In December 2007 the government announced its decisions resulting from the consultation over potential moves to unitary status for counties and districts in England.

It will proceed with implementation of five proposals for unitary status -Cornwall, Durham, Northumberland, Shropshire and Wiltshire - with the intention for these to be operational by April 2009. This will reduce the number of councils in these areas from 33 to 5.

In Cheshire there will be two unitary authorities (East and West Cheshire) to replace the current county and six districts.

Further advice is being sought over proposals involving Bedford, Exeter, Ipswich, Norwich and their surrounding areas and decisions regarding these will be announced in the future.

The Boundary Committee is reviewing plans for Devon, Norfolk and Suffolk - a report is likely around December 2008.

The eGov Register has been updated to indicate the current status of the local authorities which are likely to be affected by these proposals and these can been seen from a link on the LA menu page to http://www.brent.gov.uk/egr.nsf/WebViews/Local+Authorities+-+Reorganisation

The relevant parliament announcements are 5 December 2007 and 18 December 2007