Council hold first meeting on closure of Glossop Tip

The potential closure of Glossop Household Waste Recycling Centre was discussed at a meeting of Reform-led Derbyshire County Council’s Resources Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday, 14th January.

The meeting focused on the council’s budget savings proposals for the coming year. Derbyshire County Council has an annual budget of £838 million but is facing growing financial pressures, and for the 2026-27 financial year, the council is predicting a budget shortfall of around £37.8 million. This is largely due to rising costs and increased demand for services, particularly in adult and children’s social care, alongside the impact of inflation.

To help address this gap, the council is looking to make £22.4 million in savings through a range of cutbacks, with the remaining shortfall covered through other efficiencies and changes to how services are delivered. Councillors are also considering raising council tax by the maximum permitted amount of around 4.99 per cent, as costs and demand continue to rise faster than funding.

One of the proposed savings under consideration is the closure of Glossop tip. The council estimates this would save £360,000 a year - a relatively small amount in the context of the overall budget. However they also claim that a substantial £500,000 investment would be needed to make sure the site complies with modern requirements and safety regulations to stay open.

During Wednesday’s scrutiny meeting, Reform Councillor Jason Isherwood, who represents Etherow, which covers Hadfield, Gamesley and Tintwistle, spoke at length against his own party’s suggestion about the closure.

He referred to a list of 36 questions he had submitted to Cabinet on 1st January, outlining what he believes would be the negative impacts on the community. These included concerns around fly-tipping, increased travel distances, access for people without cars, equality and environmental impacts and pressure on neighbouring recycling centres. He also questioned how the council had concluded that Glossop was the “least used” recycling centre in Derbyshire - a statistic that forms a large part of the reasoning around closing it.

Conservative Councillor Nigel Gourlay, who represents Chapel and Hope Valley, formally proposed that the closure of Glossop tip should be removed entirely from the savings proposals, allowing the site to remain open while savings were found elsewhere in the budget. If his proposal was agreed, the issue would not progress to Cabinet, which is the next stage in the process.

The proposal was rejected, with six councillors voting against it and only three in favour.

Among those voting against removing the closure proposal was Cllr Isherwood. After continually stating that he is firmly opposed to closing the tip, his vote has understandably drawn criticism. In response he has said that simply blocking the proposal at this stage would only provide a short-term pause and could allow the issue to resurface in future budget rounds.

Explaining his position, Cllr Isherwood told the Glossop Chronicle:

“I want to be absolutely clear: I am firmly against closing the Glossop Recycling Centre and I am fighting to keep it open because it is vital to our community.

“However, I am also determined to secure more than a temporary reprieve. This closure proposal has resurfaced repeatedly over the years and, if it is simply rejected without proper evidence and an agreed alternative saving, it will return the next time the council is told to find cuts - putting residents through the same uncertainty again.

“That is why I voted no and am pushing hard for full scrutiny and a thorough assessment of the impact. I have submitted 36 questions to ensure the case is properly tested, including the real consequences for residents, fly-tipping, travel distances, access for people without cars, equality and environmental impacts, and pressure on neighbouring sites. If a saving still has to be made, then a realistic and clearly identified alternative must be agreed, not just implied.

“My support for sending the decision back to Cabinet should not be misunderstood. It does not stop the closure and it does not mean I am backing away from opposing it. Cabinet still has the power to approve, change or delay the proposal; however, without proper scrutiny, a simple delay would only mean the issue returning again in the future.

“My aim is not a headline today followed by the same fight next year. My aim is to put such a strong, evidence-based case on the record that closing the Glossop tip is taken off Derbyshire County Council’s agenda for good.”

The Glossop Chronicle contacted Cllr Gourlay for his response, he told us:

“I don’t think this is about individual intentions. It’s about how the system works. Once an alternative is put to the committee and voted down, the process takes on a momentum of its own. At that point, stopping a proposal isn’t a matter of further scrutiny or debate, it has to be opposed through votes at Cabinet and Full Council.

“I also have real sympathy for communities in Cllr Isherwood’s area. They’re facing a concentration of proposed closures, the Glossop Adult Education Centre, the Gamesley Early Excellence Centre, and now the tip, all some distance from County Hall in Matlock. That sense of decisions landing far from where their impact is felt is part of what’s driving the strength of feeling locally.”

The decision-making process about the future of Glossop tip is being carried out in stages. The proposal was first examined by the Scrutiny Committee at Wednesday’s meeting, where councillors reviewed the plans, questioned officers, and debated possible alternatives. No final decision was made at this stage.

The proposal will next be considered by the council’s Cabinet on 29th January. At that meeting, Cabinet members are expected to decide whether the proposal should move forward and whether a public consultation should take place. If approved, this would give residents the opportunity to share their views.

A final decision would then be made by Full Council on 11th February, with any public feedback taken into account before councillors vote on whether to proceed with closure.