Newcastle council leader 'livid' with plans to merge Staffordshire councils
The decision would also abolish borough, district and city councils entirely
Last updated 17th Jul 2026
The leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is voicing strong opposition to government plans to abolish the Borough Council as part of a major reorganisation in North Staffordshire.
The proposal will merge Newcastle, Stoke-on-Trent, and Staffordshire Moorlands into a single unitary authority called North Staffordshire Council.
Cllr Jonathan Gullis, leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council described the plan as “a shameful betrayal of Newcastle-under-Lyme and the people who call our Borough home,” and added, “Newcastle-under-Lyme did not ask for this. Residents did not vote for this. There was no local mandate for it, no convincing case for it and no justification for wiping our Borough Council off the map.”
He added: “The Labour Government has chosen to impose a North Staffordshire council proposal drawn up by Labour-run Stoke-on-Trent City Council on the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme.
“Ministers have ignored more than 11,000 residents who signed the petition.”
Simon Tagg, Leader of the Conservative Group on the Borough Council, also opposed the decision, stating, “It is a disgrace that our history and heritage should be disregarded in this way.”
What are the planned changes?
They involve merging Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent, and Staffordshire Moorlands councils into one larger unitary authority.
This means that the existing councils will dissolve, and a single council will be responsible for all services in these areas, including children’s services, adult social care, highways, waste collection, and more.
Elections for the new North Staffordshire council are anticipated in May 2027, with full operational status set for April 2028, contingent on legislative and parliamentary approval.
“I will never pretend that this is the right decision, because it is not. I will never claim that Newcastle-under-Lyme consented to this merger, because it did not.” - Cllr Gullis
“The Government may abolish Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, but it will not abolish Newcastle-under-Lyme." said Cllr Gullis.
"There is nothing efficient about spending huge sums of taxpayers’ money abolishing well-run councils, transferring thousands of staff and merging complex services merely to create another layer of distant bureaucracy.
“Our residents will rightly ask why money that could have regenerated our high streets, improved parks and strengthened frontline services is instead being spent dismantling their Borough Council."
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