Update on changes to local councils in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent 

The government has now confirmed its decision on local government reorganisation in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.  

This will see two new unitary councils covering:  

• The north of Staffordshire including Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Moorlands. This is 494,803 people.   

• The south of Staffordshire including Stafford, East Staffordshire, Cannock Chase, Lichfield, Tamworth and South Staffordshire. This is 682,775 people.  

The new unitary councils will make use of the existing district, borough and city council boundaries.  

The decision follows the submission of five proposals by councils in November 2025, alongside a public consultation which ran in February and March.  

Under the government’s timetable, the new councils are expected to be established in April 2028, with elections to shadow councils held in May 2027.  

The two new councils will replace Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent’s ten existing county, city, district and borough councils, and they will be responsible for delivering all council services including waste collections, children’s services, planning, adult social care, highways and more.