East Staffordshire is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire, England. The council is based in Burton upon Trent. The borough also contains the town of Uttoxeter and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
The neighbouring districts are Lichfield, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, Derbyshire Dales and South Derbyshire.
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 covering four former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[1]
The new district was named East Staffordshire, reflecting its position within the wider county.[2] The district received borough status in 1992, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.[3]
Since 2011, East Staffordshire Borough Council has been a member of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership. In 2020, East Staffordshire also joined the Stoke and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
| East Staffordshire Borough Council | |
| Logo Pic: | East Staffordshire Borough Council logo.svg |
| House Type: | Non-metropolitan district |
| Leader1: | Shelagh McKiernan |
| Election1: | 17 May 2024[4] |
| Leader2: | Mick Fitzpatrick |
| Election2: | 26 May 2023 |
| Leader3: | Andy O'Brien |
| Election3: | 2009[5] |
| Members: | 37 councillors |
| Structure1 Res: | 250px |
| Political Groups1: |
|
| Next Election1: | 6 May 2027 |
| Session Room: | Burton upon Trent Town Hall - King Edwards Place, Burton upon Trent - Statue of Michael Arthur Bass (26623664640).jpg |
| Session Res: | 250px |
| Meeting Place: | Town Hall, King Edward Place, Burton-on-Trent, DE142EB |
East Staffordshire Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Staffordshire County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[6] [7]
The council has been under Labour majority control since the 2023 election.
The first elections 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:[8]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 1974–1976 | ||
| 1976–1979 | ||
| 1979–1995 | ||
| 1995–2003 | ||
| 2003–2014 | ||
| 2014–2015 | ||
| 2015–2023 | ||
| 2023–present | ||
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in East Staffordshire. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2009 have been:[9]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Grosvenor[10] | 15 May 2009 | 24 Feb 2014 | ||
| Julian Mott[11] | 24 Feb 2014 | 22 May 2015 | ||
| Richard Grosvenor | 22 May 2015 | 9 May 2019 | ||
| Duncan Goodfellow | 17 May 2019 | 28 Feb 2022 | ||
| George Allen | 21 Mar 2022 | 26 May 2023 | ||
| Mick Fitzpatrick | 26 May 2023 | |||
Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[12]
| Party | Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | |||
| 15 | |||
| 1 | |||
| Total | 37 | ||
The next election is due in 2027.
Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 37 councillors representing 16 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[13]
The council is based at Burton upon Trent Town Hall. The building was originally built in 1878 as the St Paul's Institute and Liberal Club, before being given to the old Burton upon Trent Borough Council in 1891 and subsequently converted to become a town hall. Significant extensions were added in 1894 and 1939.
Main roads within the borough include the A38 through Burton upon Trent and the A50 near Uttoxeter.
There are two railway stations in the borough, Burton-on-Trent on the Cross Country Route and Uttoxeter on the Crewe to Derby Line, There is also a station serving Tutbury, also on the Crewe to Derby Line called Tutbury and Hatton. This is in the South Derbyshire district.
In terms of television, the area is served by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central (West) broadcasting from Birmingham. Television signals are received the Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter. [14] The Waltham TV transmitter can also be received which broadcast BBC East Midlands and ITV Central (East) from Nottingham. [15]
Local radio stations for the area are:
Local newspapers are Burton Mail and Uttoxeter Advertiser. [16]
The whole borough is covered by civil parishes. The parish council for Uttoxeter has declared that parish to be a town, allowing it to take the style "town council".[17] Between 1974 and 2003 the former county borough of Burton upon Trent was an unparished area. There were charter trustees for Burton which operated between 1974 and 1992, allowing Burton to continue to appoint a mayor. They ceased to operate when East Staffordshire was made a borough in 1992, allowing a district-wide mayor to be appointed instead.[18] The Burton area was divided into seven civil parishes in 2003.[19]