DEVOLUTION

Reorganisation must not mean a return to the 1990s

Those of us with long memories will recall the drawn-out saga of local government reorganisation in England from 1992 when the Banham Commission trundled round the country like a mediaeval caravan taking soundings.

Those of us with long memories will recall the drawn-out saga of local government reorganisation in England from 1992 when the Banham Commission trundled round the country like a mediaeval caravan taking soundings.

The bitter feuds between counties and districts, especially among Conservative authorities, became a nightmare for John Major's government, already existing on a tiny Commons majority as backbench Tory MPs lobbied hard on behalf of their own districts.

Michael Burton

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