Two new unitary councils confirmed in Staffordshire

Staffordshire County Council along with district and borough authorities in the area are to be replaced with two new unitary councils covering the north and south of the county from 2028.

The plans were announced in the House of Commons on Thursday as part of a reorganisation of local government that will see the number of councils in England cut from 317 to a maximum of 173.

The government said it would make councils more efficient and "ready for devolution".

The north-south divide was backed by five of the 10 councils in Staffordshire, although there has also been vocal opposition and a pledge by a local MP to fight the proposals that will affect about one million people in the county.

Under the plans, the eight district and borough councils, the county council and the existing Stoke-on-Trent unitary authority will all be abolished.

The two new unitary councils will not only cover a bigger area than existing ones, but take on the running of all public services - that includes bin collections, road maintenance, libraries, housing and social care.

Jonathan Gullis, leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council described the decision as "a shameful betrayal".

"Whitehall has chosen to abolish a proud and successful borough council, end more than 853 years of independent local government and force our communities into a vast north Staffordshire super-council dominated by Stoke-on-Trent," he said.

"Newcastle-under-Lyme did not ask for this. Residents did not vote for this.

"There was no local mandate for it, no convincing case for it and no justification for wiping our Borough Council off the map."

Staffordshire Moorlands MP Karen Bradley said she was also disappointed with the announcement.

"Moorlanders have been clear that we do not want to be part of 'Greater Stoke' but ministers have refused to listen. I will keep fighting this decision which is just plain wrong."

The North Staffordshire unitary will cover Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, and the Staffordshire Moorlands.

A new South Staffordshire authority will serve Stafford, Stone, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Tamworth and South Staffordshire.

The government has said this would simplify who did what, and that getting rid of these councils to make way for new authorities would improve services.

Leader of Staffordshire County Council, Martin Murray, who failed to win backing for his preferred east-west split of the county said while the north-south divide had not been the proposal his authority had put forward, it had "clear strengths and is financially viable in the long term".

He said: "We will work professionally with neighbouring councils to make the change happen safely, with residents' needs at the heart of the process."

Meanwhile, Stoke-on-Trent City Council leader Jane Ashworth greeted the news with more warmth.

"It is the option that most closely reflects the reality of how people live, work and travel across our area and provides the strongest basis for future success," she said.

"The north-south model works with the grain of our communities rather than against them.

"It keeps north Staffordshire together as a single economic area, aligns with the way key public services already operate and creates a council that is large enough to be resilient while remaining rooted in the communities it serves."

Ashworth added that it would ensure the area had a stronger voice and could compete more effectively for jobs, funding and investment in the years ahead.

Elsewhere in the county, Doug Pullen, leader of Lichfield District Council, said his priority was to work positively and constructively with neighbouring councils, despite failing to secure the outcome he believed would best serve residents.

"Residents should be reassured that there will be no immediate changes to the services they receive," he said.

"We remain committed to delivering high-quality services throughout the transition and will continue to keep our communities informed as further information becomes available."

The North Staffordshire council will have about 84 councillors, while there will be 92 in the South Staffordshire council, which will cover a much bigger geographical area.

Each councillors will be representing bigger wards than at the moment. They will be elected next May, and actually start running things from 2028.

Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.