This manifesto is also available in PDF format. We recommend most users view it as a PDF.

In 1981 the Labour Party took control of Derbyshire County Council. There have been achievements since that time but there have also been many missed opportunities. More than ever it is time for a change to a Conservative led County Council, which is now within reach. This manifesto demonstrates our forward looking ideas and ambitions for Derbyshire that a stale administration of twenty eight years’ duration cannot possibly match.

The Conservative Group at Derbyshire County Council - and the numerous newly elected colleagues who will be joining us - is committed to affordable, quality public services. We believe in efficiency and we can be relied upon to tackle waste, duplication and pointless bureaucracy wherever we encounter it.

Conservatives across Derbyshire are seeking your support and are ready to work hard for you. We do not take you for granted, as Labour has done for so long. We do not live in the past but we respect our county’s heritage. We believe in strong communities. It is people, not targets or strategies, which shape the places where we live and they way we live in them.

Twenty eight years is too long for one party to be in control of the Council. It is unhealthy for democracy. It prevents new ideas and new people from having the chance to enact them. We do not ask for your support simply to have change for change’s sake. We are confident that you will be as excited by our ideas for a modern Derbyshire as we are. We are ready to deliver value for money quality services for you.

- Andrew Lewer