Mike Wood MP has today described Labour’s plans for Local Government Reform in Staffordshire as “unnecessary and unwelcome”, following the Government’s latest announcement that its proposals to reorganise local government in England have been paused indefinitely.
The MP for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire was responding to an announcement made by the Government this afternoon, Monday 7 September 2026, that ministers will review plans for Local Government Reorganisation following what it described as “updated and privileged legal advice”.
Before today’s announcement, this Labour Government had been pressing ahead with proposals to fundamentally change the structure of local government across up to 18 areas of England, including Staffordshire. Under the plans, Staffordshire’s existing system of County and District councils would be replaced by two larger unitary authorities.
In July 2026, the Government announced its decision to replace Staffordshire’s 10 district and borough councils with two new, larger unitary councils. At the time, local councillors and community leaders raised concerns that the proposals could leave rural communities feeling increasingly remote from decision-making and risk reducing local representation.
Today’s announcement effectively puts those plans on hold, following almost a year of consultation and preparation by councils across Staffordshire. The latest change also creates further uncertainty for local government and residents, with the postponed May 2027 district council elections now firmly back on the agenda.
Mike Wood MP said:
“Creating a local council that stretched from Iverley to Rocester was always a ridiculous idea that would be bad for council taxpayers and disastrous for local representation.
But all that Andy Burnham has done pausing this process had been to replace uncertainty with more uncertainty.
He needs to scrap this unnecessary and unwelcome proposal once and for all. And stop trying to take power, away from local communities.”
Under Labour’s now-paused plans for a new unitary authority, Mike Wood MP’s constituents in South Staffordshire would see local representation reduced from 28 county and district councillors to just 10 unitary councillors.
