Local Government Reorganisation Consultation

Overview

In December 2024, the government published a document called the English Devolution White Paper

Part of this document set out plans to reorganise the way local councils work.

The government aim to simplify the way local government works by:

• Creating unitary councils: These would be single councils responsible for all local government services within a particular area.
• Ensuring councils are a suitable size to be efficient and effective.

This means all your services are delivered by one council, instead of between the county, city and district and borough councils.

Staffordshire currently has 10 councils – Staffordshire County Council, Stoke on Trent City Council, and eight district and borough councils.

Proposals were submitted to the Government in November, and the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government is now holding a public consultation on the proposals put forward.

The online survey can be found by clicking this link https://consult.communities.gov.uk/local-government-reorganisation/staffordshire-and-stoke-on-trent/

Proposals

1. Cannock Chase District Council, East Staffordshire Borough Council, Stafford Borough Council, Stoke‑on‑Trent City Council proposed 2 unitary councils. These would comprise the current areas of:

• North Staffordshire: Newcastle‑under‑Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands, and Stoke‑on‑Trent
• South Staffordshire: Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, South Staffordshire, Stafford, and Tamworth

2. Staffordshire County Council proposed 2 unitary councils. These would comprise the current areas of:

• East Staffordshire: East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Staffordshire Moorlands, Stoke-on-Trent, and Tamworth
• West Staffordshire: Cannock Chase, Newcastle-under-Lyme, South Staffordshire, and Stafford

3. Staffordshire Moorlands District Council proposed 2 unitary councils: This includes a request to split existing district council areas between the proposed new councils. These would comprise the district areas of:

• North Staffordshire: Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire Moorlands, plus 16 parishes from East Staffordshire and 6 from Stafford
• Southern and Mid-Staffordshire: Cannock Chase, Lichfield, South Staffordshire, Tamworth, and the remaining 22 parishes of East Staffordshire, and 34 of Stafford

4. Lichfield District Council, South Staffordshire Borough Council, Tamworth Borough Council proposed 3 unitary councils. These would comprise the current areas of:

• North Staffordshire: Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands, and Stoke-on-Trent
• South-West Staffordshire: Cannock Chase, South Staffordshire, and Stafford
• South-East Staffordshire: Lichfield, East Staffordshire, and Tamworth

5. Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council proposed 4 unitary councils. These would comprise the current areas of:

• Unitary Authority 1: Newcastle-under-Lyme
• Unitary Authority 2: Cannock Chase, South Staffordshire, and Stafford
• Unitary Authority 3: Staffordshire Moorlands, and Stoke-on-Trent
• Unitary Authority 4: East Staffordshire, Lichfield and Tamworth.

This consultation asks questions about each proposal. This consultation will last for 7 weeks and closes at 23:59 on 26^th March 2026.

Residents are encouraged to take part in this consultation and share their thoughts on the proposals submitted.