Derbyshire Dales District | |
|---|---|
Non-metropolitan district | |
 View ofMatlock, both the administrative centre of Derbyshire Dales and the officialcounty town of Derbyshire | |
 Shown withinDerbyshire | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Administrative county | Derbyshire |
| Admin. HQ | Matlock |
| Government | |
| • Type | Derbyshire Dales District Council |
| • MP: | John Whitby |
| Area | |
• Total | 306 sq mi (792 km2) |
| • Rank | 41st |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 71,757 |
| • Rank | Ranked 284th |
| • Density | 235/sq mi (90.6/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
| ONS code | 17UF (ONS) E07000035 (GSS) |
| Ethnicity | 97.8% White 0.8% .Asian[2] |
Derbyshire Dales (/ˈdɑːrbiʃɪər,-ʃər/DAR-bee-sheer, -shər) is alocal government district inDerbyshire, England. The district was created in 1974 asWest Derbyshire; the name was changed to Derbyshire Dales in 1987. The council is based in the town ofMatlock, and the district also includes the towns ofAshbourne,Bakewell,Darley Dale andWirksworth, as well as numerous villages and extensive rural areas. Much of the district is within thePeak DistrictNational Park.
The neighbouring districts areHigh Peak,Sheffield,North East Derbyshire,Amber Valley,South Derbyshire,East Staffordshire andStaffordshire Moorlands.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972 as one of nine districts within Derbyshire. The new district covered the area of six formerrural andurban districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[3]
The new district was initially named "West Derbyshire", reflecting its position within the wider county.[4] The council changed the name to "Derbyshire Dales" with effect from 1 January 1987.[5][6]
Derbyshire Dales District Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Paul Wilson since 1 June 2018[9] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 34 councillors |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Town Hall, Bank Road, Matlock, DE4 3NN | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Derbyshire Dales District Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byDerbyshire County Council. The district is also entirely covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[10] In the parts of the district within the Peak District National Parktown planning is the responsibility of thePeak District National Park Authority.[11] The district council appoints two of its councillors to serve on the 30-person National Park Authority.[12]
Since 2014 the district has been a non-constituent member of theSouth 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 Derbyshire Dales do not vote in elections for theMayor of South Yorkshire.[13]
The council has been underno overall control since 2023. Following the2023 election an alliance of theLiberal Democrats,Labour and theGreens formed to lead the council as a joint administration.[14]
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:[15][16]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1974–1976 | |
| Conservative | 1976–1995 | |
| No overall control | 1995–1999 | |
| Conservative | 1999–2023 | |
| No overall control | 2023–present | |
Theleaders of the council since 1974 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terence Wray[17][18] | Independent | 1 Apr 1974 | 17 Jan 1975 | |
| Lewis Rose[19][20] | Conservative | 20 Feb 1975 | 25 May 1978 | |
| Arthur Clemson[20][21] | Conservative | 25 May 1978 | May 1979 | |
| George Ward[22][23] | Independent | 22 May 1979 | 1989 | |
| Lewis Rose[23][24] | Conservative | Jul 1989 | May 1995 | |
| David Fearn[24][25] | Liberal Democrats | 25 May 1995 | May 1998 | |
| Steve Flitter[25][26] | Liberal Democrats | May 1998 | May 1999 | |
| Lewis Rose[26][27] | Conservative | May 1999 | 30 May 2019 | |
| Garry Purdy[28][29] | Conservative | 30 May 2019 | 8 Mar 2023 | |
| Steve Flitter[30] | Liberal Democrats | 25 May 2023 | ||
Following the2023 election,[31] and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:[32][33]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | 12 | |
| Conservative | 9 | |
| Labour | 6 | |
| Green | 4 | |
| Independent | 3 | |
| Total | 34 | |
Two of the independent councillors form the "Derbyshire First" group, the other sits in a group with Labour.[34] The next election is due in 2027.[33]
Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 34councillors representing 21wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[35]
The district is entirely within theDerbyshire Dales parliamentary constituency, created in 2010. The constituency is slightly larger than the district, also including parts of Amber Valley.[36]
The council is based atMatlock Town Hall on Bank Road in Matlock. The oldest part of the building was builtc. 1850 as a house called Bridge House. It was bought by the local council in 1894 and a largeItalianate extension facing Bank Road was completed in 1898. The building served as the headquarters of Matlock Urban District Council between 1894 and 1974. Following local government reorganisation further large extensions were added in 1979.[37]
The district is entirely divided intocivil parishes. The parish councils for Ashbourne, Bakewell, Darley Dale, Matlock and Wirksworth take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have aparish meeting rather than a parish council.[38]
Places in the district include:
In terms of television, the district is served byBBC East Midlands andITV Central.
Radio stations for the area areBBC Radio Derby,Capital Midlands,Peak FM, andHigh Peak Radio.
Matlock Mercury is the local newspaper that covers the area.[39]
