Derbyshire Conservatives

30/09/2026

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐂𝐥𝐥𝐫 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐃𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦'𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 🗣️

When the Conservatives were running Derbyshire County Council, it would be fair to say we didn’t always leap out of bed in the morning looking forward to reading Eddie’s latest story. From time to time he was most certainly a thorn in our side and I suspect he would be rather disappointed if he wasn’t.

But however much we might have disagreed with a story, challenged his interpretation or wished he’d found something else to write about that week, we would never in a million years have dreamt of trying to ban him from County Hall or restrict his freedom to report on the Council.

Freedom of the press is an absolute cornerstone of our democracy. Any attack on the freedom of the press is an attack on democracy itself.

Reform talk a great talk about freedom of speech, but this decision suggests that principle only matters when it suits them. When scrutiny becomes uncomfortable, their response is to try to shut it out. It is an incredibly petulant and childish reaction to not getting their own way.

Unfortunately, we have seen this playbook before. Reform in neighbouring Nottinghamshire imposed a communications blackout on local journalists after taking exception to a story there. Now we are seeing another row over press access here in Derbyshire.

Local residents are sick to the back teeth of Reform’s cut-price Trump tribute act at County Hall. Instead of the constant theatrics, manufactured rows and attempts to grab the headlines, people quite reasonably want to know why they can’t simply get on with the job of running the Council. All this noise increasingly looks like a distraction from their utterly dismal record in office and the awful decisions they ought to be answering for.

Ultimately, this is about accountability. Being held to account can be uncomfortable (and I know that from experience) but good scrutiny makes for better decisions and better decision-makers. Those entrusted with running a council and spending hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money should be prepared to answer difficult questions, not try to avoid the people asking them.

We join those urging Derbyshire County Council to reverse this outrageous decision immediately, restore normal access and allow Eddie and other journalists to get on with their job of reporting on the Council freely and independently.

23/09/2026

23/09/2026

Ada Belfield is staying open 🎊

The home transfers to Welford Healthcare by 30 September, subject to CQC registration. Current residents stay and current care staff stay. The library remains unaffected.

This is good news but it should never have taken this long.

Derbyshire Conservatives gave a commitment to keep Ada Belfield open back in February 2025. We asked the Reform administration for months to match it but they wouldn't. Residents, families and staff were left in limbo while they made their minds up and delayed.

We would rather Ada Belfield had stayed in public ownership, but not while it was losing up to £2 million a year from services other Derbyshire people depend on.

Our position is the same as it has always been. Ada Belfield stays open, and we will be paying close attention to ensure the transfer is successful.

17/09/2026

We are out in force in Ashford in the Water and Bakewell today!

Great response on the doors. A tourist tax hits local businesses and makes a day in the Dales more expensive for everyone. ⚠️

Thanks to everyone who came out!

17/09/2026

Local people are losing their voice on planning

New planning rules coming in from 31 October will make it harder for local councillors to stand up for residents when they object to a planning application.

At the moment, councillors can ask for applications to be looked at by elected members. Under the new rules, that will no longer be possible in the same way.

This means residents could find it even harder to get their concerns heard. People already feel that planners don't listen to them enough, and these changes risk making that even worse.

If residents elect a councillor to represent them, they should be able to expect that councillor to have a proper say when a development could affect their village or neighbourhood.

There is also a big problem with Reform Controlled Derbyshire County Council's highways department.

Time and again, residents raise serious concerns about traffic, road safety, parking and access, yet highways seems unwilling to object to any planning applications on highway grounds.

If elected councillors are going to have less power, we need to know that the people making the technical decisions are doing their job properly. Reform Controlled Derbyshire County Council needs to get a grip of its highways department.

People shouldn't be left with fewer ways to have their concerns heard while developments continue to be waved through.

Residents deserve a voice, and councillors need the power to represent them.

14/09/2026

A tourist tax on Derbyshire is the last thing our visitor economy needs.

The Peak District and the wider county pull in millions of visitors every year. That's £3.58 billion into the local economy and more than 33,000 jobs across hotels, B&Bs, pubs, restaurants, shops and attractions.

Now Labour's East Midlands Mayor wants to slap a levy on people staying overnight.

Conservative Group Leader Cllr Alex Dale took it to County Hall and won the argument. He persuaded the Reform administration to back his call for the council to lobby the Mayor and get these plans scrapped.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Dale said tourism is a fiercely competitive market and that Derbyshire should not "take steps that may make people think twice about coming to Derbyshire".

Derbyshire competes with every other part of the country for visitors. Taxing people for coming here is not the way to win.

Sign our party's petition below 👇

Labour are recklessly pressing ahead with a Tourist Tax that will put THOUSANDS more jobs at risk.

13/09/2026

13/09/2026

Labour are recklessly pressing ahead with a Tourist Tax that will put THOUSANDS more jobs at risk.

