Posted on Tuesday 4th November 2025
Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet today (Tuesday, Nov 4) agreed to submit to Government a proposal for two new unitary councils representing the East and West of Staffordshire - to replace the 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 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 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.”
The deadline for submitting options is November 28 and the county council has made it clear that discussions and negotiations will not stop once all options are on the table.
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 real prize is genuine devolution to support growth and the economy and not an unnecessary, expensive and risky shake-up of public services.
“We will continue to press for this along with assurances on how the city council’s financial problems will be resolved, realistic funding to establish the two new unitary authorities and a commitment to meaningful engagement with all the areas involved.”
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 the final decision next summer.