Council shake-up remains 'dark cloud' over Newcastle-under-Lyme despite pause, council leaders say
By Phil Corrigan - Local Democracy Reporter 16th Sep 2026
Council leader Jonathan Gullis told the meeting that he is ‘deeply frustrated’ at the North Staffordshire proposal being paused rather than cancelled (image via LDRS)
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Local government reorganisation remains a 'dark cloud' hanging over Newcastle-under-Lyme despite the government pausing the process, council leaders say.
Communities Secretary Angela Rayner last week announced the planned overhaul of councils in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire would be reviewed following updated legal advice.
The proposed model for local government reorganisation (LGR) in Staffordshire would have seen Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Moorlands merged under a new North Staffordshire unitary authority.
Cabinet members at Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council – which has been strongly opposed to LGR – received an update on the issue at their meeting on Tuesday.
Council leader Jonathan Gullis told the meeting that he is 'deeply frustrated' at the North Staffordshire proposal being paused rather than cancelled, saying the uncertainty hampered the Reform UK administration's ability to plan for the future.
The government has withdrawn the LGR proposals for four other areas of England, which were at a more advanced stage of the process than Staffordshire.
Mr Gullis has asked the government to reimburse the council for the £312,000 it has spent on LGR so far.
The cabinet heard that the council has yet to receive a response to this request.
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Mr Gullis said: "I'm deeply frustrated that while the priority areas have been withdrawn, we've been paused.
"In my mind, that essentially means that we've gone from being behind those areas to being in front of them. Now we're sat at the front of the queue while this pause continues. So legally we're in a challenging position.
"And more importantly it means the uncertainty continues to hang over our heads and acts as a dark cloud when we want to have clear plans when it comes to investing in our communities, our town centres and our parks.
"I hope the government will see common sense and they cancel local government reorganisation."
Shortly before last week's announcement, the borough council had sent a pre-action letter to the government, ahead of a potential legal challenge on LGR.
Monitoring officer Olwen Brown told cabinet members that she had been in contact with a government solicitor, and that she is aiming to 'protect the council's position' while the situation with LGR is uncertain.
The cabinet also heard that work to explore ways of safeguarding Newcastle's borough status and mayoralty would continue.
Chief executive Gordon Mole said: "At this time while national decisions are now under review, the council will remain measured and ready to respond in a way that protects the interest of residents, businesses, stakeholders and the borough as a whole."
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Ms Rayner told the House of Commons last week that the LGR review would be carried out 'at pace' and would ensure that the decisions are legally robust.
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