North East Derbyshire

North East Derbyshire is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The council is based in the large village of Wingerworth. The district also includes the towns of Dronfield and Clay Cross as well as numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.

North East Derbyshire
Dronfield, the largest settlement in North East Derbyshire
Dronfield, the largest settlement in North East Derbyshire
Shown within Derbyshire
Shown within Derbyshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast Midlands
Ceremonial countyDerbyshire
Admin. HQWingerworth
Government
  TypeNorth East Derbyshire District Council
  MPs:Lee Rowley, Mark Fletcher
Area
  Total106.4 sq mi (275.6 km2)
  Rank128th
Population
 (2021)
  Total102,315
  RankRanked 236th
  Density960/sq mi (370/km2)
Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
  Summer (DST)UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
Postcode
DE, S
ONS code17UJ (ONS)
E07000038 (GSS)
Ethnicity95.7% White

The neighbouring districts are Chesterfield (which it almost surrounds), Bolsover, Amber Valley, Derbyshire Dales, Sheffield and Rotherham.

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of three former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[1]

The new district was named North East Derbyshire, reflecting its position within the wider county.[2]

Governance

North East Derbyshire District Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Martin Thacker,
Conservative
since 22 May 2023
Nigel Barker,
Labour
since 22 May 2023[3]
Lee Hickin
since 2021[4]
Structure
Seats53 councillors
Political groups
Administration (28)
  Labour (28)
Other parties (25)
  Conservative (19)
  Liberal Democrats (3)
  Independent (2)
  Green (1)
Elections
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
2013 Mill Lane, Wingerworth, Chesterfield, S42 6NG
Website
www.ne-derbyshire.gov.uk
Eckington, the second largest settlement in North East Derbyshire
Killamarsh, the third-largest settlement in North East Derbyshire and just adjacent to the border to Sheffield.
Clay Cross, the fourth-largest settlement in North East Derbyshire and close to Chesterfield

North East Derbyshire 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.[5]

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 North East Derbyshire District does not vote in elections for the Mayor of South Yorkshire.[6] The district is also part of The Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership.[7]

Political control

The council has been under Labour majority control since the 2023 election.[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 control1976–1979
Labour1979–2019
Conservative2019–2022
No overall control2022–2023
Labour2023–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2004 have been:[11]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Graham Baxter[12] Labour20045 May 2019
Martin Thacker Conservative20 May 201913 Jul 2020
Alex Dale Conservative13 Jul 202022 May 2023
Nigel Barker Labour22 May 2023

Composition

Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:[13]

Party Councillors
Labour 28
Conservative 19
Liberal Democrats 3
Independent 2
Green 1
Total 53

The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 53 councillors, representing 24 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[14]

Premises

Council House, Saltergate, Chesterfield: Council's headquarters until 2015, pictured shortly after it was built in 1938.

Since 2015 the council has been based at offices on Mill Lane in Wingerworth.[15] Prior to 2015 the council was based at the former Chesterfield Rural District Council's offices at the Council House on Saltergate in Chesterfield, outside the council's own area. The Council House had been built in 1938 and was substantially extended shortly after North East Derbyshire's creation in 1974.[16]

Parishes and settlements

The district is entirely covered by civil parishes. The parish council for Dronfield takes the style "town council".[17]

Settlements in the district include:

Coal mining

The district, along with the district of Bolsover and adjoining areas in South Yorkshire, was a major producer of coal; a large seam of coal was discovered during the construction of the Clay Cross Tunnel in the 1830s. Coal mining became the main industry in the region.[18]

During the 1980s the Conservative government closed down many of the mines after a dispute between the government and the National Union of Mineworkers, which is known as the 1984–1985 miners' strike. The strike was observed by approximately 70% of miners in North East Derbyshire. It caused massive social upheaval as traditionally close-knit communities became divided between those who worked and those who did not. Striking miners went unpaid and were not entitled to state welfare benefits, meaning that thousands of families relied on handouts and poverty became rife. The strike was resolved by the spring of 1985 when the government effectively defeated the NUM and continued its policy of mine closures. The closure of the pits resulted in the closure of many associated industries, which decimated the local communities. Many former pit villages have struggled to recover. There are now no deep pit mines left in North East Derbyshire.

Regeneration

Following the closure of the pits there were large areas of the district left derelict, with old mine workings and spoil tips from the last 150 years of industrialization. Over the last few years these sites have been remediated and regenerated by open cast mining of the remaining surface deposits and reclamation of coal from the old spoil heaps. The sites have then been restored as a mix of parkland, business parks, and housing sites. A lot of the work is part-funded by EEC Coalfield community regeneration grants, to provide money to help clean up the environmental legacy and fund the creation of job opportunities by providing the infrastructure for developments. This has resulted in several large and some smaller business parks, now providing jobs for thousands of people, albeit not of the same skill level as the engineering jobs lost. A lot being warehousing and distribution, as opposed to the old engineering trades.

Arms

Coat of arms of North East Derbyshire
Notes
Originally granted to Chesterfield Rural District Council, 20 September 1954.[19]
Crest
On a wreath Or and Vert out of a mural crown Argent masoned Sable a representation of the crooked spire of Chesterfield Parish Church Proper.
Escutcheon
Or a miner's pick Sable surmounted of a Tudor rose barbed and seeded Proper on a bordure engrailed also Sable eight annulets Gold.
Motto
Regnant Qui Serviunt (They Rule Who Serve)

The council uses its coat of arms as its logo.

References

  1. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  2. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  3. "Council minutes, 22 May 2023". North East Derbyshire District Council. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  4. "Council minutes, 11 November 2021". North East Derbyshire District Council. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  5. "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  6. "The Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield Combined Authority Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2014/863
  7. "D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership". Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  8. Torr, George; Roberts, Georgia (5 May 2023). "Local Elections 2023: Labour big winners across Derbyshire". BBC News. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  9. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  10. "North East Derbyshire". BBC News Online. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  11. "Council minutes". North East Derbyshire District Council. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  12. "New cabinet named in North East Derbyshire". Chesterfield Post. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  13. "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  14. "The North East Derbyshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2017", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2017/1269, retrieved 27 July 2023
  15. "North East Derbyshire District Council set for office relocation". Chesterfield Post. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  16. "Completion of modern offices for Chesterfield R.D.C." Sheffield Independent. 25 March 1938. p. 3. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  17. "Parish council contacts". North East Derbyshire District Council. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  18. "Local industrial heritage | North East Derbyshire Industrial Archaeology Society – NEDIAS". Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  19. "East Midlands Region". Civic Heraldry of England. Retrieved 6 March 2021.

53.20°N 1.50°W / 53.20; -1.50

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