Some district councils may seek unitary status to ensure they can influence the new wave of combined authorities, a senior Conservative councillor has warned.

Former Local Government Association (LGA) chairman Gary Porter, who has led South Holland DC in Lincolnshire since 2003, told The MJ that in his area the devolution options laid out in the long-awaited Levelling Up White Paper earlier this month would skew representation in favour of those living in the two unitary council areas.