Leader James Dawson refuses merger with Nottinghamshire. Reorganization plans move ahead with consultant funding.
They’re setting aside money for consultants. These consultants will explore options for this reorganization. The government gave councils deadlines for plans. Interim plans are due in March, and final plans are needed by November.
Derbyshire County Council has its own plan. They want one big council for the whole county. Derby would stay the same size, and current districts and boroughs would go away.
The council leader, James Dawson, spoke up, stating that merging with Nottinghamshire won’t happen. He never supported it despite reports, and he sees opportunities being near Derby and Nottingham.
Another councilor, Wayne Major, dislikes reorganization. He mentioned the financial problems in local government and noted that social care costs a lot. He worries it will take money from other services, meaning bins and parks might suffer.
Major thinks a huge council is bad, and he thinks Derby will expand. It may take in parts of other areas. He thinks consultants aren’t needed to see this.
Joel Bryan said the county wants one massive council. Bryan thinks that’s too far from people. He suggested three smaller councils instead, noting that Derby might need to grow a bit.
The chief executive, Jeremy Jaroszek, spoke about costs. New councils could cost millions. Cumberland spent £19 million on something similar, and the government might help with money.
Jaroszek thinks councils might disagree; they could send in multiple plans. Another councillor, Steve Bilbie, thinks the consultant money is wasted.