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 were asked to help shape what this new system should look like and submit their plans to the Government.
The Government is now consulting on various proposals that have been put forward for Staffordshire. We encourage you to read the various proposals, and give your views, here: Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Local Government Reorganisation Hub.
Our proposal for LGR in Staffordshire
The city council’s position is that a new North Staffordshire unitary council should be created, merging Stoke-on-Trent City Council with Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.
A similar unitary authority should be created to cover the rest of Staffordshire.
We spent several months testing this idea against alternative models. This included commissioning independent financial analysis, carrying out a wide-ranging public consultation exercise, and working through practical and constitutional issues.
You can read our final submission, and 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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