Three-way split plan for council reorganisation

Three council leaders have put forward a new proposal for local government reogranisation in Staffordshire

A new suggestion has been put forward for the future of Staffordshire's council services, to replace its current county and district authorities.

The proposal - backed by bosses at Lichfield, South Staffordshire and Tamworth councils - would see the county split into three unitary authorities, combining all services within their areas.

Their plan would create one council for Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire Moorlands, a second for Stafford, South Staffordshire and Cannock Chase, with a third for Lichfield, Tamworth and East Staffordshire.

It adds to an array of different proposals which will be considered by the government.

The latest proposal had come about in response to feedback from local residents and businesses, the leaders said.

In September, Staffordshire County Council proposed an east-west split to create two authorities covering the county.

Meanwhile, plans for a north-south divide for the county were published earlier in the year by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

The authority including Stoke-on-Trent would be the largest, with a population approaching 500,000. The other two would have between 300,000 and 400,000 people.

"This proposal is built on what our communities have told us they need," said South Staffordshire leader Kath Perry.

"By creating councils that are closer to the people they serve, we're safeguarding the future of public services and ensuring they continue to support growth, wellbeing and prosperity for years to come."

The proposal has also been endorsed by Lichfield leader Doug Pullen and Tamworth leader Carol Dean.

"It creates councils that are financially sustainable and efficient but also close enough to know the people and places they serve," Pullen said.

Dean added: "It's about building a council that's big enough to be resilient and deliver quality services, but small enough to truly understand and respond to what matters most to our residents and businesses"

The plans need the backing of councillors before being submitted to the government, with votes scheduled over the next few weeks.

'No to Stoke'

The issue of local government reorganisation in Staffordshire is hotly contested, with Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council leader Simon Tagg strongly opposing plans to merge his borough with its city neighbour, and some politicians in the Staffordshire Moorlands also opposing any move which tied their area with Stoke-on-Trent.

This week, Tagg reaffirmed his belief that the current system of county and district councils worked well, but that if local government reorganisation was "forced" upon Staffordshire then his preference was for a single council within the existing borough boundaries.

He announced a bid for Newcastle-under-Lyme to split from the rest of the council and run its own unitary authority, despite it having a population of about 125,000, way less than the government's suggested 500,000.

However, he said he would now support the creation of a strategic authority, covering the whole of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, to bring more powers and funding to the area for local transport, investment and infrastructure issues.