9. Where Do We Go from Here?

It would be possible to reverse the direction of the move to large unitary authorities without the need for a formal commission-based reorganisation, which is unlikely to be seriously considered in the foreseeable future by any form of government. The combined authority model could be extended to other parts of the country (e.g. the Portsmouth/Southampton city region), wherever appropriate, and its accountability strengthened through direct election. Rural regions could be designated in other parts of the country. An organic process, based on the principle of subsidiarity, could be introduced whereby any pre-1974 county borough, municipal borough or urban district could (subject to a local referendum) reclaim its former status and be allocated responsibilities commensurate with its size and socio-economic nature. In this way, the significance of the ‘local’ in local government could be reintroduced and the move towards large unitary conglomerate authorities halted and reversed.