About local government reorganisation (LGR) and devolution
In December 2024, the Government announced plans to reorganise local government across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, along with other parts of England.
Currently, local government services in Stoke-on-Trent are all delivered by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which is a relatively small unitary council. Other parts of Staffordshire are served by both Staffordshire County Council and the local district or borough council, depending on the area. These are known as ‘two-tier’ areas as services and responsibilities are split between two levels of local government.
The Government plans to merge existing ‘two-tier’ and smaller unitary authorities to create fewer, larger unitary councils which will take responsibility for all local services, from social care and bins to planning and roads. It has said that having larger unitary councils will enable more powers, money and decision-making to be moved from central government to local areas – a process called ‘devolution’.
For the first phase of this process, councils have been asked to help shape what this new system should look like and submit their plans to the Government.
Once the LGR process has been completed, the Government will work with local areas to shape how the new councils will work together across larger areas, how they will be run and what powers and money they will receive.
Our proposal for LGR in Staffordshire
The city council submitted an initial plan in March for the creation of a new North Staffordshire unitary council, merging Stoke-on-Trent City Council with Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.
The council suggested that a similar unitary authority should be created to cover the rest of Staffordshire.
Since then, we have been doing further work to test this idea against alternative models.
This has included commissioning independent financial analysis, carrying out a wide-ranging public consultation exercise, and working through practical and constitutional issues.
We have now published our draft final submission. Our position remains unchanged, that the evidence leads us to conclude that a two unitary solution for Staffordshire, split north and south, is the correct one. Pending approval from cabinet and full council, this will form our submission to government at the end of November.
You can read the draft submission, and the various supporting documents, using the links below.
1) Delivering a Stronger Staffordshire: A Case for Change
This is the draft main submission, which assesses options, presents our preferred solution, and summarises the socio-economic, financial, and public evidence.
Click here to read our Delivering a Stronger Staffordshire document
2) Appendix 1: Local Government Reorganisation: Independent Options Appraisal
This independent assessment reviews the different options for local government reorganisation in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, including the likely costs and savings.
Click here to read the Local Government Reorganisation: Independent Options Appraisal document
3) Appendix 2: Understanding the Growth Dividend from a North Staffordshire Unitary Authority
This independent assessment explores economic growth potential of North Staffordshire. It looks at seven categories of economic development opportunities that could be maximised though the creation of a North Staffordshire Unitary Authority.
4) Appendix 3: North Staffordshire Public Engagement Report
This document, prepared by independent expert organisation, Cratus, contains the findings from a large-scale public consultation exercise, carried out across North Staffordshire.
Click here to read the North Staffordshire Public Engagement Report
5) Appendix 4: Approach to Implementation of the Creation of a North Staffordshire Unitary Council
This document starts work to provide a coherent framework for transition to a new authority. It is designed to assure all parties that the city council understands the scope of change, has identified risks and dependencies, and is equipped with plans to deal with them. The framework could also be applied to other parts of the county.
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