CALLS FOR URGENT SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING TO CONSIDER LEGAL OPTIONS OVER FORCED BOROUGH ABOLITION

CALLS FOR URGENT SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING TO CONSIDER LEGAL OPTIONS OVER FORCED BOROUGH ABOLITION

Conservative Councillors called for an urgent Special Meeting of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council following the Government’s decision to abolish the Borough Council and merge Newcastle-under-Lyme with Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Moorlands into a new North Staffordshire unitary authority.

Conservative Group Leader Cllr Simon Tagg and colleagues have submitted a formal request, supported by five councillors, for a Special Meeting of the Council to be convened under the Council’s Constitution to debate the Government’s announcement and consider the Council’s response.

The proposed motion asks the Council to obtain independent specialist legal advice on the prospects of a Judicial Review and other legal options, engage with Staffordshire County Council and other affected authorities about potential joint action, and take steps to preserve the Borough’s legal position.

Cllr Simon Tagg said: “The Government has taken a decision that will bring to an end more than eight centuries of independent local government in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Residents made their views clear. More than 11,000 people signed a petition opposing these plans and the Council has consistently argued against a forced merger with Stoke-on-Trent. Those voices have now been ignored.”

“This is not a routine administrative change. It is an existential threat to the Borough Council, its democratic identity and the way local services are delivered.

Councillors must not be expected to wait until the end of September before debating a decision of this magnitude.”

Cllr Tagg said that councils elsewhere in England have already explored or launched judicial reviews against Local Government Reorganisation decisions and that Newcastle-under-Lyme should urgently investigate its own legal position. Similar challenges have been pursued by councils including Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Portsmouth.

He continued: “We are asking the Council to obtain independent legal advice, understand the options available to us and work with other councils such as Staffordshire County Council that may be considering legal action.

If there are grounds to challenge this decision, we must know that quickly because legal deadlines are short and opportunities can be lost through delay.”

 Conservative Deputy Group Leader expressed concern about the practical implications of the reorganisation. He said: “The Government is asking councils to undertake one of the biggest reorganisations of local government in decades, involving the transfer of staff, assets, finances and responsibilities for vital services including adult social care, children’s services, planning, highways and waste collection. These are not changes that should be rushed through without proper scrutiny.”

“The people of Newcastle-under-Lyme deserve a full and open debate about what this means for their communities, their representation and their local services.”

The Special Meeting request argues that the issue cannot reasonably wait until the next scheduled Council meeting on 30 September because of the significance of the Government’s decision and the need to consider potential legal remedies within strict timescales.

Cllr Tagg concluded: “Whether people supported or opposed reorganisation, everyone should agree on one thing: Newcastle-under-Lyme councillors should be given the earliest possible opportunity to debate the Government’s decision and determine the Borough’s response.

The Government may have announced its decision, but that does not mean this Council should simply roll over and accept it without question. We owe it to our residents to explore every option available and stand up for Newcastle-under-Lyme.”