Shake-up of councils mapped out

Five proposals are now on the table

- Phil Corrigan

FIVE different proposals for revamping Staffordshire’s political map have now come forward.

The Government has told councils in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire to come up with proposals for new unitary authorities, as part of the biggest shakeup of local government since the 1970s.

Ministers believe replacing the current two-tier system of counties and districts with a single layer of larger unitary councils will save money and make local government more effective.

But local government reorganisation (LGR) is proving controversial, with critics saying the existing system works well and claiming that larger councils will be more distant and less responsive to people’s needs.

Thousands of people in Newcastle and the Staffordshire Moorlands have signed petitions against their areas being merged with Stoke-on-Trent - which is one possible outcome of LGR.

Staffordshire is currently covered by the county council and eight district and borough councils. Stoke-on-Trent City Council is already a unitary authority.

In a two-tier system, the county provides services such as social care and highways, which make up the bulk of local government spending, while functions such as bin collections and leisure are the responsibility of the districts and boroughs.

Under a unitary system the same council is responsible for all these services.

Councils have been given until November 28 to submit their final proposals for LGR.

The Government has told the councils the new unitary authorities must meet certain criteria, such as having sensible geographies, being financially sustainable and having a population of at least 500,000 - although ministers have said they are prepared to compromise on this last point.

With just weeks to go until the deadline, five different models for LGR in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire have now come forward.