Amber Valley

Amber Valley is a local government district with borough status in the east of Derbyshire, England, taking its name from the River Amber. Its council is based in Ripley. The district covers a semi-rural area lying to the north of the city of Derby. The district contains four main towns whose economy was based on coal mining and remains to some extent influenced by engineering, distribution and manufacturing, holding for instance the headquarters and production site of Thorntons confectionery.

This article is about the non-metropolitan district in the Midlands of England. For the associated constituency of the UK Parliament, see Amber Valley (UK Parliament constituency). For the community in Canada, see Amber Valley, Alberta.

Borough of Amber Valley
Non-metropolitan district and borough
Ripley, the administrative centre of Amber Valley and the second largest settlement in the borough
Ripley, the administrative centre of Amber Valley and the second largest settlement in the borough
Shown within Derbyshire
Shown within Derbyshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast Midlands
Ceremonial countyDerbyshire
Admin. HQRipley
Government
 • TypeAmber Valley Borough Council
 • Leadership:Leader & Cabinet
 • MPs:Nigel Mills,
Pauline Latham,
Sarah Dines
Area
 • Total102.5 sq mi (265.4 km2)
 • Rank132nd
Population
 (2021)
 • Total126,489
 • RankRanked 185th
 • Density1,200/sq mi (480/km2)
Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
Postcode
DE
ONS code17UB (ONS) E07000032 (GSS)
Ethnicity97.8% White
0.9% S.Asian[1]

The seat in the House of Commons of Amber Valley is of smaller scope.

The village of Crich and other parts of the district were the setting for ITV drama series Peak Practice.

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as one of nine districts within Derbyshire. The new district covered the area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[2]

The new district was named Amber Valley, after the River Amber.[3] Amber Valley was granted borough status in 1989, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.[4]

Governance
Amber Valley Borough Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Tony Holmes,
Labour
since 24 May 2023
Chris Emmas-Williams,
Labour
since 24 May 2023
Sylvia Delahay
Simon Gladwin
Structure
Seats42
Political groups
Administration (26)
  Labour (26)
Opposition (16)
  Conservative (7)
  Green (6)
  Belper Independents (2)
  Liberal Democrats (1)
Elections
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
2027
Meeting place
Town Hall, Market Place, Ripley, DE5 3BT
Website
www.ambervalley.gov.uk

Amber Valley Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Derbyshire County Council. Most of the district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[5]

The council does not have a single chief executive position, having abolished the post in 2012. Instead it has two "executive directors". The statutorily-required position of head of paid service (which is usually held by a council's chief executive) alternates each year between Amber Valley's two executive directors.[6][7]

Political control

Labour won a majority on the council at the 2023 election, taking control from the Conservatives.[8]

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[9][10]

Party in controlYears
Labour1974–1976
No overall control1976–1980
Labour1980–1987
No overall control1987–1988
Conservative1988–1991
Labour1991–2000
Conservative2000–2014
Labour2014–2015
Conservative2015–2019
Labour2019–2021
Conservative2021–2023
Labour2023–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Amber Valley. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2003 have been:[11]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Alan Cox Conservativepre-200317 Dec 2007
Stuart Bradford Conservative17 Dec 200711 Jun 2014
Paul Jones Labour11 Jun 201420 May 2015
Alan Cox Conservative20 May 20158 May 2016
Kevin Buttery Conservative25 May 201622 May 2019
Chris Emmas-Williams Labour22 May 20199 May 2021
Kevin Buttery Conservative19 May 202124 May 2023
Chris Emmas-Williams Labour24 May 2023

Composition

Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:[12]

Party Councillors
Labour 26
Conservative 7
Green 6
Belper Independents 2
Liberal Democrats 1
Total 42

The next election is due in 2027.

Premises

The council is based at Ripley Town Hall, which had been built in 1881 as a market hall and converted to a town hall for the former Ripley Urban District Council in 1907. A modern extension to the west of the building was added in the 1990s.[13]

Elections
Main article: Amber Valley Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 42 councillors elected from 18 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[14]

Alfreton, the largest settlement in the Amber Valley district
Heanor, the third-largest settlement in Amber Valley
Crich Stand

Towns of Amber Valley

Main villages of Amber Valley

Parishes

There are 35 civil parishes in the borough, covering almost the whole area. The exception is Riddings, which is an unparished area, being the only part of the former Alfreton Urban District not to have been subsequently added to a parish.[15]

Arms
Coat of arms of Amber Valley
Notes
Granted 18 October 1989 [16]
Crest
On a wreath of the colours the battlements of a tower Proper issuant therefrom between two abbatical crosiers Or an oak tree Proper fructed and ensigned by a crown of fleurs-de-lys Gold.
Escutcheon
Vert a pale wavy Or a bordure Argent charged with five horseshoes Sable on a chief of the second between two lozenges a cresset Sable fired Proper.
Supporters
On the dexter side a unicorn Argent armed and crined Or gorged with a collar pendent therefrom a cross flory Gules and on the sinister side a leopard Proper gorged with a collar Gules pendent therefrom a fleur-de-lys Or.
Motto
Per Laborem Progedimur (We Make Progress Through Hard Work)

See also

References
  1. Lead View Table
  2. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  3. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  4. "Bulletin of Changes of Local Authority Status, Names and Areas 1st April 1988–31st March 1989" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  5. "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  6. "Executive Director (Operations): Recruitment pack". Amber Valley Borough Council. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  7. "Top three levels of the organisational structure, May 2023". Amber Valley Borough Council. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  8. Torr, George; Roberts, Georgia (5 May 2023). "Local Elections 2023: Labour big winners across Derbyshire". BBC News. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  9. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  10. "Amber Valley". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
  11. "Council minutes". Amber Valley Borough Council. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  12. "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  13. "Historic Monument Record: Town Hall, Market Place, Ripley". Derbyshire County Council. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  14. "The Amber Valley (Electoral Changes) Order 2022", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2022/810, retrieved 1 June 2023
  15. "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  16. "East Midlands Region". Civic Heraldry of England. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
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