Frequently asked questions
What has the government announced?
The government has confirmed that local government in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent will move to two new unitary councils. Under the approved proposal:
- A northern unitary council will serve Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Moorlands.
- A southern unitary council will serve Stafford, East Staffordshire, Cannock Chase, Lichfield, Tamworth and South Staffordshire.
New unitary councils will replace the current county, city, district and borough councils. A unitary council delivers all local government services through a single organisation.
While this is an important milestone, the changes won't happen immediately. The new councils are expected to begin operating in April 2028, following elections to shadow councils in May 2027.
What does this mean for me right now?
For most residents, nothing changes today.
You don't need to do anything differently and you should continue to access council services in exactly the same way as you do now.
Lichfield District Council will continue delivering services as normal while detailed planning for the new council takes place.
Will my council services change?
There are no immediate changes to the services you receive.
Your household waste and recycling collections, planning services, leisure centres, parks, car parks, housing services, environmental services and customer services will all continue as normal.
Our priority remains delivering high-quality services for residents throughout the transition.
What happens next?
Although the government has now announced its decision, there is still significant work to do before the new councils are created. Councils across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent will now begin detailed planning to ensure the transition is carefully managed.
This includes planning how services, staff, buildings, budgets and systems will transfer to the new councils. Throughout this period, residents should continue to access council services as normal.
The government has confirmed that:
- May 2027 – Elections will be held to create shadow councils, which will prepare for the transition.
- April 2028 – The new unitary councils are expected to officially take over responsibility for local government services.
Why is local government reform and devolution being proposed?
The government’s long-term vision is for simpler structures, which make it much clearer for residents who they should look to on local issues, with more strategic decisions to unlock growth and deliver better services for communities.
The government believes that devolution over a large strategic geography, alongside local government reorganisation, can drive economic growth while delivering optimal public services.
What is devolution?
Devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from national to local government. It helps ensure that more decisions are made locally and closer to the communities and businesses they affect.
What is local government reorganisation?
In the devolution white paper, the government has said it wants to devolve more powers from national to local government and to reorganise local government across England by replacing county and district councils, consolidating the services they provide, with unitary authorities.
This is likely to result in fewer, larger authorities across the country.
Are parish and town councils affected?
Parish and town councils will not be affected structurally by the changes. They will not be abolished. View a list of our parish councils.
Will the loss of district councils affect the level of community engagement?
We have not sought these changes, but we must engage fully to ensure the best outcome for our residents.
Our residents and businesses are at the heart of everything we do. We will work closely with authorities from across Staffordshire to seek the best outcomes for Lichfield District residents and to ensure the new council achieves our ambitions for them.
- First and foremost, our proposal must be focused on the best outcome for our residents.
- Secondly, any emerging local authority must remain close, relevant and accountable to the communities it serves.
- We also believe that local democracy matters, so our third guiding principle is that any new unitary authority should have wards small enough for councillors to remain visible, accessible and knowledgeable about their patch.
- Finally, councils should be based on areas that share an ambition to build on their common economic interests.
What we proposed
Together with Tamworth Borough Council and South Staffordshire Council, we proposed creating three unitary councils across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent which was not taken foward by government. Our proposal would have resulted in the following three councils being created:
- South-East Staffordshire - Lichfield District, Tamworth, East Staffordshire
- South-West Staffordshire: Cannock Chase, Stafford, South Staffordshire
- Northern Staffordshire: Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands, Stoke-on-Trent
Each would have served around 300,000 - 400,000 residents - the right size for efficiency, financial resilience and strong local connection. Our guiding principles were:
- Residents first – one local council delivering all services, keeping support close to home and reducing bureaucracy
- Local democracy matters - councils built around shared identities so decisions stay connected to communities
- Strong economic foundations - aligning areas with real economic, transport and business links
- Better public services - simplifying structures, removing duplication and improving value for money
This model was shaped by feedback from over 16,700 residents and businesses.
Three-quarters said they want councils that are local, visible and community-focused, and evidence shows very large councils can cost more per person without improving services.
View our proposal which is not being taken forward.