Local government minister Brandon Lewis has accused the Labour Party of being in ‘disarray' over ‘partisan' proposals to restructure local government through the creation of more unitary councils.

The comments follow the first major speech in his new post from shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Chris Leslie.

Addressing the Social Market Foundation in Westminster, Mr Leslie called for greater streamlining of complex local public services as part of a ‘zero-based' review of public spending.

‘In 2009 a series of local authority reorganisations brought together district and county councils and created new unitary bodies,' Mr Leslie said.

He cited the £25m savings achieved by Cornwall, Central Bedfordshire's £40m administrative efficiencies, Shropshire's £20m cost-cutting and Northumberland's £85m three-year savings from unitary status.

‘Other changes in Devon, Exeter and Norfolk were stopped in the pipeline but this Government stopped those in their tracks and are continuing to resist local authorities' proposals to unitarise,' Mr Leslie added.

He said the Government and Whitehall should do more to empower county councils like Warwickshire CC and Leicestershire CC realise the benefits of collaboration.

‘This should also include small district councils who are facing the greatest financial pressures of all,' he added.

An incoming Labour Government would seek ‘leaner' commissioning deals for health and care services and scrap the role of police and crime commissioners, as part of its agenda for delivering a surplus deficit by 2018/19, Mr Leslie announced.

‘We are looking not only where efficiencies are achievable, but how services could be reconstituted to release the cashable savings that are now required,' said Mr Leslie.

A Conservative Party source said the abolition of districts represented the carving out of empires for  Labour councils in county areas and contrasted Mr Leslie's words today with the recent views of Labour's policy supremo Jon Cruddas.