Stone residents are now set to elect councillors to Stafford Borough Council and Stone Town Council in May 2027 after the Government paused plans to reorganise local government across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
The elections had been due to select councillors for two new unitary authorities covering the north and south of the county. Instead, the Government has confirmed that local elections next May will go ahead on existing council boundaries while the reorganisation programme is reviewed.
For Stone, that means a return to the previous local election cycle, with residents set to vote for borough and town councillors as they did in May 2023.
Staffordshire’s eight borough and district authorities, as well as Staffordshire County Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council, had been set to be abolished in 2028.
They were to be replaced by two new unitary authorities, with Stafford forming part of a new authority covering southern and mid Staffordshire.
Elections scheduled for May 2027 were due to select 84 councillors for the new northern authority and 92 for the south. They would have formed shadow councils, working alongside the existing authorities until the new councils took over services.
Decisions relating to four areas, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Hampshire, were withdrawn, while plans for Staffordshire and a number of other areas have been paused and placed under review.
Speaking at Tuesday’s full Stafford Borough Council meeting on 8 September, council leader Aidan Godfrey said
“Yesterday the announcement that came was not expected. Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent have been instructed to stop all LGR implementation work.
“Local elections in May, that were going to be for the new unitary authority, are now going to be for Stafford Borough Council as we are, there will be no change. The term of office for councillors to Stafford Borough Council is yet to be decided; it could be anything from a year to a full term.
“The Government will now review the future of local government reorganisation. The Government needs to work with local councils to find a permanent good solution for local government, a lot closer to local government than they have been.
“We didn’t ask for LGR, we were instructed to work with local government criteria. We also didn’t ask for a pause, but now we have a pause we can take this opportunity to get the future of public services right and it’s vitally important we do that.
“I will keep members informed if there is anything you need to be kept informed of. Most importantly at this stage, I would like to thank our employees for their professionalism and hard work during the LGR period.”
The current political picture
Stafford Borough Council currently has no party with an overall majority.
Its 40 councillors comprise 15 Conservatives, 12 Labour or Labour and Co-operative members, seven Stafford Borough Independents, five Greens and one Liberal Democrat. Councillor Godfrey is the council leader, with Stafford Borough Independent councillor Rob Kenney serving as deputy leader.
Stone’s five seats on Stafford Borough Council are currently all held by Stafford Borough Independents. Ian Fordham, Rob Kenney and Philip Leason represent St Michael’s and Stonefield, while Jill Hood and Jonathan Powell represent Walton.
Stone Town Council will also be due for election in May 2027 as part of the normal four-year parish and town council cycle.
The town council has 18 seats across four wards, with five councillors representing St Michael’s, five representing Stonefield and Christchurch, three representing Walton North and five representing Walton South.
All 18 seats are currently held by councillors who were elected as Stone Independents at the May 2023 elections.
The combination means voters in Stone are set to elect both their five borough councillors and 18 town councillors next May, although voters will only vote for the candidates standing within their respective borough and town council wards.
A Little Bit of Stone will once again bring together candidate details, ward information and election results for Stone residents through our dedicated election mini site, stones.vote.
Reorganisation work halted
Stafford Borough Council had been due to back the establishment of the South and Mid Staffordshire Joint Committee at Tuesday’s meeting.
The proposed committee would have included membership from Cannock Chase District Council, East Staffordshire District Council, Lichfield District Council, Stafford Borough Council, Staffordshire County Council, South Staffordshire District Council and Tamworth Borough Council as part of preparations for the new authority.
The item was withdrawn following the Government’s announcement.
Plans to establish a new Stafford Town Council did move another step forward, however. Borough councillors voted unanimously at Tuesday’s meeting in favour of setting up the new council following a recommendation from a working group and a recent Community Governance Review.
What remains unclear is how long the Stafford Borough councillors elected next May will serve. Councillor Godfrey said their term could be anything from one year to a full term, depending on what happens following the Government’s review.
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