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It might be just nine miles from the bright lights of the big city of Manchester, but this Peak District town could be on another planet looking at the traditional stone buildings and snow-covered streets.
Chapel-en-le-Frith is among the towns that form High Peak Borough Council, which is currently part of Derbyshire County Council, and the area has a population of just over 8,000 – compared to the 2.9 million people living Greater Manchester.
Under new Labour plans to merge local councils, one option could be for High Peak to join with Tameside or Stockport councils in Greater Manchester.
The area’s Labour MP, Jon Pearce, expressed his desire for the town to join Greater Manchester at the end of 2024, sparking a fierce debate locally.
But, Manchester Evening News reports, locals in the pretty town don’t seem to share the opinion of their MP or the government. Arthur Carrington, 78, who has lived in Chapel-en-le-Frith all his life, told the newspaper: “I think most people around here don’t go to Manchester anyway. That’s a big city and we’re country folk.
“I think it would look wrong. This is country, (Manchester’s) a city. It’s not so much the name being on the address that’s the issue, there is just no affiliation.
“I don’t think Manchester would be interested in picking up Chapel anyway. Lots of people have a worry about admin costs if things are run from Manchester.”
Alan Waterhouse is Derbyshire born and bred. The 56-year-old thinks the idea would see the area become even more crowded than it already is. He said: “Lots of people commute from here to the Manchester area, they don’t contribute to the community. If we join with GM that could get worse.
“Years ago Chapel was a farming community, but it isn’t like that anymore. People come away to live here from the city for a more peaceful life.
“The amount of people who talk with a Manchester accent at my son’s school is crazy.”
Fellow resident Dawn Goodwin said her main concern about High Peak moving to a different local authority is how it will impact finances.
She added: “I’d want to stay as we are. I think it’d be more expensive to join Greater Manchester as they’re having to cover more areas. We already have to pay quite a lot. It was shocking to see when that idea was brought up by the MP. From what I know, no one is keen.”
Leader of High Peak Borough Council, Councillor Anthony McKeown, said the authority needed time to study the proposals put forward. He 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.”
Councillor Barry Lewis, Leader of Derbyshire County Council, welcomed the “reform of local government where it could deliver real savings, enhance local democracy, and simplify access to council services”.
He added: “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.”
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