Borough councillors hit out at proposals that could see Stone split from Stafford in new authority
Stafford Borough councillors have hit out at proposals that could see Stone and surrounding villages split up from the county town as part of local government reorganisation.
The Government is planning to replace the current two-tier council system in counties such as Staffordshire with unitary authorities.
This means Staffordshire County Council and the area’s eight district and borough authorities face the axe, and in the future residents will see services delivered by a single council rather than two separate ones.
Councils across England affected by the reorganisation are currently putting together detailed proposals for new local government systems and have been set a November 28 deadline by the Government.
Stafford Borough could form part of a wider “Southern Staffordshire” council, alongside Cannock Chase District, East Staffordshire Borough, Lichfield District, South Staffordshire District and Tamworth Borough. The plans have been backed by the six district and borough authorities and residents are being invited to have their say in a public survey this month.
But a separate proposal for the north of the county could see Stone, Uttoxeter and some villages around each town become part of a North Staffordshire Council covering the Staffordshire Moorlands, Newcastle Borough and Stoke-on-Trent. This option has been backed by members of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.
A report to a Staffordshire Moorlands District Council assembly meeting last month said: “The revised boundaries of the parts of the Stafford and East Staffordshire Boroughs that are now included in the North unitary council are now based on four county electoral divisions – Stone Rural North, Stone Urban, Uttoxeter Town and Uttoxeter Rural. The area included also includes two parish wards of further county division (Stafford Trent Valley) to ensure that the parish council arrangements that are currently within the Stafford Borough area are preserved in the proposed North unitary Council, avoiding the splitting of any parish wards from their principal council.”
Stafford Borough councillors remain opposed to the prospect of the current authority area being split up however. Borough councillor Alec Sandiford, who represents the Fulford ward, said: “It is completely unacceptable for Staffordshire Moorlands to start recommending changes to communities they don’t represent.
“No one in Fulford, Swynnerton and Oulton, Barlaston, Yarnfield or Stone has asked for this, and no one wants it. The current system works well – our services are delivered locally and our residents know who represents them.”
Stafford Borough Council leader Aidan Godfrey, added: “I have been absolutely clear from the very start of this reorganisation work that Stafford Borough’s existing boundaries are a red line and not negotiable. Our communities will not be carved up to suit another council’s plans.”
Stafford Borough residents, businesses and organisations can take part in a survey on the future of local goverment in Staffordshire until Monday, September 1. For more information visit https://online1.snapsurveys.com/shapingstaffordshire.
Councillor Sandiford said: “The decisions made in the coming months will shape how services are delivered for decades to come. It is vital that residents across Stafford Borough make their voices heard and ensure our communities are not treated as pawns on a map by outside councils.”
