Timeline of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

See a timeline of key LGR activity so far.

In early 2026, the government is expected to invite the public to provide feedback, through a formal consultation, on the proposals put forward by the councils in Staffordshire. Government is expected to make a decision on the preferred option for Staffordshire in Summer 2026.   

The whole process of change will take a number of years and the earliest we’d expect to see changes fully up and running is 2028.

How we'll keep you updated

Any change will take several years to work through. Proposals will be considered as part of an open and democratic process, including public cabinet meetings and council meetings.

  1. February 2025

    On 27 February 2025, the council's outline proposal was considered by Cabinet Members at a meeting on 5 March. This was approved and was taken to a meeting of Full Council on 13 March.

    On 21 March 2025, we submitted an outline proposal as part of an interim plan for local government reorganisation to government.

  2. May 2025

    In May, a new county council administration was elected. The new Leader and Deputy Leader reviewed the options for local government reorganisation in Staffordshire.

  3. June 2025

    In June, councils across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent received feedback on the interim plans submitted in March.

  4. July - August 2025

    The county council hosted a series of in-depth focus groups – one in each of Staffordshire’s eight district and boroughs – to get a detailed understanding of what residents think about the opportunities and challenges that local government reorganisation may bring. 

    People were selected to attend these groups based on their characteristics to ensure that overall, the people we spoke to represented the type of people who live in the county.

  5. September 2025

    On 17 September, our cabinet agreed on a new plan for how councils in Staffordshire could be reorganised. This is now the Council's preferred option for Local Government Reorganisation. The new plan suggests creating two new councils - one for East Staffordshire and one for West Staffordshire.

    The East Staffordshire council would 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. The West Staffordshire council would serve 487,794 people in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Stafford, Cannock Chase and South Staffordshire.

  6. November 2025

    On 4 November, Cabinet approved the submission of the Full Business Case for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Staffordshire and on 28 November 2025, Staffordshire County Council submitted its final plan to Government. 

    The business case sets out a proposal for how local government could be restructured in the future, with the creation of two new unitary councils – one for the East of the county (including Stoke-on-Trent), and one for the 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. This option offers the best financial outcome, meaning better services and better value for all of our residents and businesses.