Coucillors in Stafford Borough voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new unitary council in the county.

The elected members agreed on an option that would combine six council areas into one unitary in the south of Staffordshire.

A new council serving South and Mid-Staffordshire is expected to save taxpayers nearly £30 million a year. The proposal also highlighted the importance of local identity saying the single unitary will retain and maintain a close connection with their communities.

The council was discussing options for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in the county at a meeting this week (Tuesday) before a business case for a new unitary authority is submitted to Government.

A report will now go before the council’s cabinet for a final decision next Tuesday (18 November) saying the preferred option would be for the new council to cover the areas of Stafford Borough, Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, South Staffordshire and Tamworth.

Councillors were told this option complemented plans for a single unitary in the north and had been supported by Stoke-on-Trent City Council - which would also include the areas of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire Moorlands.

Alternative options not supported by the borough council included splitting the county with a unitary in the East and another in the West - and a proposal for two unitaries in the South with one in the North.

LGR has come about after 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.

The report to councillors revealed their preferred option is estimated to save £29.9m a year and provide for a more financially resilient authority able to deliver service improvements.

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 Southern 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 having a single council delivering all services in the south

The report also said 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.’

Council Leader, Aidan Godfrey, said: “The borough council is ‘well-run and financially sound’ and we will play a key role in the preparation for the new local government arrangements.”

“He continued: “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 6249