Statement from the Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council

I am deeply disappointed that Andy Burnham has said this week that Local Government Reorganisation should continue, particularly when that position appears to have been reached without any meaningful engagement with council leaders who are expected to represent the views and interests of the residents we serve.

Since becoming Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, I have repeatedly attempted to engage with Government over these proposals. I have written directly to Andy Burnham and sought a meeting to put forward our concerns and discuss a better way forward. Those approaches have not even received the courtesy of an acknowledgement.

That is particularly disappointing from a Government which has spoken so much about devolution, giving places greater control over their own futures and moving power away from Westminster. Devolution should mean decisions being made with local communities, not Whitehall deciding to abolish historic councils and imposing new structures without properly listening to the people who live there.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has continually reaffirmed its opposition to this reorganisation. We have serious questions that remain unanswered, not least around Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s significant existing debt and liabilities and whether Newcastle-under-Lyme residents could ultimately be expected to shoulder any part of that burden through a new unitary authority. There are also unanswered questions about the future of local assets, council tax, service provision, social care and the wider financial consequences of merging Newcastle-under-Lyme with Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Moorlands.

These are not minor details. They could have consequences for local taxpayers and public services for decades to come.

I have always been willing to sit down with Government and have a constructive conversation about how we can devolve more power to Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire. I remain supportive of genuine devolution through a Strategic Mayoral Authority that brings investment and decision-making closer to our communities without unnecessarily abolishing councils and local identities.

The people of Newcastle-under-Lyme - and other areas - deserve detailed answers as to how change will affect them before finding out when it is forced upon them.

Jonathan Gullis
Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council