A new council serving South and Mid-Staffordshire will save taxpayers nearly £30 million a year.

Councillors in Stafford Borough will be discussing a proposal for Local Government Reorganisation in the county before a business case for a new unitary council is submitted to Government.

The Government set out legislation that would see all district, borough, city and county councils in Staffordshire abolished to be replaced by larger unitary authorities.

A report to elected members will say the best option would be for the new council to cover the areas of Stafford Borough, Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, South Staffordshire and Tamworth.

Figures in the report estimate the move would save £29.9m each year and provide for a more financially resilient authority able to deliver service improvements.

And councillors in Stafford will be told next month (Tuesday 11 November) that a new unitary covering all council services in the south is supported by Stoke-on-Trent City Council proposals for a single unitary in the north - which would include the areas of Staffordshire Moorlands and Newcastle Under Lyme.

The proposed business case must be submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government by Friday 28 November and as well as the financial savings, resilience and service improvements it sets out a series of other advantages the single unitary vision for the South and Mid-Staffordshire would deliver such as:

• A smoother transition, especially with vital social care and education services
• A greater voice regionally than if there was more than one unitary in the south
• Easier for residents to have a single council delivering all services in the south

The proposal also highlights the importance of local identity saying the single unitary will retain and maintain a close connection with their communities, protect their uniqueness, and ensure that their needs are met through close working with town and parish councils and the use of new neighbourhood area committees.

Elected members will put forward views on the business case - with a final decision to be taken at a meeting of the Council’s Cabinet on Tuesday 18 November.

Councillor Aidan Godfrey, Leader of Stafford Borough Council, said: “We believe the single southern unitary is the best option for the residents and businesses in our area. This will be the biggest change in service delivery in fifty years; it must be right for our communities, not only for now but also in the future.”

“It will be more financially stable, be able to attract more inward investment and not fragment vital services. The new council will be strong enough to secure Government funding and complement a strong city-led north Staffordshire authority.”

You can see the full report to council as well as the proposed business case from Council | Stafford Borough Council

Press Release No 6246