Next year’s district council elections look set to be cancelled as a major council shake-up in Bucks looms.

Leader of Bucks County Council, Martin Tett, has revealed district elections due to take place in 2019 will probably be postponed ahead of the implementation of a new authority in 2020.

Council chiefs have previously remained tight-lipped about the future of local elections in the county as the ‘super council’ debate rumbles on.

Speaking at a meeting of the High Wycombe Town Committee on April 24, Cllr Tett said: “This is an issue for local government to determine, and I just want that understood by your fellow colleagues around the table – I am just giving an opinion. My opinion is probably only worth as much as your own.

“The way in which it will be organised, as far as I understand it, is to probably postpone the district council elections in 2019 to extend the life of the district council’s for another year, and then to have a unitary council election, again drawing on the very best heritage of both district councils and former county council to create a new almost super district for Buckinghamshire.”

In March then local government minister Sajid Javid backed county council plans to scrap all councils in Bucks and replace them with one ‘super authority’.

The move was met with frustration from district chiefs who have been campaigning for two unitary authorities for the north and south of the county.

Last week Government confirmed a U-turn on the ground-breaking council closures is unlikely despite a major cabinet reshuffle – which saw MP James Brokenshire take over Mr Javid’s role.

The news came after Mr Javid was appointed home secretary following Amber Rudd’s shock registration amid criticism over how she dealt with the Windrush scandal.

A public consultation on the creation of a single-unitary authority in Bucks is due to end on May 25.

Representations can be sent to james.brokenshire@communities.gsi.gov.uk