Elected mayor role to return to Stoke on Trent

Staffordshire is to get a new ‘strategic authority’ headed by an elected mayor. The county, including Stoke-on-Trent, is among 10 areas in the final stages of agreeing new devolution arrangements

The Budget also included plans for local and regional government to retain 100 per cent of business-rate income by 2030, with regional mayors receiving a share from next year.

It won’t be the first elected mayor for the City of Stoke on Trent as it was led by an elected mayor between 2002 and 2009 – the position was controversial and residents eventually voted to move to a leader-and-cabinet system.

The new elected mayor for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire will be very different, wielding greater strategic powers across a wider area.