Consultation begins on proposed shake-up of Local Government
The Government has launched its consultation over the proposed reorganisation of local government in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
The plans outline the abolition of the two-tier county and borough system in Staffordshire and to replace them with a number of unitary authorities, one of which will include the city of Stoke-on-Trent.
If reorganisation goes ahead, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council’s preferred option is a unitary authority based on the existing boundary lines for the Newcastle authority.
Simon Tagg, Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, said:
All these proposals have different practical, financial and organisational consequences which, if this goes ahead, we will live with for a generation or longer.
This Council’s proposal for a single authority based on the existing borough boundaries builds on the authority’s successful cost-effective delivery of front-line services, while cutting costs and balancing our budget year after year.”
In total there are five different proposals for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
The Government’s consultation is now open until March 26. People can find out more about the proposals and how to submit their views at www.staffordshirestokeLGR.org.uk .
The Council’s Cabinet has already backed the creation of a Cabinet-led inquiry panel to look at detail and take evidence from a range of people, including local MPs, to be clear on how the Government policy will affect the services residents receive.
It will also set aside £800,000 from its budget over the next two years to put towards the costs of the switch from the ‘two-tier’ county and borough system to single tier unitary authorities.
And the authority will also carry out contingency planning in case central Government includes Newcastle and Kidsgrove into a much larger ‘super-authority’ with a smaller number of councillors serving a larger geographic area.