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POLICY AND POLITICS

Starmer urged to abandon Staffordshire reorganisation

All 62 members of Staffordshire CC have united to call on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to abandon plans for local government reorganisation (LGR) in the county.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer

Prime Minister Keir Starmer

All 62 members of Staffordshire CC have united to call on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to abandon plans for local government reorganisation (LGR) in the county.

In a cross-party letter, councillors said they supported greater devolution but warned that structural reorganisation was ‘unnecessary and risks becoming a costly political experiment'.

The letter argued that creating governance structures could divert resources away from frontline priorities, and said the proposed timescales were ‘unrealistic' and threatened critical services.

Councillors highlighted what they described as ‘widespread opposition' among residents.

They wrote: ‘Let us be absolutely clear: Staffordshire did not ask for LGR, does not want LGR and does not need LGR.'

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