The Boundary Committee for England today published its draft proposals on possible unitary authorities for Norfolk, Suffolk and Devon. I say possible because the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government doesn't have to accept any of these proposals.

However, these are detailed plans. Each report runs to 80 pages long and you can see those and shorter synopses at the Boundary Committee website. In short, Norfolk would get one unitary authority which would include Lowestoft in Suffolk. Ipswich and Felixstowe would get an 'urban' Suffolk unitary authority while the rest of the county would form a 'rural' authority. The plan for Devon is a unitary authority for the whole county excluding Plymouth and Torbay.

There is now a 12 week consultation period which runs until the 26th Sept. The Boundary Committee are keen this is accepted as a genuine consultancy. I was told: "peoples' opinion can and may well change our proposals". You can make your opinion known on the website above, and email or phone. No doubt they'll be hoping to avoid the controversy around the two Cheshire unitary authorities last December when the late Gwyneth Dunwoody made a memorable speech in the House of Commons condemning the plans.

The new authorities are being promoted as "strengthening the strategic decision making abilities of councils". Empowerment is a popular buzzword at the moment. Are unitary authorities an effective part of it? The Secretary of State makes a decision at the end of the year.