Agenda and draft minutes

To receive declarations of interest from Members on items contained within this agenda.

There were no declarations of interest stated.

A  Motion concerning the Council’s response to the Ministerial announcement of 16 July, 2026 relating to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), was proposed by Councillor Simon Tagg and seconded by Councillor Holland.

Councillor Tagg stated that it had now been confirmed that Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council would be abolished and a new authority created with Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire Moorlands.  The decision did not reflect the wishes of the residents of the Borough – with more than 11,000 people signing a petition and it was felt that reorganisation of the current local government structure in Staffordshire was not necessary.

There were also financial concerns regarding savings, the cost of transition and how existing debts and liabilities would be managed.  Newcastle residents should not be expected to take on Stoke-on Trent’s tax burden.  The Government should explain why the model was selected and what evidence supported the decision.

This Council should be able to continue challenging where the decision had been made.  As the Leader had recently met  with Adam Jogee MP, Councillor Tagg asked for an update on what actions the MP was taking to fight this.

It was welcomed that the Council had written to the Secretary of State seeking clarification on the reasons behind the decision.  The Leader was asked to clarify when the Council received legal advice, why it took until yesterday for the letter to be sent when the Council only had until 15 October to challenge the decision.  The key question was whether the decision was reached lawfully, fairly and in accordance with the Government’s own criteria.

Counsel’s further advice would be welcomed on what alternative routes could be available to the Council, for example, an opportunity to challenge future structural change order or influence parliamentary scrutiny around the proposal.

The Council’s position would be strengthened if it could work alongside other authorities sharing its concerns.  The Leader was asked if he had approached the Leader of Staffordshire County Council regarding joint legal action and if so, what the response was.

Councillor Holland, in seconding the Motion stated that larger unitary authorities were less representative, less accountable and more remote from the communities they served.  For Newcastle, LGR would mark the end of 853 years of history and identity and its residents would face large financial debts from another Authority. 

Councillor Holland felt that LGR should not be happening – but to have the worst version imposed on this Council added insult to injury and deserved to be resisted.  The Administration and officers were urged to leave no stone unturned in bringing to light any defects in the Government’s reasoning. 

An amendment to the Motion – shown on pages 7 to 9 of the agenda, had been proposed by Councillor Gullis and seconded by Councillor Shaw. 

In proposing his group’s amendment, the Leader stated that on the day that advice was received, a decision was made to start the work to issue the pre-action letter that had now been sent out.  The Government now had 14  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.