A single unitary model has worked well in those areas that have adopted it in recent years, including Dorset, Wiltshire, and Buckinghamshire.
There is a very short space of time to set this new council up. Decisions on the new arrangements must be made locally.
The public finds it hard to get excited about the structure of local government – they just want good quality, value for money, services delivered from accessible locations.
A super council would make decision-making more remote; the natural division provided by the Chiltern Hills should be recognised.
Maybe it was ever thus, at least in modern times, but Tory-held suburban seats outside the South-East are under-represented at the top table.
The reality is that most of it will be concentrated on pupils older than 16 – whatever the best age may be at which to select.
This would both save money and provide a better focus on local communities.
Innovation has included joint working with the ambulance service
I welcome the suggestion that local Associations should follow the lead that the National Convention took last weekend.