It follows a period of public engagement in July and August 2025 when we asked local people and partner organisations for their views on 3 options we put forward for reducing 10 councils in Derbyshire to 2 – one for the north of the county and one for the south including Derby city.
During this time we began detailed and independent expert analysis of the benefits, costs and risks of these options by comparing them against those of a single unitary council for the whole area.
All of the evidence we have gathered and the analysis we've carried out suggests that reducing 10 councils in Derby and Derbyshire into a single unitary council covering the whole area is in the best interests of all residents and businesses.
We believe one council would:
- unite Derbyshire and retain the area's strong spirit and identity
- save the most money
- be less disruptive as the largest proportion of council services in Derby and Derbyshire are already run on a countywide basis including essential services with high demand and costs such as adult social care, children's social care, highways and transport, public health, and waste disposal
Local savings
Based on our research, we believe that creating a single council covering the whole of Derby and Derbyshire will save at least an extra £100 million over the first 6 years compared to each of the 2-council options we looked at and at least an extra £20 million every year from then onwards.
Compared to the current local government system in Derby and Derbyshire, that's a saving of at least £144 million after 6 years and £45.1 million per year from year 6 onwards. We believe there would also be lower set-up costs.
Local views
We carried out extensive work to find out people's views and there was significant concern among residents, businesses and other organisations that gave us feedback about splitting the county into more than one authority.
Local identity and services
We believe that creating one new council would:
- unite Derbyshire and retain our proud identity
- be less disruptive and less costly as essential county council services such as adult care and highways would not need to be split
Our proposal for a single unitary council for the whole area includes the introduction of area committees and local teams based in towns and neighbourhoods to make sure local needs are reflected in the council's decision making and the delivery of services.
You can read more about the advantages of a one council system for Derby and Derbyshire, or read our full Uniting Derbyshire proposal attached to this page.
Read our full proposal
You can read the proposal we submitted to government for one unitary council for Derby and Derbyshire attached to this page.
You can also read a summary of the benefits for residents and businesses of a one council system for Derby and Derbyshire.
Other proposals
Seven of Derbyshire’s district and borough councils, and Derby City Council, submitted a separate plan to create two new unitary councils to cover the whole of the county, with one in the north and one in the south. To find out more, visit the One Derbyshire, Two Councils website.
Next steps
Find out more about the timeline for local government reorganisation in Derby and Derbyshire.