'This rushed, top-down reorganisation will risk tearing communities apart'

As the deadline looms for Staffordshire councils to submit business cases for local government reorganisation, Kerry Ashdown examines how the issue has united political rivals from across the divide at one authority that's slated to disaappear...

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COUNTY councillors from across the political divide have criticised national plans to reorganise local government.

Across England the two-tier system in many counties is set to be axed, with borough, district and county councils replaced with unitary authorities. Existing authorities are required to submit business cases for proposed new councils to central Government by November 28.

Staffordshire County Council's cabinet is due to approve its business case on November 4. While other councils in Staffordshire are proposing separate northern and southern unitary authorities, the county council is putting forward a case for an east and west split.

If approved, this would see Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire Moorlands, East Staffordshire, Lichfield and Tamworth forming a new East Staffordshire unitary. Newcastle, Stafford, South Staffordshire and Cannock Chase would merge into West Staffordshire.