The district is also entirely covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

[11] The district council appoints two of its councillors to serve on the 30-person National Park Authority.

[12] Since 2014 the district has been a non-constituent member of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (formerly known as the Sheffield City Region); the council sends representatives to meetings of the combined authority, but the electorate of Derbyshire Dales do not vote in elections for the Mayor of South Yorkshire.

Following the 2023 election an alliance of the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Greens formed to lead the council as a joint administration.

The constituency is slightly larger than the district, also including parts of Amber Valley.

It was bought by the local council in 1894 and a large Italianate extension facing Bank Road was completed in 1898.