Five takeaways as council leader quizzed

Stoke-on-Trent City Council leader Jane Ashworth took questions from listeners to BBC Radio Stoke this week

A challenging budget, plans for a new music and entertainment venue and a potential bid for a tea party world record.

These were among the topics when the leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council took questions from listeners to BBC Radio Stoke this week.

Labour's Jane Ashworth admitted this year the authority had to take "difficult decisions" with the financial outlook for the council being "extremely challenging".

Here are five takeaways from her answers on air:

The council is not for turning - well, U-turning

In January, we found out the city could be getting a new music and entertainment venue, as part of plans to transform Hanley.

The idea for a mid-sized venue replaces a plan put forward by the previous Conservative administration for a city centre arena, which was scrapped.

The Tory group leader on the council, Daniel Jellyman, said the new plans were a "total U-turn and a total waste of two-and-a-half years".

When asked if the council had made a U-turn, Ashworth said: "Well not so much, I'm sorry to say. The previous proposal was not a proper plan, it was never costed."

She added the new idea was not just to build a new multi-purpose site but also to do some work to improve existing venues, such as the Kings Hall in Stoke, which already has a car park nearby.

The budget and it's interest(ing)

It was revealed by Ashworth just how much interest is being paid on government loans needed to balance the council's books.

The authority is planning to borrow £16.8m this year in emergency government support, to plug a gap created through the cost of providing children's services in the city and adult social care.

Last year £42.2m was borrowed by the city council from this fund.

The interest created on this debt so far? About £2.8m annually that the council needs to pay back, in interest, the authority's leader told listeners.

Ashworth explained the debt was partially down to the demographics of Stoke-on-Trent: "We are not strong enough economically in our city, in terms of our council tax base, to be able to meet all our needs."

She added the government should put more money into places like the city and said ministers have promised to review how funding is allocated to different areas, to reflect the needs of places like Stoke-on-Trent which have a financially smaller council tax base.

A way for the council to 'urn' a bit more

There's about £7.5m worth of savings on the way in the next financial year in Stoke-on-Trent.

They include plans to dim street lights, saving about £100,000 annually and increase prices of gym and swim sessions at leisure centres, saving about £297,000 per year, according to the council.

However the authority hopes to not only save money with their budget but to generate some income as well - in one case, creating a new garden of remembrance or pet cemetery at Carmountside crematorium.

There would be a charge for the service to either cremate or bury pets under the plans and it had been successful in other areas, the council leader added.

The service would save the council about £3000 annually but Ashworth said it had a potential to be a "little earner".

That is, unless it doesn't go down well in the consultation.

Stuck in the middle…of devolution talks

The government's white paper on devolution is about simplifying local government and moving powers away from London, ministers say, but it seems to have set the cat amongst the pigeons with Stoke-on-Trent's smaller neighbouring councils.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council leader Simon Tagg has even started a save the borough campaign over worries a "more distant super council" would not be run in the interests of local people.

While in favour of devolution, he said he had concerns with the government's proposed reorganisation of local authorities, which would see his council abolished.

Meanwhile the Conservative MP for the Staffordshire Moorlands, Karen Bradley, is also not a fan: "We in the Moorlands are very proud of who we are and we do not want to be subsumed into Stoke-on-Trent."

Setting out the plan, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner pledged it would end "micromanaging by central government".

So where does this leave the Potteries? In response to a question on why other authorities don't look at the city too favourably, Ashworth said: "I think people will recognise that we are actually managing well on some aspects of our services.

"Where things are not good, it's because of the shortage of money that's come from central government to match with our council tax".

Some of the districts and the county council were yet to finalise their approach to the whole matter, Ashworth explained, along with the city council.

The Staffordshire Leaders Board is a group made up of the county's eight district and borough councils as well as Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire County Council.

The board wrote to the government in 2024 and said it was felt there was no need for an elected mayor locally – but the group were open to working together.

The board is yet to respond to the latest local government reorganisation plans but is set to meet early in February.

Watch this space.

Cups and saucers at the ready

Stoke-on-Trent gained official city status 100 years ago and the council are involved in 2025's centenary celebrations.

These include a mix of arts, sports and concert events which you can find here, not to mention the first Stoke-on-Trent Day on 5 June.

Ashworth revealed that one of the plans the authority was involved with to mark the anniversary was a world record attempt at the biggest ever tea party.