Two months ago, English local government was talking only about devolution. Established mayors and new authorities wondered whether and when they would gain new powers. Outside existing combined authorities, the focus was the tricky relationships around geography, economy and elected mayors that would give England a newly devolved layer of governance.

Today, areas without devolution are talking about boundaries and reorganisation. Will the White Paper further divide the already complex devolution geography, with some areas forced to reorganise before they can gain powers, widening an empowerment gap between the devolved and non-devolved parts of England?