Gloucestershire should be divided in two during the devolution shake-up, say local Labour leaders.

An authority in the West would rule over the Forest of Dean, Gloucester and Stroud while in the East a separate authority would oversee Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and the Cotswolds .

It is the "best way forward" to capitalise on devolution whilst making sure local people "still have a voice" , said Gloucesteshire Labour.

However, Liberal Democrats in Tewkesbury have said this would be "wasteful" and have backed the proposal to move to a single authority.

The debate over how the county should be governed in the future is heating up as politicians from the various parties weigh in.

Earlier this week Gloucester leader Cllr Jeremy Hilton said the proposed reforms, announced by the Government in December, would hinder development in the city. And he blasted the county leader's plan to use devolution as a reason to delay the May elections  as "undemocratic".

His fury has now been echoed by Cheltenham leader Cllr Rowena Hay, who has also hit out at county leader Cllr Stephen Davies.

His idea to postpone the election is due to go before cabinet for a decision tomorrow (Jan 9).

"Cllr Davies' letter to the minister gives the appearance of consensus and that Cheltenham Borough Council supports this postponement," said Cllr Hay.

"'As leader, I want to be categorical that I do not support this letter or a delay in the election and I will be writing to the minister to make this clear. The letter talks about collaboration, yet I was not even given the courtesy of seeing it."

Cllr Hay said while she was keen to work with the Government on the devolution proposals, "genuine collaboration" was needed between county leaders first.

Gloucestershire only has a "hope" that neighboring authorities will work with it to form the population size suggested by the Government plans, she said.

"For this reason alone we cannot be in the first phase of these reforms," she added.

The Labour Government's plans to scrap two-tier systems would mean the six district councils would be abolished and replaced by one larger council.

Cllr Davies' draft letter to the minister said Gloucestershire County Council wants to be in the first wave of reform and it is "committed to creating a single unitary authority for our population of 659,000 meeting the Government's criteria of a population threshold over 500,000."

It said postponing the election would avoid "duplicating" the £825,000 cost.

"We will respond to your request for interim plans by March 2025 and will ensure that our proposals are developed in close collaboration with local MPs, all seven Gloucestershire local authorities, stakeholders, and sector partners." it added.

Tewkesbury council leader Richard Stanley and MP Cameron Thomas, both Liberal Democrats, have both backed the move to a single authority.

Cllr Stanley said: "The Government has made it clear there is only one direction of travel and while it is sad that this will see the end of Tewkesbury Borough Council - especially when a lot of hard work has seen improvements in services for our residents - there are lots of benefits of having one council for the county.

"Most residents aren't that passionate about the structures of local government: what matters to them is excellent services delivered economically and the unitary model is an opportunity to be more efficient and streamlined.

"I believe we must keep Gloucestershire as a county intact: there are some suggestions of splitting into more than one authority, but this would be wasteful and we need to keep the county together."

Mr Thomas said: "There is no perfect form of local government: while I understand that some are concerned about democracy becoming more distant from residents, we also need to see the benefits of change: having a single council will simplify government across Gloucestershire, making it more accessible in service of residents.

"Gloucestershire has a bright future, and that would be best-realised together, through joined-up, strategic planning which benefits the entire county. Working together as one Gloucestershire is in our collective interest."

Both expressed scepticism about the creation of metro mayors to oversee unitary authorities and said bestowing too much authority on a single person would be "ineffective and undemocratic".

Meanwhile, the County Labour Party, including the three Labour MPs, has said it agrees with the Government plans to abolish the smaller district councils but it would prefer two larger authorities.

Cllr John Bloxsom, Labour Group Leader on Gloucestershire County Council, said: "We believe two authorities, a West Gloucestershire and an East Gloucestershire, is the best way forward and will ensure we make the most of the opportunities of devolution whilst making sure local people still have a voice."

He added: "For too long the people of Gloucestershire have been poorly served by a two-tier system that confuses residents, allows different councils to pass the buck between each other and that wastes taxpayer's money.

"There are significant challenges facing local authorities, challenges that would be best faced by

larger authorities able to secure sustainable economic growth and deliver services that work for

local people. We are supportive of an application to the government's devolution programme and encourage the county council and district councils to pursue the best possible deal for our county.

"Change is long overdue."

The party did not comment on the plans to delay the elections but said it is ready to contest them whenever they are held.

Punchline-Gloucester.com says:" This is just as we predicted. The fight is heating up with all the parties taking shots and the public watching from the sidelines. 

"It's not good for anyone, especially people running businesses who have enough to contend with. They have got to get around a table together and talk about this properly as grown-ups.

"We don't agree the election should be delayed. No matter the situation, democracy should run it's course and the people should be allowed to decide who is best to run things going forard."