Cabinet members at Stoke-on-Trent City Council made a number important decisions at their meeting last week.

These decisions covered issues including the forthcoming local plan, highways contracts, local government reorganisation and the acquisition of 48 new council homes.

Here is a rundown on the decisions taken by cabinet and what they will mean for people and businesses in Stoke-on-Trent.

Local government reorganisation 

The government has told local councils to come up with proposals for new unitary authorities to replace the existing two-tier system in England. Stoke-on-Trent City Council is proposing a North Staffordshire unitary covering Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle and the Staffordshire Moorlands, which it says would be a more efficient and effective than the current arrangement of having four councils for the area.

Cabinet received an update on local government reorganisation (LGR) and the council's response, including feedback received to the initial submission to government in March. The city council has commissioned consultants from Grant Thornton to develop the financial and economic cases for the North Staffordshire model, while communications firm Cratus has been hired to carry out public and stakeholder engagement.

According to the report to cabinet, the feedback from government 'implicitly suggests' that the North Staffordshire proposal is valid and appropriate, and just needs 'developing and strengthening'. Cabinet members agreed to receive a further report on LGR ahead of the final submission to government before the November 28 deadline.

Joint all age carers strategy 

Cabinet members approved a new joint all age carers strategy. The strategy, which was co-produced with the Carers Partnership Board, sets out priorities for supporting unpaid carers, of whom there are around 26,000 in Stoke-on-Trent.

Priorities listed in the strategy include information, advice and guidance; support for young carers; and health and wellbeing support. With the current carers support service due to end in 2026, the strategy will inform the commissioning of the replacement service.

According to the cabinet report, the strategy will ensure carers are 'supported through invested partnership initiatives and approaches to enable carers to meet their desired outcomes'.

Sarah Hill, cabinet member for finance and anti-poverty, said: "I'm particularly interested that we have a focus on young carers. They're easy to forget about, but it's very important that we consider the needs of children and young people who are maybe caring for disabled parents or a sister or brother. It can make them late for school, it can make them miss out on all sorts of social activities."

Homelessness and rough sleeping strategy 

Cabinet members approved a new homelessness and rough sleeping strategy. The city council says it has been one of the top performing authorities at preventing homelessness in recent years, but rough sleeping has still be increasing, both locally and nationally.

The new strategy prioritises prevention, support and 'innovative intervention' which aims to get people into appropriate accommodation as quickly as possible. Cabinet also agreed to procure new homeless prevention and rough sleeping services, which will run for up to five years from 2026.

These services, the design of which will be informed by the new strategy, will include off-street accommodation for rough sleepers and 'meaningful daytime activity'. They are expected to cost around £5 million a year, with the funding set to come from central government grants and the council itself.

Local plan 

Stoke-on-Trent's new local plan will guide all development in the city up to 2040, and will include site allocations for more than 18,000 homes. Perhaps most controversially, the draft version of the plan proposes taking 11 sites out of the Green Belt and earmarking them for 10,499 homes.

The government has set Stoke-on-Trent a target of delivering 948 homes a year, which is around twice the housebuilding rate over the last few years. Around of 84 hectares of employment land is also expected to be delivered over the plan period.

Cabinet members approved the draft plan for a public consultation, which will run for six weeks from September 8 to October 20.

After the consultation is finished, a publication version of the local plan will be revealed in the spring. This will be subject to a further round of consultation, ahead of its submission to the government in November 2026.

Highways contracts 

Stoke-on-Trent City Council currently has multiple contracts for highways maintenance work with a range of local and national suppliers. The authority is now set to consolidate most of these contracts under a a single multi-lot framework agreement.

According to the report to cabinet, this will deliver greater value for money, improve operational efficiency, and foster stronger collaboration with supply chain partners. Cabinet members approved the procurement strategy to go out to tender, and agreed short-term extensions for three existing contracts.

Services covered by the new framework will include road resurfacing, preventative treatment and highway surveys. The new framework will run for six years, with the possibility of two single-year extensions, with a maximum value of £15 million a year.

Cabinet member Chris Robinson said: "I welcome this report, it's good for the city, it will keep the city moving. We're being open and transparent about what we're doing and why we're doing it."

Edensor High School homes 

Cabinet members agreed to spend £8.8 million buying 48 homes on a new housing estate. Lovell Homes is building 193 homes on the former Edensor High School site in Longton, which has been out of use for more than a decade.

Council leaders say that acquiring the 48 properties and offering them as socially rented homes will help reduce the long wait for a council house – there are currently more than 3,000 people on the authority's waiting list. The council will use £1.2 million of Right to Buy receipts on purchasing the homes once they are built. It is also planning on bidding for £3 million from Homes England's Affordable Homes Programme.

Council leader Jane Ashworth said: "It's sad that we're celebrating 48 new homes when there should have been year and years of housebuilding that stalled in the city."

Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing, said: "I know 48 homes, in the grand scheme of things, with a waiting list of 3,000 people, doesn't seem a lot, but it's the small green shoots that we're starting with. These are 48 new affordable homes on a brand new estate that people will be really grateful for."

Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone business rates discount scheme 

Cabinet members agreed to continue and extend a business rates discount scheme for another five years. The scheme has been running on most sites within the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone (CVEZ) since it launched in 2016.

Council leaders say the discount has worked well at attracting businesses to the CVEZ, creating jobs and boosting the local economy. The scheme will now continue up to 2031, and will be extended to the Etruria Valley site.

Under the extended scheme, qualifying businesses moving into new buildings in the CVEZ will see their business rates slashed by up to £100,000 a year for three years. The council expects that the cost of the scheme, which could be up to £675,000, will be recouped by through the business rates uplift generated by the CVEZ.

Cllr Ashworth said: "It's not very often that we're able to say that we're reducing the tax take on businesses in the city. But that's what we're doing here. We're extending the discount for newcomers to the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone, and we're extending it to Etruria Valley part. It's really important for us, as an administration, ti continue to bring new good jobs to the city."