'One county, two councils'

LEADERS SAY DERBYSHIRE'S LGR PROPOSAL WOULD BRING BIG SAVINGS

- By MAIL REPORTER

DERBYSHIRE'S city, district and borough councils are set to seal their proposals for the county to be overseen by just two new north and south authorities - which they claim could see savings of £167m in the first six years, as part of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) plans.

The national White Paper proposals include setting up single unitary authorities across England with an elected mayor in counties by merging or scrapping county, district and borough councils in two-tier authority areas like Derbyshire.

But the county's eight district and borough councils, along with Derby City Council, have jointly proposed implementing an alternative with two new separate north and south councils for the county.

This has been echoed by Derbyshire County Council's own separate similar proposal, with all the details to be formally considered by each local authority at meetings before a November 28 deadline.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire's city, district and borough councils said: "We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to significantly transform how we deliver the services that local people rely on - creating a brighter future for all who live, work, and invest in Derbyshire.