New east-west plan for county's devolution split

Ian Cooper, leader of Staffordshire County Council, said reorganisation of local authorities could help simplify how council services were delivered

Council leaders are due to discuss plans for an east-west split for the future of local authority services in Staffordshire.

Staffordshire County Council has changed its preferred approach to devolution after Reform UK took control of the authority at local elections in May.

The latest plans would see an east Staffordshire unitary council, providing services for 689,784 people in the existing footprint of the Staffordshire Moorlands, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Tamworth and Stoke-on-Trent.

A west Staffordshire council would serve 487,794 people within the Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stafford, Cannock Chase and South Staffordshire boundaries.

The new proposals are due to be discussed at a cabinet meeting on 17 September.

Earlier this year, Stoke-on-Trent City Council put forward its proposals, which favour a north-south split across the county.

Their plans would see the creation of a north Staffordshire unitary council, merging Stoke-on-Trent City Council with Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, with the rest of the county covered by a south Staffordshire authority.

That move was broadly supported by Cannock Chase District Council, East Staffordshire Borough Council, Lichfield District Council, South Staffordshire District Council, Stafford Borough Council and Tamworth Borough Council, which jointly submitted a proposal that would see them merging in 2028.

Different proposals have been put forward for local government reogranisation in Staffordshire

Meanwhile, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has opted for a plan which would see some local authority boundaries divided to create a new north Staffordshire authority.

Opposition to devolution has come from Conservative councillors in Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Staffordshire Moorlands, who have tried to block any plans which see their authorities merging with Stoke-on-Trent.

Staffordshire County Council leader Ian Cooper said the reorganisation of council services could help simplify how they were delivered.

Local authorities must put forward a proposal that meets government guidelines and set out how Stoke-on-Trent City Council's financial challenges would be addressed.

Devolution is set to see the county council as well as Staffordshire's nine district and borough councils abolished

"In an ideal world, we would avoid the burden of Stoke-on-Trent City Council's financial distress on people across the wider county, but the government are likely to dismiss any option that does not help to solve these long running financial problems or meet their wider criteria for change," said Martin Murray, Reform UK's deputy leader at the county council.

He said he believed the east-west option gave the best chance of success for improving services.

If the plans are agreed at their meeting later this month, the county council will develop a full business case to be submitted to the government in November.