Local Government Reorganisation

 

The Government has announced that it is pausing and reviewing Local Government Reorganisation, including the proposals for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

 

The announcement was made at short notice yesterday and, at this stage, there is very little detail about the scope of the review, how long it will take, or what the outcome might mean for our county. The Government has said that the review follows updated legal advice.

 

It added that local elections in May 2027 will go ahead on the “existing council boundaries”, which we believe means there will be the usual district and borough elections, but no Shadow Council elections for the new unitary councils.

 

Furthermore, the Government stated that its Rewiring the State White Paper on devolution will set out plans to reshape the country and ensure effective and sustainable local government in the future. We therefore expect further announcements this autumn.

 

We know that all of this raises yet more questions, and we do not yet have all the answers. We will share further updates as soon as new information becomes available.