We make no apologies for giving prominence to the ‘will they-won't they' saga of the new unitaries – see our front page this week – even though this may, at times, be of less interest to London boroughs and other non two-tier areas. For, the fact is, the political and legal machinations behind the biggest shake-up in local government structure provide an endless supply of drama, not to mention comedy, plus a peek inside the workings of the Whitehall engine. The latest revelation to The MJ from shadow local government minister, Eric Pickles, that he cheekily offered a deal to ministers to abandon reorganisation in favour of ‘cross-party co-operation' on enhanced two-tier areas must have provoked a gale of laughter across the DCLG. After all, many of his own shire supporters have been feverishly working to create unitary counties, even as Mr Pickles has been raging against them on the national stage, and the Central Office Stasi had to be sent out last year to the provinces to read the Riot Act to local Tories. We also have the spectacle of supposedly- impecunious districts spending taxpayers' money on expensive lawyers to try and block legislation they don't happen to like. Then there was the small matter of a general election threatening to scupper the entire process. And how about the situation in Cheshire, where Chester City, one of the early sponsors of a two-unitary model in the county, changed control halfway through, and turned against the idea – which, needless to say, has been given the go ahead? Meanwhile, in Bedfordshire, we have the prospect of a unitary Bedford while the rest of the county is in complete limbo and the county council itself is in a deep sulk at being rejected for unitary status. And, just to add a bit more spice to the dish, local government minister, John Healey, says he would be happy to see some more unitary bids (The MJ, 18 October). There is plenty of material for a re-run of TV's Yes Minister. Or perhaps the ingredients for a new Whitehall farce? Time to get those scripts honed... Michael Burton, Editor, The MJ
