SOAP, a popular American television sitcom broadcast in the late 1970s, ended each show’s introduction with the words: ‘Confused? You will be...’

It is a catchphrase that might now be used to accurately describe the Welsh Government’s ever-changing attempts to reform local government.

Public services minister Leighton Andrews, brought back from the political wilderness last year to take charge of council reorganisation, achieved the rare feat of uniting opinion across the parties yesterday.

The unveiling of his plans to reduce the number of councils in Wales from the current 22 to no more than nine received the thumbs-down from almost everyone.

For this area, Mr Andrews envisages a ‘back to the future’ strategy with a single council for Gwent.

The former Gwent county council was abolished in 1996 and replaced with five unitary authorities.

Now Mr Andrews proposes merging those five councils into one super-authority that would be the biggest in Wales, serving 600,000 people.

There was little support from the councils involved yesterday, with Blaenau Gwent’s Labour leadership particularly vocal in its opposition to the proposal.

And the Welsh Local Government Association, said there was no consensus between councils and the Welsh Government.

Confused? You will be...