A council leader has outlined a 'roadmap' and proposals which will aim to abolish all 15 council bodies within Lancashire and replace them with a so-called 'super council'.

The 'super-council' would consist of a streamlined structure of three unitary councils, responsible for covering the central and southern parts of the county, the western and northern parts of the county and the eastern part of the county respectively.

The plan means Lancashire would become a Combined Authority with an elected mayor, similar to the local government structures in place in both Liverpool and Manchester.

As a consequence, the 131-year-old county council would itself be abolished, along with all 12 district authorities and the two standalone councils in Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen.

In their place would be a unitary council covering central and southern parts of the county - Preston, South Ribble, Chorley and West Lancashire; a broad western and northern council incorporating Blackpool, Wyre, Fylde, Lancaster and the Ribble Valley; and a council in the east, which would include Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Rossendale, Hyndburn and Pendle.

Each of the three unitary councils would be responsible for the delivery of services to the people of Lancashire.

This would then pave the way for the election of a mayor for the whole county and the creation of the Lancashire Combined Authority.

Leader of Lancashire County Council, Cllr Geoff Driver CBE said: "For far too long Lancashire has missed out on the benefits of devolution because of internal squabbles about how our structures are organised.

"It's time to set aside petty politicking and break that logjam.

"These bold and ambitious proposals represent a once-in-a-generation change that will transform Lancashire and benefit everyone who lives in this great county."

The move comes little more than a month after Lancashire’s 15 council leaders tentatively agreed to take the next steps along the county’s four-year long journey towards striking a devolution deal with the government to gain additional powers and cash for the county.

The 15 leaders stated that for many years, Lancashire's complicated and fragmented administrative structures had been a barrier to the county benefitting from the devolution deals that have flourished elsewhere in the North West and England.

These deals have given a major economic boosts to other regions, allowing them to speak with one clear and unified voice through an elected mayor.

However, the prospect of a 'super council' or combined authority, has been met with very little support in areas such as the Ribble Valley, where residents and councillors fear their already lucrative autonomy when it comes to issues such as planning and development will be taken out of their hands entirely.

The roadmap will now be worked up into firm proposals which will be submitted to central government.