The final tally of 26 separate unitary proposals is probably higher than most of us expected, although certainly not as high as it looked initially in November, when a torrent of applications seemed imminent. Sir Michael Lyons' disparaging comments in December about the apparent rush of bids may have dampened down enthusiasm, but the plain fact is, many councils simply weren't ready. The artfully-contrived timescale of three months was designed precisely to weed out those councils tempted to give it a go without considering the consequences or consulting fellow authorities. A closer examination of the final list shows 15 actual county areas, or 44% of the total number of 34 counties. Ministers have made it plain they expect around eight to get the final go ahead, give or take one or two. So, do any stand out at this stage? Shropshire has long been factored in as the one county area with a strong local consensus for a new unitary, and has been working on its proposals for at least a year. Cornwall should have been a unitary last time round in the 1990s, but for two-hatted members blocking change. There is a strong case for a unitary Cornwall as a sub-region. Bedfordshire, once the only weak and one-star county, has long struggled to deal with its lack of capacity, although recently, it has been improving. Unusually, there are three separate proposals from the districts and county for Bedfordshire, which shows a consensus for unitary government. A single unitary Bedfordshire is a serious likelihood. Single unitaries in Northumberland, Cumbria and Durham are also a possibility, while a unitary Preston is a contender, although it leaves Lancashire increasingly denuded. So far then, this already adds up to seven new unitaries. The interesting question concerns the city boroughs of Norwich, Exeter and Ipswich. Giving them unitary status means seriously affecting their counties. Oxford has got round this problem by proposing a three-unitary option for the county, so it has a ready-made offer for the whole county. However, this would take up three of the eight likely unitaries to get the go ahead. Michael Burton Editor, The MJ
