Alternative council proposal put forward by MPs

MPs Andrew Pakes and Sam Carling previously said they had concerns about the merger plans

Cambridgeshire MPs have put forward alternative proposals for local government re-organisation, which they say would protect "what makes Peterborough great".

Original plans put forward by the county's eight councils suggested there should be two new unitary authorities covering the whole county, with different options being considered.

However, Labour MPs Andrew Pakes and Sam Carling said this was not in the best interests of Peterborough, and have made their own suggestion.

They want a "Greater Peterborough" area, along with a "Greater Cambridge" and a "Mid Cambridgeshire" authority. The proposal will be considered by Peterborough City Council at a full council meeting on Wednesday.

How the alternative three-council system could look on a map

The changes are happening because the government announced it wants all local councils to become unitaries.

Currently, Cambridgeshire operates under a two-tier system, with a county council in charge of things like social care, education and local highways. Smaller district councils then look after planning, bin collections and social housing.

Peterborough already operates as a unitary authority, with a population of about 220,000. The government has previously indicated it wants each authority to oversee at least 500,000 residents in future.

However, with a large amount of growth in the area, some people think there could be an argument for authorities to be slightly smaller.

Sam Carling, the MP for North West Cambridgeshire, said he believed the three-council model would be best for residents.

"A Mid Cambridgeshire council would allow rural areas across East Cambridgeshire, Fenland and parts of Huntingdonshire to form an authority that can deliver effectively on residents' priorities, while a Greater Peterborough council encompassing the most high-growth areas of northern and western Cambridgeshire could better regulate and plan that growth."

Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes said: "Putting Peterborough into a mega council would make it harder to attract investment and focus on the challenges we have as a city."

He thinks a Greater Peterborough council "would allow a renewed focus on protecting what makes Peterborough great". He said it would also ensure there was "a local lens on areas in western Huntingdonshire", which would not be "lost or swallowed up into a super-council covering a huge geographical area".