Cabinet say ‘Yes to North Staffordshire unitary authority` as local government reorganisation progresses

Leaders at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council (SMDC) have backed proposals for a North Staffordshire unitary authority, which would see a single council covering Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Moorlands, along with Stone and Uttoxeter. 

SMDC’s proposal for a North Staffordshire unitary was recommended unanimously by a cross-party sub-committee made up of Labour, Conservative and independent councillors. The council’s Labour leaders, who backed the plans at their July 8 meeting, believe the plan will meet the government’s requirements while also being more financially sustainable than a unitary consisting of just Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle and the Moorlands. The proposals were debated at a council assembly meeting on Wednesday, July 9.

A unitary authority in local government is a single council responsible for all local services within a specific area, unlike the two-tier system where functions are split between county and district councils. Unitary councils handle everything from education and social care to waste collection and planning.

The Government has made it clear that all remaining district, borough, county and small unitary councils will disappear from April 2028 to be replaced by unitary councils serving around 500,000 people and having responsibilities for all services. The extended North Staffordshire authority would have  around 536,000 residents in total meeting the government’s guideline.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has already backed proposals for a unitary authority covering the three areas. But Newcastle Borough Council are opposed to the principle of local government reorganisation, and are firmly against any ‘merger’ with Stoke-on-Trent. Critics of the North Staffordshire proposal worry that merging with Stoke-on-Trent – seen as financially strained – could lead to poorer services in the Moorlands and Newcastle. They don’t consider that the suggested unitary authority would be supported by Moorlands residents and want to explore other options, including a unitary authority for Newcastle on its own, and a potential merger with the Moorlands.There is also strong opposition from local leaders in the Moorlands including, who have emphasized that residents do not want to be “swallowed up” by Stoke-on-Trent and argue that the Moorlands’ rural character and distinct identity – rooted in its upland landscapes and towns like Leek, Biddulph, and Cheadle – would be lost in a merger with the urban-centric Stoke-on-Trent. Instead a county-wide unitary authority with Staffordshire County Council or maintaining the status quo is suggested.

The Government has asked for final proposals to be submitted by 28 November. Staffordshire Moorlands District Council will be discussing devolution and reorganisation with other councils and its stakeholders before that deadline. The Government will hold a consultation with the public between January and April 2026. It will make its final decision next summer, with new unitary councils to replace the existing councils from April 2028.