The planned revamp of local authorities in Staffordshire could be pushed back a year, councillors have been told.
This is the likeliest scenario following the Government’s decision to “pause and review” the reorganisation of councils, according to Andrew Stokes, chief finance officer at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.
Mr Stokes gave an update on local government reorganisation (LGR) to members of the council’s Resources and Overview Scrutiny Committee, and explained the potential consequences of the pause (writes local democracy reporter Phil Corrigan).
Communities secretary Angela Rayner announced earlier this month that LGR in Staffordshire and other parts of England would be paused for a “rapid” review, following new legal advice.
The 10 existing councils in Staffordshire were due to be replaced with two new unitary authorities, with Staffordshire Moorlands to merge with Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Under the previous timetable, elections to the new unitaries were scheduled to take place next May, with those councils taking over services in April 2028.
Mr Stokes told the committee that, while the Government had not said how long the review would take, he believed a year-long delay would be the most likely outcome.
This would mean the elections would take place in May 2028, with vesting day in April 2029.
But he suggested that LGR could be pushed back even further, or shelved altogether, due to the expected general election in 2029.
Mr Stokes said that it was “extremely doubtful” that there would be a reversion to the original timetable after a very quick review.
He said: “If you take all of the information we’ve had, probably the most likely outcome is that it is deferred for a year.
“It will take place a year later than we anticipated, with vesting day on 1st April, 2029, and shadow elections in May 2028.
“That will have consequences for our existing council. Another scenario is that it goes beyond that, another year, or it doesn’t happen at all, because then you get into general election territory and a potential change in Government policy.”
Mr Stokes stressed that these were his personal thoughts, rather than anything official, as the Government had not given a timescale for the review.
He said: “The terms of reference are unclear. We don’t know whether the decisions will be reviewed. Will there be an opportunity for new proposals? Will the process start again? We just don’t know. All options are on the table.”
Mr Stokes speculated that a Government white paper on “rewiring the state”, expected in the autumn, could result in devolution, with the creation of new mayoral strategic authorities being prioritised ahead of LGR in areas such as Staffordshire.
He said if this turned out to be the case, district councils ought to have a say on devolution rather than it being left to upper tier authorities.
The most immediate consequence of the LGR pause is that district council elections in the Moorlands will now go ahead next May, with election planning now underway.
But Mr Stokes told the committee that there would also be “profound implications” for the council’s finances.
Semi-rural district councils such as Staffordshire Moorlands will be worse off following a Government funding review.
The council had been planning how to manage the impact of this up to 2028 – now it will have to extend this planning for another year, or even further.
Independent councillor Jim Garvey, who represents Biddulph North, expressed dissatisfaction at the uncertainty of the situation.
He said: “We’ve got no timescale for it. There’s no information as to the structure of the review, or the terms of reference, or what it’s trying to achieve.
“If we don’t know that, how can we prepare for it? I think it’s very remiss that this information is not being provided to the affected authorities.”
Coun James Aberley suggested that devolution would now be the priority.
He said: “I think the direction of travel is mayors over LGR at the moment. I can see mayors happening much sooner than LGR.”
Council leader Coun Mike Gledhill said he felt sorry for staff currently facing an uncertain future, but expressed confidence that the authority would be able to handle the situation.
He said: “We’re a confident organisation, we’re well-led, we can cope with these uncertainties and move forward together.”
