It is not the Government’s job to redraw the map of England, a minister has said, as he ruled out creating “supercouncils” through a reform of town halls.

Local government minister Jim McMahon said local government reforms would give elected councillors “far more power” to make decisions in their areas.

But some MPs warned that the English Devolution White Paper which the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published on Monday could see money spread out over larger areas.

Two-tier areas, covered by both county and district authorities, would be abolished under the plans and new unitary councils could emerge, which “must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks”.