Stoke-on-Trent City Council

History

A Stoke-upon-Trent Borough Council was established in 1874 when the town was made a municipal borough. On the federation of Stoke-on-Trent in 1910, it merged with the five neighbouring towns of Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton and Tunstall and became a county borough. The borough was awarded city status on 5 June 1925, and the council has therefore been a city council since then. In 1928 the city council was granted the right to appoint a lord mayor.

In 1974 the city lost its county borough status under the Local Government Act 1972. It kept the same boundaries, but was redesignated as a lower-tier district council, with Staffordshire County Council providing county-level functions in the area.

The city council regained its independence from the county council in 1997 when it was made a unitary authority. The way this change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county of Stoke-on-Trent covering the same area as the district, but with no separate county council; instead, the existing city council took on county council functions. This therefore had the effect of restoring the council to the powers it had held before 1974 when Stoke-on-Trent was a county borough. Stoke-on-Trent remains part of Staffordshire for the ceremonial purposes of lieutenancy and shrievalty.

In 2002 the council adopted a new form of executive arrangements, having a directly-elected mayor and a council manager, one of three possible options outlined in the Local Government Act 2000. Stoke was the only council in the country to adopt this option. A 2008 report by the Stoke-on-Trent Governance Commission to the Secretary of State for Local Government was highly critical of the political system then in use in the city. In response, the directly-elected mayor position was abolished in 2009, and there were changes to the electoral map in May 2011. From a council of 60 members representing 20 wards with three councillors each, the size of the council was reduced to 44 councillors representing 37 wards (31 single member wards, five two-member wards and one three-member ward).

Governance

As a unitary authority, Stoke-on-Trent City Council has the functions of a county council and district council combined. In its capacity as a district council it is a billing authority collecting Council Tax and business rates, it processes local planning applications, it is responsible for housing, waste collection and environmental health. In its capacity as a county council it is a local education authority, responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal. There are no civil parishes in Stoke, which has been an unparished area since the reforms of 1974.

Political control

The council has been under Labour majority control since the 2023 election.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:

Non-metropolitan district

Unitary authority

Leadership

The role of Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent is largely ceremonial. Before 2002, political leadership was provided by the leader of the council. From 2002 to 2009, the city council had a directly elected Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent who acted as political leader. Since the abolition of the directly elected mayor position in 2009, the council has again appointed a leader of the council.

The leaders from 1960 to 2002 were:

The directly elected mayors were:

The leaders since 2009 have been:

Composition

Following the 2023 election, and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:

The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 44 councillors representing 34 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.

Premises

The council meets and has its headquarters at the Civic Centre on Glebe Street, a complex of buildings which incorporates both the Stoke-upon-Trent Town Hall of 1834 (which contains the council chamber) and a large extension to the north-east built in 1992.

The council has additional offices in a modern building at One Smithfield in Hanley. When the new building was commissioned it was envisaged that it would replace the Civic Centre, but whilst the building was being built in 2013 it was decided to retain the Civic Centre after all.

In the media

In 2014, Paul Shotton, then deputy council leader, was reported to have "frequently" used false names to contact BBC Radio Stoke to praise the council's and his own work. This resulted in his suspension by the Labour party and the "loss of senior council roles". In 2014, Private Eye magazine awarded Shotton the "Rotten Boroughs award" for media manipulation.

References

References

1. (22 May 2025). "Ex-Royal Doulton worker named new Stoke-on-Trent Lord Mayor". Stoke-on-Trent Live.
2. . (25 May 2023). ["Stoke-on-Trent City Council leader unveils cabinet of talent and maturity"](https://www.stoke.gov.uk/news/article/1297/stoke-on-trent_city_council_leader_unveils_cabinet_of_talent_and_maturity).
3. "Board members".
4. (30 August 2024). "New council worker rules to allow 'presentable' facial jewellery". Stoke-on-Trent Live.
5. "Stoke on Trent Municipal Borough / County Borough". GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth.
6. {{London Gazette. (3 July 1925)
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11. (2008). "Stoke-on-Trent Governance Commission Report to John Healey, Minister for Local Government and to Stoke-on-Trent City Council".
12. Watson, Nick. (28 May 2008). "Damaged Potteries". [[BBC News Online]].
13. (6 May 2011). "Municipal Elections – Thursday, 5th May, 2011".
14. Sandford, Mark. (22 July 2021). "Unitary local government". House of Commons Library.
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16. . (25 May 2023). ["Stoke-on-Trent City Council leader unveils cabinet of talent and maturity"](https://www.stoke.gov.uk/news/article/1297/stoke-on-trent_city_council_leader_unveils_cabinet_of_talent_and_maturity).
17. (25 May 2023). ""We're going to clean up Stoke-on-Trent" - First big interview with new council leader Jane Ashworth". Stoke-on-Trent Live.
18. (25 May 2023). "Meet the nine most powerful Labour politicians now running Stoke-on-Trent City Council". StokeonTrentLive.
19. "Compositions Calculator". University of Exeter.
20. (2011-05-10). "Elections 2011 - England council elections - Stoke-on-Trent". [[BBC News Online]].
21. "People who made the Potteries - The Labour Party".
22. (7 July 1972). "City Council leader Sir Albert dies at 71". Evening Sentinel.
23. (28 July 1972). "All-party tributes to councillors led by Lord Mayor". Evening Sentinel.
24. (7 May 1976). "City Labour leader loses his seat... Shock and defeat for socialists". Evening Sentinel.
25. (11 May 1976). "City Tory leader to stand down". Evening Sentinel.
26. "People who made the Potteries: Arthur Cholerton and Ronald Southern".
27. (13 May 1981). "Party elect new leader". Evening Sentinel.
28. (2 May 1990). "Retiring council leader unveils plaque". Evening Sentinel.
29. (9 May 1990). "'Fit' Ted to lead city council". Staffordshire Sentinel.
30. (11 February 1997). "Labour blasts Tory mailshot". Birmingham Mail.
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32. (30 April 2002). "Councillors pay the price for embarrassing losses". The Guardian.
33. "Geoff Davies".
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35. (18 October 2002). "Voters snub parties in mayor polls". BBC News.
36. (6 May 2005). "Mayoral battle is won by Labour". BBC News.
37. (6 June 2009). "New council leader excludes BNP". BBC News.
38. "Council minutes, 5 June 2009".
39. (26 May 2010). "Four-party coalition at Stoke-on-Trent City Council". BBC News.
40. "Council minutes, 27 May 2010".
41. (14 May 2015). "Stoke-on-Trent City Council coalition agrees power-sharing deal". BBC News.
42. "Council minutes, 28 May 2015".
43. (5 February 2018). "Look who's set to become leader of the city council". Stoke-on-Trent Live.
44. "Council minutes, 17 May 2018".
45. (3 May 2019). "Stoke-on-Trent City Council elections 2019: Tories are the big winners". Stoke-on-Trent Live.
46. "Council minutes, 23 May 2019".
47. (8 May 2023). "Abi Brown breaks silence after election defeat". Stoke-on-Trent Live.
48. "Council minutes, 25 May 2023".
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53. (21 June 2013). "Freedom of Information Request: Cost of Civic Centre Stoke". Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
54. (22 October 2013). "Stoke-on-Trent City Council scraps Civic Centre sale". BBC.
55. (5 May 2015). "New £45m Stoke-on-Trent council house not 'satisfactory'". BBC.
56. (4 June 2014). "Stoke-on-Trent City Council deputy leader steps down from role after fake texts". BBC News.
57. Private Eye, Issue 1522, p.20
58. Private Eye, Issue 1368, 2014.