Staffordshire ‘super-councils’ take a step forward
Two huge local authorities could be created to provide services in Staffordshire, under new plans which were grudgingly rubber stamped by councillors this week.
The proposals are in response to a local council re-organisation programme, mandated by the national government, which wants to simplify the structure of local councils and see more power devolved to regional authorities in the regions of England.
A business case discussed by Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet sets out a proposal for how local government services could be delivered in Staffordshire, potentially under a devolved regional administration in the future, with the county split into east and west.
The plan, the council’s preferred option picked ahead of seven other proposals, would see two new unitary councils created in Staffordshire to replace the existing two-tier set up, with the existing Stoke-on-Trent unitary authority merged into a new East Staffordshire council providing services for 689,784 people.
If approved by central government, a new Staffordshire West council would serve 487,794 people in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stafford, Cannock Chase and South Staffordshire.
In the English devolution white paper, published in December 2024, the government said it wanted to replace all “two-tier” local authorities with unitary authorities, larger bodies responsible for delivering virtually all public services in the area, by the end of the current parliament.
But Ian Cooper, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said the reorganisation “is not something Staffordshire wants or needs”, after a report put to the council’s cabinet set out the current county council’s “long history” of successful two-tier working with the eight district and borough councils in the area.
“This is a demand from Government and we have a duty to put forward what will work best for the county and city as a whole,” he said.
“Having worked within the Government’s parameters, the East-West option gives both new councils the best chance of success and of the options considered, this means better services and better value for residents and businesses.”
The report put forward by the county council estimates the cost of the transition to the new arrangements to be just under £32m, although these costs would be recouped after three-and-a-half years by cost efficiencies generated by the new system.
Staffordshire County Council says it will submit its business case this month, ahead of a government deadline of 28 November. A decision on how to proceed is expected from central government in the spring.
“The real prize is genuine devolution to support growth and the economy and not an unnecessary, expensive and risky shake-up of public services,” added Martin Murray, deputy leader and cabinet lead on local government reorganisation.
“We will continue to press for this along with assurances on how the city council’s financial problems will be resolved, realistic funding to establish the two new unitary authorities and a commitment to meaningful engagement with all the areas involved.”
The full report on Staffordshire County Council’s preferred option for local government reorganisation is available on the council website.
