On balance, if handled well ( a big if ) I think this would benefit the area overall, the region needs an identity, and covering a larger area would enable the area to have greater influence . I see little that North Staffordshire and the rest of the county has in common.
The point about Stoke taking money from other areas is lost on me to be honest , people living in the other areas often make their money in Stoke then spend it elsewhere so I am all for the City getting a better share overall from the more middle-class areas. Stoke is pretty much the only City that I can think of that does not have a middle class and this does not help create balance . Naturally if as with a lot of local politics this debate descends into parochial bickering by those with vested interests in the Status Quo I don't see how that benefits anybody , the Social problems of Stoke are evident in much of Newcastle and even parts of the Moorlands . I would extend the region to Stone which is another growing town that benefits from the City .
Totally agree with your comments and I would love to see this extended to my hometown of Stone, where so many of us work and socialise in Stoke/Newcastle/Moorlands
The North Staffs region definitely needs some form of overarching body, at least for strategic planning matters - because ultimately it's a single economic region, even if NUL have a distinct council from SOT or the Moorlands. The same has been done with the West Mids Mayor - who umbrellas both Birmingham CC but also Wovlerhampton and other authorities for things like strategic transport and the Metro.
The disconnect between Stoke and surrounding areas really shows itself in things like public transport and health - getting from SOT Railway Station to Keele University is nearly an hour on the bus. For a university with 12,000 students and a growing number of businesses on their tech park, it's ridiculously hard to get to - and the traffic will only get worse as they build out Innovation Centres 8-12. Similarly, the main hospital is not the easiest to get to if you don't/can't drive.
There are a number of bus operators operating across North Staffs, and trying to get from one place to another, stitching journeys across multiple providers is a nightmare which adversely affects access to health, education and employment opportunities.
The whole region (>350k people) needs a single, unified transport network with single ticketing - much like Bee Network or the WM Metro. If Stoke was in Germany it'd have a full S-Bahn with some underground elements. This can best be delivered by a more powerful authority that spans the whole economic region.
Tagg is complaining about this because it's all the Tories ever do. They offer no solutions, just oppose, oppose, oppose and rile people up. His concern is losing his own power/status. NULBC's Tory administration is weak and ineffective. There are too many layers of local govt in Staffordshire and something needs to be done to make things simpler for local people accessing services. More accessible local govt could result in people feeling more ownership/investment in local politics. Voter turnout is awful in local elections. But again, higher turnout doesn't benefit the Tories - never has done, hence their attempts at voter suppression, e.g. ID. So no surprise they don't want progress.
On balance, if handled well ( a big if ) I think this would benefit the area overall, the region needs an identity, and covering a larger area would enable the area to have greater influence . I see little that North Staffordshire and the rest of the county has in common.
The point about Stoke taking money from other areas is lost on me to be honest , people living in the other areas often make their money in Stoke then spend it elsewhere so I am all for the City getting a better share overall from the more middle-class areas. Stoke is pretty much the only City that I can think of that does not have a middle class and this does not help create balance . Naturally if as with a lot of local politics this debate descends into parochial bickering by those with vested interests in the Status Quo I don't see how that benefits anybody , the Social problems of Stoke are evident in much of Newcastle and even parts of the Moorlands . I would extend the region to Stone which is another growing town that benefits from the City .
Totally agree with your comments and I would love to see this extended to my hometown of Stone, where so many of us work and socialise in Stoke/Newcastle/Moorlands
Stoke is already a unitary authority. Do your research before posting articles.
The North Staffs region definitely needs some form of overarching body, at least for strategic planning matters - because ultimately it's a single economic region, even if NUL have a distinct council from SOT or the Moorlands. The same has been done with the West Mids Mayor - who umbrellas both Birmingham CC but also Wovlerhampton and other authorities for things like strategic transport and the Metro.
The disconnect between Stoke and surrounding areas really shows itself in things like public transport and health - getting from SOT Railway Station to Keele University is nearly an hour on the bus. For a university with 12,000 students and a growing number of businesses on their tech park, it's ridiculously hard to get to - and the traffic will only get worse as they build out Innovation Centres 8-12. Similarly, the main hospital is not the easiest to get to if you don't/can't drive.
There are a number of bus operators operating across North Staffs, and trying to get from one place to another, stitching journeys across multiple providers is a nightmare which adversely affects access to health, education and employment opportunities.
The whole region (>350k people) needs a single, unified transport network with single ticketing - much like Bee Network or the WM Metro. If Stoke was in Germany it'd have a full S-Bahn with some underground elements. This can best be delivered by a more powerful authority that spans the whole economic region.
Thank you for this excellent and informative article.
Tagg is complaining about this because it's all the Tories ever do. They offer no solutions, just oppose, oppose, oppose and rile people up. His concern is losing his own power/status. NULBC's Tory administration is weak and ineffective. There are too many layers of local govt in Staffordshire and something needs to be done to make things simpler for local people accessing services. More accessible local govt could result in people feeling more ownership/investment in local politics. Voter turnout is awful in local elections. But again, higher turnout doesn't benefit the Tories - never has done, hence their attempts at voter suppression, e.g. ID. So no surprise they don't want progress.