Posted on Friday 28th November 2025
Staffordshire County Council submitted its final plan to Government today (Friday November 28) for the creation of the two new authorities of Staffordshire East and Staffordshire West.
The East-West proposal is one of a number of options being put forward to replace the existing county, city, district and borough councils of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
Ian Cooper, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said:
We have made it clear that Local Government Reorganisation is not something that Staffordshire wants or needs.
However, this is a demand from Government and we have a duty to put forward what will work best for the county and city as a whole.
Having worked within the Government’s parameters, the East-West option is the best financial option and gives both new councils the best chance of success and of the options considered, this means better services and better value for residents and businesses.”
If taken forward by Government, the East-West option would see:
• Staffordshire East council provide services for 689,784 people in Staffordshire Moorlands, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Tamworth and Stoke-on-Trent using the existing district and borough council boundaries
• Staffordshire West council would serve 487,794 people in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stafford, Cannock Chase and South Staffordshire
Martin Murray, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Lead on Local Government Reorganisation, said:
The fate of all the councils across this great county and city is now in the hands of the Government. Imposing wholesale reorganisation on Staffordshire is unnecessary and risks becoming a costly political experiment.”
In deciding the final option, the county council examined eight options with the East-West being the strongest financially and ultimately scoring higher than a North-South option across a range of factors including balance of: debt, assets, children's social care demand and housing need.
The Government is expected to take forward its preferred option/s, from all proposals submitted, for public consultation in early 2026 – before it makes a final decision next summer