Cheltenham and Cotswolds councils have thrown their weight behind proposals for two councils to be created in Gloucestershire.

They have declined to back Gloucestershire County Council's (GCC) push for a single unitary authority  to be created during local government reforms.

Instead they think GCC should be dissolved and its responsibilities split between two new councils.

Cheltenham Borough Council has drawn up a plan which proposes the two councils are built on the identity of local places. 

It would see the creation of Gloucester, Forest and the Stroud Valleys Council in the West on the current footprint of Gloucester City, Stroud District and Forest of Dean Councils.

In the East there would be Cheltenham and Cotswolds Council, comprising the current footprint of Cheltenham Borough, Tewkesbury Borough and Cotswold District Councils.

Cheltenham held an extraordinary council meeting this afternoon (March 17) to debate its response to the government's Devolution White Paper.

The seven councils in the county have until Friday (March 21) to submit their interim plan to the Secretary of State.

On Thursday GCC is due to meet to approve a joint letter from leaders of all seven councils which sets out the three options  it plans to explore:

• A unitary council for the whole county
• Two unitary councils, one for Western Gloucestershire and one for Eastern Gloucestershire.
• A city-based unitary council based around a 'Greater Gloucester' area along with one or two unitaries for the rest of the county area.

At the meeting Cheltenham councillors  approved the joint letter to be submitted to the Government but also approved an outline case for two authroities to be appended separately to the joint letter

Cllr Rowena Hay, leader of Cheltenham Borough Council and Cllr Joe Harris, leader of Cotswold District Council

"The last time that Gloucestershire went through reorganisation of local government was in 1974. We must not miss this opportunity to make sure local council services are right for local people. 

"We strongly believe that having two councils will ensure we can make taxpayers money go further while delivering services that will meet the needs of our communities and take the pressure off health and care services in the long term. 

"Gloucestershire is a collection of unique places and identities that make us who we are. They are vital in driving our economy, creating jobs and prosperity. 

"Our plan will allow each council to specialise and focus on developing their own strengths - creating a green energy supercluster in the west around Berkeley and Oldbury and a technology supercluster in the east surrounding GCHQ and the Golden Valley Development.

"We also have rural towns and communities that sit in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and who play a vital role in our visitor economy. Two councils will be able to better represent these communities with decisions being made closer to them and with a better balance of the existing town and parish council network.

"As a county, we face significant challenges ahead, not least that we have a population that is getting older which will put unsustainable pressure on our already fragile care and health system. The days of a county-wide, one size fits all council is outdated and will only result in our residents being shortchanged and feeling like a number in a system. 

"What we need are locality-based services that are devised and designed by the people we serve. And if we do that, we can prevent more people needing acute care saving the NHS millions."

The proposal also requests that Gloucestershire's two authorities become part of the West of England Combined Authority, a move that is supported by many councils in the county."

Five MPs in the county have already written to the Minister backing a two unitary preference.

Max Wilkinson MP for Cheltenham said: "I am pleased to see that a bold, creative and ambitious plan is emerging to bring greater prosperity to our area. Cheltenham people and residents across the county deserve better than having powers taken further away from them in a reorganisation that places all the newly created power in a big new unitary council and regional mayor - that's the opposite of what I understand as devolution.

"If we get this right, two new unitary councils working alongside a regional mayor and properly empowered town and parish councils can place power and accountability closer to communities. That's exactly what I want to see. 

"There's no easy answer to the question about which region we should join and in an ideal world devolution would look very different to the government's chosen model. But if we must have a regional mayor then at the moment the most logical thing to do seems to be joining the West of England Combined Authority rather than an uncertain deal involving areas in the West Midlands or eastwards."