COUNTY councillors in Staffordshire have voiced concerns about how local issues will be addressed if eight borough and district authorities are axed.
The two-tier council system is facing the axe as part of national Government proposals to overhaul local government in England.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has already put forward plans for a North Staffordshire Unitary Authority, although county council leader Cllr Alan White said no proposal had been agreed at this stage.
Earlier this month Jim McMahon, Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, wrote to councils across Staffordshire to call for an “interim plan” to be submitted by 21st March, with a full proposal expected to be put forward by 28th November.
He said:
“This Government has been clear on our vision for simpler, more sustainable, local government structures, alongside a transfer of power out of Westminster through devolution.
“We know that councils of all political stripes are in crisis after a decade of decline and instability – indeed, a record number of councils asked the Government for support this year to help them set their budgets.
“This new Government will not waste this opportunity to build empowered, simplified, resilient and sustainable local government for your area that will increase value for money for council taxpayers.”
But county councillors, including those representing areas of Lichfield district, spoke out against proposed re-organisation at a full council meeting.
Cllr Tom Loughborough-Rudd, independent member for Burntwood North, said:
“I don’t agree with it, I don’t want it and our residents don’t want it.
“I don’t think we need to do this. I think our two-tier system works regardless of party.
“People’s jobs will be lost, regardless of whether this is going to be a difficult process. We must get the best deal for Staffordshire and I wish the Staffordshire leadership luck because they are going to need it.”
Cllr David Smith, Conservative representative for Lichfield Rural South, said:
“If we were to look at a county-wide unitary authority then that is something which covers 50 miles from my division to Biddulph. How can you talk about local government for people who are 50 miles apart?
“They have different issues, different problems and different priorities – when you start to allocate priorities, how do you sort out the priorities of Lichfield and the priorities of Stoke-on-Trent? You can very quickly see where that money is going to go.”
Cllr Richard Cox, who represents the Lichfield Rural West division and also sits as a member of Lichfield District Council which would be consumed into a new unitary authority, branded the proposals “ludicrous”.
He said:
“It’s absolutely appalling, insulting and disgraceful. This Government is contemptible to the point you could say it’s dictatorship – you will have no choice in the matter.
“Local democracy is about being accountable to local people about local issues – issues that will be different in Leek, Biddulph, Kinver, Tamworth and so on.
“We have to protect what is best for our residents. I’ve been talking to many people in my division and not one is saying ‘what a great idea’.”
You could just as well well argue health, education, adult social care, social services, economic regeneration, transport all have different needs between the North and South of the County. The 1,131,052 population of Staffordshire including Stoke, if it comes into the mix, gives 2 authorities, does it not based a min 500k population?
Have a look at the map in this link below. This is the norm in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland (where public services are better) and large parts of England. Staffordshire is part of the minority and just needs to catch up. Do people really think LDC has the scale to deliver things? You can see the arguments for and against in the link.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/local-government-unitarisation#:~:text=2%20Ministry%20of%20Housing%2C%20Communities,100
People just object to change in this country, that is why so little gets done.