The government will pause and review the planned overhaul of local councils in Staffordshire.

All 10 councils in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire were due to be abolished and replaced with two new unitary authorities under local government reorganisation (LGR).

But Communities Secretary Angela Rayner is set to announce today that the LGR decisions for Staffordshire and 13 other parts of England will be put on hold and reviewed, after the government received updated and privileged legal advice.

Elections that were scheduled to take place next year, including in Stoke-on-Trent, will now go ahead on existing council boundaries.

Ms Rayner says the review will allow the government to ensure the plans are 'robust' and align with new priorities.

The decisions relating to four areas – Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Hampshire – have been withdrawn.

Ms Rayner's predecessor Steve Reed announced the LGR decision for Staffordshire in July, shortly before he left the cabinet and Andy Burnham became Prime Minister.

The LGR option chosen would have seen Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Staffordshire Moorlands merged together under a new North Staffordshire unitary, with the rest of the county being covered by a South and Mid Staffordshire authority.

While the decision was supported by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, there was cross-party opposition to the 'merger' on Newcastle Borough Council.

Last week borough council leaders sent a pre-action letter to the government requesting further information on how the LGR decision was reached, ahead of a potential judicial review. Other councils affected by LGR, including Essex, had already started legal action ahead of today's announcement.

Ms Rayner is expected to tell Parliament today: "As we are now more determined than ever to devolve power closer to the people we represent, it's only right that as a new Secretary of State I make sure that everything we do is working towards that plan to change Britain, without delay.

"The Prime Minister told the House last week, he was 'prepared to look at local government reorganisation' and he asked me as his Communities Secretary to 'do that'.

"[..] In that context, in light of legal advice, I want to satisfy myself firstly that the right process is in place, that it is robust, and of course complies with the law. And secondly, I want to fully test whether our proposals for local government reorganisation meet the priorities of a new administration and a new Prime Minister and any additional considerations.

"[..] I do not take this lightly. I recognise the huge amount of work that has already gone into progressing reorganisation in each of these areas, and I am very grateful for it."

Last week borough councillors in Newcastle unanimously supported the decision to look at a potential legal challenge on LGR.

Reform UK council leader Jonathan Gullis believes Ms Rayner's announcement proves the authority had been right to take this approach.

He said: "The Government decided in July to abolish Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and force us into a new North Staffordshire authority with Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Moorlands. We have fought that decision from the start.

"We opposed the abolition of our historic borough. We demanded answers about the evidence and financial assumptions behind the decision. And, crucially, we were prepared to challenge the government legally rather than simply roll over and accept Newcastle-under-Lyme disappearing.

"We refused to accept that the abolition of our borough was a done deal. Today shows exactly why it was right to fight."

Conservative opposition group leader Simon Tagg said: "For almost two years through the Save Our Borough Campaign, we have argued that plans to abolish Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and merge our borough into a larger Stoke-on-Trent-dominated authority were being pushed forward without proper public support and without answering serious questions about local democracy, accountability and community identity.

"Today's decision shows that those concerns cannot simply be brushed aside. This pause is an opportunity to rethink these proposals and put local communities first and for this Labour Government to finally scrap any notion of merging our Borough out of existence."

Adam Jogee, Labour MP for Newcastle, also welcomed the announcement. He said: "Back in July, on the floor of the House of Commons, I very clearly – and forcefully – said that it wasn't too late to pause and think again. Today the new Secretary of State has done exactly that.

"At every stage of the many, many discussions on devolving power and authority to local communities, I have been clear about the overwhelming view of people in Newcastle-under-Lyme and the fact – the simple fact – that we must do things with people, not to them."