10 Dec 2007 - Healey unveils five successful unitary bids

Local government minister John Healey has outlined five successful bids that will result in new unitary councils from 1 April 2009.

Whole county unitaries in Cornwall, Durham, Northumberland, Shropshire and Wiltshire will proceed.

The Government also remains ‘minded to’ implement Bedford Borough Council’s proposal, and final decisions will be made once unitary proposals for the remainder of Bedfordshire have been received.

Proposals from Ipswich and Exeter have ‘not yet demonstrated conclusively that based on current boundaries they present a sound financial case on their own‘.

Both proposals will be referred to the Boundary Committee.

Read more here