Photo: Andrew Hill · CC BY-SA 2.0No party holds a majority on North East Derbyshire District Council
Dronfield is run by North East Derbyshire District Council and Derbyshire County Council, with Dronfield parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on North East Derbyshire District Council. Reform UK has a majority on Derbyshire County Council. Its MP is Louise Sandher-Jones (Labour), member for North East Derbyshire.
£2,492
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Dronfield’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on North East Derbyshire District Council
Labour, the largest group, holds 26 of its 53 seats as elected, one short of the 27 needed. The Conservatives hold 20, the Liberal Democrats 3, independents 2, the Greens 1 and Reform UK 1. Who’s in charge ↓
Derbyshire changed hands in 2025
Derbyshire County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, went from a Conservative majority (43 of 64 seats in 2021) to a Reform UK majority at the May 2025 election: Reform UK won 41 of 64 seats. Derbyshire ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Dronfield is £2,492 for 2026–27; North East Derbyshire District Council keeps 9% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 46% in ten years, against England’s 56%. Council money ↓
Written from the data on this page: Democracy Club results since May 2021, the UK Parliament Members API and MHCLG council tax.
Who holds the seats on Dronfield’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 27 of North East Derbyshire’s 53 or 33 of Derbyshire’s 64 seats to run the council alone.
- Labour26
- Conservative20
- Liberal Democrat3
- Independent2
- Green1
- Reform UK1
Latest election: May 2023.
- Reform UK41+41
- Conservative12−31
- Green3+2
- Labour3−13
- Liberal Democrat3−1
- Independent2+2
Change against the council before the 1 May 2025 election.
Seats are counted from election results: each ward’s most recent winners until its seats are filled. Councillors who have since changed party or resigned aren’t reflected, and which parties lead the council, and who is leader, comes from the council itself.
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), elections since May 2021; seats per ward from its EveryElection.
Two tiers of council, and a parish tier
Dronfield has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
Local matters: allotments, play areas, halls, footpaths and benches; it is consulted on planning and adds a precept to the council tax bill. A town council is a parish council by another name.
100% of Dronfield’s residents · Band D precept £153
Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Website ↗Schools, social care, roads and transport, libraries and waste disposal.
Website ↗Transport, skills and regeneration across several council areas. It is led by an elected mayor.
Mayor: Claire Ward (Labour and Co-operative), elected May 2024
Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: in two-tier areas the district or borough runs local services and the county the big ones.
Councils from ONS lookups (wards and councils May 2026, parishes 2025), names and websites from GOV.UK’s local council finder; parish councils from MHCLG’s 2026–27 list of precepting parishes.
From the parish to Westminster
Every elected tier that speaks for Dronfield, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierDronfield parish council
- 2North East Derbyshire District Council5 wards · 11 councillorsConservative 7 · Labour 4 · all 11
- 3Derbyshire County Council3 divisions · 3 councillorsAlex DaleAngelique FosterJamie Hadyn Hodgson
- 4Mayor of East Midlands Combined County AuthorityEast Midlands Combined County Authority · elected May 2024Claire Ward
- 5Police and crime commissionerDerbyshire Constabulary · elected May 2024Nicolle Ndiweni
- 6House of CommonsNorth East Derbyshire
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. Tap an MP’s name for their contact page on parliament.uk.
11 councillors for 5 wards
Wards with at least 2% of the town’s residents, or half their own inside it. Each shows who won its most recent elections, newest first, until its seats are filled.
- David Mark CheethamLabour · May 2023
- Caroline Emma SmithLabour · May 2023
- William Francis JonesConservative · May 2023
- Michelle EmmensConservative · May 2023
- Lilian DeightonConservative · May 2023
- Richard WeltonConservative · May 2023
- Mark David FosterConservative · May 2023
- Richard Charles SpoonerConservative · May 2023
- Graham BaxterLabour · May 2023
- Christine Anne SmithLabour · May 2023
- Kevin TaitConservative · May 2023
Show as a table, with Derbyshire County Council’s 3 divisions (3 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dronfield Southall in Dronfield · 5,988 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | David Mark CheethamCaroline Emma SmithWilliam Francis Jones | May 2023 |
| Gosforth Valleyall in Dronfield · 5,808 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Michelle EmmensLilian DeightonRichard Welton | May 2023 |
| Coal Astonall in Dronfield · 3,757 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Mark David FosterRichard Charles Spooner | May 2023 |
| Dronfield Northall in Dronfield · 3,662 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Graham BaxterChristine Anne Smith | May 2023 |
| Dronfield Woodhouseall in Dronfield · 1,946 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Kevin Tait | May 2023 |
Derbyshire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dronfield & Unstone EDmostly in Dronfield · 9,650 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Alex Dale | May 2025 |
| Dronfield Woodhouse & Walton EDmostly in Dronfield · 7,754 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Angelique Foster | May 2025 |
| Eckington & Coal Aston ED40% in Dronfield · 3,757 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Jamie Hadyn Hodgson | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. North East Derbyshire District Council’s website lists who sits now.
