Chesterfield calls second meeting in bid to see off legal action over devolution plans

Chesterfield Borough Council has called a second meeting to consider its devolution options, in what the local authority says is "a bid to prevent tax payers’ money being wasted on an unnecessary legal challenge”.

The move comes after Derbyshire County Council earlier this month said it had taken legal advice from a QC about legal action over Chesterfield’s plans to join the Sheffield City Region as a full member.

Chesterfield also intended to become a non-constituent member only of a potential North Midlands devolution deal, of which Derbyshire is part.

According to Chesterfield, the county council had demanded that the borough council reconsider its decision, on the basis that the report which councillors originally considered should have included an equality impact assessment.

Chesterfield said its report followed a similar format as every other district and borough council in Derbyshire which took devolution deal decisions, and no other council – including the county – had published an EIA. It noted that Derbyshire had only issued a legal challenge against Chesterfield.

The second meeting will be held at 5 pm on 6 April.

Cllr John Burrows, leader of Chesterfield, said: “The only people who benefit from judicial reviews are the barristers presenting the cases. We could have opposed this legal challenge but that would have cost Derbyshire’s tax payers a lot of money and wasted a huge amount of time and effort.

“So we have decided to look afresh at our 3 March decision but this time taking into account the full Equality Impact Assessment that we have now developed and other developments that have happened since the original decision was taken, including the decisions taken by other councils across Derbyshire.”

Cllr Burrows added: “The council will then make a fresh decision on what delivers the best outcomes for both Chesterfield and Derbyshire’s residents and businesses. This will then go to public consultation before the Government makes a final decision.”