Three rural councils have told the government they want to be considered together as a Wessex group under proposed devolution plans. In a meeting on Thursday evening, Wiltshire Council voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining Dorset and Somerset councils to move forward with a new Heart of Wessex combined authority.

Leicestershire County Council has asked the government to postpone the elections it is due to hold in May as part of plans for a major overhaul of local councils. The authority said delaying the vote would give it time to draw up detailed proposals in response to the government's plans to reorganise local government so every region of England has a mayor.

The meeting, which took place on Thursday afternoon, discussed the plans and went in favour of the government's Devolution White Paper. The government announced in December it would would like to reorganise how local government works and do away with district and county councils in favour of unitary authorities,

A council has voted to ask the government to postpone the local elections in May and fast track the county for devolution. A government Devolution White Paper, published in December, outlined plans to scrap two-tier councils and replace them with strategic authorities - and an overseeing mayor.

At least 12 out of 21 county councils due to hold elections in May are poised to ask ministers to delay the ballots to explore options set out in a major redesign of local government announced in December.