Work to establish two new Staffordshire councils, including a new authority that will take over many services currently provided to Stone residents, is now underway.
The Government confirmed its preferred structure last month. From 1 April 2028, Staffordshire County Council and the existing district and borough councils will be replaced by two unitary authorities.
Stone's New Council Structure
Stone will become part of a new southern Staffordshire council covering Stafford Borough, East Staffordshire, Cannock Chase, Lichfield, South Staffordshire and Tamworth. This new authority will serve a combined population of more than 680,000.
A northern council will cover Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire Moorlands, serving more than 490,000 people.
Stone Town Council will not be abolished and will continue to exist as the town's most local tier of council, operating separately from the new larger authority.
Services Continue During Transition
Stafford Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council, which currently provide many services used by Stone residents, will continue operating and delivering services until the new authority formally takes over on 1 April 2028.
Martin Murray, council leader, said: "Our focus now is to work constructively across the area to support implementation and ensure new agreements are delivered safely and effectively. Essentially, services will continue to be delivered while transition work takes place in parallel, so there is nothing to worry about for any residents or businesses at all."
Implementation Underway
Officers have already completed significant preparation work, including establishing programme governance and creating a joint way of working across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent councils.
The next phase will focus on readiness and implementation. This includes agreeing joint working agreements with partners across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent and setting up voluntary joint committees to oversee the transition.
These temporary committees will establish a joint implementation team responsible for detailed preparations needed for the two new councils. A Structural Change Order will set out the formal legal framework for the reorganisation.
