A Derbyshire council has agreed to a request for an Extraordinary Meeting into the on-going dispute and review over the authority’s controversial decision to withdraw an angling club’s tenancy at a popular pond and beauty spot.
The Labour controlled North East Derbyshire District Council has already agreed for its withdrawn tenancy at the Wingerworth Lido for tenants Clay Cross Angling Association to be reconsidered at a scrutiny committee meeting with a public consultation as part of plans to preserve the beauty spot as a biodiversity hub with the Friends of Wingerworth Lido community group.
But after Independent Cllr Ross Shipman raised further concerns about the powers of the council’s Asset Management Board which had originally considered the report on the future of the Wingerworth Lido lease in August, 2024, before the council withdrew the angling club’s licence, the authority has now also agreed to an Extraordinary Meeting at 6pm, on November 11.
Cllr Shipman said: “The meeting has been called to address serious concerns surrounding the process, transparency and legality of decisions taken in relation to Wingerworth Lido.
“It’s fair to say this whole process has been a mess from the start so I’ve set out a plan which removes the politics out of it, allows for residents and councillors to have their say, and has mechanisms in place to ensure that the consultation process is fair and will deliver a positive way forward for Wingerworth Lido.
“This is also an important opportunity to ensure that all decisions taken on behalf of residents are done so openly, lawfully and transparently.”
Cllr Shipman has claimed the AMB exceeded its powers in the decision-making process which he claims raises doubts over whether both the original 2024 decision and the September 2025 motion leading to an agreed scrutiny committee meeting and review were lawfully taken and whether they should be quashed.
He has also claimed the AMB made a decision on the matter when it has no authority to do so and that it had acted without a consultation.
Campaigner Dom Webb has also threatened to call for a judicial review into the matter based on the argument that the AMB had originally acted beyond its powers in the decision-making process which is strongly disputed by the council.
The council has clarified with Cllr Shipman that the AMB has not been and will not be, following the scrutiny review, on November 17, the final decision-making body and that the responsibility of any final decision has and always will fall to the Cabinet, and that ordinarily such matters do not warrant a consultation.
But Cllr Shipman has argued the AMB’s role and powers have not previously been made clear and he has also claimed on social media that scrutiny committee members have met prior to the November 17 meeting but the council stressed this was purely for administrative and logistical purposes ahead of the scrutiny committee meeting.
Cllr Shipman’s latest motion concerning Wingerworth Lido will be considered during the agreed Extraordinary Meeting at the council offices, on Mill Lane, at Wingerworth, in Chesterfield, on November 11.
The motion includes a request that the council notes: Concerns that Clay Cross Angling Association is being asked to remove fish from Wingerworth Lido; The council has not paused the Friends of Wingerworth Lido group process; Fishing is currently not allowed at Wingerworth Lido; The council has not carried out any pond maintenance or equality impact assessments or evaluated the environmental implications of any proposed changes.
He is urging the council to rescind its current plans and immediately allow Clay Cross Angling Association to maintain the welfare of the fish stock, allow angling permits for Wingerworth Lido to be applied for through the council or Wingerworth Parish Council or an angling club, and to prohibit any fish removal or site alterations, as well as stopping the Friends of Wingerworth Lido proposal.
Cllr Shipman’s motion also wants an open and transparent public consultation on the Lido’s future and wants the whole matter reported back to a Full Council within six months on the consultations’ findings with a recommended plan to go to a Cabinet meeting for a formal decision.
He has called for Wingerworth Parish Council to take on angling permits at Wingerworth Lido over concerns that the site is suffering without the presence of the angling club after citing the discovery of a dead carp.
The council’s Environment Scrutiny Committee is already reviewing the Wingerworth Lido matter and a public consultation into how the site should be managed has already been launched this week prior to the Extraordinary Meeting and before the planned scrutiny committee meeting on the matter.
NE Derbyshire District Council has also stated that it is encouraging the formation of the Friends of Wingerworth Lido group to give the community a voice in shaping the site and it has received strong support from residents and organisations including Derbyshire Amphibian & Reptile Group, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, Wingerworth Wildlife and other interested parties.
Cllr Jayne Barry, Portfolio Holder for Growth and Assets, previously told the Full Council meeting on September 22 that the original decision in 2024 concerning Wingerworth Lido had undergone a robust and considered process and, at that time, there had been no objections but the council remains open to public dialogue.
The council originally considered the tenancy as part of good practice for all its assets and it claims it did consult with relevant ward councillors and the angling club was notified before a decision to withdraw the tenancy and it was served a six-month notice.
It also claimed that it received complaints from the community connected to angling at the lido but a Freedom of Information request revealed that between 2022 and June, 2025, there were only three formal complaints and seven concerns were raised with the council regarding the lido and the three formal complaints were all during July, 2024.
The council voted by a majority at the Full Council meeting in September for the matter to be considered again by the Environment Scrutiny Committee and that views will be sought from concerned parties before recommendations are presented to the AMB before any final decision after Cllr Shipman and fellow Independent Cllr David Hancock raised concerns.
Cllrs Hancock and Shipman have argued the anglers need an opportunity to have their say and they pointed out the positive benefits of fishing for anglers in terms of personal well-being and for the environment.
The Angling Trust has also joined concerns after angler James Duffy organised an online petition calling for the reinstatement of fishing rights at the Wingerworth Lido which has attracted over 5,000 signatures.
It argued the council’s original’s decision was acknowledged as ‘flawed’ and effectively led to a ‘ban’ on angling and the ‘eviction’ of Clay Cross Angling Association.
But the council has explained this has been a tenancy non-renewal matter not a prohibition matter where due process was followed with correspondence, relevant councillors alerted, and time was allowed for responses before submitting a ‘notice to quit’ to the fishing club.
The Angling Trust also argued there is no reason why angling clubs and wildlife groups cannot work together for the good of the environment and that public waters like Wingerworth Lido need anglers to help manage and care for the amenity to avoid ‘poaching and chaos’.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs at Countryside Alliance, also questioned the council’s original decision and a ‘lack of transparency’ over the matter after the council refused to renew the angling club’s licence at the pond in June.
And NE Derbyshire MP Louise Jones has urged the council to find a way forward that supports improving the biodiversity of the site as well as allowing for recreational use, according to the trust.
Chairman of Clay Cross Angling Association Bill Parkin has said the fishing club is pleased the matter is being reviewed and he hopes fishing will return to Wingerworth Lido.
A council spokesperson has stated that the Environment Scrutiny Committee will provide the most appropriate and transparent route to present views in a respectful and constructive manner before its members make any recommendations.
The council has stated its AMB considered a report on the future of the Wingerworth Lido lease in August, 2024, and that ward members were consulted with two submitting no objections and one not replying.
It added that a formal six-month ‘notice to quit’ was issued by the council in December, 2024, to the fishing club, and a letter was received from the club in January, 2025, acknowledging the correspondence, and the lease formally ended on June 30, 2025.
The council has stressed that this process reflects its standard procedure for decisions regarding asset management.
A council spokesperson stated: “The council is considering how the Lido should be managed in the future to ensure it remains a welcoming and sustainable space for everyone.”
People are invited to complete an online consultation form available on the council’s website before November 23 and a drop-in session is being held at the council offices on Mill Lane, Wingerworth, in Chesterfield, between 3pm and 7pm, on November 12. Paper copies of the consultation will also be made available at the council’s offices.
