All councils in Bucks could be abolished and replaced with one single authority by 2019 if new plans unveiled today are given the green light.

A ‘blueprint’ released today by Bucks County Council outlines a new regime which could save taxpayers as much as £18m a year and would allow for better local decision making, according to leader Martin Tett.

If full council can agree on the document – which has been produced behind the scenes over the past few months – it will be submitted to Government this autumn for consideration.

Councillors have not revealed the cost of producing the report. They say it has been produced inhouse to minimise cost but has had "external validation".

The news comes after district councils in the county chose to go in their own direction and commission a separate report into how councils in Bucks are run - a move Cllr Tett called "disappointing".

Martin Tett, who has made no secret of being in favour of a single unitary authority, said: “The bureaucratic way local government is currently set up in Buckinghamshire is no longer fit for purpose or affordable.

"A new council would be a fresh start for Buckinghamshire, designed from the bottom up to provide better, more locally-focused services.

"I’m particularly proud of our proposals to bring the council closer to local communities.

"There just isn’t the money to pay for all the services residents want and if we don’t act now things will only get worse.”

Buckinghamshire is currently a two-tier local authority area.

This means some services are the responsibility of Bucks County Council such as social care, highways and education, and others are delivered by the four district councils (Wycombe District Council, Chiltern District Council, South Bucks District Council and Aylesbury Vale District Council) such as housing, planning, leisure and refuse collection.

In addition, 168 town and parish councils also work at local government level, with some of the larger town and parish councils undertaking responsibilities such as street lighting, grass cutting, managing allotments, commons, village halls, war memorials and markets.

Each council has its own elected councillors, senior management team, staff and offices.

The county council’s ambitious plans include giving residents “a much larger role” in deciding the services they want and 19 Community Hubs would be created throughout Bucks where people can access a wide range of public services.

Council funding has been plunged into almost crisis levels of funding under the current Government.

In 2010, Bucks’ county and district councils received £88m in government funding, but by 2020 this will be zero.

District council bosses are yet to comment on the developments.