Derbyshire County Council is the upper-tier

local authority Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...

for the non-metropolitan county of

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. It has 64 councillors representing 61 divisions, with three divisions having two members each. They are Glossop and Charlesworth, Alfreton and Somercotes, and Eckington and Killamarsh. The authority is controlled by the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

, who won control in the May 2017 local council election and retained control in the May 2021 elections. The Leader of the Council is Barry Lewis. He heads a cabinet consisting of eight other members – those being Simon Spencer, Carol Hart, Natalie Hoy, Tony King, Carolyn Renwick, Kewal Singh Athwal, Julie Patten and Alex Dale. The cabinet members each have responsibility for particular functions of the council and are assisted by Cabinet Support Members.

History

The council was first set up in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, covering the administrative county. It was reconstituted in 1974 under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

with some adjustments to its territory, most notably gaining

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

which had previously been a

county borough County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent te ...

independent from the county council. In 1997, the city of Derby left the area covered by the council becoming a

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

, but the city remains part of Derbyshire for ceremonial purposes. The council originally met at County Hall, Derby, a facility which was built in 1660. In 1955 the council moved to the current county hall in Matlock. This newer county hall is in a former hydrotherapy complex called Smedley's Hydro which was built in 1867.

District and Borough Councils

There are eight lower tier district/borough councils within the Derbyshire Council area: * Amber Valley Borough Council * Erewash Borough Council * Bolsover District Council * Chesterfield Borough Council * North East Derbyshire District Council * High Peak Borough Council * Derbyshire Dales District Council * South Derbyshire District Council

Political makeup

Elections are held every four years, the next one is due in 2025.

Cabinet/Lead Members

Notable former members

* Dennis Skinner (1964-1970), later member of parliament for Bolsover *David Bookbinder (Leader: 1981-1992), controversial leader of County Council * Sir Martin Doughty (Leader: 1992-2001) * Andrew Lewer MBE (2005-2014 Leader 2009-2013), later member of European Parliament for East Midlands

References

External links

Derbyshire County Council
{{Authority control Local government in Derbyshire County councils of England 1889 establishments in England Local education authorities in England Local authorities in Derbyshire Major precepting authorities in England Leader and cabinet executives