Derbyshire election manifesto roundup

Road repairs, special educational needs, buses, social care and potential bankruptcy are the key battlegrounds being fought ahead of the Derbyshire County Council elections.

On Thursday, May 1, voters will head to the polls to cast their ballots for candidates across 64 seats on Derbyshire County Council – currently run by the Conservatives.

Five major parties are contesting seats across the county in this election cycle – the Conservatives, Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Reform UK – along with targeted representation from two local groups, three other parties and 36 independents.

Each of the five major parties vying for votes across Derbyshire were asked for their election pledges – compiled in “manifestos” – including detail on what they aim to achieve and how, should their party gain control of the council.

Here is what they had to say:

Conservative Party

A leaflet from the Conservatives displays five pledges “for an even better Derbyshire” and only mentions the word “Conservatives” once, while mentioning “Labour” 21 times.

The five pledges are:

1. Better roads and transport. This includes more money and new technology “to beat potholes for good”; powers to tackle utility companies over roadworks; more bus ticket options and opposing a fare hike; and installing 20 new pedestrian crossings.
2. Keep council tax low and protect vital services. They pledge to “freeze council tax in real terms”; “use money wisely” and “ruling out vanity projects”; and campaigning for more free parking.
3. Protecting our countryside. This includes “waging war” on new housing targets and threats to the Green Belt and countryside including opposing any attempts for Derbyshire to meet the housing needs of neighbouring cities; and help to plant two million trees by 2030.
4. Standing up for Derbyshire. This involves opposing any asylum seeker hotels in the county; pushing for winter fuel allowance cuts to be scrapped; and opposing the inheritance tax affecting farmers.
5. Keep Derbyshire together. This involves the Derbyshire County Council area remaining as one council – with Derby kept separate – and scrapping the district and borough councils through local government reorganisation.

Green Party

The Green Party has put forward six pledge themes aimed at “delivering for Derbyshire with a different kind of politics”.

Its five pledge themes are:

1. Leading with integrity. This involves pledges not to issue false accusations or engage in personal abuse, along with working with other parties to find the best solutions.
2. A sustainable transport network for all. This includes creating affordable, reliable and accessible bus services; take traffic off roads with a safe cycle network; introducing traffic-free ‘school streets’; lobbying Government over roads funding and investing in flood management.
3. Investing in resilience and adapting to climate change. This includes better insulation for the “poorest and leakiest” homes in Derbyshire; increasing the number of electric vehicle charging points; and setting money aside to bid for more flood prevention funding
4. Biodiversity and open space. This involves working with landowners over sustainable uses of their land including protecting wildlife habitats and flood management and protecting agricultural land from inappropriate development, along with helping secure the long-term future of farms.
5. A healthy caring Derbyshire. This involves reinstating grants for voluntary groups; keeping the Ada Belfield care home in Belper open and in public hands; exploring the use of charities to run care homes and/or day centres; and increasing the number of special educational needs places at schools, along with increased funding.
6. Sustainable economic prosperity. This includes a review of council properties such as putting solar panels on schools; divesting from fossil fuel investments; and offering incentives for renewable energy growth.

Labour Party

The Labour Party has taken the same approach it took in 2021 and issued five brief pledges in lieu of a manifesto aimed at “fixing Derbyshire’s foundations”.

These pledges do not provide detail or examples of how each would be achieved – particularly from a county council perspective.

These five pledges are:

1. Fix our finances and invest in Derbyshire.
2. Return law and order to our streets.
3. Fix our roads and fill the potholes.
4. Rebuild our local NHS.
5. Invest in children and families.

Group leader Cllr Joan Dixon details in her election leaflet: “Being a county councillor is about championing our community and keeping it local. It’s about local services like schools, roads, libraries and social care. I will always put Bolsover and its villages first, fighting for the services we deserve.”

The leaflet details that Labour would focus on the state of the roads, schools and local services, including championing local issues and continuing the regeneration of the county’s former coalfields with new jobs and investment.

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats have put forward six election pledges, saying they “believe there is a better way” and to fix the major issues “immediately”.

These pledges are:

1. Road repairs need to be fixed first time – no more botched patching where the potholes just re-occur.
2. Investing in social care so there is a real support network there when we all have an urgent need and turn to the county council for help.
3. Tackling the terrible situation in SEND provision for those children most in need and supporting their parents.
4. Making sure the county’s finances actually balance and avoid bankruptcy.
5. Investing in good reliable bus services that don’t leave you waiting for a bus that never arrives or is always late.
6. Making the green environment at the core of all we do. This includes “tackling climate change”, planting trees, doing everything we can to make the local community and all of Derbyshire sustainable and greener for the future.

Reform UK

Reform UK, one of three parties fighting for all 64 seats, does not have a manifesto specific to Derbyshire, but provided the following statement: “DCC is broken. Having racked up over £400 million worth of debt which is costing local taxpayers £47,000 a day in interest payments alone, it is simply unable to effectively deliver local services.

“It’s no surprise when they are wasting staggering sums on failed schemes and vanity projects, such as £150 million for a failed waste recycling plant, with no waste processed so far, or £600,000 on free ‘vape starter kits’.

“Despite this, DCC’s managing director is paid £10,000 more than the Prime Minister to oversee this mess, with council tax for residents rising by 20% over the last five years.

“Reform UK won’t make empty promises while the council is in such a state.

“Reform councillors elected in May will introduce a British-style DOGE to audit DCC, cancel the [opposed] contracts and stop the waste.

“Only then can a Reform-led council start to deliver for local people. Whether that’s lowering council tax, fixing potholes and investing in services.”