From the Guardian, 31 January 2007

Even the press are saying Northumberland County Council should feel vulnerable

In Northumberland, the county council should feel vulnerable. In a subsidiary question in the north-east devolution referendum just over two years ago, which delivered a crushing "no" vote against a regional elected assembly, voters said they wanted the county scrapped in favour of two unitaries. Yet still the county council is seeking all-purpose status, although the six districts of Northumberland claim they could save £1.3bn a year if the county was split between its urban south-east and the rural north and west.