Breaking News

The big story tonight is not who is on the Stoke-on-Trent Central Labour PPC shortlist but who isn't! There will be no women or local candidates. Sarah Hill the City Party Chairman, Stoke South Election Organiser Jane Heggie and former Deputy Elected Mayor Mervyn Smith have NOT made the shortlist. Byron Taylor, who many people thought was a cert to be on the shortlist is another victim of today's interviews in London.

By Tony Walley. Mike Barnes has temporarily failed in his bid to join the City Independent Group. Barnes originally approached CIG leader Brian Ward shortly after he had resigned as Labour Group Leader and from the Labour Party.

By Matt Taylor A Stoke man who killed his wife and tried to cover his tracks by setting fire to their home has today admitted the crime. Christopher Birks deliberately started the blaze while his two-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son slept inside the detached house in Chillington Way, Norton Heights, in the early hours of January 18, 2009. [caption id="attachment_8231" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Admitted murder: Christopher Birks"][/caption] Birks killed his wife

This press statement has just been released by the City Council: Today is Chris Harman’s last working day with the Council. Chris has worked with Stoke-on-Trent City Council since February 2007, most recently as interim chief executive.

By Mike Rawlins Picture © Ian Norris The Boundary Committee only wrote to the Interim Chief Executive on 20 October informing him that they had decided a council size of 45 councillors would be the basis for the next round of consultation.  Less then 48 hours later council officers have produced a map showing how 45 wards will look in Stoke-on-Trent. [caption id="attachment_7972" align="aligncenter" width="278" caption="How 45 single member wards will look"][/caption] Thanks to Ian N

By Mike Rawlins As previously reported Stoke-on-Trent City Council were asking around 6,000 non-school council staff to consider taking voluntary redundancy to help plug the shortfall of between £5m and £12m on this year’s £201m revenue budget by April next year.  This predicted shortfall has now been reduced from between £10m and £17m. The new figures are made up of £5.6m predicted overspend, plus a further £6.8m of costs that are at risk of being incurred this financial year. by close

By Pits'n'Pots Reporter. Longton South City Councillor Joan Bell today announced that she had re-joined the Labour Group on Stoke-on-Trent [caption id="attachment_1799" align="alignright" width="90" caption="Joan Bell"][/caption] City Council and was now back in the Labour fold. The news follows her previous departure from the group because of she "couldn't work in the current structure".  But now that leader Mike Barnes has stepped down, she has reconsidered her position. Joa

By Tony Walley. [caption id="attachment_7721" align="alignright" width="200" caption="New Labour Group Leader Mohammed Pervez"][/caption] The Stoke-on-Trent Labour group have tonight named their new group leader! Mohammed Pervez will take over with immediate effect following the resignation of Mike Barnes following recent allegations that he posed as someone from the BBC and this site while trying to find out information from another local authority. Councillor Pervez, who was el

By Mike Rawlins We have just heard that Councillor Mike Barnes, who is currently under suspension from the Labour Group in Stoke-on-Trent, has dramatically resigned from the Labour Party with immediate effect.  This now means that he will not face any internal party investigation or disciplinary action. This will not prevent the ongoing inquiry from going to the council's Standards Committee. Reports suggest that he is unlikely to try and rejoin the Labour Party at any time in the f