South Staffordshire District
Non-metropolitan district
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Penkridge, one of the district's villages.
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Penkridge, one of the district's villages.
South Staffordshire shown within Staffordshire
South Staffordshire shown within Staffordshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionWest Midlands
Non-metropolitan countyStaffordshire
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQCodsall
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodySouth Staffordshire District Council
 • MPsGavin Williamson
Theodora Clarke
Area
 • Total157.3 sq mi (407.3 km2)
 • Rank86th (of 296)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total110,793
 • Rank217th (of 296)
 • Density700/sq mi (270/km2)
 • Ethnicity
98.0% White
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code41UF (ONS)
E07000196 (GSS)
OS grid referenceSJ8701803171

South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council is based in Codsall. Other notable settlements include Great Wyrley and Wombourne. The district covers a largely rural area lying immediately to the west and north-west of the West Midlands conurbation.

The neighbouring districts are Stafford, Cannock Chase, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Bromsgrove, Wyre Forest, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin.

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The new district covered two former districts, which were both abolished at the same time:[1]

The new district was named South Staffordshire, reflecting its position within the wider county.[2]

Governance

South Staffordshire District Council
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Meg Barrow,
Conservative
since 23 May 2023[3]
Roger Lees,
Conservative
since 14 September 2021
Dave Heywood
since January 2017
Structure
Seats42 councillors
Political groups
Administration (29)
  Conservative (29)
Other parties (13)
  Independent (5)
  Liberal Democrats (4)
  Green (2)
  Labour (2)
Elections
First past the post
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Council Offices, Wolverhampton Road, Codsall, Wolverhampton, WV8 1PX
Website
www.sstaffs.gov.uk

South Staffordshire District Council, which styles itself "South Staffordshire 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.[4]

Political control

The council has been under Conservative majority control since 1976.

The first elections were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[5]

Party in controlYears
No overall control1974–1976
Conservative1976–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1982 have been:[6]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Bill Brownhill[7] Conservative19822005
Brian Edwards[8] Conservative200513 Aug 2021
Roger Lees Conservative14 Sep 2021

Composition

Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[9]

Party Councillors
Conservative29
Independent5
Liberal Democrats4
Labour2
Green2
Total42

The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 42 councillors representing 20 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[10]

The district covers a similar geographic area to South Staffordshire parliamentary constituency, although the north of the district is covered by the Stafford constituency. Sir Patrick Cormack of the Conservative Party held the South Staffordshire seat, and its predecessor, Staffordshire South-West, between 1974 and 2010, when he retired and the seat was won by Gavin Williamson for the Conservative Party.

Premises

The council is based at the Council Offices on Wolverhampton Road in Codsall. The building was purpose-built for the council shortly after it was created, opening in 1976 to replace buildings in Penkridge and Wombourne that the council inherited from its predecessors.[11]

Settlements and parishes

The whole district is divided into civil parishes. No parish in South Staffordshire has been declared to be a town by its parish council.[lower-alpha 1] None of South Staffordshire's settlements are classed as post towns either; postal addresses in the district therefore all include the name of a post town outside the district, the main ones being Cannock, Stourbridge, Stafford, Walsall and Wolverhampton. The district's parishes are:[12]

At the 2021 census the Office for National Statistics identified three built-up areas in the district with a population over 10,000, being Great Wyrley and Cheslyn Hay with 17,640 people, Wombourne with 12,815 and Codsall (including Bilbrook) with 11,865.[13]

Countryside

There are many beauty spots within the South Staffordshire district, for example the village of Wombourne has the Wom Brook Walk and the Bratch Locks on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal in the nearby village of Bratch. Other sites include:

Bunkers Tree Wood is also in the area and contains a large Corvid roost.

References

  1. ↑ Parish councils may declare their parishes to be towns under Section 245(6) of the Local Government Act 1972 and then take the style "town council".
  2. ↑ Shares grouped parish council with Teddesley Hay
  3. ↑ Shares grouped parish council with Dunston
  4. ↑ Shares grouped parish council with Coppenhall
  5. ↑ Shares grouped parish council with Acton Trussell and Bednall
  1. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  2. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  3. ↑ "Council minutes, 23 May 2023". South Staffordshire Council. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  5. ↑ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  6. ↑ "Council minutes". South Staffordshire Council. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  7. ↑ "Trio get long service awards". Express and Star. 22 June 2007. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  8. ↑ "Councillor Brian Robert Edwards MBE". South Staffordshire Council. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  10. ↑ "The South Staffordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2022", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2022/1140, retrieved 28 December 2023
  11. ↑ "Council set for £700,000 move". Evening Mail. Birmingham. 19 January 1976. p. 23. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  12. ↑ "Parish councils". South Staffordshire Council. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021". Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  14. ↑ "South Staffordshire Railway". Leisure Services. South Staffordshire Council. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  15. ↑ "Baggeridge County Park". South Staffordshire Council. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  16. ↑ "Bluebell Walk at Smith's Rough". South Stafforshire Council. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  17. ↑ "Kinver Edge and the Rock Houses". National Trust. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
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