Title

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 fresh 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.'

POLICY AND POLITICS

Neighbourhood watch

By David Blackman | 20 February 2026

With the UK’s Shared Prosperity Fund expiring imminently, the launch of the Pride in Place programme has placed a renewed focus on neighbourhood regeneration...

POLICY AND POLITICS

Calls to indemnify officers after U-turn debacle

By Martin Ford | 19 February 2026

Ministers are facing calls to indemnify returning officers as councils scramble to organise local elections following the Government’s U-turn on postponement...

POLICY AND POLITICS

Council reorganisations: The importance of good endings ahead of new beginnings

By Claire Ward | 16 February 2026

Mel Stevens, Ellen Care and Claire Ward say that to seize the opportunities local government reorganisation presents, councils need to be intentional about h...

POLICY AND POLITICS

The Top 10 councils powering ahead on productivity

By Ann McGauran | 05 February 2026

Local government’s leadership may be dealing with a maelstrom of challenges, but the councils whose productivity performance has earned them a place in the I...

Popular articles by William Eichler