Five ways to re-draw Staffordshire's political map

Councils have been told to come up with proposals for new unitary authorities, in the biggest shake-up of local government since the 1970s

Five different proposals have been presented for revamping local government dividing lines in Staffordshire.

The government has told councils to come up with proposals for new unitary authorities as part of the biggest shake-up of local government since the 1970s.

Ministers believe replacing the current two-tier system of counties and districts with a single layer of unitary councils will save money and make local government more effective.

But critics say the existing system works well and claim larger councils will be more distant and less responsive to people's needs.

Thousands of people in Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Staffordshire Moorlands have signed petitions against their areas being merged with Stoke-on-Trent – which is one possible outcome of local government reorganisation.

Staffordshire is currently covered by one county council and eight district and borough councils, plus Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which is already a unitary authority.

In a two-tier system, the county provides services such as social care and highways, which make up the bulk of local government spending. Functions such as bin collections and leisure are the responsibility of the districts and boroughs.

Under a unitary system, just one council is responsible for all of these services.

Authorities have been given until 28 November to submit their final proposals, and the government has told them their plans must meet certain criteria - such as having sensible geographies, being financially sustainable and having a population of at least 500,000, although ministers have said that they were prepared to compromise on the last point.

Ultimately it will be up to the government to decide which proposals to adopt, and it has called for the new unitaries to be in place by 2028.

Five different models for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire have come forward:

North Staffordshire Council and a Southern and Mid-Staffordshire Council

This proposal would see the county split into northern and southern unitaries, with Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire Moorlands merging in the north and Stafford, East Staffs, Cannock Chase, South Staffordshire, Tamworth and Lichfield combining in the south.

Who supports it: Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Stafford Borough Council, East Staffordshire Borough Council, Cannock Chase District Council

Pros: A north-south split would align with the existing economic and social geography of Staffordshire, creating two generally cohesive areas.

Replacing the 10 existing councils with just two unitaries could provide the greatest amount of savings.

Cons: The southern unitary would be considerably bigger, with around 200,000 more residents, meaning it would have a larger tax base and greater economic clout, potentially leaving the north as the poor relation.

There would be concerns over the financial sustainability of a North Staffordshire Council, and taxpayers in Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Moorlands fear they would have to shoulder some of the city council's debt.

North Staffordshire Council and a Southern and Mid-Staffordshire Council with boundary changes

This proposal is similar to the north-south split but would see Stone, Uttoxeter and nearby villages moved into the northern unitary.

Who supports it: Staffordshire Moorlands District Council

Pros: Expanding a North Staffordshire Council area would make the two unitaries more equal in size and would put the north on a firmer financial footing.

Arguably, the boundary changes would result in a council that aligns even more closely to the economic geography, with the entire A50 corridor up to the Derbyshire border being within a single council area.

Cons: This could be the most complex reorganisation proposal, as it would involve the dividing up of district-level services in Stafford and East Staffordshire, as well as some county-level functions.

North Staffordshire Council, a South East Staffordshire council and South West Staffordshire Council

This proposal would see the southern and mid-Staffordshire area split in two, with Stafford, Cannock Chase and South Staffs in the west, and East Staffs, Tamworth and Lichfield in the east.

A North Staffordshire Council would still cover Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Moorlands, resulting in three unitary authorities.

Who supports it: Lichfield District Council, South Staffordshire Council and Tamworth Borough Council

Pros: Smaller unitary councils in the south could be more responsive to their communities, with decisions being taken closer to where people live.

Cons: The two southern councils would have populations considerably smaller than the 500,000 target set by the government.

Splitting Staffordshire into three, rather than two, would result in fewer financial savings.

East Staffordshire Council and a West Staffordshire Council

This would involve an east-west split, with Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stafford, Cannock Chase and South Staffordshire forming a West Staffordshire unitary, and Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire Moorlands, East Staffordshire, Lichfield and Tamworth merging into an East Staffordshire unitary.

Who supports it: Staffordshire County Council

Pros: The proposal would result in two councils of roughly equal size - with both unitaries potentially being financially sustainable, although there would still be concerns over Stoke-on-Trent's debts.

Cons: An east-west split does not align with the existing economic or social geography of Staffordshire – Stoke-on-Trent, for example, has far closer ties to Newcastle-under-Lyme than it does to Tamworth, although supporters say each of the council areas would take in the A50 and M6 economic corridors, respectively.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Council, a North Staffordshire Council, South West Staffordshire Council and South East Staffordshire Council

This proposal would see Newcastle-under-Lyme have its own unitary council covering the existing borough area.

Stoke-on-Trent and the Moorlands would combine into North Staffordshire, with an east-west split in the south, resulting in four unitary councils.

Who supports it: Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council

Pros: The proposal would allow Newcastle-under-Lyme to retain its local identity and a smaller, more responsive council, with the rest of Staffordshire merging into larger unitaries in line with other authorities' preferences.

Cons: Newcastle-under-Lyme's population is only 128,000, which is far below the size recommended for the new unitaries by the government.

The proposal would also offer the least amount of financial savings.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.