Stoke-on-Trent would become part of a new East Staffordshire council under new reorganisation proposals.

Reform UK-led Staffordshire County Council is proposing to split Staffordshire into eastern and western unitary authorities, in response to the Labour government's drive to overhaul local councils.

Under the county council's plan, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire Moorlands, East Staffordshire, Lichfield and Tamworth would merge together to form a new East Staffordshire unitary. And Newcastle, Stafford, South Staffordshire and Cannock Chase would merge into West Staffordshire.

At the moment, council services in Staffordshire, outside of Stoke-on-Trent, are split between the county and district authorities. The government wants to replace this two-tier system with a single layer of unitaries providing all services, which it says will be more effective and efficient.

The county council's proposal stands in contrast to the north-south split favoured by most other councils in Staffordshire, including Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.

But county council leaders say their east-west proposal would meet the government's criteria for reorganisation while giving the new unitaries the best chance of success.

The government says the new unitaries should be financially sustainable and cover 'sensible' economic areas, with a minimum population of around 500,000. The proposed East Staffordshire council would be by far the larger of the two, with a population of 689,784, while West Staffordshire would have 487,794 residents.

County council leader Ian Cooper said: "Local government reorganisation could help to streamline and simplify council services, making council taxpayers money work harder.

"Unrealistic timescales and Government guidelines risk undermining this but we will put forward the strongest possible business case in November to try to make the best of this situation for Staffordshire's residents and businesses."

Under its previous Conservative leadership, before May's local elections, the county council submitted an interim proposal which would have seen the county and districts outside of Stoke-on-Trent replaced with a single unitary.

In its response to the interim proposals from Staffordshire, the government said any solution for the county would need to address the financial challenges of Stoke-on-Trent City Council – which has had to request £59 million in exceptional financial support since 2024.

After receiving the government feedback, the county council explored eight different models, with consultants from PricewaterhouseCoopers being commissioned to carry out a financial appraisal of the options.

The authority initially favoured proposals for an east-west split which would keep Stoke-on-Trent separate, resulting in three unitaries.

But council leaders believe this model would be rejected by the government, and so they now prefer an East Staffordshire option that includes Stoke-on-Trent.

According to the financial analysis, this option would have a gross annual benefit of £28.8 million, the same as the north-south option.

Martin Murray, deputy leader of the county council and lead cabinet member for local government reorganisation, said: "In an ideal world, we would avoid the burden of Stoke-on-Trent City Council's financial distress on people across the wider county, but the Government are likely to dismiss any option that does not help to solve these long running financial problems or meet their wider criteria for change.

"We will follow the rules of the game set by Government so that they are compelled to consider the option we put forward. We want the best for our residents and businesses – this isn't about politics, it's about giving Staffordshire the best chance of success in the circumstances.

"Of the options that meet the government's criteria, analysis is showing that an East-West option gives the best chance of success for both new councils. A council's success means better services and better value for residents and businesses."

While most other councils in Staffordshire are proposing northern and southern unitaries, West Staffordshire is one of four options being explored by Newcastle Borough Council, which opposes any merger with Stoke-on-Trent.

Cabinet members at the county council will consider the proposed model for local government reorganisation when they meet next Wednesday. A full council debate on the issue is scheduled to take place next month, with the authority due to submit its final business case by the November 28 deadline.

The government will then make the final decision on how Staffordshire's local councils are reorganised.