Derbyshire County Council

Derbyshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Derbyshire, England. It has 64 councillors representing 61 divisions, with three divisions having two members each. They are Glossop and Charlesworth, Alfreton and Somercotes, and Eckington and Killamarsh.[2] The authority is controlled by the Conservative Party, who won control in the May 2017 local council election and retained control in the May 2021 elections.

Derbyshire County Council
Coat of arms or logo
Derbyshire County Council logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Chairman
Trevor Ainsworth,
Conservative
since 22 May 2019
Civic Chairman
David Wilson,
Conservative
since 25 May 2022
Barry Lewis,
Conservative
since 24 May 2017[1]
Structure
Seats64 councillors
Derbyshire County Council composition
Political groups
Administration
  Conservative (45)
Other parties
  Labour Party (14)
  Liberal Democrat (4)
  Green (1)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First-past-the-post
Last election
6 May 2021
Next election
May 2025
Meeting place
County Hall
Matlock
Derbyshire
Website
www.derbyshire.gov.uk

The Leader of the Council is Barry Lewis. He heads a cabinet consisting of eight other members – those being Simon Spencer, Carol Hart, Natalie Hoy, Tony King, Carolyn Renwick, Kewal Singh Athwal, Julie Patten and Alex Dale.[3] The cabinet members each have responsibility for particular functions of the council and are assisted by Cabinet Support Members.

History

The council was first set up in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888,[4] 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. The council originally met at County Hall, Derby, a facility which was built in 1660.[5] 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.[6]

District and Borough Councils

There are eight lower tier district/borough councils within the Derbyshire Council area:[7]

Political makeup
For historical political control and leadership, see Derbyshire County Council elections.

Elections are held every four years, the next one is due in 2025.

ElectionNumber of councillors elected by each political party
Conservative Labour Liberal Democrats Independent Green
2021 45 14 4 0 1
2017 37 24 3 0 0
2013 18 43 3 0 0
2009 33 22 8 1 0
2005 14 38 10 0 0

Cabinet/Lead Members
PORTFOLIOS (as at May 2021)[3]
Strategic Leadership, Culture, Tourism and Climate Change
Cabinet Member and Council Leader Barry Lewis
Cabinet Support Member Susan Hobson
Highways Assets and Transport
Cabinet Member Kewal Singh Athwal
Cabinet Support Member Charlotte Cupit
Health and Communities
Cabinet Member Carol Hart
Cabinet Support Member Neil Atkin
Adult Care
Cabinet Member Natalie Hoy
Cabinet Support Member David Muller
Clean Growth and Regeneration
Cabinet Member Tony King
Cabinet Support Member Aaron Gibson
Corporate Services and Budget
Cabinet Member and Deputy Leader Simon Spencer
Cabinet Support Member Linda Grooby
Education
Cabinet Member Alex Dale
Cabinet Support Member Robert Flatley
Infrastructure and Environment
Cabinet Member Carolyn Renwick
Cabinet Support Member Alasdair Sutton
Children's Services and Safeguarding
Cabinet Member Julie Patten
Cabinet Support Member Garry Hickton
Leader of the Opposition
Joan Dixon

Notable former members
  • Dennis Skinner (1964-1970), later member of parliament for Bolsover
  • David Bookbinder (Leader: 1981-1992), controversial leader of County Council [8]
  • Sir Martin Doughty (Leader: 1992-2001)
  • Andrew Lewer (2005-2014 Leader 2009-2013), later member of European Parliament for East Midlands

References
  1. "Derbyshire County Council's new cabinet line-up announced". Derbyshire Times. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  2. "Your council – Derbyshire County Council". Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  3. "New Cabinet announced". Derbyshire County Council. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  4. "The History". Derbyshire County Council. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  5. "Short History of Derby UK". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  6. Roy Christian (15 August 1963). "Matlock and Matlock Bath: The Varied Fortunes of a Derbyshire Spa". Country Life. pp. 356–358. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  7. "District and borough councils". Derbyshire County Council. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  8. "David Bookbinder sees the Labour Party as the lesser of all evils". BBC News. 13 April 2011.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.