Burnham expresses commitment to local government reorganisation

In an interview with the BBC, Burnham said: "It's obviously a change that's about improving the effectiveness of local councils and consolidating their resources."

The prime minister said that the changes would help create a foundation for devolution.

Speaking to the BBC's East Midlands political editor Peter Saull he said: "It is a nettle, I would say, that's got to be grasped, because we have to get the building blocks in place across the country so that we then can use Number 10 North to devolve more power out of Westminster and Whitehall into a structure for local government in England that's the same across the board."

In an apparent response to criticisms of local government reorganisation decisions in the East Midlands, Burnham meanwhile said that he was "always prepared" to look again at issues in relation to reorganisation.

He added the structure of local government in Greater Manchester, where he was mayor, allowed him to "drive growth and change".

"If we want to give maximum devolved powers to all parts of the East Midlands, I think we do need to see reforms to local government.”

Adam Carey