Stone community leaders call for entire town to be represented by one county councillor

A shake-up of Staffordshire County Council’s electoral boundaries is under way.

Currently Stone has two county representatives, with most of the town being classed as “Stone Urban”. But part of Walton is in the Stone Rural member’s division, which also includes villages such as Hilderstone, Barlaston, Fulford, Sandon and Milwich.

Stone town councillor Jim Davies said: “It’s completely absurd we should have part of Walton lumped into a different division for the sake of numbers. I think Walton North should be part of Stone Urban.

Fellow town councillor Jonathan Powell, who represents the Walton North area, said: “Whenever I mention to people in my ward they aren’t officially in the Stone Urban area they’re gobsmacked. The vast majority of them don’t see themselves as living in a rural area.”

Town, borough and county councillor Jill Hood, who represents the Stone Urban division, said: “I get calls all the time from residents in Walton North and I never say to them ‘I’m not your county councillor’. I work for them and do what I can.

“It’s very difficult for residents to understand the split between the two Walton branches. It seems muddled and I would be delighted if the decision is made to join the two together.”

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) began the latest Electoral Review of Staffordshire last year. And a public consultation, where residents and councils were invited to give views on their local communities, closed on Monday.

The previous review took place more than a decade ago, with the current boundaries coming into force at the May 2013 elections. The LGBCE, which is an independent body, has previously decided that the number of county councillors should remain at 62 but boundaries are being reviewed to make sure members represent around the same number of electors.

Staffordshire County Council, put forward its own proposals as part of the latest consultation, which include adding a member to the East Staffordshire division and removing one from Tamworth. But they received a mixed response from members at Thursday’s full council meeting.

Councillor Mark Winnington, who represents Stafford Borough’s Gnosall and Doxey area, said: “We have been here before with boundary changes and they are incredibly difficult. It’s like Scrabble but with all the letters taken off, they just throw them on the table and say sort it out between yourselves, then invariably the Boundary Commission go and do something else.

“I’m a little disappointed that because of the fact we need to have less councillors according to the Electoral Commission, the growth in Staffordshire has been such that we’re now having to impact on rural areas with imposing fairly dense town areas. That’s happened with mine.

“There’s no other way around it because if you start changing the chairs around you then start impacting elsewhere. In mine we have to cross over the motorway, which is a natural boundary, and then add a lot of new houses – some of which haven’t been built yet.

“For the people and parish councils out there it does seem a bit strange. Because we’ve only got 62 councillors and a lot more electorate, it is doing strange things to divisions, but well done to the officers that have tried to sort this out as it’s a little bit like herding cats.”

Councillor Mike Worthington, who represents Churnet Valley in the Staffordshire Moorlands, said: “When I first saw these come out and reported to Cheddleton Parish Council that we were suddenly going to go into Caverswall it was shock horror. Cheddleton is the heart of the Churnet Valley and all of a sudden I’m in Caverswall and I’ve got a bit of Cheadle.

“I’ve got no affinity for Cheadle – I’ve got a little bit of Cheadle now but they were going to give me Cheadle West. Luckily they have listened to my protestations about what they were going to do and that has now been taken out and put back where it should be, but they’re still pinching some of my ward for Leek South.

“These people sit behind desks organising these boundaries and I’m still plus-three per cent. They can have a bit of Cheadle off me if they want, but leave me alone please.”

Council leader Alan White said: “It is a process that will not satisfy everybody in this chamber. And it is part of a step in a process; it goes out to consultation and we have had the opportunity in this chamber to come up with something we will submit as a county council, not as individual councillors, to the Boundary Commission for England.

“You are free to submit your own response to the public consultation as individual county councillors. And you should rest assured that no matter where in this chamber you are seated, you will find people opposite you wanting to submit their proposals too.

“This is what we’ve managed to achieve trying to strike the balance based on the criteria set out by Boundary Commission for England. And it’s a tough ask – this is the best we’re able to come up with, given the criteria that are set out.”

The LGBCE is due to put forward its proposals for Staffordshire boundaries in July and another public consultation will take place. The Commission’s recommendations are set to be published in November, and if they are approved by Parliament they will come into force at the next county council election in 2025.