South and Mid Staffordshire
Future unitary authority area in England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
South and Mid Staffordshire[1] or Southern and Mid-Staffordshire will be a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, England.[2][3][1] It is planned to be formed on 1 April 2028, with elections taking place in May 2027.[4] Its largest settlement will be Tamworth[5] and it will also include Burton upon Trent, Stafford, Lichfield, Cannock, Rugeley, Burntwood, Stone, Uttoxeter and Wombourne.[6] The area has a 2024 estimated population of 682,775.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
South and Mid Staffordshire | |
|---|---|
Future unitary authority area | |
Clockwise from top: Lichfield Cathedral; Ancient High House, Stafford; Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, Penkridge; Cannock Chase; and Tamworth Castle | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 52.6330°N 1.6953°W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Ceremonial county | Staffordshire |
| Incorporated | 1 April 2028 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unitary authority |
| • Body | South and Mid Staffordshire Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 707.94 sq mi (1,833.55 km2) |
| Population (2024 estimate) | |
• Total | 682,775 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
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Formation
It will be formed from the existing Staffordshire districts of Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, South Staffordshire, Stafford and Tamworth.[3] Cannock, Stafford, Tamworth and the Rawnsley area are currently unparished, the rest of the area is parished.[6] Tamworth and Stafford are consulting on whether to form parishes (and thus town councils).[13]
The district is being formed as part of ongoing local government changes throughout England, in which all areas of the country that have separate county councils and district councils will see those replaced with single-tier, or unitary, local governance.[14] The two alternative proposals for two unitaries in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, and the proposals for three and four unitaries were not accepted, including Staffordshire County Council's preferred option of an east/west split.[15][16] The northern part of the county will form a new North Staffordshire authority.
Governance
It will be run by South and Mid Staffordshire Council, which will comprise 92 councillors.[1]