Acting Leader of the Council, Martin Murray said:
“Local government reorganisation without devolution simply doesn’t work, and we’ve been clear with government about that for some time. Yesterday's announcement is therefore a welcome small step in the right direction.
"I've seen Staffordshire lose out to areas with devolved powers. Personally, to drive growth and improve services, I want to see a Mayoral Strategic Authority for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, with all the powers and funding that come with it. A foundation strategic authority may be a stepping stone, but it offers limited benefit and cannot be the end point.
“The challenge for us will be to run vital council services and manage this, alongside local government reorganisation, with no clarity from government on the funding available to support the work.”
