The English Devolution White Paper included welcome details about a new transparent and flexible devolution framework and points on how devolved powers can be strengthened. But perhaps the most inadvertently attention-grabbing element has been the plans it sets out for local government reorganisation.

Much of the attention so far has been on reorganisation plans in the two-tier county-district authorities that cover 29% of England's population, with the deadline for local authorities in these areas to submit their interim proposals for reorganisation passing just last week.