Village “on the battle front” of council shake-up calls for more information on benefits of staying in Stafford Borough
Community leaders in a north Staffordshire village that could be split from its current borough as part of the creation of new local authorities has urged councils to come forward with more information on the benefits of their proposals.
Yarnfield, currently part of Stafford Borough, could become part of a new North Staffordshire council covering the Staffordshire Moorlands, Newcastle Borough and Stoke-on-Trent as part of proposals backed by members of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.
But Stafford Borough Council, which is involved in proposals for a Southern Staffordshire council alongside Cannock Chase District, East Staffordshire Borough, Lichfield District, South Staffordshire District and Tamworth Borough, is opposed to the borough being split up between northern and southern unitary authorities. The North Staffordshire council plans could also include Stone, Barlaston, Fulford, Swynnerton and Oulton if they are approved.
The Government is planning to replace the current two-tier council system in counties such as Staffordshire with unitary authorities and has called for detailed proposals for new local government systems to be submitted by November 28. Stafford Borough’s recent public survey on the future of local goverment in Staffordshire closed last week.
On Monday (September 8) members of Yarnfield and Cold Meece Parish Council considered their response. Council clerk John Fraser said the parish was “on the battle front” between the two proposals and told councillors a meeting had been requested later this month for parishes in the Stone area to be given more information.
Chairperson Sally Parkin said: “If it is going to happen, this council needs to understand the implications for our communities. We will continue to seek engagement to make the best decision for the people we look after.”
The council said in its response to the survey: “The challenge arising from the impending devolution and local government reorganisation is something Yarnfield and Cold Meece Parish Council is deeply concerned about. Yarnfield and Cold Meece Parish Council believe the priority must be to ensure that whatever the new structure that is created it must ha e the capacity to respond in a timely manner to ratepayers and the wider community, that democratic representation on the new council is capable of representing the interests of the communities it serves, that resources for the new authority are not so centralised that rural communities find themselves on the margins of service provision.
“Stafford Borough Council disagrees with Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s proposal to include parts of the borough in a Northern Unitary authority and the remainder in a Southern Unitary authority. The parish council would need to understand why Stafford Borough Council is not in favour of splitting the borough across two or more unitary councils and favours maintaining the existing borough boundaries – what is the evidence to support this position?”
“The Government has indicated an intention to ‘rewire the relationship between town and parish councils and principal local authorities, strengthening expectations on engagement and community voice’. Stafford Borough Council has gone on record to say ‘the council is supportive of this as it will help to maintain local democracy and identify and help to offset the gap that will be created by new larger councils’.
“This commitment seems to be at odds with the inrvitable reduction in the number of councillors in the new authority, What evidence is there to show how this will be delivered and what steps are being taken to ensure the democratic arrangements for the new council will be able to deliver on this promise?
“This parish council has yet to see compelling evidence to support any of the proposals now being developed by the different local authority factions across Staffordshire. The parish council is willing to work with Stafford Borough Council to better understand the various proposals and would again ask that engagement with parish councils is seen as a priority.”
Staffordshire County Council is also considering its own proposals for future local authorities. County councillor Sean Bagguley, who represents the Stone Rural North division, said at Monday’s parish council meeting: “It should be what’s best for residents, not what’s best for councils or political parties.”
