Stafford political group leaders unite to back plans for southern Staffordshire authority
Four political group leaders on Stafford Borough Council have joined forces to call for a new single unitary authority for the south of Staffordshire.
The borough council is one of six authorities backing the plans for a southern Staffordshire council to complement a single unitary authority which would deliver services in the north.
The county’s eight district and borough councils, which currently provide services such as bin collections, emergency housing, planning and leisure facilities, are all facing the axe as part of national government plans to reorganise the local authority system. Draft proposals were put forward in March, and the deadline for more detailed plans to come forward is November 28.
Stafford Borough Council’s leader Councillor Aidan Godfrey (Labour), deputy leader Councillor Rob Kenney (Stafford Borough Independents), Councillor Jeremy Pert (Conservative) and Councillor Doug Rouxel (Green Party) have said the southern Staffordshire council proposal would save council taxpayers money, provide for a more resilient authority while placing it as an “economic powerhouse” in the region which would help draw more investment and job opportunities to the area. The new authority would also cover Cannock Chase District, South Staffordshire District, Lichfield District, East Staffordshire Borough and Tamworth Borough.
In a letter to fellow elected members and parish councillors, the four Stafford Borough party group leaders said: “A single southern unitary authority will be more financially stable, be able to attract more inward investment, will not fragment vital services, be strong enough to secure Government funding, be less likely to be put into special measures and be able to compete with the strong city led north Staffordshire and the West Midlands authorities.”
Councillor Godfrey said this week that the group leaders did not want local government reorganisation at this time – but the government had “made the decision to abolish us”.
Cabinet members of Staffordshire County Council’s Reform UK administration have said they do not want county split up and would continue to press for a united Staffordshire. They have backed a business case however for new east and west unitary authorities to cover the area.
A number of borough and district councillors are also members of the county authority. On Monday (October 6) members of Stafford Borough Council’s Standards Committee agreed to grant dispensations to their “dual-hatted” councillors to debate and vote on devolution and local government reorganisation in Staffordshire, and Cannock Chase Council’s standards committee is due to consider a similar move on Wednesday (October 8).
Dispensations have also been proposed for borough and district councillors who are employed by another local authority in Staffordshire, or who have a partner or spouse employed by another council in the county. A report to Monday’s Standards Committee meeting said: “The Councils Code of Conduct for Members requires a member to declare an interest at meetings where a matter arises that affects their own financial interests or well-being, the financial interest or wellbeing of a relative or close associate or the financial interest or wellbeing of any other body of which they are a member.
“Members are then restricted from speaking and voting on the matter if it affects those interests to a greater extent that the majority of other inhabitants in the area and a reasonable member of the public knowing all the facts would believe that it would affect their view of the wider public interest. The restriction does not apply if a dispensation is granted.
“The council has members who are ‘dual-hatted’, meaning that they are members of both the borough council and the county council. This could arguably restrict some members from taking part in discussions on local government reorganisation going forward.
“The proposals for local government reorganisation and devolution are likely to affect every local authority in Staffordshire. In arriving at the final proposals, council members are likely to be asked to take part in meetings that discuss and vote on those proposals.
“The debates concerning these matters go to the heart of future democratic representation in Staffordshire. It is therefore considered reasonable to allow all members to be able to represent their electors’ views by taking part in those debates.”
