Frequently asked questions about LGR and devolution
What happens next?
Councils must submit final, detailed plans by 28 November, and show how they have worked together and consulted their local areas to come up with their proposals.
Councils will also have to show how the new unitary councils will work together to form a larger Strategic Authority covering at least the whole of Staffordshire. The Strategy Authority will receive wide-ranging powers and funding from the Government under devolution.
Following submission, the Government will carefully consider all proposals and carry out consultation before implementing any plans.
Once a preferred solution is chosen, the Government will begin the process of creating the new unitary councils and transferring staff, equipment, buildings and funds over from the merged authorities. The whole process is likely to take until 2028 to complete.
Will we get an Elected Mayor?
No final decision has been made on this yet. However, the leaders of all of the Staffordshire councils (including Stoke-on-Trent) have said they would agree to the idea of an Elected Mayor in order to secure the best possible devolution package of powers and funding for their areas.
The final decision will be made once the LGR process has been completed and the Strategic Authority is being created.
What will happen to all of the people who work for the existing councils?
Nothing will change in the short term. Once new councils have been created, employees will be transferred to them, regardless of which LGR option is chosen.
Creating new councils will involve working out how services will be delivered and how the new authorities should be structured, so there will inevitably be disruption but this should not affect the vast majority of staff. It is likely that there will be more change at senior levels as new management structures are developed.
What happens if local councils can’t agree on LGR or devolution?
The Government has said that it will consider and implement LGR proposals which meet specific criteria, including creating unitary councils which serve ‘sensible’ geographical areas with populations of around 500,000. If councils don’t agree on one proposal then ministers will select and implement the most suitable one following consultation.
If councils fail to agree on the creation of a Strategic Authority then the Government may use its power of ministerial directive to push through the most popular devolution proposal for that area.
How will the final proposal reflect the views of residents and businesses?
Councils are required to carry out detailed consultations with their citizens, businesses and other stakeholders to support the development of their final proposals for LGR.
We are working with the other Staffordshire councils on an agreed consultation programme, as well as doing our own surveys and focus groups.
To have your say on LGR and/or devolution, please email us at: LGR@stoke.gov.uk