COUNTY Durham could disappear under radical proposals for the future of local government in the North-East.

On Monday, the Boundary Committee released its recommendations for a system of unitary authorities for the county.

The current two-tier system of local government could be scrapped if the people of the North-East vote for an elected regional assembly.

In its wide-ranging review, the Boundary Committee considered 237 submissions and has put forward three draft recommendations.

Option one, preferred by Durham County Council, is for a single county-wide unitary authority, based on the current county boundary.

The Boundary Committee said this option would have sufficient capacity to provide the full range of local government services and would reflect residents' attachment to County Durham.

Durham County Council leader Ken Manton said he was pleased the boundary committee had included it in the options. He said: "We believe the single unitary option to be the best for local people because it can deliver better quality services and will cost less to set up and run, leaving annual savings of £21m to be reinvested in other services.

"A structure of area boards with budgets will keep local communities involved in the decision making process.

"If you add in the reduced risk of disruption to services, the ability to have clout in big regional issues, a vibrant and energetic role for town and parish council partners, and the retention of County Durham as a name, we feel the single unitary option strikes the right balance to serve well the needs of every individual."

Option two, put forward by the committee itself, is for two authorities. There would be a North and East Durham authority, based on existing Chester-le-Street, Derwentside, Durham City and Easington districts, and a South Durham authority based on Sedgefield, Teesdale and Wear Valley.

Option three, favoured by five of the seven existing districts, is for three unitary authorities.

East Durham would consist of the present Durham City and Easington districts, North Durham would include Chester-le-Street and Derwentside and South Durham would be a merger of Sedgefield, Teesdale and Wear Valley.

John Docherty, head of management support at Wear Valley District Council, said: "We are against a single unitary authority because we think it would be too big a population and too geographically widespread to become local government - it would become regional government.

"We want three unitary authorities. We feel the population balance is big enough to allow them to deliver services effectively, but small enough for local government to remain local."

There will be a consultation period and the deadline for responses is February 23, 2004. The final recommendations will be sent to the Deputy Prime Minister.