Council leader says Stafford and Stone must not be split up in local government shake-up

Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire County Council have both unveiled draft plans for the creation of new authorities for the area in recent days, ahead of a deadline set by the national Government.

The city council’s proposals include the creation of a North Staffordshire authority, covering Newcastle Borough and Staffordshire Moorlands District alongside Stoke-on Trent. And the county council’s proposals include joining with Staffordshire’s eight district and borough authorities to create a single unitary authority.

A description of Stone’s relationship with the north of the county, contained in the city council’s outline plans, has sparked concerns about the Stafford Borough town’s future position however. The document stated: “Where North Staffordshire starts and ends is a matter of interpretation.

“Certainly, there are parts of the district of Stafford, such as the townships of Stone and in East Staffordshire, Uttoxeter, that would at least see themselves as part of the northern area of the ceremonial county of Staffordshire. However, for the purposes of this paper we have deliberately focused on the three administrative areas of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands and Stoke-on-Trent.”

Stafford Borough Council’s leader Aidan Godfrey said: “From the outset I have said that we must do the best for our communities regarding any local government reorganisation. And that would suggest keeping Stafford Borough together.

“I am sure I speak for the whole council when I say that any proposal to split Stafford and Stone would be a red line for this authority. We have a strong track record as one borough, with two major towns, and we are proud of what we have delivered for the area and I will do everything I can to ensure we stay together.”

Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet members are set to discuss proposals for local government reorganisation at a special meeting this week (Wednesday March 5), with further consideration taking place at a full council meeting on Thursday, March 13. District and borough council leaders have also been having informal discussions about the option of a southern Staffordshire unitary council, Councillor Godfrey said.

He added: “We are all agreed that the benefits to our communities must be paramount in any proposals for local government reorganisation. For me this would work best if the six southern councils came together to form a new unitary authority.

“Our councils have worked together for many years on various projects, or sharing functions, to help deliver more efficient services for our residents and businesses. Importantly it will be a unitary of the population specified in the Government White Paper and created from existing authority boundaries – which will therefore result in a smoother, and more cost effective, process of reorganisation.

“I believe that together we have the geography and a joint economic ambition that can create a cohesive new unitary authority for Staffordshire.”

Last month Jim McMahon, Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, wrote to Staffordshire County Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the county’s eight district and borough councils. He has called for an “interim plan” to be submitted by March 21, with a full proposal expected to be put forward by November 28.

The Government’s English Devolution White Paper states all new unitary authorities should cover a population of at least 500,000 in size. Stafford Borough Council and Cannock Chase District Council, which have been sharing services for more than a decade, have a combined population of more than 240,000.