Results from Democracy Club’s candidates database (CC BY 4.0; elections since May 2021) and ward seats from its EveryElection, matched to ONS wards (May 2026) and county divisions (May 2025).
North East Derbyshire council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Dronfield, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
5 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Dronfield’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗5,112 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
5,630 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
2,487 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Every ward’s result (2 more)
1,656 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
633 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Dronfield is in North East Derbyshire constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Dronfield).
45,866 votes for candidates · majority 1,753
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 45,866 votes from 73,234 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 1,753 of 45,866 votes (3.8%): the 76th-narrowest of 543 in England.
MPs and results: UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0); constituencies from ONS (2024 boundaries). Percentages are of valid votes; turnout is votes cast over the electorate.
Dronfield’s Band D council tax is £2,492 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
North East Derbyshire District Council keeps £223.15 of a Band D bill (9%); the rest goes to the Dronfield parish council, Derbyshire County Council, the Derbyshire police and crime commissioner and the Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Authority.
Band D since 1993
North East Derbyshire’s Band D bill has risen 46% in ten years, from £1,687.97 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £632.25 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Dronfield, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Derbyshire’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,200.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Derbyshire
| North East Derbyshire + Derbyshire | Dronfield’s councils | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £477 | £450 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £228 | £260 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £30 | £30 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £22 | £24 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £106 | £125 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £32 | £43 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £20 | £22 | £26 |
| Public health | £72 | £79 | £78 |
| Running the council | £66 | £60 | £59 |
| Other | £44 | £28 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,096 | £1,120 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: North East Derbyshire per its residents plus Derbyshire per the county’s. Schools are left out: academies are paid for directly by government, so council school budgets depend on how many schools have converted. Derbyshire and England: all their councils together. Police, fire and transport authorities aren’t included.
Band D: MHCLG Band D council tax 2026–27 (each authority’s own figure, excluding parish precepts) and Council Tax statistics for town and parish councils 2026–27; since 1993–94, MHCLG’s area averages including parishes.
Having a say in how Dronfield is run
It takes about five minutes online; the deadline is 12 working days before a poll.
gov.uk ↗Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors and its MP.
WriteToThem ↗GOV.UK sends the report to the council that looks after the road.
gov.uk ↗Council and committee meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.
ne-derbyshire.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
ne-derbyshire.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Dronfield is run
Which council runs Dronfield?
Dronfield is run by North East Derbyshire District Council and Derbyshire County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Dronfield have a town council?
Yes: Dronfield has its own parish-tier council (Dronfield parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £153 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Dronfield?
Louise Sandher-Jones (Labour) is the MP for North East Derbyshire, which covers Dronfield.
How many councillors does Dronfield have?
11 ward councillors represent Dronfield’s 5 wards, and 3 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Dronfield?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Dronfield’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Dronfield?
Band D council tax in Dronfield is £2,492 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls North East Derbyshire District Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Labour 26 · Conservative 20 · Liberal Democrat 3 · Independent 2 · Green 1 · Reform UK 1 of 53 seats; a majority needs 27. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Derbyshire County Council?
Reform UK has a majority: 41 of 64 seats as elected.
Who won the 2023 council election in Dronfield?
In Dronfield’s wards on 4 May 2023, Conservative 7 · Labour 4 of the 11 seats up. The Conservatives had the largest share of votes, 45.1%.
Sources: ONS ward, county division, parish, constituency lookups (Census 2021 output areas; Open Government Licence v3.0) · GOV.UK local council finder · Democracy Club candidates (CC BY 4.0) and EveryElection · UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0) · MHCLG Band D council tax, parish precepts and Revenue Account budgets 2026–27 (OGL v3.0) · ONS mid-2025 population estimates. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.