| Derbyshire County Council | |
| Coa Pic: | Arms of Derbyshire County Council.svg |
| Coa Res: | 150 |
| Logo Pic: | Derbyshire County Council.svg |
| Logo Res: | 250 |
| Logo Alt: | Derbyshire County Council logo |
| House Type: | Non-metropolitan county council |
| Leader1 Type: | Chair |
| Leader1: | Trevor Ainsworth |
| Party1: | Conservative |
| Election1: | 22 May 2019[1] |
| Leader2 Type: | Leader |
| Leader2: | Barry Lewis |
| Party2: | Conservative |
| Election2: | 24 May 2017[2] |
| Leader3 Type: | Managing Director |
| Leader3: | Emma Alexander |
| Election3: | December 2021[3] |
| Seats: | 64 councillors |
| Structure1: | File: Derbyshire County Council Structure.svg |
| Structure1 Res: | 260 |
| Structure1 Alt: | Derbyshire County Council composition |
| Political Groups1: |
|
| Term Length: | 4 years |
| Last Election1: | 6 May 2021 |
| Next Election1: | 1 May 2025 |
| Voting System1: | First-past-the-post |
| Session Room: | Matlock_-_County_Offices_frontage.jpg |
| Session Res: | 250 |
| Meeting Place: | County Hall, Smedley Street, Matlock, DE43AG |
Derbyshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Derbyshire in England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Derby. The county council is based at County Hall in Matlock. Since 2017 the council has been under Conservative majority control. The council is a constituent member of the East Midlands Combined County Authority.
The council was first set up in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, covering the administrative county. It was reconstituted in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 with some adjustments to its territory, most notably gaining Derby which had previously been a county borough independent from the county council. In 1997, the city of Derby left the area covered by the council becoming a unitary authority, but the city remains part of Derbyshire for ceremonial purposes.
In 2024 a combined county authority was established covering Derbyshire, Derby, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, called the East Midlands Combined County Authority. The combined authority is chaired by the directly elected Mayor of the East Midlands and oversees the delivery of certain strategic functions across the area.[4]
There are eight lower tier district/borough councils within the Derbyshire Council area:
The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2017.
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[5] [6]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 1974–1977 | ||
| 1977–1981 | ||
| 1981–2009 | ||
| 2009–2012 | ||
| 2012–2013 | ||
| 2013–2017 | ||
| 2017–present | ||
The leaders of the council since 1981 have been:[7]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Bookbinder[8] | 1981 | 1992 | ||
| Martin Doughty[9] | 1992 | 2001 | ||
| John Williams[10] | 2001 | 2009 | ||
| Andrew Lewer[11] | 2009 | 2013 | ||
| 2013 | 2017 | |||
| Barry Lewis[12] | 24 May 2017 | |||
Following the 2021 election, two by-elections in October 2022 and August 2023 and two changes of allegiance in March 2023, the composition of the council was:[13] [14]
| Party | Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | |||
| 16 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 1 | |||
| Total | 64 | ||
From its creation in 1889 until 1955 the council met at County Hall, Derby, which had been built in 1660.[15] In 1955 the council moved to the current county hall in Matlock. This newer county hall is in a former hydrotherapy complex called Smedley's Hydro which was built in 1867.
Since the last boundary changes in 2013 the council has comprised 64 councillors representing 61 electoral divisions. Most divisions elect one councillor, but three divisions (Alfreton and Somercotes, Eckington and Killamarsh, and Glossop and Charlesworth) elect two councillors. Elections are held every four years.[16]