The government has announced plans to reorganise local government structures in all county areas in England, including Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, and introduce new unitary councils.
Although Lichfield District Council has not sought these changes, we cannot ignore them.
We have therefore worked with neighbouring councils to shape a detailed proposal that reflects our residents’ views and meets both our guiding principles and the government’s criteria for reform.
Our proposal includes the creation of a South-East Staffordshire Unitary Council covering Lichfield District, Tamworth Borough and East Staffordshire, alongside two other new councils, with Cannock Chase District, Stafford Borough and South Staffordshire creating a South-West Staffordshire Unitary Council, and Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands and Stoke-on-Trent forming a Northern Staffordshire Unitary Council - find out more.
Each new council in our proposal would serve between 300,000 and 400,000 residents.
Independent national analysis shows that councils serving populations of over 350,000 people tend to spend more per person and charge higher council tax, with no evidence of better or more efficient services.
We believe our proposal is right because it delivers on what matters most - residents first, local democracy, strong economic foundations and better public services. It keeps services close to communities through smaller, community-focused councils, groups together areas with shared identity and real economic links to maintain meaningful local representation.
Key documents
- Full detailed proposal
- Full Council covering report
- View the Full Council meeting where it was discussed on 4 November 2025
Other proposals
In total five alternative models are being considered - view the five Staffordshire proposals.
