The town near Manchester that ‘belongs to no one’ which is set to change forever

It’s a huge decision to make, and one that would change the identity of its residents forever.

People are considering whether to transfer to a new region. If they did, it would mean the people of Glossop could soon call themselves Greater Mancunians.

Glossop is set to see significant change in a major shake-up of the council, but what exactly will happen is still up in the air.

People in the town seem largely in favour of joining Greater Manchester. That’s because they want to reap the benefits of its transport system and devolved powers from the government.

The local authority shake-up would see smaller councils, within counties such as in Lancashire and Cheshire, be merged as the two-tier system of local government is scrapped.

High Peak Borough Council, which includes the towns of Buxton and Glossop, is currently part of Derbyshire County Council. As the county council prepares to submit their merger proposals, one option High Peak could look at is joining with Tameside or Stockport councils in Greater Manchester.

The High Peak MP, Jon Pearce, said it’s a ‘no-brainer’ for his borough to join the city-region.

The town of Glossop is the closest Derbyshire town to Manchester, sitting just 13 miles away from the city centre. You would have to go 50 miles south of the town to find the county’s civic centre, Derby.

Many in the area have family connections in the city-region. This includes those who were moved to Gamesley in the 1960s slum clearances.

Not only that, but Glossop already shares some public services with Tameside, including the NHS.

Mike Cowx is originally from Manchester but has lived in Glossop for over 50 years.

He said: ”I suspect the Derbyshire folk won’t want it. There has been some antagony around the town, especially for the Gamesley lot.

“I’ve lived here 53 years and I don’t feel a true Glossopian, still feel Mancunian. Quite a few Mancs around here and lots of Yorkshiremen as well.

“There are plenty of Glossopians. If you’d asked 10 years ago they would say they wouldn’t want it but now, things have changed. There are already health connections but on the other hand we have Derbyshire police and fire service.

“It’s crazy, we’re neither one or the other. That’s the downside. In some ways it’s great because Manchester is 30 mins away by train and close to the Peaks for walks.

“I think if you asked in a vote, everyone would be split, leaning towards pro, with more people coming from out of the town. I would say join, the rest of Derbyshire doesn’t want to know.”

A number of locals explained how they felt there could be better cash benefits to being in Greater Manchester to fix potholes in the roads. They also felt that better transport options could be another boost. However, the idea of no longer belonging to Derbyshire is a sticking point for many.

In Greater Manchester itself, there are still many residents in the northern boroughs that still feel they belong to Lancashire – even though they haven’t been in Lancashire since 1974. Ben Crossley, formerly of Oldham, says the same thing will happen in Glossop if the stars align and they do join GM.

The young dad said: “If you look at places like this it’s quite quaint. If it says Greater Manchester it wouldn’t look right or ring well. 

“As for benefits for transport I feel we would get more funding for the road network and buses etc.

“It could really benefit us. I feel places with city centres will get more government money. 

“It’s never been just under one council here. It’s like no one wants to admit to having us or taking us on. 

“If GM adds their name it doesn’t change much. My son Thomas was born here, I would say he’s from Derbyshire even though he’s GM; just like I said I was from Lancashire when I was from Oldham.”

The general consensus is that, if it came down to a vote, the older population would want to remain in Derbyshire and younger people would want to join Greater Manchester. 

But the idea of not having a place to belong is nothing new for many in the area. Given they already share health services with Tameside but other matters are associated with Derbyshire – the confusion is understandable.

Barbara Willis just rolled her eyes when learning of the most recent idea of changing the council system. 

She said: “My daughter lives in Hadfield and that came under Ashton and Tameside before and then they came into Glossop. We’re used to chopping and changing. 

“It’s like the shops, you walk up today and see it’s closed down and another selling the same thing opens up down the street. It recycles again and again who we come under, it won’t make any difference I don’t think.”

The whole debate was sparked after the High Peak MP expressed his desire for the area to join Greater Manchester. The Labour MP said he would not like to see High Peak Borough Council split up and would prefer for the whole borough to merge with Tameside council. However, Mr Pearce is ‘entirely open minded’ if there is a ‘better idea’, such as part of High Peak joining Stockport.

This comes off the back of the government unveiling its English Devolution White Paper. The document, published on December 16, said that all two tier areas and smaller or failing unitary authorities will be expected to develop reorganisation plans.

For most areas, this will mean creating new unitary councils with a population of 500,000 or more, according to the White Paper – although decisions will be made on a ‘case-by-case basis’. The government says that closing and merging councils could save £2bn.

The first new unitary, or single-tier authorities, are set to be created by April 2027.

Some local councillors in the area are not entirely convinced. Conservative councillor Linda Grooby, who currently leads the Tory group at High Peak Borough Council, is sceptical. 

She said: “I wouldn’t see it as being a good thing to do for High Peak, although I can understand that Glossop is much closer.”

Despite there being some desire for Glossop to join with Greater Manchester, there are many hurdles that would need to be overcome to get there. It would need sign off from multiple councils, government agreement, and it would also need to make sense in terms of population sizes. 

Leader of High Peak Borough Council, Councillor Anthony McKeown said: “Whilst we knew the White Paper was coming we didn’t have any detailed idea of its contents around local government reorganisation.

“We therefore need time to study the proposals and consider what is best for the residents and businesses in High Peak before making any further comment.

“As a council we have fully engaged with devolution so far and we are still in the early days of working with, and being represented on, the East Midlands County Combined Authority. We also have our successful strategic alliance with our neighbours at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council already delivering efficiently and effectively for our respective areas.”

Coun Barry Lewis, Leader of Derbyshire County Council said: “We welcome reform of local government where it could deliver real savings, enhance local democracy, and simplify access to council services.

“It’s early days, there are still some conversations to be had within the council, and we need to look at the details of the government’s proposals. But if the principle of combining tiers of councils with a minimum half-million population is upheld and the approach is sensible then merging two-tier authorities like ours into a single county unitary council could potentially provide wider benefits for our local communities.

“We’re ready to work with Derby City Council and district and borough colleagues to shape the proposals if the government’s plans are sufficiently directive and they align with what is best for Derbyshire.

“As part of any sensible, coherent and credible arrangements it makes sense that those proposals should at least work within the current boundaries defined by the Mayoral Combined County Authority to reflect where skills and transport investment will be delivered.  Acting outside sensible well-established municipal geographies will inevitably compromise service delivery and potentially escalate costs.”

“As a county council within a Mayoral Combined County Authority, we’ve already successfully pursued and embraced reform and have the vision and drive to deliver meaningful change for our residents.”