – Derbyshire County Council

Upper tier councils are responsible for services including:

• education
• transport
• social care 
• libraries
• waste management.

Unitary councils – Derby City Council

A ’unitary council’ is responsible for providing all council services to the communities it serves.

Each of the 10 councils has its own political leadership and senior management team and sets its own share of the Council Tax bill.

Town and parish councils

Some areas also have town or parish councils which are much smaller in scale and are responsible for services, facilities and public spaces within a community such as parks, village halls, allotments, litter bins and local events.

These councils are not covered by the Government’s plans for local government reorganisation and will not be directly impacted by the proposed changes. 

Unless there is a complete reversal of the policy set out in the Government’s English Devolution White Paper, there is currently no route by which we (or Derbyshire County Council or any other of the borough / district councils) can continue to operate as a council in the future.

As things stand, we will become part of a larger unitary council. Most new unitary authorities are expected to be in place by April 2028.

Be reassured that we will continue to put our communities first – and our services will continue to operate as normal until then – while we work through the local government reorganisation process alongside our partners.

We cannot opt out. All councils must follow the process that is set out in the Government’s English Devolution White Paper, and ‘no change’ is not an option.

The Government has been clear that it wants all councils in two-tier areas and neighbouring smaller unitary councils to bring forward proposals for reorganisation. It intends to deliver this process as quickly as possible, including through legislation, where it becomes necessary to ensure progress.

These are the key dates within the Government’s current timetable:

March 2025 – Derbyshire’s eight district and borough councils submitted a joint interim proposal to Government in March 2025. Some further work was done to the develop the options within this proposal. The updated proposal was put out for public consultation from 30 June to 10 August 2025.

30 June to 10 August 2025 – public engagement about our proposal took place with communities across Derbyshire, including Derby. Over 7,300 people had their say, together with views put forward by public sector partners, businesses, community and voluntary groups and a range of other stakeholders across the whole of Derbyshire.

August to October 2025 – detailed analysis of results and further evidence-gathering took place to help shape and develop a final proposal.

November 2025 – the final proposal was considered by each of the nine councils’ decision-making meetings.

28 November 2025 – final proposals submitted to Government.

Early 2026 – before implementing any proposal, the Government must legally consult any local authority that is affected by the proposal and any other stakeholders, including members of the public. This statutory consultation is expected to take place in early 2026.

Summer 2026 – the Government has indicated it will make a final decision about which model of local government reorganisation will be implemented.

May 2027 – elections for new shadow authorities would take place.

April 2028 – new councils would start to operate.

Government set out criteria which local councils must follow when drawing up proposals, which include: 

• a proposal should seek to achieve the establishment of a single tier of local government for the whole of the area concerned
• new councils must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks
• new councils must prioritise the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to citizens
• proposals should show how existing councils in the area have sought to work together in coming to a view that meets local needs and is informed by local views
• new council structures must support devolution arrangements (in Derbyshire, this means working with the East Midlands Combined County Authority)
• new councils should enable stronger community engagement and deliver genuine opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment.

The Government has said it would like all existing councils to work together and ideally reach agreement on the best way forward. However, the Government anticipates that in many county areas different final proposals will be submitted. 

In Derbyshire, five proposals have been submitted to Government – the four options submitted under our joint ‘One Derbyshire, Two Councils’ plan (covered in more detail following), and a separate proposal from Derbyshire County Council, to create one large unitary council covering Derbyshire and Derby’s 1.1million residents.

The final decision on proposals for local government reorganisation will be taken by the Government, with a decision expected in the summer of 2026.

These proposals must be supported by evidence that shows they meet the Government’s criteria.