About us
We have served our communities with a true passion to deliver high quality public services. As the Council reached its 50th year milestone on the 1st April 2024, our passion and commitment to continue to serve our communities remains.
About the Council
We have more than 380 employees working to ensure South Derbyshire District Council delivers on its vision for the next four years to: Work together to shape our environment, drive our economy and support our communities.
The Council delivers services for its community alongside Derbyshire County Council and other partners. Through the values in our Council Plan 2024 – 2028, we aim to provide them as efficiently and effectively as possible.
We have a new Leadership Team that has a strong commitment to public service and to invest in our workforce to drive forward our priorities and achieve the vision of Elected Members. In a recent employee survey, staff told us that the joined the Council as we provide jobs that offer challenge and new opportunities alongside offering a great location to work and an employment model that provides choice for employees on how to best serve our customers.
A recent investment of over £1m has created 28 new jobs across the Council. Elected Members and Leadership Team have made a shared commitment to build resilience, create space for innovation and creativity in service delivery and to look at how we can best utilise all our assets to become an ‘employer of choice’.
How we work
Since arriving at the Council in May 2023, Justin Ives, Chief Executive, has reviewed and increased the leadership resource at the Council. The Leadership Team now has four Executive Directors, three of which have been filled internally and the Executive Director – Place and Prosperity will complete the Leadership Team.
Under the Leadership Team are 12 Heads of Service, that includes the Head of Environmental Services, that all lead different services for the Council.
Leadership Team work closely with Elected Members to deliver their vision for the next four years. Once appointed, the Assistant Directors will attend meetings of an extended leadership team to provide additional focus, resource and direction around strategic projects and to inspire a culture of continuous improvement where the Council is seen as ‘one team’ all working seamlessly to serve South Derbyshire.
Justin and Elected Members want the Council to showcase our work at a local, regional and national level. We want to be the very best we can be, to achieve industry and professional standards and for the workforce to gain appropriate recognition for the work they do. We see challenges as opportunities; are aware of barriers faced by our communities and work hard to remove them to be as inclusive as possible and to continually transform the way we work.
About South Derbyshire
South Derbyshire, located in the centre of England, covers an area of 112 square miles, adjoining the City of Derby to the north, Burton on Trent to the west, and Ashby-de-la-Zouch to the east.
It includes the rolling countryside to be found in the valleys of the Rivers Trent and Dove, with historic settlements, including Melbourne, Ticknall, and Repton, and the market town of Swadlincote. A significant part of the District is rural, which attracts visitors and people seeking relaxation or a good life-work balance.
The main population and employment centre of the District is Swadlincote, with a population of some 40,000. New housing development has led to a rapid growth in the District in recent years, and the construction of further homes is anticipated. Other sizeable settlements include the attractive Georgian town of Melbourne and the villages of Hilton, Hatton, Repton, and Willington.
The National Forest is at the heart of South Derbyshire and is a key asset to the District, a unique national initiative to create a new forest in what was one of the least wooded areas of the country. In the last 25 years, over 9 million trees have been planted, creating an attractive environment and quality of life. Around one third of the National Forest is within the District of South Derbyshire.
