Staffs County Council Puts Forward East-West Local Government Reorganisation Plan
Plus Cris Cohen opens new restaurant at Spode Works, happiest place to live in Staffs revealed, and Tunstall Market celebrates 500 years in business…
Good News 🎉
⬅️ ➡️ Council Proposes East-West Reorganisation. Staffordshire County Council is proposing an East-West option for local government reorganisation, which would see Staffordshire East provide services for 689,784 people in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire Moorlands, East Staffordshire, Lichfield and Tamworth. Staffordshire West, meanwhile, would serve 487,794 people in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stafford, Cannock Chase, and South Staffordshire. The proposal will be presented to the council’s cabinet on 04/11, then to the government by 28/11. Stoke-on-Trent City Council has already proposed the creation of a new North Staffordshire Unitary Authority, merging Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle‑under‑Lyme, and Staffordshire Moorlands, with one other unitary covering the remainder of Staffordshire. The government will make a decision next summer.
👨🍳 THE KNOT’S PERSON OF THE WEEK – Cris Cohen 👨🍳
The award-winning Clayton-born chef is back after closing down Feasted last December with a new conceptual fine dining restaurant, H I D D E N, which is launching inside Spode Works this Thursday (06/11). H I D D E N will be open from 7pm until 11pm for dinner service on Thursdays and Fridays, with a lunch service being available from 12.30pm until 3pm on Saturdays. The 9-course dinner service costs £100 per head, while the 5-course lunch service will cost £55 per head. Like Feasted, H I D D E N will serve 10 diners per night and will open for six weeks at a time, closing for regular two-week intervals while the menu is reimagined. Are your tastebuds intrigued? Book a table here.
😀 Happiest Place to Live in Staffs Revealed! And the winner iiiiisss, the oh-so-cute canal town of Stone, according to an online survey of more than 5,000 people by Furniturebox. With a high street full of lovely cafes and independent stores and two award-winning pubs in the Crown Wharf and The Swan, this mid-Staffs town has plenty going for it. Stone beat off competition from 75 other places on the list, with Burton coming second, Stafford third, Lichfield fourth and Newcastle fifth. Nationally, Stone also did well, coming 12th overall!
🍏 Tunstall Market to Celebrate 500 Years. It’s stood there since 1525, and to mark this amazing milestone, the market will mark the anniversary of the first recorded trading day on the site on 15/11. Entertainment on the day includes an indoor golf experience, entertainment from Bluey and Stitch (10.30am, 12noon, 12.30pm and 2pm) and live music from acoustic trio GPS throughout the day.
🚧 Volunteers Needed to Transform Longton. Renovation work has officially begun at the old Barclay’s bank, which is being turned into a creative community hub by Urban Wilderness CIC, the folks behind Longton Carnival, The Pig Walk Parade, and The Winter Gathering - plus film screenings, creative workshops, photography classes and more. Drop in anytime today (03/11) or 22/11 between 10am-4pm to put your stamp on this space! Email them to express your interest.
🎉 Big Plans for Staffordshire Tourism. Tourism and hospitality businesses will learn about the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Local Visitor Economy Partnership’s (LVEP) goals for the county’s visitor economy at The Big Tourism Conference on 15/01. More than 200 delegates are expected to attend the event at Uttoxeter Racecourse, which will feature the launch of the new Destination Management Plan, the LVEP’s five-year strategy for increasing visitor numbers and encouraging longer stays in the county. Details can be found on the VisitStaffordshire website.
A word from Helen, editor/writer at The Knot
The government’s review of local government has prompted councils across the country to submit proposals for how services could be delivered more efficiently. But in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, opinions are divided. Stoke-on-Trent City council favours one unitary authority covering Stoke, Newcastle and Staffs Moorlands with another taking charge of the rest of the county. Why? MP for Stoke Central, Allison Gardner, told The Knot recently, “A North Staffs unitary authority would streamline costs and bring more investment and control to the area. Stoke generates the wealth which often then moves to the surrounding rural areas, creating a donut economy.”
Staffordshire County Council, however, favours a different approach — a split from east to west, forming two distinct unitary councils. They argue this would be, “the strongest [option] financially, scoring higher than a North-South option across a range of factors including balance of: debt, assets, children’s social care demand and housing need.”
Ultimately, the decision lies with central government. Whatever the outcome, Stoke and Staffordshire are set for a major shake-up in how local services are governed — likely by next summer.
So, what do you think? Which option would best serve the people of Staffordshire? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Weekly Weather (Stoke-on-Trent)
Mon ☁️ 15° (13°) Tue 🌧️ 14° (13°) Wed 🌦️ 15° (13°) Thu 🌧️ 13° (8°) Fri 🌧️ 13° (9°)
Sat 🌧️ 12° (7°) Sun 🌧️ 11° (8°).
Sunrise 03/11 ☀️07:09 Sunset 03/11 🌅 16:34
The North-South split is really the least worst option. The East West would have Kidsgrove and Kinver in the same authority, which would do nothing for local democracy. North Staffordshire is a tight economic unit. It just makes more sense, whereas the East-West split really is a case of jerrymandering.
The North/South option is the only sensible choice, it is geographically compact, has economic and educational overlaps, and a streamlining of care services could relieve pressure on RSUH and other healthcare providers. It should have happened in the 1990’s when Stoke became a unitary authority, hopefully this government will not follow the Major government example by buckling to political pressure from the vested interests and will adopt the North/South option.