What’s It To Me?

Your council

Amber Valley: what’s happening where you live

What the council itself has published on the five things it most shapes for a household: homes, getting about, the bill, the local environment and schools. Each line is quoted from the council’s own document, with the link. This page says what was decided or proposed; it never says whether it was right.

Read on 25 September 2026. Councils publish at different rates and in different places, so “nothing found” means nothing found, not nothing happening.

Council plan · Budget · Meeting papers · Councillors · Register of interests · Consultations

Housing

Amber Valley's adopted Local Plan provides for at least 7,656 new homes between 2024 and 2040, against a housing requirement of 6,944.

“The plan makes provision for a minimum of 7,656 additional homes in sustainable locations between 2024 and 2040. This meets a housing requirement of 6,944 homes”

Amber Valley Borough Council, 2 March 2026. Read 25 September 2026. Amber Valley Borough Local Plan 2022-2040, adopted 2 March 2026 (https://www.ambervalley.gov.uk/planning/planning-policy/adopted-local-plan-2022-2040/). Quote stops mid-sentence (continues ', provides homes to maximise affordable housing delivery...'). Para 5.2.10: requirement of 434 dwellings per annum.

Transport

Amber Valley's Cabinet decided on 8 April 2026 not to increase car parking charges.

“Plans to review charges were included in the Council’s Cabinet Forward Plan, but following consideration by Cabinet on 8 April, a decision was made not to increase car parking charges.”

Amber Valley Borough Council, 9 April 2026. Read 25 September 2026. No visible date on page; date from page metadata (09/04/2026). Highways are run by Derbyshire County Council.

Council tax

Band D set by Amber Valley for 2026–27: £203.77 of a £2,407.69 total bill in the area. MHCLG, Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027 (Open Government Licence).

Amber Valley Borough Council approved a 2.99% rise in its council tax for 2026-27 (Band D £203.77, excluding parish precepts).

“That an increase in Council Tax of 2.99% per annum on a Band D property be approved;”

Amber Valley Borough Council, 2 March 2026. Read 25 September 2026. From the draft minutes of Full Council, 2 March 2026 (docId 22553, streamed via the council's document system; the PDF has no stable GET URL, so the link is the meeting's document list). Minutes also state Band D 'is to be set at £203.77; an increase of £5.92 (2.99%) over the corresponding figure for 2025/26'. Minutes were to be confirmed on 25 March 2026.

Environment

Amber Valley Borough Council has committed to becoming a carbon neutral council by 2030.

“While local authorities are not legally required to set a carbon target, Amber Valley Borough Council declared a Climate Emergency in July 2019 and has committed to becoming a carbon neutral council by 2030.”

Amber Valley Borough Council, 17 September 2026. Read 25 September 2026. Date from page metadata (Date 17/09/2026). Same page: the council 'formally declared a nature emergency in September 2026'.

Education

Education (schools) is not a district council function; in this area schools are run by Derbyshire County Council. Where we looked

Who runs the council

42 seats in 2026. Run by: Labour, as a minority administration. Open Council Data (public domain).

Councillors by party: Labour Party 20, Conservative and Unionist 8, Green Party (E&W) 5, Reform UK 3, Your Party 2, Advance UK 2, Liberal Democrats 1, Independent / Other 1.

Next scheduled council election: 6 May 2027.

Elections here now: Kilburn, Denby, Holbrook & Horsley ward (8 October 2026).

All 42 councillors, by ward
  • Gail Dolman (Labour Party) — Alfreton
  • Keith Wood (Labour Party) — Alfreton
  • Steve Marshall-Clarke (Labour Party) — Alfreton
  • David Taylor (Conservative and Unionist) — Alport & South West Parishes
  • Jane Orton (Conservative and Unionist) — Alport & South West Parishes
  • Fay Atkinson (Your Party) — Belper East
  • John Porter (Labour Party) — Belper East
  • Tracey Hill (Labour Party) — Belper East
  • Ben Bellamy (Your Party) — Belper North
  • Emma Monkman (Labour Party) — Belper North
  • Gez Kinsella (Green Party (E&W)) — Belper South
  • Jamie Walls (Green Party (E&W)) — Belper South
  • Chris Emmas-Williams (Labour Party) — Codnor, Langley Mill & Aldercar
  • Dave Chambers (Reform UK) — Codnor, Langley Mill & Aldercar
  • Eileen Hamilton (Labour Party) — Codnor, Langley Mill & Aldercar
  • Kate Smith (Liberal Democrats) — Crich & South Wingfield
  • Tony Harper (Conservative and Unionist) — Crich & South Wingfield
  • Alison McDermott (Green Party (E&W)) — Duffield & Quarndon
  • Eva Long (Green Party (E&W)) — Duffield & Quarndon
  • Amina Burslem (Labour Party) — Heage & Ambergate
  • Paul Lobley (Labour Party) — Heage & Ambergate
  • Janet Ward (Labour Party) — Heanor East
  • Trevor Holmes (Independent / Other) — Heanor East
  • Matthew Jones (Labour Party) — Heanor West & Loscoe
  • Nicholas Beswick (Labour Party) — Heanor West & Loscoe
  • Steven Bower (Advance UK) — Heanor West & Loscoe
  • Kieron Cox (Labour Party) — Ironville & Riddings
  • Philip Rose (Advance UK) — Ironville & Riddings
  • Julie Whitmore (Conservative and Unionist) — Kilburn, Denby, Holbrook & Horsley
  • Matt Murray (Conservative and Unionist) — Kilburn, Denby, Holbrook & Horsley
  • Trevor Ainsworth (Conservative and Unionist) — Kilburn, Denby, Holbrook & Horsley
  • David Williams (Labour Party) — Ripley
  • Matthew Allwood (Labour Party) — Ripley
  • Tony Holmes (Labour Party) — Ripley
  • Lyndsay Cox (Labour Party) — Ripley & Marehay
  • Mick Wilson (Labour Party) — Ripley & Marehay
  • Amanda Paget (Reform UK) — Smalley, Shipley & Horsley Woodhouse
  • Lian Pizzey (Green Party (E&W)) — Smalley, Shipley & Horsley Woodhouse
  • Elaine Sherman (Labour Party) — Somercotes
  • James Kerry (Reform UK) — Somercotes
  • Jonty Powis (Conservative and Unionist) — Swanwick
  • Steve Hayes (Conservative and Unionist) — Swanwick

Each councillor’s register of interests is on the council’s own site, linked rather than summarised, because summarising means choosing. Councillors from Open Council Data as recorded after the May 2026 elections; a by-election since then may have changed one seat. Attendance and allowances are not shown.

This council’s meeting papers could not be read automatically (the site blocks or did not answer), so decisions and motions are not listed here; the meeting papers hold them.

Cite this page

Harvard style. Every figure on the page also names its original source, which is usually the better thing to cite.

Every council page has the same five headings in the same order. Sources are the council’s own publications and official statistics. Corrections: hello@whatsittome.org.