District councils have announced they will be “seeking further advice” following the government’s “disappointing” move to approve a ‘super council’ for Bucks.

Yesterday Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government, James Brokenshire, gave the green light to county council plans to scrap all councils in Bucks in favour of a unitary authority.

Wycombe, South Bucks, Aylesbury Vale and Chiltern district councils have long-opposed the plans, instead campaigning for two unitary authorities – one for the north and one for the south of the county.

The districts have released a joint statement saying they “firmly believe” the two-unitary model is the “best option” for Bucks.

The statement said: “We are disappointed that the Secretary of State, James Brokenshire, has announced today that he is supporting a new single unitary district council that will cover the whole of Buckinghamshire, excluding Milton Keynes.

“The secretary of state has previously stated there was a need to ensure broad consensus and we do not believe this has been achieved with the new single unitary district proposal.

“All four district councils, as well as many key stakeholders, firmly believe that the two unitary authority approach, based on the two different economic geographies in Buckinghamshire, is the best option for protecting, delivering and transforming the services needed both now and in the future.

“We will now be considering our position, seeking further advice and reviewing the options available to us.”

The Labour party for Bucks has raised concerns a 'super council' will create a “democratic deficit”– prompting fresh calls for a town council to be launched in High Wycombe.

Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Wycombe, Khalil Ahmed, said: “Done right, a unitary authority can boost Buckinghamshire, but Wycombe will suffer from a democratic deficit if there is no town or district council.

“Wycombe residents need to have the same assurance as the rest of Buckinghamshire, that there is a local body that can stand up for our community.

“The Labour Party in Buckinghamshire will work tirelessly through the process to ensure that it is people and community, not just politics or finance that shape our futures and we will work to safeguard the jobs of council employees across every local authority in Bucks.”

Under the new council services which are currently divided between the district and county councils, such as bin collections, waste disposal and planning and roads, will be brought together under the single unitary council.

Yesterday Bucks County Council leader, Martin Tett, said “this is a truly historic day for Buckinghamshire” and the new council will “combine the best of county and district authorities”.