Staffordshire council leaders back plans for ‘seismic’ change to local authority

The proposal has been drawn up in response to the Labour government’s plan to abolish two-tier local councils in England and replace them with a single layer of unitary authorities. At the moment, local services in Staffordshire are split between the county council, and the districts and boroughs.

Alan White, leader of the Conservative-run county council, told the cabinet meeting that this system is working well in Staffordshire, but the authority had no choice but to put forward a proposal for unitarisation. He said the county unitary plan offered the best chance of maintaining service levels for residents while minimising disruption.

Cllr White said: “People should not underestimate the complexity of this. Wrenching apart social services, education systems, highways departments and planning systems and everything that’s associated with local government, is a very complicated thing to do.

“I’m not looking for sympathy but I’ve been living and breathing this thing since December when the letter came out. For everyone involved it’s been a very stressful set of circumstances. What we want is the best for our residents, and not some change that’s done on a whim, that’s ill-considered, looks good on a map but sets up for failure. We want sustainable services now and for the future.

“What we’re proposing is seismic. This is a change to local government the like of which we haven’t seen the early 1970s. And it’s on us, it’s our responsibility to ensure the services we provide to our residents continue to be delivered seamlessly. That’s the most important thing. This isn’t about us as councillors, this isn’t about Staffordshire County Council. This is about the residents we look after.”

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is proposing a different plan for unitarisation, involving a North Staffordshire council covering the Potteries, Newcastle and the Staffordshire Moorlands.

County council cabinet member Simon Tagg, who is also leader of Newcastle Borough Council, has been a vocal critic of the North Staffordshire proposal. He therefore declared an interest at start of the cabinet meeting and did not take part in the discussion.

Other cabinet members criticised the government for forcing councils to devote time and effort towards reorganisation, arguing that it is not a priority for residents.

Deputy leader Philip White said: “For the government to choose at this time to force a wholesale reorganisation of councils areas such as ours, where services are well run – to force us to do this and take the time of our officers away from those services, is disappointing to say the least. I hope our residents will note that in going through this process this isn’t something we want to do, it’s something we have to do well in their best interests.”

Councillor Mark Deaville, another vocal critic of the North Staffordshire proposal, said that being involved in the process presented the best opportunity for a good outcome, and that the worst scenario would be ‘to have this done to us’.

Along with the proposals for a county unitary, the interim plan also supports the idea of a mayor-led strategic authority for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, as a vehicle for devolution in the area.

Councillor Ian Parry suggested that this was a ‘prize’ worth pursuing. He said: “There’s a massive opportunity for areas under a combined strategic authority to get that devolution prize, and we should not take our eye off that.”

Cabinet members voted unanimously to support the interim plan, which will now go to full council for approval. The government has asked councils to submit their interim unitarisation plans by March 21, with a November deadline for the final submission.