Derbyshire County Council is the upper-tier

local authority Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

for the

non-metropolitan county A non-metropolitan county, or colloquially, shire county, is a subdivision of England used for local government. The non-metropolitan counties were originally created in 1974 as part of a reform of local government in England and Wales, and ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

in England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the

ceremonial county Ceremonial counties, formally known as ''counties for the purposes of the lieutenancies'', are areas of England to which lord-lieutenant, lord-lieutenants are appointed. A lord-lieutenant is the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarch's repres ...

, which additionally includes

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

. The county council is based at County Hall in Matlock. The council has been under

Reform UK Reform UK is a right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Nigel Farage has been Leader of Reform UK and Richard Tice deputy leader since 2024. It has five members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons and one membe ...

majority control since the 2025 election. The council is a constituent member of the

East Midlands Combined County Authority The East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) is a combined county authority in England. The authority covers the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Despite its name, the combined county authority covers only two of the ...

History

Elected county councils were created in 1889 under the

Local Government Act 1888 The Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 41) was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales. It came into effect ...

, taking over administrative functions which had previously been performed by unelected

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

s at the

quarter sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts that were traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388; they were extended to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535. Scotland establ ...

. The

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

was considered large enough for its existing borough council to provide county-level services, and so it was made a county borough, independent from the county council. The 1888 Act also directed that urban sanitary districts which straddled county boundaries were to be placed entirely in one county, which saw Derbyshire gain part of

New Mills New Mills is a small town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England, south-east of Stockport and from Manchester at the confluence of the River Goyt and River Sett, Sett. It is close to the border with Cheshire and above the Torrs, a ...

from

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

but cede its part of

Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 censu ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

. Derbyshire County Council was elected by and provided services to the parts of the county (as thus adjusted) outside the county borough of Derby. The county council's area was termed the

administrative county An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until 1973 in Northern Ireland, 2002 in the Republic of Ireland. They are now abolished, although most Northern ...

. The first elections were held in January 1889, and the council formally came into being on 1 April 1889, on which day it held its first official meeting at County Hall, Derby, the courthouse (built 1660) which served as the meeting place for the quarter sessions. William Evans of Allestree Hall, a former Liberal MP, served as the first chairman. In 1974, 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 ...

reconstituted Derbyshire as a

, with some adjustments to the county council's territory, most notably gaining Derby. The lower tier of local government was reorganised as part of the same reforms. Previously it had comprised numerous boroughs, urban districts and rural districts; they were reorganised into nine

non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially "shire districts", are a type of Districts of England, local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties (colloquially ''s ...

s. Derby regained its independence from the county council in 1997, when the city council was made a

unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...

. In 2024 a combined county authority was established covering Derbyshire,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

and

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

, called the

. The combined authority is chaired by the directly elected

Mayor of the East Midlands The mayor of the East Midlands is a Combined authorities and combined county authorities, combined county authority mayor of the new East Midlands Combined County Authority (Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottinghamshire, Nottingham, Derbyshire an ...

and oversees the delivery of certain strategic functions across the area.

Governance

Derbyshire County Council provides county-level services. District-level services are provided by the area's eight district councils. Much of the county is also covered by

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

es, which form a third tier of local government. The eight district councils are: * 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 control

The council has been under

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

majority control since 2025. Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows: (Put "Derbyshire" in search box to see specific results.)

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1974 have been:

Composition

Following the 2025 election, the composition of the council was: The next election is due in May 2029.

Premises

The council is based at County Hall, Matlock. From its creation in 1889 until 1955 the council met at County Hall, Derby, which had been built in 1660, despite Derby being outside of the county council's area. In 1955, the council moved to a converted former hydrotherapy complex called Smedley's Hydro in Matlock, which had been built in 1867, renaming the building County Hall.

Elections

Since 2013 the council has comprised 64

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

s. Following the most recent Boundary Review, from the 2025 election each

electoral division An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provid ...

was represented by a single councillor. Elections are held every four years.

Notable former members

Dennis Skinner Dennis Edward Skinner (born 11 February 1932) is a British former politician who served as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolsover (UK Parliament constituency), Bolsover for 49 years, from 1970 to 2019. A m ...

(1964–1970), later member of parliament for Bolsover *

Andrew Lewer Andrew Iain Lewer (born 18 July 1971 in Burnley, Lancashire) is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament for Northampton South from 2017 Unite ...

(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