Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has sent a pre-action protocol letter to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, demanding clarification on how the Government reached its Local Government Reorganisation decision for Staffordshire.
The council is seeking information about what evidence the previous Secretary of State, Steve Reed, considered when deciding to merge Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Moorlands into a new North Staffordshire unitary authority.
Councillor Jonathan Gullis, Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Cabinet Member for Planning and Town Centres, said the council wants to understand how the decision was reached and whether the process was fair and robust. He stated that once the council has seen the Government's information and received further legal advice, it will decide what legal avenues may be available to challenge the decision.
Financial Concerns
The council has expressed fundamental disagreement with being forced to merge with Stoke-on-Trent City Council. Councillor Gullis highlighted that Stoke-on-Trent is carrying around £791 million of debt and has required nearly £70 million of exceptional financial support from Government in recent years.
He stated that Newcastle-under-Lyme residents did not create Stoke-on-Trent's debt and should not be expected to pay for it through higher council tax, cuts to local services, or money being diverted away from their communities.
Councillor Gullis said the council would expect the Government to explain how almost £800 million of existing Stoke-on-Trent debt will be dealt with and why residents in Newcastle-under-Lyme should carry any of that financial risk.
The council has taken independent, external legal advice on its position before taking action.
Timeline of Changes
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council will be abolished and replaced by one unitary authority in spring 2028.
A shadow authority will be created in May 2027, when the three councils will begin planning how to merge services and take on responsibilities from Staffordshire County Council, which is also being abolished.
Staffordshire's other councils – Stafford, Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Tamworth and South Staffordshire – will form a second, separate unitary authority.
