County councillors jointly call for PM to scrap LGR proposals

In a letter to the PM led by county council leader Ian Cooper, they say that whilst supporting devolution to transfer decision making to local areas, structural reorganisation of councils is unnecessary in Staffordshire and costly to the taxpayer.

And they add that in addition to this joint consensus across the political spectrum in the council chamber, there is widespread opposition throughout Staffordshire communities who fear the loss of local responsiveness that LGR would bring.

Ian Cooper said:

We recognise that LGR may be appropriate in some areas to enable devolution. However, imposing it wholesale on Staffordshire is unnecessary and risks becoming a costly political experiment. It will divert time, energy, and resources away from the real priorities and challenges our communities face now and in the years ahead.

The proposed timescales are unrealistic and threaten critical services such as social care.  Adding unnecessary pressure to already stretched services, services relied upon by our most vulnerable residents is unacceptable.

Instead, let us work together to deliver ambitious, meaningful devolution, strengthening local democracy and delivering real benefits for our residents.”

People can read the full letter on Staffordshire County Council’s news webpage.