What is Erewash Borough Council's interim proposal for local government reorganisation in Derbyshire?
We, along with most councils across Derbyshire, have joined forces to submit an interim proposal to Government, which put the needs of our communities at its heart.
We support the creation of two unitary councils covering the whole of Derbyshire – one in the north and one in the south.
This initial work has established two options of equal merit that meet the Government’s requirements:
Option one
Amber Valley Borough Council would be part of a northern unitary council, alongside High Peak Borough Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, North East Derbyshire District Council, and Bolsover District Council.
A separate southern unitary council would be formed by Derby City Council, South Derbyshire District Council, and Erewash Borough Council.
Option two
In the second option, the structure remains the same, except Amber Valley Borough Council would move from the northern unitary council to join the southern unitary council instead.
Both options maintain the integrity of the historic county of Derbyshire and reflect the existing boundaries of the district, borough and city councils.
This was submitted to Government in March 2025, in line with their timetable for initial proposals to be put forward.
The plan is then to consult local communities later on in 2025 to get your views on our proposal before any final decisions are made.
Why do you think creating two unitary councils is the best option for Derbyshire?
This is a complex issue, but our key priority is to make sure the needs of our communities are met. We believe that two unitary councils – one for the south and one for the north – would:
- keep councils connected to local people – with councils big enough to deliver but close enough to care
provide effective and value for money services – and the staff and funding going forward to continually improve the services residents receive - protect Derbyshire’s historic boundaries in terms of the area councils cover – including the city of Derby, which is a key centre of economic growth for the county
- meet the Government’s criteria for reorganisation – if we don’t, or where agreement can’t be reached, Government has indicated it will impose a solution that they think works best for Derbyshire.
Which services would the new unitary councils provide?
Under the current system some services such as social care and highways are provided by Derbyshire County Council, while others such as bin collections, planning, housing and leisure centres are provided by Derbyshire’s district and borough councils.
Under the new system, each of the two new unitary councils would provide all council services to their area, rather than being split between the two tiers of local government as currently happens.
Will you be closing any of the main council offices?
We are committed to ensuring councils have a strong and visible presence in their communities. However, there will definitely be opportunities to rationalise our ‘assets’ including council offices and we will consider this as part of the next phase of our work towards the development of our final proposal.
Will Council Tax go up or down following reorganisation?
The new unitary councils will set the level of Council Tax for households in the areas that they cover. There will need to be consolidation of levels as the Council Tax rates currently set are different in each of the existing district and borough council areas. It means some rates may go up whilst others may go down depending on where you live.
How can I have a say on the proposals?
We will be carrying out an extensive consultation and engagement programme in the late spring / early summer of 2025 – to gather views from everyone within our communities to understand their needs and views before we draw up our final proposal.
This will include residents, businesses, and our workforce, as well as the various partner organisations and community / voluntary groups that we routinely work with.
More information about how you can get involved will be shared as soon as possible.
Once a proposal has been submitted, it will be for the Government to decide on whether it should be taken forward and there will be a further statutory consultation at that time. This will likely take place mid to late 2026.