07/09/2026

🚨 𝙇𝘼𝘽𝙊𝙐𝙍'𝙎 𝘿𝙀𝙍𝘽𝙔𝙎𝙃𝙄𝙍𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝙊𝙍𝙂𝘼𝙉𝙄𝙎𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 𝙋𝙇𝘼𝙉𝙎 𝙋𝘼𝙐𝙎𝙀𝘿 🚨

The Government has today confirmed that its Local Government Reorganisation plans for Derby and Derbyshire have been paused and placed under review.

The announcement, made by Communities Secretary Angela Rayner in Parliament this afternoon, follows updated legal advice. Four areas have been withdrawn entirely, with 14 more, including Derby and Derbyshire, put on hold.

It comes less than two months, after Ministers confirmed a Derby-centric model for our county, ignoring the concerns of residents across the towns and villages around the city.

Cllr Alex Dale, Leader of the Derbyshire County Council Conservative Group said:

"This is a total shambles from a Government with no plan and no clue what it is doing from one day to the next. In July, Ministers told Derbyshire residents their future was settled.

“Today they have torn up their own decision.

“We warned from the start that this was rushed, the timetable unrealistic and the economic case flimsy. Weeks later, the Government is going back to check its own homework.

"Meanwhile, local government in Derbyshire is left facing yet more uncertainty. Councils cannot plan properly, staff are left in limbo, and residents still have no idea who will be running their services or what it will cost them.

“Labour's 'super councils' were meant to save money. Instead we have a costly legal mess, with Derbyshire residents already hundreds of thousands of pounds out of pocket. Money that should have gone on protecting local services.

"Derbyshire's future should not be decided by whichever Minister happens to hold the job that week. Residents deserve certainty, and they deserve to be listened to."

The Government confirmed local elections in May 2027 will go ahead on existing boundaries.

The Conservative Group will keep scrutinising these plans and standing up for local communities and residents.

16/07/2026

🚨 LABOUR'S DERBYSHIRE REORGANISATION IGNORES RESIDENTS' VOICES AND RISKS AN UNBALANCED FUTURE FOR THE COUNTY 🚨

Derbyshire Conservatives have criticised today's Government announcement on Local Government Reorganisation, arguing that Ministers have ignored the concerns of local residents and chosen a Derby-centric model that risks creating an unfair and unbalanced future for the county.

The Government has confirmed plans to divide Derbyshire into two new unitary authorities, with communities in Amber Valley split between a northern Derbyshire authority and a southern authority centred around Derby.

Conservatives say the decision disregards concerns raised throughout the consultation process, including by many residents in towns and villages surrounding Derby who opposed being absorbed into a larger city-focused authority.

Cllr Alex Dale, Leader of the Derbyshire County Council Conservative Group, said:
"Today's announcement confirms what many people feared from the start: Labour's Local Government Reorganisation process was never genuinely about listening to local communities. Instead, the Government has backed a Derby-centric proposal, riding roughshod over the concerns raised by residents across the towns and villages surrounding the city, who made clear they did not want their communities absorbed into a Greater Derby authority. We stand ready to work with local residents to continue opposing these ill-thought-through plans.

"We also have significant concerns that this decision risks creating an unbalanced settlement across Derbyshire, with the new northern authority facing major challenges including rurality, deprivation, health inequalities and an ageing population, while having a significantly weaker economic base than the south.

"If local government reorganisation is being forced upon Derbyshire, a county-wide unitary authority excluding Derby City, which we first proposed last year, would have done far more to protect Derbyshire's identity, keep rural communities together and deliver genuine efficiencies for residents.

"We also remain unconvinced that the timetable is realistic or that the promised financial benefits will ever fully materialise. The economic case for Local Government Reorganisation that Ministers relied upon at the outset has steadily evaporated as the true scale of the costs and disruption has become apparent. Residents want good services and value for money from the hard-earned taxes they pay, not years of expensive structural upheaval and uncertainty.

"The Government must now explain how both new authorities will be fairly funded, because residents cannot simply be expected to pay higher council tax to make this reorganisation work."

The Conservative Group has consistently argued that a single Derbyshire-wide unitary authority, excluding Derby City, would have represented a more coherent and sustainable solution, preserving Derbyshire's historic identity while avoiding the disruption and cost of splitting existing services and communities.

The Group is also seeking assurances from Government about the long-term viability of the proposed northern authority. While rich in community identity and economic potential, and encompassing many of Derbyshire's proud towns and rural communities, it will face significant challenges relating to rural service delivery, demographic pressures, health inequalities and economic growth. Conservatives have warned that without fair funding arrangements there is a risk that northern Derbyshire could become the "poor relation" of the new structure, particularly following the Labour Government’s deeply unfair changes to local government funding, which have seen rural areas lose £millions.

Conservatives further question whether the ambitious implementation timetable can realistically be achieved without considerable cost and disruption to frontline services. With local councils already under pressure, residents will rightly expect Ministers to demonstrate how reorganisation will improve services and deliver genuine value for money, rather than simply creating years of upheaval and uncertainty.

The Conservative Group will continue to scrutinise the Government's plans and stand up for Derbyshire residents as details of the reorganisation process emerge.