District councillors across south Bucks have overwhelmingly voted in favour of submitting their plan for two unitary councils in the county.

Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe District Councils each met last night for an emergency meeting to decide whether their plan – to abolish all five councils and replace them with two new unitary councils, one in the north and one in the south – will be taken forward.

A total of 39 Wycombe district councillors voted in favour of the report, with four abstaining from the vote and three voting against it.

Their report says it will save taxpayers almost £58million over a five year period, with each unitary council responsible for the delivery of all council services for the two distinct areas.

All four district leaders will now meet with the Secretary of State, Sajid Javid, on Thursday, January 19, to discuss the proposal in more detail.

 A decision on the County Council’s plan for a single unitary option will not now be made in January to allow the minister to properly consider the districts’ proposal, before making a decision in March 2017.

Leader of Wycombe District Council, Katrina Wood, said the county needs “real change, not just a restructure.”

She said: “Bucks is one of the best places to live and work, but we need to change the system of local government to make it an even better county for those that live and work here.

“There is no dispute about the need for change, but the district councils have taken a different approach to the county council.

“Two or three new unitaries would be better than one. We don’t believe that one size fits all.”

Before the vote took place, cllr Matt Knight said he was concerned that their plan had been rushed through in a bid to keep up with the county council, which has already submitted its own proposal.

He said: “Until a few months ago, this idea has been dismissed as being too expensive, too complex and unnecessary and this leads me to question this sudden change of heart.

“We have known for years that central government funding was declining and yet here we are, debating a hastily-written report at an emergency council meeting as we run to catch up with our colleague as the county council.

“The district councils have been forced to submit a proposal with no opportunity for us to debate it.”

However, cllr Wood disagreed that the plan had been rushed, saying “we have done a very good job.”

Cllr Dominic Barnes, deputy leader, agreed, saying: “I personally know how much work has gone into this. It’s a blueprint for the future of local government.”