Derbyshire North or Northern 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. The largest settlement will be Chesterfield, and it will also include Ashbourne, Bakewell, Bolsover, Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Clay Cross, Darley Dale, Dronfield, Glossop, Matlock, New Mills, Whaley Bridge Wirksworth. It will cover the majority of the Peak District National Park. The area has a population of 538,763. Plans to create it were halted in September 2026 and the first election was cancelled.
Formation It will be formed from the Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derbyshire Dales, High Peak and North East Derbyshire plus 21 parishes from Amber Valley district. The rest of Derbyshire, including the area around Derby itself will form part of the Derbyshire South unitary.
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. The proposal was backed by Chesterfield, Derby, Erewash and High Peak Councils. 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 county, including Derby, were not accepted.
In September 2026, the Derbyshire proposals were halted by the government and placed under review.
Parishes
Buxton, Chesterfield, Glossop and the Riddings area are currently unparished, the rest of the area is parished. The parishes coming from Amber Valley will be: Aldercar and Langley Mill, Alderwasley, Alfreton, Ashleyhay, Codnor, Crich, Dethick, Lea and Holloway, Hazelwood, Heanor and Loscoe, Idridgehay and Alton, Ironville, Pentrich, Ravensdale Park, Ripley, Shottle and Postern, Somercotes, South Wingfield, Swanwick, Turnditch, Weston Underwood and Windley. Governance It will be run by Derbyshire North Council, which will comprise 83 councillors. References