Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, on the Sow with the castle mound above it and the West Coast Main Line running through. Stone is the borough’s other town, up the road on the Trent and the canal, and beyond them are Eccleshall, Gnosall, Barlaston and the villages towards the Shropshire border.

The Stafford Times reports from the borough’s own record. Stafford Borough Council publishes its planning register, licensing notices, committee papers and budgets; Staffordshire County Council handles roads, schools and social care. We say which of the two a decision belongs to, every time, and we link to the document behind every fact we print.

Open one of these

• News: the public record, including planning applications in Stafford, Stone and the villages.
• Local Info: bin collection days, parking and council tax bands.
• What’s On: what is happening in Stafford and Stone.

Nothing here is guesswork. Every figure links to its source.