HIGH TIME?

AS GOVERNMENT UNVEILS DEVOLUTION PLANS, MP BELIEVES DERBYSHIRE DISTRICT SHOULD JOIN GREATER MANCHESTER

- JOSEPH TIMAN

TOWNS on the outskirts of Greater Manchester should join the cityregion as part of a major shake-up of councils, an MP has said.

Smaller councils that currently sit within counties, such as in Lancashire and Cheshire, are expected to merge as the two-tier system of local government is scrapped.

But the move could also open the door for Greater Manchester to take in areas along the border.

Councils will now be asked to submit their merger proposals to the government. But sources tell the M.E.N. that there is one 'obvious' place on the outskirts of the cityregion that may look to join - and for the local MP there, it's a 'no-brainer! High Peak Borough Council, which includes the towns of Buxton and Glossop, is currently part of Derbyshire County Council. But as the county council embarks on a major restructure, High Peak could look at merging with Tameside or Stockport councils - or both.

Glossop already shares some public services with Tameside, including the NHS. The market town, 15 miles east of Manchester, is also home to many Mancunian families including those who were moved to Gamesley in the 1960s slum clearances.

Speaking to the M.E.N. as the government unveils its English Devolution White Paper, High Peak Labour MP Jon Pearce said: "The reality is, if you look at where our kids go to college, it's in Greater Manchester.