ALL members of Staffordshire County Council have come together to call for the Prime Minister to scrap local government reorganisation.
Final proposals are currently being drawn up ahead of a deadline at the end of this month to decide what the shape of councils in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent will look like.
The Government is keen to remove two-tier areas – such as Lichfield District Council and Staffordshire County Council – in favour of unitary authorities.
But disagreement continues over how this could look locally, with a number of different options being put forward, including once which could see Lichfield and Burntwood merged with Tamworth and East Staffordshire and another where the connections would also include Staffordshire Moorlands and Stoke-on-Trent.
In a letter signed by all 62 members of Staffordshire County Council, leader Cllr Ian Cooper said that while devolution was supported, the structural reorganisation was unnecessary and would be costly for taxpayers.
He said:
“We recognise that local government reorganisation may be appropriate in some areas to enable devolution. However, imposing it wholesale on Staffordshire is unnecessary and risks becoming a costly political experiment.
“It will divert time, energy, and resources away from the real priorities and challenges our communities face now and in the years ahead.
“The proposed timescales are unrealistic and threaten critical services such as social care. Adding unnecessary pressure to already stretched services that are relied upon by our most vulnerable residents is unacceptable.
“Instead, let us work together to deliver ambitious, meaningful devolution, strengthening local democracy and delivering real benefits for our residents.”
Staffordshire County Council letter to Sir Keir StarmerDownload
