Derbyshire South
Future unitary authority area in England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Derbyshire South or Southern Derbyshire is expected to be a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Derbyshire, England. It was planned to be formed on 1 April 2028.[1][2] The largest settlement will be Derby and other settlements include Swadlincote, Ilkeston, Long Eaton, Belper and Duffield.[3][4] The area has a population of 538,381.[3]
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Derbyshire South | |
|---|---|
Future unitary authority area | |
Derby Council House | |
 Derbyshire South shown within Derbyshire | |
 Interactive map | |
| Coordinates: 52.9232°N 1.4740°W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Ceremonial county | Derbyshire |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unitary authority |
| • Body | Derbyshire South Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 238 sq mi (617 km2) |
| Population (2024 estimate) | |
• Total | 551,325 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
It will be formed from the existing Derby unitary authority area, and the Erewash and South Derbyshire two-tier districts plus 14 parishes from Amber Valley.[5] The rest of Derbyshire will form part of the Derbyshire North unitary.[3] Plans to create it were halted in September 2026 and the first election was cancelled.
Formation
The district is being formed as part of ongoing local government changes throughout England, in which all areas of the country that have separate county councils and district councils will see those replaced with single-tier, or unitary, local governance.[6] The proposal was backed by Chesterfield, Derby, Erewash and High Peak Councils.[7] The three alternative proposals for a different split between northern and southern unitaries in Derbyshire, and Derbyshire County Council's proposal for a single unitary for the whole county, including Derby, were not accepted.[8]
In September 2026, the Derbyshire proposals were halted by the government and placed under review.[9]
Governance
It will be run by Derbyshire South Council, which will comprise 79 councillors.[10]
Parishes
Derby, Ilkeston, Long Eaton and Swadlincote are currently unparished, the rest of the area is parished.[11] The parishes that will come from Amber Valley are: Duffield, Holbrook, Horsley, Horsley Woodhouse, Kedleston, Kirk Langley, Mackworth, Mapperley, Quarndon, Ravensdale Park, Smalley, Turnditch, Weston Underwood, Windley.[12][13]
