PROPOSALS for the biggest changes to the shape of local government in generations will be released today.

Six months after the start of its review, the Boundary Committee will publish its draft recommendations for new structures of local government in County Durham and North Yorkshire.

The committee will provide at least two options in each county for a single tier of local government.

It will mean the scrapping of either county or district councils. Unitary authorities, such as Darlington Borough Council, will not be affected.

A new system will be put in place if residents vote for a regional assembly in the North-East or Yorkshire and Humberside in a referendum.

Since September, local authorities and other groups have been making submissions to the committee on what they would like to see happen.

Durham County Council would like to see the present system replaced by a single large unitary authority for the area.

In its submission, the county council said it believed a single authority would deliver better services, would cost less to set up and run and could involve local communities making decisions via area boards.

Another suggestion is for three "super councils" to be created by merging Chester-le-Street with Derwentside, Durham City with Easington, and Wear Valley with Sedgefield and Teesdale.

Councillor Bob Fleming, the leader of Sedgefield Borough Council, said: "The majority of the existing district councils oppose a single unitary authority because it would be too large and would have difficulty identifying with the people it represents.

"We believe that when it comes down to local government issues, the more local it is, the better it is."

North Yorkshire County Council also favours one authority for the area it covers.

A spokesman said: "We believe the key to effective and good-quality services in rural areas is size.

"A sparse population would only add to any costs, and to manage those costs effectively requires the kind of economies of scale which only large councils can secure."

Most of the existing district authorities within North Yorkshire favour a model that would see Richmondshire merge with Hambleton, Harrogate with Craven, and Ryedale with Scarborough, although Selby would prefer the single authority option.

The Boundary Committee will consult on the options it announces for three months.

All views received by February 23 will be taken into account when the committee makes a recommendation to the Government.