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The news that Staffordshire’s local councils will be scrapped and replaced with two new super authorities has not gone down well in the north of the county.From 2028, the proposed North Staffordshire Council will replace, and amalgamate, the three areas of Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Staffordshire Moorlands.Steve Reed, secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, said replacing the current “inefficient” system would deliver savings by reducing “wasteful” duplication and improving public services.The Reform leader of Newcastle Borough, Jonathan Gullis, however, described the plan as a “shameful betrayal”, and even the town’s Labour MP Adam Jogee was scathing of the announcement saying it was “utterly unacceptable”.It also went down like a lead balloon in Leek, where Staffordshire Moorlands’ Tory MP Dame Karen Bradley said she would fight the decision, which she said was “plain wrong”.This response from the market towns comes as no surprise, as politically there have been petitions, even protests, opposed to any “joining up” with Stoke-on-Trent.The opposition is based on concerns around the loss of identity, or prioritising local and rural communities.But the biggest worry seems to be whether this will result in taxpayers in the Staffordshire Moorlands and Newcastle-under-Lyme becoming “burdened” with the millions of pounds of debt racked up by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.According to one of the city’s Labour MP’s, that may not be the case.Stoke-on-Trent central MP Gareth Snell claimed that in other areas that had been through similar reorganisation, they had had debt written off by government.Snell said he planned to write to government to ask for debt relief, to give the new North Staffordshire authority the “strongest possible start”.”If you’re going to reset the way local government works, reset base funding so we’re not going into it with a millstone round our neck,” he argued.The MP also defended the proposal – he explained that joint-boundary working was already in place for many services, like buses, colleges and schools.”The idea that Stoke is some sort of leper colony which has to be avoided and boxed off is frankly very insulting to my constituents,” he added.There is a question too, over what this means for council tax, which in other areas has been harmonised – so in theory, it could go up or down depending on whether you live in urban Stoke-on-Trent or out in rural Ipstones.While Bradley has said she will fight the forced reorganisation, the Staffordshire Moorlands district council leader Labour’s Mike Gledhill supports it.”Nobody likes change” Gledhill said.”One of the exciting things is the fact that we will have everything under that one-stop council, and that’s where the buck stops – I’m in favour of it.”The council leader also believed that instead of being burdened with paying off Stoke-on-Trent’s debt, a primary concern raised by residents, the new authority would in fact provide financial sustainability.He argued this would be the result, in theory, of cutting costs, such as “the payback of not having as many chief executives, and as many public buildings”.Gledhill also explained it was not simply down to broadening the council tax income stream, but also the business rates and government grants.Staffordshire County Council leader Martin Murray claims the boundaries for the new councils are “politically mapped” [BBC]Meanwhile, in the south of the county, the leader of Reform-led Staffordshire County Council Martin Murray claims the county is not getting devolved power.Murray argues the boundaries have been politically mapped to benefit Labour – and suggests the government had no mandate for reorganisation.While devolution – and more regions getting mayors – was promised in Labour’s 2024 manifesto, completely abolishing the current local council structure, was not, he said.The North Staffordshire authority will cover services for approximately 495,000 people.’Insane’ workloadThe new southern and mid Staffordshire unitary authority will cover a huge area, and will be delivering for more than 650,000 people, and have its work cut out, Murray argues.”We now have a huge amount of work to do to deliver this,” he said.”The workload is insane, but we must ensure no services get lost within this transition.”When asked, Murray did not rule out the idea of looking to legally challenge the government, as has happened over previously announced proposals to reorganise councils in Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.But as things stand, the shadow elections for the North and South Staffordshire Councils are due to take place in May 2027, with each new authority running services from 2028.Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.

The work is expected to take three weeks Works to install a new zebra crossing on St Edward Street in Leek will begin on Tuesday (July 21).This means that the road will be temporarily closed.Work includes the installation of the zebra crossing, together with widening of the footpath on the eastern side, new dropped kerbs and tactile paving. The works will also include new belisha beacon poles with integrated lighting, resurfacing on the approaches to the crossing, and new and refreshed road markings.A new uncontrolled crossing facility will also be provided on High Street, adjacent to its junction with St Edward Street, to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians.St Edward Street in Leek | Photo: Staffordshire County CouncilThe works are expected to take around three weeks to complete, with working hours between 7.30am and 4.30pm each day, weather permitting. To carry out the works safely, a temporary road closure will be in place, with a signed diversion in operation.The closure will affect access to St Edward Street from the Sheep Market and High Street junctions. Access will remain available from alternative routes and access to shops and emergency services will be maintained via these junctions where required.Some footway closures will also be needed at times during the works, but alternative pedestrian routes will be provided throughout.Patrick Allen, cabinet support member for highways at Staffordshire County Council, said: “This is an important scheme for the area that will provide a safer and more enjoyable environment for everyone who uses the town centre.“The new designated crossing will also make it much more accessible for pedestrians, especially for people with disabilities and wheelchair users.“Crews will be doing their best to get the work done as quickly and safely as possible and local businesses will remain open as usual during the works. Access to properties and businesses will be maintained wherever possible and, as always, we thank people for their co-operation.”Continue Reading