Borough of Stafford | |
|---|---|
    
| |
 Stafford shown within Staffordshire | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Non-metropolitan county | Staffordshire |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Stafford |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Stafford Borough Council |
| • MP | Leigh Ingham |
| Area | |
• Total | 231.0 sq mi (598.2 km2) |
| • Rank | 59th(of 296) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 141,556 |
| • Rank | 168th(of 296) |
| • Density | 612.9/sq mi (236.6/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 41UG (ONS) E07000197 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | SJ9213623094 |
TheBorough of Stafford is alocal government district withborough status inStaffordshire, England. It is named afterStafford, its largest town, which is where the council is based. The borough also includes the towns ofStone andEccleshall, as well as numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
The neighbouring districts areNewcastle-under-Lyme,Stoke-on-Trent,Staffordshire Moorlands,East Staffordshire,Lichfield,Cannock Chase,South Staffordshire,Telford and Wrekin, andShropshire.
The town of Stafford was anancient borough, being described as a borough in theDomesday Book of 1086.[2] Its earliest surviving charter was issued byKing John in 1206.[3] Stafford was formally incorporated in 1614 by a charter fromJames I, which also granted the right to appoint a mayor.[4]
The borough was reformed in 1836 to become amunicipal borough under theMunicipal Corporations Act 1835, which reformed many boroughs across the country. As part of those reforms the borough was enlarged to include the Forebridge area on the south bank of theRiver Sow, which had been added to theStafford parliamentary borough (constituency) in 1832.[5][6] The municipal borough was subsequently enlarged several times to take in the town's growing suburbs, most notably in 1917 when it gained areas includingTillington and in 1934 when it gained areas includingBaswich.[7]
The modern district was created on 1 April 1974, under theLocal Government Act 1972 covering four former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[8]
The new district was namedStafford, after its largest town.[9] Stafford's borough status transferred to the new district from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing the borough's series of mayors dating back to 1614.[10]
Many of the new borough's parishes had been within the historicHundred of Pirehill.
Stafford Borough Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Tim Clegg, since 2016[12] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 40 councillors |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Civic Centre, Riverside, Stafford, ST16 3AQ | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Stafford Borough Council providesdistrict-level services;county-level services are provided byStaffordshire County Council. Much of the borough is also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[13][14]
The council has been underno overall control since 2022. Following the2023 election a coalition of Labour, the Greens and local party the Stafford Borough Independents formed to take control of the council, led by Labour councillor Aidan Godfrey.[15]
The first elections to the enlarged borough council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[16]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1974–1995 | |
| Labour | 1995–1999 | |
| No overall control | 1999–2003 | |
| Conservative | 2003–2022 | |
| No overall control | 2022–present | |
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Stafford. Political leadership is instead provided by theleader of the council. The leaders since 1974 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Dean[17][18] | Conservative | 1 Apr 1974 | Jul 1991 | |
| Mike Heenan[19][20] | Conservative | Sep 1991 | Dec 1994 | |
| Walter Dean[21][22][23] | Conservative | 13 Dec 1994 | May 1995 | |
| Jack Kemp[24][25] | Labour | May 1995 | 2003 | |
| Judith Dalgarno[26][27] | Conservative | 12 May 2003 | 2009 | |
| Mike Heenan[28] | Conservative | 2009 | 20 Jan 2015 | |
| Patrick Farrington[25][29] | Conservative | 2015 | May 2023 | |
| Aidan Godfrey[30] | Labour | 13 May 2023 | ||
Following the2023 election,[31] and a subsequent change of allegiance in May 2024, the composition of the council was:[32]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 15 | |
| Labour | 12 | |
| Stafford Borough Independents | 7 | |
| Green | 5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | |
| Total | 40 | |
The next election is due in 2027.[32]
Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 40councillors representing 23wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[33]
The council is based at the Civic Centre on Riverside in the centre of Stafford. The building was purpose-built for the council and completed in 1978.[34][35] Full council meetings are held atCounty Buildings on Martin Street.[36] Prior to the completion of the Civic Centre in 1978 the council had its main offices atBorough Hall and met at the Guildhall in Market Square, which had been built in 1935 on the site of an earlier guildhall.[37][38] Borough Hall was subsequently converted into an events venue and the Guildhall was converted into a shopping centre, being largely rebuilt behind the 1935 frontage.
The main part of the Stafford urban area, roughly corresponding to the pre-1974 borough, is anunparished area. Nearly half the modern borough's population lives in this area.[39] The rest of the borough is divided intocivil parishes. The parish council for Stone has declared that parish to be a town, allowing it to take the styletown council. Eccleshall is also commonly described as a town, having held amarket charter from at least 1154, but its parish council has not formally declared it to be a town, nor is it apost town. The small parishes of Ellenhall and Marston have aparish meeting rather than a parish council.[40]
The parishes are:
...the leader of the new council, Councillor Walter Dean...
52°48′18.05″N2°6′59.99″W / 52.8050139°N 2.1166639°W /52.8050139; -2.1166639
