The government has announced a new North Staffordshire 'super' council will take over Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Staffordshire Moorlands.

All the existing city, county and district councils in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire will be abolished and replaced with two new unitary authorities under the final plan for local government reorganisation.

One unitary will cover North Staffordshire, with another covering Southern and Mid Staffordshire.

These councils will be responsible for all local government functions in their areas, ending the current two-tier system in Staffordshire.

Local Government Secretary Steve Reed announced the north-south split for LGR in Staffordshire in a statement to the House of Commons today.

The model was backed by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Stafford Borough Council, East Staffordshire Borough Council and Cannock Chase District Council.

Four other LGR options proposed by the existing councils, including an east-west division, were rejected by government.

Under the government's proposed timetable, elections to the new authorities will take place next May, and they will take over from the existing councils in 2028.

The announcement has received a mixed response from councils with Newcastle Borough Council leader Jonathan Gullis branding it a 'shameful betrayal', with others claiming the change will benefit North Staffordshire.

Mr Reed told the Commons that, subject to parliamentary approval, the new unitaries will save taxpayers money while supporting devolution.

He said: "Devolution requires strong local councils delivering good public services, supporting economic growth and closely connected to the communities they serve. Two tier structures are confusing for residents, divide responsibilities, slow down decision, duplicate costs and blur accountability.

"We can't continue with an outdated and misaligned system that does not serve local people well. We can do better."

The new unitary for the north of Staffordshire will cover Newcastle, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Moorlands, serving a population of 494,803 people.

The unitary for the south of the county will cover Stafford, East Staffordshire, Cannock Chase, Lichfield, Tamworth and South Staffordshire, serving a population of 682,775 people.

All the existing councils will now be expected to work together and with central government during the transfer to the new system, with around £900,000 of funding being provided for each new authority to support this work.

Reform UK leaders at Staffordshire County Council opposed the idea of LGR but proposed that an east-west split would be the best option.

Council leader Martin Murray announced the government's decision at today's full council meeting, reiterating his opposition to LGR but saying that the authority would need to play its part in the process.

He said: "There was no public mandate for this. It was never mentioned during the general election campaign, it was just announced it would be imposed on us, and that is disgraceful.

"But we do have a serious amount of work to do. Whether you want this or do not want this, it becomes a moot point, because it's happening. We have a duty to deliver so no person, or business or environment in this county is damaged because of this."

Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, 'warmly welcomed' the government's decision to support the authority's north-south proposal. She believes LGR will lead to more effective local government in the area and support economic growth.

She said: "It is the option that most closely reflects the reality of how people live, work and travel across our area and provides the strongest basis for future success. It keeps North Staffordshire together as a single economic area, aligns with the way key public services already operate and creates a council that is large enough to be resilient while remaining rooted in the communities it serves.

"Most importantly, this decision gives us the opportunity to unlock growth, attract investment, accelerate regeneration and create more opportunities for local people. It will ensure north Staffordshire has a stronger voice and can compete more effectively for jobs, funding and investment in the years ahead."

Newcastle Borough Council has consistently been opposed to LGR – and particularly any merger with Stoke-on-Trent – under both Conservative and Reform UK leadership, with 11,000 residents signing a 'save our borough' petition.

The borough council proposed a model which would have seen a separate unitary for Newcastle.

Cllr Gullis, leader of the ruling Reform group, said: "This is a shameful betrayal of Newcastle- under-Lyme and the people who call our borough home. Ministers have ignored more than 11,000 residents who signed the petition. They have ignored the clear cross-party position of the Borough Council.

"They have ignored local people who overwhelmingly said that, if reorganisation was forced upon us, Newcastle-under-Lyme must remain independent.

"Instead, Whitehall has chosen to abolish a proud and successful borough council, end more than 853 years of independent local government and force our communities into a vast North Staffordshire super-council dominated by Stoke-on-Trent.

"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."

Simon Tagg, leader of the opposition Conservative group on the borough council, called for a special meeting to debate potential legal action against LGR.

He said: "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."

But Mike Gledhill, the Labour leader of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, welcomed the decision, saying it would be a 'new start' for North Staffordshire.

He said: "The new North Staffordshire council is absolutely not a merger with Stoke-on-Trent. It's a new start for the three councils and makes sense geographically, economically and culturally.

"For the Moorlands it brings the opportunity for improved transport connectively, greater job opportunities especially for our young people, and sensible building where it is needed using brownfield sites where possible."

The government is expected to publish a structural changes order later this year, which will include more detail on how the new Staffordshire unitaries will work, such as the number of councillors and ward boundaries.