A BLUEPRINT to scrap all Lancashire's borough councils and replace them with a county-wide authority has been revealed by Lancashire County Council leader Hazel Harding.

District councils would be replaced with a new, unitary Lancashire Council and local cabinets, if people vote for a regional government next autumn.

A "yes" vote would signal widespread reorganisation of local government, prompting all local authorities to draw up alternatives to the current two-tier system of borough and county councils.

But the county council plans have been opposed by the opposition parties, with Tory group leader Michael Welsh saying the whole regional assembly concept was flawed and unnecessary. Coun Chris Holtom, leader of Ribble Valley Council also said change was unnecessary.

Critics also said the county was still paying the cost of the last reorganisation in local government, which saw unitary authorities set up in Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool five years ago.

That claim was backed up by Coun Harding who said severance pay for employees who lost their jobs during the reorganisation was still costing council taxpayers £500,000 a year.

Leader of Hyndburn Council Peter Britcliffe is also opposed to change but is under threat from merger plans drawn up by Blackburn with Darwen Council and which also involve Ribble Valley.

He said: "I have received assurances from Coun Harding that real powers would be devolved to local cabinets and I think it is one of the less frightening options.

"However, the view of Hyndburn Council is that we would like to keep the status quo because it works well."

The Government has said county and borough councils will be replaced by unitary authorities -- similar to those already operating in Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool, if voters opt for a North West regional assembly.

Lancashire said its plans would offer voters the cheapest and most effective option, but its preferred choice was to keep things the way they are.

Coun Harding, who represents Rossendale West, said: "It is not something we want to do but we have been forced to draw up a proposal.

"We want to continue to improve delivering good services in partnership with our districts but we have been asked to make a submission to the Boundary Commission and we are doing that."

Although the proposed authority would be run from County Hall in Preston, Coun Harding added: "The proposal is very clear. We are not just dressing up what we already have. The councils would disappear, there is no doubt about that.

"All the councils would disappear and people would be elected to a new body. Those people would then have the task of organising that body."

The proposed Lancashire Council would be made up of an executive board, responsible for delivering county-wide services, and local cabinets, which would deliver local services.

It would comprise 84 wards with two councillors representing each. The plan will now be submitted to the Boundary Commission which will draw up options for the county in the run up to next year's referendum, when voters will be asked to decided which options they prefer.