Just 10 county councils and one city council are likely to go through to the next stage of the unitary race The MJ can reveal. A local government source has told The MJ that the Department for Communities and Local Government's shortlist for unitary status will contain just one city council, Exeter, but all of the county councils who submitted bids. The list is rumoured to be published on March 22 and the news will come as a bitter blow for the district entrants, like South Somerset DC and Ipswich BC. A DCLG spokesman said the shortlist will be published in due course and could not comment any further. Districts' Sounding Board chairman and Chiltern DC leader, Tom Dodd, warned there could be dire consequences if county councils swallow up their district counterparts. ‘Unless there is unanimity, I don't see how the county councils can form their unitaries,' he said. ‘I think it's a retrograde step. In terms of the quality of service to local residents and the set up costs, I can see chaos around the country with this one.' Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski has urged the Government to reject Shropshire CC's unitary bid. The Conservative MP said: ‘The great men and women of Shrewsbury voted overwhelmingly against proposals for a unitary authority.' Mr Kawczynski said 70% of people in Shrewsbury rejected the idea of an unitary in a recent poll. A poll in South Lakeland has revealed that 75% of residents are against a single authority in Cumbria. ‘The results of this survey are clear,' said South Lakeland DC leader, Brendan Jameson. ‘The public of South Lakeland have said yes to the district councils working together on their behalf and a resounding no to a single council for Cumbria.' Cumbria CC could be saddled with the headquarters of Copeland BC if it becomes a unitary. The centre is leased by the borough council as part of a 25 year PFI agreement with London and Regional Properties and the lease still has 22 years to run. District councils in Cheshire have written to Secretary of State Ruth Kelly opposing the county council's bid for unitary status.
