County areas that refuse to accept a directly elected mayor could still get a full devolution deal if they sign up for reorganisation, The MJ understands. In some of the latest negotiations, The MJ has learnt that central government has offered three options of a devolution deal with a mayor, a deal with unitarisation but no mayor, or no deal. It signals a further push towards local government reorganisation from Whitehall, following last-minute changes to the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill that would allow for fast-track structural and boundary changes in two-tier areas.
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