Information from Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution
A message from Councillor Jane Ashworth, Leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council:
The Staffordshire Leaders’ Board has recently submitted an interim plan on local government reorganisation and devolution, in line with the Government’s request.
As you will know, the government is planning to reshape the way our councils are organised. This means more power will flow from Whitehall to local areas, increasing our ability to unlock growth and improve people’s lives and wellbeing.
It also means existing county and district councils – as well as smaller unitary councils like ours – will be replaced by a single tier of new councils.
The Leaders’ Board submission represents the joint position of the leaders of this city, the county, and the district councils of Staffordshire. It represents our early thoughts and makes it clear where we agree – and where we do not yet agree.
In terms of devolution, we agree that the best way forward is a through a new Mayoral Strategic Authority. This option comes with by far the most new powers and potential for driving investment and positive change.
In terms of the way councils are reorganised, we do not yet agree. As such, the Leaders’ Board submission outlines two ways forward on local government reform.
One is for a new single “mega-council” covering the existing county and districts. This would sit alongside a Stoke-on-Trent City Council on its existing boundaries.
The other is for two much more evenly-sized councils covering North Staffordshire and Southern and Mid Staffordshire. The North Staffordshire council would include at least Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire Moorlands. This is the proposal which we put forward and continue to support.
In our view, the government has been clear that it sees local government reform as vital to making devolution work. It wants unitary councils that make better economic sense, fit local geographies, deliver economies of scale and are more financially sustainable. It has suggested councils with a population of around 500,000 will be best placed to deliver positive change. They also want councils that make sense in terms of economic geographies and that help ensure future financial sustainability.
Our position paper – which you can read here – presented a clearly-evidenced case as to why a new North Staffordshire council best fits these requirements.
Government will now consider our interim plan. In the meantime, we will work with the county and district councils with a view to submitting more detailed proposals in autumn. This will involve gathering and assessing more evidence, as we work to ensure we take full advantage of an historic opportunity to take control back from Westminster and shape our own destiny.
