Abstract
Referendums in three northern regions may not only decide the future of English regional devolution, but also radically alter the structure of English local government. Unitary local authorities may ultimately be introduced everywhere after decades of abortive reforms, not because of their perceived advantages, but as the casual by-product of regional devolution, and fears that England might otherwise appear over-governed. This article reviews the shifts in the terms of debate over the structure of English sub-national government. Although much of the debate orchestrated by the Government and the Boundary Committee is still being ostensibly conducted in familiar terms there has been a clear shift away from the ‘affective community’ which influenced reorganisations from the 1970s through to the 1990s, back towards notions of ‘effective community’, based on patterns of life and work. Yet while shifting interpretations of community and efficiency may shape the options presented to voters, ultimately their constrained choice is likely to be made on the basis of felt identities and allegiances - affective community. Voters may prefer unitary counties to unfamiliar merged districts, an unintended consequence of the long debate over the structure of English sub-national government which scarcely anyone has advocated or predicted.
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