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# Future of local government confirmed as decision made on unitary authorities
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/future-of-local-government-confirmed-as-decision-made-on-unitary-authorities/
- Published: 2026-07-16T11:53:37.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-16T11:53:37.000Z
- Description: Lichfield District Council and Staffordshire County Council to disappear as new north-south split is chosen.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Politics, News

A NEW north and south split will be used to shape the future of local government, the Government has confirmed.

Services delivered by Lichfield District Council and Staffordshire County Council will be the responsibility of a unitary authority from 2028.

There had been a number of options put forward, but a split which will see Lichfield and Burntwood covered by a council also including Stafford, East Staffordshire, Cannock Chase, Tamworth and South Staffordshire.

The new unitary authority will represent just over 682,000 people.

The northern council will cover 494,000 residents in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent and the Staffordshire Moorlands.

Staffordshire County Council had backed an east-west split, while Lichfield District Council had proposed a smaller unitary option which would have seen it merged together with East Staffordshire and Tamworth.

But the Government has chosen one of the alternatives also put forward.

Cllr Martin Murray, leader of Staffordshire County Council and chair of the Staffordshire Leaders Board, said:

> "Councils across the area have expressed different views through this process, but the Government has made its decision clear – and we are focused on making it work for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.  
>  
> "We already have strong and well-established partnerships, and all councils are united in our commitment to a smooth transition with no disruption to the services residents rely on.  
>  
> "This is a significant and complex programme, but we will put residents first, protect essential services, and work together to deliver a system that works for the people we serve."

Under the government’s timetable, the new councils are expected to be established in April 2028, with elections to shadow councils held in May 2027.