Staffordshire

Staffordshire is a county in England, historically known for its ceramics industry, particularly the "Potteries." It is currently newsworthy due to the severe challenges facing its ceramics producers. Sky-high energy costs and other factors are pushing these businesses, vital to the region's identity, towards crisis, leading to job losses and calls for government assistance to prevent the industry's collapse. Separately, Staffordshire is mentioned in connection to a Reform UK council chair, Edward Harris, who resigned after being found to own unlicensed and unsafe rental properties located within the county. These properties, identified by Tamworth borough council, had multiple serious safety failures. While unrelated, these two news items highlight different aspects of Staffordshire's current situation: economic struggles in a key industry and governance issues involving properties within its boundaries.