Cabinet agrees an Enhanced North Staffordshire council is the best option for the Staffordshire Moorlands

Cabinet agrees an Enhanced North Staffordshire council is the best option for the Staffordshire Moorlands 

Cabinet members at Staffordshire Moorlands District have agreed to submit a Proposal calling for an Enhanced North Staffordshire, as the Government looks to reorganise local government from April 2028.

The Moorlands proposal backs the option of a new North Staffordshire unitary council and a Southern and Mid-Staffordshire unitary council delivering all local government services in the county, but emphasises that this should be an Enhanced North Staffordshire that includes Uttoxeter, Stone and their surrounding villages as well as the city of Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Staffordshire Moorlands.

Staffordshire Moorlands believes its own Enhanced North Staffordshire Proposal is the best option for the North as it would be more robust financially, economically, democratically and culturally.

It argues that adding about 60,000 people from the Uttoxeter and Stone areas `to North Staffordshire` would create a better balance of populations: about 536,000 in the North and 598,000 in the South of the county as opposed to 477,000 and 656,000 in the other proposal. Government is looking for new unitary councils to serve a minimum of 500,000 residents.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Mike Gledhill said: "We see real benefits from having an Enhanced North Staffordshire, not least in creating a greater voice for the North of the county as we move forward towards the establishment of a strategic authority to bring the benefits of Devolution to our area.

"Our Enhanced North Staffordshire would see more councillors from outside of Stoke-on-Trent than from the city, ensuring the interests of North Staffordshire's towns and rural areas would be well represented; a higher council tax base, with the whole of the key A50 Growth Corridor and businesses like JCB and Bet365 coming under one council. It would also address the absurdity of parts of Trentham, Wedgwood, Blythe Bridge and Meir Heath potentially being aligned with places like Lichfield and Tamworth in a South Staffordshire council when culturally and economically they clearly have a stronger connection to North Staffordshire.

"Furthermore, our proposal acknowledges Stoke-on-Trent City Council's financial position, but we should recognise the city council is not unlike many other smaller city councils trying to manage their finances. The city council's financial plans have been approved by the Government and the national fair funding review for councils, together with a strong asset base, gives a sound foundation for the future.

"Clearly, a Stoke-on-Trent that succeeds is vital for many of us who work in the city or use its facilities, while greater funding coming into North Staffordshire as a whole can only be but positive to help address issues that have dogged the Moorlands for years like poor public transport and connectivity."

The Government is expected to consult on proposals received from Staffordshire in the early part of 2026. It will choose one to take forward next summer and then arrange for shadow unitary authority elections to take place in May 2027, with new unitary councils beginning life from April 2028.

You can find the Council's final proposal by clicking the button below.

Published 27 November 2025