Mass walk-out as council votes on reorganisation

The Conservative group left the meeting in protest and did not vote on the proposals

A number of opposition councillors walked out of a meeting in protest after refusing to vote on plans to merge 10 Derbyshire councils into two.

Conservative and independent councillors representing Derby City Council left a special meeting to discuss local government reorganisation (LGR) plans on Thursday evening, unhappy that a final decision on which proposal is submitted to the government will be made by the cabinet rather than the full council.

Conservative group leader Steve Hassall called the process "a waste of time" and said it "denied democracy".

Labour council leader Nadine Peatfield said she understood councillors' frustrations but stressed reorganisation was inevitable.

Local government in England is being streamlined by merging councils, with authorities due to send their proposals to central government.

Government guidelines for creating new merged local authorities say they should aim to create councils which serve half a million people or more.

A government minister described a population of 500,000 people as a "benchmark" with a history of new councils that size delivering improvements to services.

In a half-empty council chamber, the vote to recommend that the council cabinet submit a proposal for Derbyshire to be split into two councils was won comfortably, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The two most likely options for reorganisation would split the county into two. Amber Valley Borough Council would be placed into the new North Derbyshire Council under option A, while the alternative option would place the authority under the southern section.

But the merger plan appears to have failed to win widespread support with the general public.

Of the 7,335 people who responded to a survey, 45% said they were against the 10 existing councils being reduced to two, while 39% were in favour. The remainder were unsure.

Derbyshire County Council had been expected to publish a similar proposal for a north-south divide, but has instead suggested a single unitary authority that would be one of the biggest in Europe.

Councils have until the end of November to submit their proposals to central government.

The meeting in Derby on Thursday was intended to recommend that Derby City Council's cabinet submit the two-council proposal.

However, the discussion was branded "unfair" and "undemocratic" by some members, who argued the decision should be made by the full council rather than the Labour-led cabinet.

Derbyshire County Council leader Alan Graves was initially supportive of two councils but now wants a single unitary authority for the whole county

"LGR is coming. This is happening whether we agree with it or not," council leader Peatfield said.

"This is not about politics, it is about pragmatism. If we choose the recommended option, we send a powerful message that Derby speaks with one voice."

But Conservative group leader Steve Hassall called the process "a waste of time", claiming it denied democracy.

"Tonight democracy is being denied, and that is fundamentally wrong," he said before leading his group out of the chamber.

Reform group leader, Tim Prosser, proposed an amendment supporting a single county-wide authority, aligning with Derbyshire County Council's preference.

This amendment was rejected.

Speaking after the meeting, Peatfield accused the Conservatives and independents of playing "pantomime" tactics during a debate about the city's future.

Council leader Nadine Peatfield said she understood councillors' frustrations but stressed reorganisation was coming