The town just nine miles away where people are desperate NOT to join Manchester

It’s a town with a strong identity and no desire for change, but a major decision could soon shake up the status quo.

The Derbyshire town of Chapel-en-le-Frith is just a nine mile drive from the nearest Greater Manchester village, High Lane. However, locals have little interest in becoming part of the city-region.

In fact, opinion is so strong that a Facebook page has even been set up for locals to voice their opposition.

Chapelites, as they’re known, live in a region known as High Peak in Derbyshire, which is set to see significant change in a major restructure of the council. What exactly will happen is still up in the air.

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 the Greater Manchester. But people in Chapel-en-le-Frith think the idea is ‘brainless’.

When the Manchester Evening News went to Glossop last month, another High Peak town, there was local appetite to join Greater Manchester. As residents live only two miles from the region's border, their enthusiasm makes sense.

But it's in stark contrast to how the people of Chapel-en-le-Frith feel.

Crunching through the snow in the main stretch of the town, the only thing colder than the freezing temperatures was local opinion towards joining the city-region. No one who spoke to the M.E.N wanted to have Greater Manchester written on the bottom of their home address.

Alan Waterhouse is Derbyshire born and bred. The 56-year-old thinks the idea would see the area become even more crowded