Plans for Staffordshire councils 'merger' revealed
Nine Staffordshire councils could be replaced with a single unitary authority
Last updated 2nd Mar 2025
Nine Staffordshire councils could be replaced with a single unitary authority as part of proposals set to be considered at a county council meeting next week.
A new Mayoral Strategic Authority to cover Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent is also part of the outline plans for local government re-organisation set to be submitted to the Government by March 21.
Staffordshire County Council’s leader Alan White has previously spoken out about the imposition of an elected Mayor on the area. And fellow elected members raised concerns about the Government’s plans to scrap the two-tier council system in Staffordshire at their latest full council meeting.
Currently eight district and borough councils run services including bin collections, planning and maintenance of parks and open spaces. Staffordshire County Council is responsible for services including roads, social care and education across the wider area.
Earlier this 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.
Speaking ahead of a special cabinet meeting on Wednesday (March 5) to consider the county council’s interim plan for Staffordshire, Councillor White said: “Two-tier local government works in Staffordshire – it strikes the right balance between county-wide strategic services and local council services that meet the needs of our different communities. The government are clear however, that they want to see this replaced with fewer, bigger unitary councils in the future.
“With this in mind, and despite having just a few weeks to prepare, we’re responding pro-actively with an outline proposal which aims to do a number of important things. First and foremost, we want to unlock extra powers and funding from Westminster to boost our local economy.
“We are already bucking the trend – with unemployment levels and business survival rates outperforming regional averages – but our ambition is to push further on this with the Mayoral Strategic Authority. When it comes to local government reorganisation, our priority is to ensure that people across the whole county can continue to receive good quality, value for money services which recognise and meet the needs of local communities.
“A new Staffordshire unitary would be set up for success, streamlining services which are built on a legacy of well-run, financially stable councils able to invest in their communities. At the same time, vital services that people depend on – such as social care – would not be dismantled, with all the risk that that could entail.”
Stoke-on-Trent City Council revealed its own proposals for the future of local government earlier this month. They include a north Staffordshire council covering Newcastle Borough and Staffordshire Moorlands District alongside Stoke-on Trent.
Councillor White said: “It’s important to know that nothing has yet been agreed for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. This is just the start of a significant change that will take many years before it is complete.
“There are alternative proposals from neighbouring councils and we will judge these on their individual merits. As we work towards submitting more detailed proposals in the autumn, we will be guided by what the evidence tells us is in the best interests of Staffordshire’s people – they are our priority.”
The plan added that councils in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent already had a “strong track record of collaboration” through the Staffordshire Leaders Board. But the next meeting of the board, previously scheduled for Thursday (March 6), was listed as “withdrawn” on the online public meeting schedule on Staffordshire County Council’s website this week (February 27).
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