On the 2nd May 2019 residents of Stone will be able to vote in elections for Stone Town Council and Stafford Borough Council.
The Town Council and Borough Council elections run on a four-year cycle and give voters the opportunity to select representatives who they feel will best represent their wishes at a local level. Each council has a budget and a set of responsibilities that they have to manage during their tenure.
What are the respective councils responsible for?
Our image provides a top-down view of the various services, some shared, that the town and borough councils are responsible for. – Source
How big are the council’s budgets?
Stone Town Council has an annual budget of £307,655 * – source
Stafford Borough Council has an annual budget of £12,612,000 * – source
*Annual budget figures are for the 2018/2019 financial year
Where does the money come from?
The majority of the Stone Town Council budget comes from your council tax contributions, approximately £50 per Band D property each year.
For Stafford Borough Council the main contributor is council tax, but there’s also a significant contribution from business rates that are set by the Government and collected by the council.
What is the current make up of the two councils?
Stone Town Council
Stone Town Council is made up of 18 seats, with the Stone Independents currently holding the majority.
- Stone Independents – 10 seats
- Conservative Party – 8 seats
At a town council level the town is split into four areas, referred to as wards:
- Stonefield & Christchurch (5 seats)
- St. Michaels (5 seats)
- Walton North (3 seats)
- Walton South (5 seats)
Stafford Borough Council
Stafford Borough Council is made up of 40 seats, 5 for Stone, with the Conservative Party currently holding the majority.
- Conservative Party – 30
- Labour Party – 6
- Independents – 4
From a Borough Council perspective Stone is split into just two wards.
- St. Michaels & Stonefield
- Walton
How do you register to vote?
If you’re already on the electoral register then you don’t need to do anything to register for these elections.
For anyone else there’s a handy guide on the Stafford Borough Council website -> How to register to vote
What next?
Over the next couple of months we’ll be publishing more details about the eletion process, how to stand as a councillor as well as revealing the candidates who hope to represent us all.
Check out our dedicated page -> 2019 Stone Elections
