The Campaign for Historic Counties has submitted a formal response to the Government’s consultation on proposals for unitary local government in the Derbyshire and Derby area.
Our response does not comment on the specific boundaries of the proposed councils. Instead, we highlighted a critical issue: the use of historic county names for administrative areas that do not match the historic counties themselves. All five proposals either exclude parts of Derbyshire or include areas from neighbouring counties such as Cheshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire. Using the name “Derbyshire” for these new councils would further erode the identity and recognition of Derbyshire and the other affected counties.
We called on the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to either choose a neutral name for the new council area(s) or recognise all counties included. We cited the Office for National Statistics, which in its Index of Place Names User Guide 2024 states that historic counties exist, are the enduring geography of the nation and should be used as such.
The Campaign for Historic Counties continues to work to ensure that historic county identities are preserved and respected in local government naming, mapping, and public life.