A Labour MP says the government's plan to merge Newcastle-under-Lyme with Stoke-on-Trent in a new North Staffordshire council is 'completely unacceptable'.

Adam Jogee, MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, spoke out against the final decision on local government reorganisation (LGR) in Staffordshire in the House of Commons on Thursday.

Local Government Secretary Steve Reed announced that the existing councils in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire would be abolished and replaced with two new unitary authorities in the north and south of the county. The northern unitary will cover Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Staffordshire Moorlands.

This is part of the biggest shake-up of local government in England since the 1970s, which ministers say will support devolution and result in more efficient and effective local services.

Mr Jogee told the Commons that the proposals for Staffordshire did not reflect his views or those of his constituents.

More than 11,000 people in Newcastle-under-Lyme signed a 'save our borough' petition against LGR, while there is cross-party opposition to a merger with Stoke-on-Trent on Newcastle Borough Council.

Reform UK council leader Jonathan Gullis called the decision a 'betrayal' while Conservative opposition leader Simon Tagg called for a special meeting to discuss potential legal action against LGR.

The borough council, while opposing LGR, had proposed a model involving a separate unitary for Newcastle.

Mr Jogee said: "The announcement today and the proposals in it are completely unacceptable, and I reject them in the strongest terms. There is nothing here that reflects the views that I have consistently put to ministers, nor any acknowledgement of the concerns received by thousands of local people in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

"Can I ask the minister, how he thinks we can protect the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme from the debt held by Staffordshire County Council, Staffordshire Moorlands and Stoke-on-Trent, and why he thinks any of my constituents should have any faith in these proposals that they don't want."

Mr Jogee also said that it was 'utterly unacceptable and a disgrace' for the government to announce the LGR decision on the day before the summer recess, and four days before Andy Burnham is set to become Prime Minister. He suggested that is is 'not too late to stop and think again'.

But Mr Reed insisted that residents in Newcastle would benefit from the changes, and gave assurances that Newcastle's 'unique heritage and identities' would be maintained.

He said: "It is very important that we get this process moving, because we will not realise the benefits in terms of economic growth, job opportunities and money in people's pockets, if we keep delaying it.

"We need to get it completed in this parliament and we need to get areas ready for the mayoral devolution that will follow."

Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Gareth Snell said he is 'broadly supportive' of the LGR proposals for Staffordshire, but raised concerns that the changes could mean a tax hike for his constituents.

At the moment, Stoke-on-Trent residents pay the lowest council tax in Staffordshire, with a Band D household in the city being charged £2,183.12 a year, compared to £2,313,24 in unparished areas of Newcastle.

Mr Snell said: "Is it the expectation that everybody will be harmonised to [Stoke-on-Trent's] level, or is it expected that my constituents will see a council tax increase to give a council tax cut to some of the wealthiest in the county?"

Mr Reed said council tax levels would set by the new unitary authorities.

Under the government's timetable, councillors will be elected to the new unitaries next May, with the authorities taking over from the existing councils in 2028.