Derbyshire Dales

Derbyshire Dales (/ˈdɑːrbiʃɪər, -ʃər/ DAR-bee-sheer, -⁠shər) is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The district was created in 1974 as West Derbyshire; the name was changed to Derbyshire Dales in 1987. The council is based in the town of Matlock, and the district also includes the towns of Ashbourne, Bakewell, Darley Dale and Wirksworth, as well as numerous villages and extensive rural areas. Much of the district is within the Peak District National Park.

For the Parliamentary constituency, see Derbyshire Dales (UK Parliament constituency).

Derbyshire Dales District
Non-metropolitan district
Skyline of Matlock, both the administrative centre of Derbyshire Dales and the official county town of Derbyshire
Skyline of Matlock, both the administrative centre of Derbyshire Dales and the official county town of Derbyshire
Shown within Derbyshire
Shown within Derbyshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast Midlands
Administrative countyDerbyshire
Admin. HQMatlock
Government
 • TypeDerbyshire Dales District Council
 • MP:Sarah Dines
Area
 • Total305.9 sq mi (792.4 km2)
 • Rank41st
Population
 (2021)
 • Total71,681
 • RankRanked 283rd
 • Density230/sq mi (90/km2)
Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
ONS code17UF (ONS)
E07000035 (GSS)
Ethnicity97.8% White
0.8% .Asian[1]

The neighbouring districts are High Peak, Sheffield, North East Derbyshire, Amber Valley, South Derbyshire, East Staffordshire and Staffordshire Moorlands.

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 six former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[2]

The new district was initially named "West Derbyshire", reflecting its position within the wider county.[3] The council changed the name to "Derbyshire Dales" with effect from 1 January 1987.[4][5]

Governance
Derbyshire Dales District Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Steve Wain,
Liberal Democrat
since 25 May 2023
Steve Flitter,
Liberal Democrat
since 25 May 2023[6]
Paul Wilson
since 1 June 2018[7]
Structure
Seats34 councillors
Political groups
Administration (23)
  Liberal Democrats (12)
  Labour (6)
  Green (4)
  Independent (1)
Opposition (11)
  Conservative (11)
Elections
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Town Hall, Bank Road, Matlock, DE4 3NN
Website
www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk
Bakewell, which is famous for being the home of the Bakewell Tart.
Ashbourne, known for being both the start of the Tissington Trail and St Oswald's Church

Derbyshire Dales District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Derbyshire County Council. The district is also entirely covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[8] In the parts of the district within the Peak District National Park town planning is the responsibility of the Peak District National Park Authority.[9] The district council appoints two of its councillors to serve on the 30-person National Park Authority.[10]

Since 2014 the district has been a non-constituent member of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (formerly known as the Sheffield City Region); the council sends representatives to meetings of the combined authority, but the electorate of Derbyshire Dales do not vote in elections for the Mayor of South Yorkshire.[11]

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since 2023. Following the 2023 election an alliance of the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Greens formed to lead the council as a joint administration.[12]

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:[13][14]

Party in controlYears
No overall control1974–1976
Conservative1976–1995
No overall control1995–1999
Conservative1999–2023
No overall control2023–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1995 have been:[15]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Lewis Rose ConservativeMay 1995
David Fearn[16] Liberal DemocratsMay 1995May 1998
Steve Flitter[17] Liberal DemocratsMay 1998May 1999
Lewis Rose[18] ConservativeMay 199922 May 2019
Garry Purdy[19] Conservative22 May 20198 Mar 2023
Steve Flitter Liberal Democrats25 May 2023

Composition

Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:[20]

Party Councillors
Liberal Democrats 12
Conservative 11
Labour 6
Green 4
Independent 1
Total 34

The independent councillor sits in a group with Labour.[6] The next election is due in 2027.

Elections
See also: Derbyshire Dales District Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 34 councillors representing 21 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[21]

The district is entirely within the Derbyshire Dales parliamentary constituency, created in 2010. The constituency is slightly larger than the district, also including parts of Amber Valley.[22]

Premises

The council is based at Matlock Town Hall on Bank Road in Matlock. The oldest part of the building was built c. 1850 as a house called Bridge House. It was bought by the local council in 1894 and a large Italianate extension facing Bank Road was completed in 1898. The building served as the headquarters of Matlock Urban District Council between 1894 and 1974. Following local government reorganisation further large extensions were added in 1979.[23]

Places and parishes
See also: List of civil parishes in Derbyshire

The district is entirely divided into civil parishes. The parish councils for Ashbourne, Bakewell, Darley Dale, Matlock and Wirksworth take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council.[24]

Places in the district include:

References
  1. "Resident Population Estimates by Ethnic Group (Percentages) Area: Derbyshire Dales (Local Authority)". Neighbourhood Statistics. National Office for Statistics. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  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. Counties and Districts Changes 1 April 1985 to 31 March 1987 (PDF). London: Department of the Environment. 1987. p. 1. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  5. "Derbyshire Dales: It's official for the New Year". Ashbourne News Telegraph. 25 December 1986. p. 1. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  6. "Council minutes, 25 May 2023". Derbyshire Dales District Council. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  7. "Council minutes, 24 May 2018" (PDF). Derbyshire Dales District Council. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  8. "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  9. "Planning". Peak District National Park Authority. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  10. "Our members by appointing authority". Peak District National Park Authority. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  11. "The Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield Combined Authority Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2014/863
  12. "Progressive Alliance to run Dales council". Derbyshire Dales District Council. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  13. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  14. "Derbyshire Dales". BBC News Online. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  15. "Council minutes". Derbyshire Dales District Council. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  16. "All change on council". Ashbourne News Telegraph. 1 June 1995. p. 1. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  17. "Councillors to decide on a new leader". Ashbourne News Telegraph. 12 February 1998. p. 7. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  18. "Community forums to make comeback". Ashbourne News Telegraph. 26 May 1999. p. 12. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  19. Bisknell, Eddie (10 March 2023). "Derbyshire Dales Tory council leader resigns after private Gypsy promise". Derbyshire Live. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  20. "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  21. "The Derbyshire Dales (Electoral Changes) Order 2022", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2022/776, retrieved 23 July 2023
  22. "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  23. Roberts, Alan (2012). Matlock and Matlock Bath Through Time. ISBN 978-1445609140.
  24. "Parish council contact details". Derbyshire Dales District Council. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
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