New elected mayor could cover six council areas

A new mayor to cover six combined authorities for Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes could be created in a landmark shake-up of local government, the BBC understands.

The plans could see the six unitary authorities - Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, Milton Keynes, West Northamptonshire and North Northamptonshire - working with one elected mayor.

In a speech to regional mayors and business leaders, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner announced an English Devolution White Paper, but did not give details of the planned changes.

The government has yet to put forward specific plans and would be working with local leaders, it said.

The government proposals aim to put the regions centre stage and deliver on plans to build 1.5 million homes and boost the economy.

The redesign of local government could see 164 district councils in England scrapped, which Labour believes could save £2bn and create more regional mayors.

Luton, Central Bedfordshire, Bedford Borough and Milton Keynes City Council are in "extremely early days" conversations with their Northamptonshire neighbours over forming a combined authority for the south Midlands.

The independent leader of Central Bedfordshire Council, Adam Zerny, said: "My primary concern is whether devolution will be better for the residents we represent."

"However there are still many questions unanswered and I look forward to meeting with the minister in the weeks to come, to ask these questions and seek the best deal we can for local residents."

Adam Brown, the Conservative leader of West Northamptonshire Council, said: "No decision will be made until the new year.

"I'm absolutely adamant that we are not going to make any decision without at the very least a full council meeting."

The District Councils Network warned of the risk of removing localised decision making.

Local government minister Jim McMahon said: "If it's a choice between £2bn in running cost of an organisation or £2bn on frontline neighbourhood services, I would say that most of the public want the investment in the front line."

The Local Government Association said its members were "open to change" but reorganisation should be a matter for councils and local areas to decide, adding that "devolution is not an end in itself".

In September the BBC reported that all six upper-tier local councils in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire are in discussion over potential devolution deals.

Hertfordshire has a two-tier governance system and its Conservative-led authority said any devolution deal would include its district and borough councils, which help to provide services for more than 1.2 million people.

Meanwhile, the government said it was "minded to" agree a deal with the Buckinghamshire unitary - and Hertfordshire County Council has just submitted its own "expression of interest".

The Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, said: "Our priority must always be the best interests of our residents and local businesses. It is important that they have a say about the kind of local representation that serves them.

"If the government creates large, centralised councils covering hundreds of thousands of people, will these deliver the local, responsive services our communities need?

"Residents want councils that know their areas inside out... Larger councils may struggle to achieve this."

Richard Henry, leader of Labour-controlled Stevenage Borough Council, said: "Following today's announcement, we will need some time to take stock to see if the white paper can help us to achieve our goals to make Stevenage a place for everyone.

"However, when there are challenges in our community through the cost-of-living crisis, it is vital we do not lose focus and continue to improve our town and achieve our ambitions for Stevenage."

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