A district council cabinet member has urged leaders to come together and “start talking” about the possibility of becoming a unitary authority after the debate was reignited last month.

Cllr Janet Blake, cabinet member for business transformation at Aylesbury Vale District Council, has called for local authority leaders to get round the table and discuss the potential for the county to scrap the two-tier system.

The debate was reignited in March when retiring Bucks County Council Chief Executive Chris Williams called for a “wholesale shake-up” of the “prehistoric” system in an open letter.

Cllr Blake said: “There’s no doubt that our residents and communities are not getting the best deal under the current two tier system, where county and district councils deliver different services. It’s not cost effective and lends itself to duplication and confusion.”

Aylesbury Vale District Council commissioned an LG Futures Report last year, which concluded that two unitary authorities for Bucks – north and south – was a viable option.

This model would see a unitary authority in the north providing a complete package of both district and county services for residents of Aylesbury Vale, while a southern unitary would do the same for Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe – replacing the county council and four district councils.

Cllr Blake said: “We shared this report with other district leaders in the county but found there was no appetite to progress discussions.

“As a councillor for both the county and the Vale, I truly believe that having two unitaries in Bucks is the way forward.  Whatever the outcome, I’d urge leaders to start talking.”

Since Mr Williams’ open letter on March 21, which said the current system should have been scrapped nine years ago because it is “not fit for purpose and too expensive” other councillors have come out in support of the notion.

Cllr Peter Hardy, former leader of South Bucks District Council who has held top jobs in the county council including a cabinet role for finance and resources and transport, said Bucks “cannot afford” to have five councils any longer.