The Staffordshire Moorlands could be merged with Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme according to a new report by the Centre for Cities think tank.

The three authorities, which all currently have their own councils, would become one new unitary council, named 'Greater Stoke', and run by a single elected mayor.

The plan has come in a report by Centre for Cities, which proposes bringing 349 authorities across England, including district, borough, and city councils, down into just 69 unitary authorities.

The plans would also bring about an end to the existence of Staffordshire County Council, and would see an end to the two-tier system of councils across the country.

The report by Centre for Cities Policy Officer Simon Jeffrey states: "Local government reform in England cannot wait any longer. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Government's commitment to 'levelling up' mean it is an idea whose time has come.

"This report's proposals are designed to show how the Government should use its forthcoming devolution white paper to end nearly half a century of underpowered and weakening local government in England.

"If the Government's plans to level up the country are to stand any chance of succeeding, this report sets out how it must reorganise and simplify local government around the country to align the shape of local government to the shape of local economies."

The report also states that local authorities should cover between 300,000 and 800,000 people, with the Moorlands currently covering a population of around 100,000.

Elsewhere in the county, Stafford, East Staffordshire and Cannock Chase would merge to form their own unitary authority under the plans.

Tamworth, Lichfield and South Staffordshire meanwhile, would become part of the West Midlands Combined Authority.

It's argued that the changes would make local authorities more accountable and capable, as well as "economically powerful and politically feasible".

Each new authority and their mayors would have the same powers as the Mayor of London, and would transition to being self-funded, allowing central Government to move away from the process.

The report adds: "Only with these reforms will local government be able to play its full part in the challenge of levelling up and, more importantly, to improve the opportunities available to people who live and work in the cities and large towns all around the country."

The Government is expected to publish its own proposals for the reorganisation of local authorities in the near future.

To read the full report, visit the Centre for Cities website here.

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