Mr. Ted Fletcherasked the Secretary of State for Local Government and Regional Planning what representations he has received from the Darlington Borough Council concerning the Redcliffe-Maud Report; and what proposals he has for consulting Darlington and neighbouring local authorities in the immediate future.
§ Mr. CroslandDarlington County Borough Council has accepted the broad outlines of the report. It has however proposed that there should be an additional unitary area, centred on Darlington. I shall give full weight to the council's views before reaching any conclusions. There will be thorough consultations on boundaries after the White Paper giving the Government's decisions on structure has been laid before the House.