The bizarre plan that could see a tourist hotspot, 28 miles away, join Manchester

It’s known for being a quaint spa town in the heart of the Peak District, so the idea it could join Greater Manchester has baffled locals.

Sitting almost 30 miles from Manchester city centre, Buxton is the last place you’d expect to become the newest town in the city-region. The tourist hotspot is one of the towns in the High Peak region of Derbyshire, which is set to see significant change in a major restructure of the council setup.

What exactly will happen is still up in the air, but Buxtonians have made it as clear as their famous water it’s not for them.

The local authority shake-up would see smaller councils within large counties, such as Lancashire, be merged as the two-tier system of local government is scrapped. It could mean areas like High Peak join larger authorities like Greater Manchester.

The High Peak MP, Jon Pearce, said it's a 'no-brainer' for his constituency to join Greater Manchester. Mr Pearce wants High Peak to stay together in this scenario, which would mean Buxton would be brought into the fold alongside towns like Glossop, Chapel-en-le-Frith and Whaley Bridge.

The Manchester Evening News has already visited two other High Peak towns over this issue. In Glossop there was appetite to join Greater Manchester; but Chapel-en-le-Frith was fervently against it.

In fact, opinion is so strong that a Facebook page has even been set up calling to ‘Keep High Peak in Derbyshire’.

In Buxton, the topic hasn’t generated the same heat as it has in Chapel but the sheer distance they live from Manchester makes it unthinkable, say locals.

Tony Jerbis, taking a stroll through Pavilion Gardens, told the M.E.N: “It shouldn’t happen. That would be a common thought around here.

“Buxton is a long way away from