City status 'will remain' after council scrapped

Stoke-on-Trent will not lose its city status after local government reorganisation, councillors have been told by bosses.

All 10 of the main local authorities covering Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, including Stoke-on-Trent City Council, are set to be abolished and replaced with two new unitary authorities in 2028.

Stoke-on-Trent was granted city status by King George V in 1925, and celebrated its centenary last year, while Newcastle-under-Lyme's borough status dates back to 1173.

Concerns were raised as Rochester in Kent lost city status in the 1990s – which it has never regained – due to the issue being overlooked during the creation of Medway Council.

Members of Stoke-on-Trent's strategy and resources scrutiny committee were told the same mistake would not be made in north Staffordshire.

Both Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme were set to retain their respective city and borough statuses, including their mayoralties.

Committee member Andy Platt had asked for clarity on the subject due to there being "confusion" among the public.

"City status and borough status are very important to people, for very good reasons," said director of governance James Doble.

"There are no plans whatsoever for city status or borough status to be removed under local government reorganisation."

Stoke-on-Trent has city status due to letters patent being served on the council by the monarch.

City status could be lost if the council on which the letters patent was served ceased to exist.

But Doble explained the proposal is for charter trustee bodies to be created to take forward city and borough status after local government reorganisation.

These would involve councillors elected within the city or borough areas, who meet to elect a mayor or lord mayor each year.

"Our proposal for north Staffordshire, which was accepted by the government, was very clear on the importance of city status to us, and also the importance of borough status for Newcastle-under-Lyme, which is far older," Doble said.

"It's not just a name, it's not just of minor significance. It's of importance to the city and the people of the city," he said.

Elections to the unitary authorities are due to take place next May, and the new councils will take over the running of services in 2028.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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