Stoke-on-Trent City Council today reveals its final proposals to reshape local government in Staffordshire.
Urging the government to seize a "once-in-a-generation" chance to bring growth and prosperity.
The council’s plans – backed by independent financial analysis and wide-ranging public consultation - would see two new councils created covering North Staffordshire and Southern & Mid Staffordshire.
Detailed evidence presented by the council shows how the North-South split presents the best economic prospects, best fits the way people currently live and work, and has the best prospects for delivering what people have said they want: better, more cost-effective services and protected local identities.
The proposals are contained in a draft submission to government, which will now go forward to the ruling cabinet and full council for approval.
As the foreword to the submission makes clear: “[This document] unashamedly approaches local government reorganisation (LGR) as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restructure Staffordshire’s councils in a way that unlocks growth, brings financial stability, and provides for more effective – and more efficient – services. But, as the government’s criteria make clear, this can only happen if the revised structures match the economic, demographic and cultural realities ‘on-the-ground' – reflecting the way people live and work, now and in the future.
“Local government exists to serve the people it represents, and the key test is whether reorganisation enables us to do that better.
“This document assesses various models proposed by councils across Staffordshire against the government’s criteria. It demonstrates how the North/Mid-South two unitary split is clearly the best fit with both the letter of these criteria, and their spirit – positioning all parts of the county for stability and economic growth.”
The government announced in December their plan to scrap existing county and district councils - as well as smaller unitaries that sit beside them - and replace them with a single tier of evenly-sized councils with a population of around 500,000. Councils were asked to assess options and suggest solutions – having been clearly told that “no change” was not an option.
Final proposals are due by 28 November.
Stoke-on-Trent's proposal is fully supported by three other councils – East Staffordshire District Council, Cannock Borough Council and Stafford Borough Council. In total, eight of the 10 Staffordshire council support the creation of a unitary council for North Staffordshire.
The proposal is backed up by a range of independent reports. These were commissioned to help appraise options, understand public priorities, and ensure any transition to the new system would be smooth and issue-free. They will be included as appendices to the main submission and can be read here: https://www.stoke.gov.uk/LGR
This analysis shows that the new arrangements would save between £12.6 million and £17.9 million a year, against one-off implementation costs of between £20.6 million and £24.7 million.
A large-scale public engagement exercise found people wanted above all for local government to deliver reliable, high-quality services at less cost, while protecting and enhancing local identities and links.
If approved by cabinet and council, Stoke-on-Trent's documents will be submitted to the government – alongside the “sister” proposal by Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire and Stafford.
There will then be a period of statutory consultation before the government decides which proposals it wishes to adopt.
The new councils are unlikely to be up and running until 2028, giving sufficient time to set up the new structures.
Councillor Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “Local government exists to serve communities.
"But years of austerity cuts and increased competition for scarce resources have left many councils less able to commit investment to important strategic plans or deliver much-needed changes.
“Local government reorganisation is an opportunity to change that - but only if we get it right.
“Our proposal is shaped around protecting local identities and recognising the way people already live their daily lives. It is built around established communities and local economies where people live, work, study, shop and spend their spare time.
“Focusing on these areas means we can deliver what people want. We can give parents and pupils more choice about which schools to go to; we can join up transport to make it easier to travel to work or access local services, and we can drive co-ordinated investment in our towns and cities – building on existing clusters of activity to create not just thriving places, but powerful engines of growth, wealth and employment.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a different system of local government – one that is actually designed around communities’ needs. It would deliver more, while being cheaper and more sustainable.
“Let's grasp this chance to build a stronger Staffordshire - for everyone.”
- More articles in the news archive
- Stoke-on-Trent news RSS feed