All 62 members of Staffordshire County Council have united to call on the Prime Minister to abandon plans for local government reorganisation (LGR) in the county.
In a cross-party letter led by council leader Ian Cooper, councillors said they support greater devolution and the transfer of decision-making powers to local areas but warned that structural reorganisation is ‘unnecessary and risks becoming a costly political experiment.’
The letter argues that creating new governance structures could divert resources away from frontline priorities and says the proposed timescales are ‘unrealistic’ and threaten critical services such as social care.
Councillors also highlight what they describe as ‘widespread opposition’ among residents, who fear a loss of accountability and that Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s financial challenges would be inherited by whatever new body emerged from LGR.
‘Let us be absolutely clear: Staffordshire did not ask for LGR, does not want LGR, and does not need LGR,’ they write.
Staffordshire CC previously suggested a single county unitary, without including Stoke-on-Trent. Senior members have also backed the development of a business case for two new unitary councils.
Want to learn more about local government reorganisation? Check out: Local Government Reorganisation: What It Means and Why It Matters.
