Local government reorganisation

Latest news - local government reorganisation decision 

Government has confirmed its decision on local government reorganisation in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. 

  • This will see two new unitary councils covering: 
  • North Staffordshire, and 
  • Southern and Mid Staffordshire 

These two new councils will replace Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent’s ten existing county, city, district and borough councils Including Tamworth, and be responsible for all council services including housing, StreetScene, bins, education, children’s and adult’s social care, roads etc.  

For Tamworth this means that all of us, along with the services we deliver will be delivered by Southern and Mid Staffordshire Council from April 2028. 

What this means for you 

There will be no immediate changes to council services, and all councils will continue to provide services as normal. 

You should continue to use services in the same way as you do now and contact the same council teams for help and support. 

When will this happen? 

Under the government’s timetable, the new councils are expected to be established in April 2028, with elections to shadow councils held in May 2027. 

Working together 

While a range of views were shared during the process, councils across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent are united in focusing on what comes next. We will prioritise: 

  • Supporting residents and communities 
  • Protecting essential local services 
  • Making sure the changes happen as smoothly as possible 

What happens next? 

Councils across the area will now work together to understand the full details of the government’s decision and plan the next steps to make sure that the changes work well for residents. 

What is it and what’s happening? 
Government plans is simplifying local government and ending the two-tier system of a county council and a borough council.  

New councils are being created, these will be responsible for all council services including housing, StreetScene, bins, education, children’s and adult’s social care, roads etc.  

Why is this happening? 

This change has been decided by the government. The aim is to: 

  • Make councils simpler and easier to understand 
  • Improve how services are run 
  • Make better use of public money 

What does this mean for Tamworth? 

Currently local people receive services from two councils, Tamworth Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council. This approach will be replaced by the new Southern and Mid Staffordshire Council, from April 2028 which will deliver all council services in the area. 

Under the government’s timetable, the new councils are expected to be established in April 2028, with elections to shadow councils held in May 2027. 

At that time our proposal was for a unitary authority covering Tamworth, Lichfield and East Staffordshire councils. View the business case proposal. 

There were five different proposals put forward by councils across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, so it was inevitable that not every area would get its preferred outcome. This isn't the structure we proposed, but the government has made its decision, and our focus now is on working with councils across Staffordshire to make it work well for Tamworth residents. 

See press statement from Leader of Tamworth Borough Council (16 July 2026) 

What is the timeline for the change? 

Under the government’s timetable, the new councils are expected to be established in April 2028, with elections to shadow councils held in May 2027. 

Please note that this timetable is subject to change. 

  • July 2026 – Government announce decision on future councils for the area 
  • Late Summer/early autumn 2026 – Joint Committees may be established (on a voluntary basis) 
  • Late 2026 – Structural Change Order is put before parliament  
  • May 2027 – Shadow Council elections take place 
  • Early Summer 2027 – Announcement of appointments to interim senior roles in the Shadow Councils 
  • From Autumn 2027 – Confirmation of roles and appointments in new council teams begin in readiness for new councils 
  • April 2028 – First day of the new councils (Vesting Day) 

What is a shadow council? 

A shadow council is elected before the new council formally starts to operate.  

The elected shadow councillors make key decisions needed to prepare the new council, including decisions about senior leadership arrangements. 

The shadow council is expected to be elected in May 2027, with the new council starting 1 April 2028, this is called ‘vesting day’. 

Will residents be consulted as part of the change?   

As part of developing the business case we had to submit to government, along with Southern and Mid Staffordshire councils in summer 2025 we ran a survey asking for views and held engagement sessions at various locations in the borough. Nearly 17,000 people across Southern and Mid Staffordshire chose to take part. 

The government also ran a statutory consultation which closed on 26 March 2026. 

Where can I get more information? 

You can find more information on the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent LGR hub. 

More information:

The existing Staffordshire authority make up 
In Staffordshire the local government family currently consists of:  
Staffordshire County Council  
Stoke on Trent City Council  
Eight borough and district councils:  
Cannock Chase District Council 
East Staffordshire Borough Council 
Lichfield District Council  
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council 
South Staffordshire Council 
Stafford Borough Council  
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council 
Tamworth Borough Council  

For more information about local government reorganisation see: