This pages features some frequently asked questions about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR).
The information will be updated as the process moves forward.
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.
As part of its plans for devolution, the Government announced a programme of local government reorganisation in areas with a ‘two-tier’ system (as currently exists in areas like Derbyshire), and also of small unitary councils (like the city council that covers Derby) that are part of or neighbour such areas.
In short this means that under the Government’s plans, district, borough, county and small unitary councils will no longer exist. They will be replaced by new unitary councils which will provide all council services to the communities they cover.
Derbyshire is a two-tier area served by eight district and borough councils and a county council. You have 'lower tier' and 'upper tier' councils in a system like this.
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.
Chesterfield Borough Council is a 'lower tier' council. These councils are responsible for services including:
- waste collection
- recycling
- housing
- benefits and Council Tax
- planning
- leisure
Derbyshire County Council is the 'upper tier council' for our area. It is responsible for services including:
- education
- transport
- social care
- libraries
- waste management
A ’unitary council’, like Derby City Council, is responsible for providing all council services to the communities it serves. Local government reorganisation aims to create unitary councils in Derbyshire, covering a bigger area and greater population.
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, local events, etc.
These councils are not covered by the Government’s plans for local government reorganisation and will not be directly impacted by the proposed changes.
In July 2026 the Government set out its official decision - to abolish the current 10 councils and replace them with two new unitary councils to serve the county’s communities, one covering the north of the county and one covering the south.
Subject to formal parliamentary approval in Summer 2026, these two new unitary councils will be established from 1 April 2028.
The Northern unitary council will provide all services to people living in Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derbyshire Dales, High Peak and North East Derbyshire.
The Southern unitary council will provide all services to people living in Derby, Erewash and South Derbyshire.
The boundary line between the new north and south councils in Derbyshire will split Amber Valley in two, with some parishes covered by the northern council and some covered by the southern council.
Below are the key dates within the Government’s current timetable:
July 2026 – the Government made a final decision about local government reorganisation. It will establish two unitary councils - one covering the north of the county and one covering the south.
May 2027 – elections for new shadow authorities would take place.
April 2028 – new councils would start to operate.
The decision has been made by Government as part of its Local Government Reorganisation programme.
Further information about the decision is available on the Government's website.
Each of the two new councils in Derbyshire will provide all council services to their area, rather than being split between the two tiers of local government, as currently happens.
If you live in a borough or district like Chesterfield, where services are split between a district or borough and the county council, it means your services will ultimately be provided by a single ‘unitary’ council.
However, this isn’t scheduled to happen until April 2028.
Until then, there are no immediate changes to council services, and you should continue to access our services in the usual way.
The Government’s decision to establish two new unitary councils in Derbyshire to is the start of the the next major stage of the programme to prepare for local government reorganisation.
Our priority remains to deliver high-quality services while working positively and constructively with all Derbyshire councils to ensure the transition is well planned, well managed and delivers the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities.
We will keep people updated along the way.
Our priority remains to deliver high-quality services while working positively and constructively with all Derbyshire councils to ensure the transition is well planned, well managed and delivers the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities.
We will keep disruption to a minimum and ensure that high quality local public services continue to support communities during the transition period and beyond.
We will make sure that all essential council services work together to achieve this. That covers everything from waste collection and housing support to public health and social care referrals.
There are already many examples of bringing together shared or joint services across Derbyshire and we will use this experience to minimise disruption for residents, businesses and staff.
A structural changes order is a legal document made by the Government that formally creates a new local authority and sets out how the change will happen. It helps turn proposals for reorganisation into a legally established new council.
A shadow authority is a temporary council created before a new local authority officially takes over. Elections to this council are due to take place in May 2027. A shadow authority is elected to carry out the functions of a new unitary council until that council is operational.
It operates alongside the current councils until the new authority becomes fully operational, helping to ensure services continue smoothly and residents experience as little disruption as possible.
This is the term used to describe the first day of the new council. In Derbyshire, this is scheduled to be 1 April 2028.
The initial investment required to set up the new councils would be paid for out of the reserves of the existing councils. One-off investment costs need to be put into context of the overall £3.8 billion gross budget for the 10 Derbyshire councils.
It’s too early to say what will happen to the level of Council Tax yet, as many other factors affect the rate it is set at.
What we do know is that councils which come together to form new unitary councils must consider how they set a single level of Council Tax that people in the new council area pay. This is known as ‘Council Tax harmonisation.’
We have not yet taken any decisions around things like the location of council offices.
However, as part of this process there will be opportunities to make savings and rationalise our ‘assets’ including council offices, and we will consider this as part of the development of our plans.
But please be reassured that we are committed to ensuring councils have a strong and visible presence in our communities.
Local residents, businesses, public sector partners and community and voluntary groups were invited to put forward their views on proposals as part of extensive engagement activity, which ran during summer 2025.
The feedback we received from local people, businesses and partner organisations –along with a range of other evidence –helped to shape final proposals to Government.
The Government also carried out its own statutory consultation in early Spring 2026, following receipt of all proposals. This was widely shared by all councils in Derbyshire.