Tories and Labour clash over fears Stoke-on-Trent will swallow up Newcastle

-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited
-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited


Councillors have clashed over a proposed shake-up of local government - which could see their authority abolished or merged. Newcastle Borough Council is facing an uncertain future due to the government's plan to carry out the biggest reorganisation of local councils since the 1970s.

At the moment, local services in Newcastle are split between the borough and county councils, but the government wants to replace this two-tier system with a single tier of unitary authorities, as part of proposals for English devolution. Local areas have been asked to come up with their own proposals for reorganisation into unitaries.

Borough councillors debated the issue at a full council meeting, and generally divided along party lines.

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Conservative councillors raised fears that the 'forced unitarisation' would lead to the borough being merged with Stoke-on-Trent and a loss of independence for Newcastle. But opposition Labour members claimed that the reorganisation could lead to better, more efficient local services, and criticised the status quo.

Conservative council leader Simon Tagg, who proposed a motion calling on councillors to stand up for the 'historic independence of the borough', said it was a 'dreaded moment' for the people of Newcastle.

He said: "The most obvious threat, is a North Staffordshire authority, with the implication of Stoke merging with this borough. In my view, and a lot of people's view, that would be a takeover by the city of Stoke. Anything other than that, such as a wider Staffordshire council would really take away the decision-making and delivery of services, which are here in the borough, to a population further away.

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"We've been a borough for many hundreds of years, with local, meaningful self-government that's close to residents it serves. I think we've got a very proud record of delivery here at the borough council - delivering services, no debt, and defending residents, which I think no other council would have done on issues like Walleys Quarry.

"And what are the benefits of unitarisation? Where do we see those? Our nearest unitary authority is Stoke-on-Trent, and they are in financial trouble, and we look across to Cheshire East, who are moving to three-weekly bin collections.

"We need to get the best deal for Newcastle, but we also have to stand up for our borough."

Mr Tagg said that council leaders in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire had already come up with their own proposal for devolution which would not involve local government reorganisation.

The Labour group proposed an amendment to Mr Tagg's motion, which included statements recognising the potential benefits of reorganisation, such as 'financial savings and improved service delivery'.

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But the amendment was ruled unacceptable by Mayor Barry Panter, after receiving advice from officers, who said it would have 'negated' the original motion.

Labour group leader Dave Jones argued that reorganisation of local government in Staffordshire was a 'once in a generation opportunity' to 'reset' council services.

He said: "Much has been said about said about the threat to district councils but little on the opportunities. The opportunity to have a seat at the table of upper tier services, to fight for Newcastle. This isn't a democractic deficit but an opportunity for all of us to build a better local government in Newcastle.

"This is not about history. We can preserve our historic traditions through this change. This is about fighting for Newcastle residents at the negotiating table.

"Residents in Newcastle are being failed by our county council. Driving on our roads is like taking a moon buggy for a spin, our adult social care system struggles to meet demand leading to bed-blocking at our hospital and ever increasing wait times."

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Conservative Joan Whieldon said that a merger with Stoke-on-Trent would mean Newcastle being used to 'prop up their fiscal failings'.

Labour councillor Richard Gorton said while he did not like the government's 'top down' approach to reorganisation, he warned that if the council did not engage in the process, it would 'run the risk of having something imposed on us'.

Following the debate, councillors voted 25 to 13 in favour of Mr Tagg's original motion. The motion called on Newcastle's MPs to support the borough's preservation, the petitioning of residents on the issue, and asked the leader and chief executive to write to the government to state the council's position.