Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has written to Stoke-on-Trent City Council asking what progress it is making towards meeting the Government's required standard for waste collection services.
The request comes as the two councils prepare for a merger in 2028, when Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council will be abolished and replaced by one unitary authority.
Current service differences
Newcastle-under-Lyme has been collecting food waste separately across the Borough since 2010 — well before the Government made it compulsory on 31 March 2026. Stoke-on-Trent City Council, however, is still running an "opt in" service, despite receiving Government funding to provide the legally required service.
Cllr Ben Simpson, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council Cabinet member for Waste, Recycling and Green Spaces, wrote to Cllr Amjid Wazir OBE, Deputy Leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Cabinet member for City Pride and Enforcement, highlighting the operational and financial differences between the existing services.
In his letter, Simpson stated: "A shared approach would help ensure that any future arrangements are practical, affordable and fair to residents across North Staffordshire."
Simpson asked for clarity on how the service is being implemented in Stoke-on-Trent, including the extent to which it is currently operating on an opt-in or registration basis, how remaining funding is being managed, and the council's plans for a full roll out.
Shadow authority to plan merger
A shadow authority will be created next spring to plan how services will merge, as well as to take on some responsibilities from Staffordshire County Council, which is also being abolished.
The letter from Simpson follows one from Deputy Leader Graham Shaw, Cabinet member for Finance, who has asked Stoke-on-Trent City Council to clarify what Government help it is seeking to clear more than £783 million of debt before joining the new North Staffordshire unitary authority.
