PLANS to axe Wiltshire's five councils and replace them with one authority have come under fire.

Under an order, set to be backed by the House of Commons, the districts of Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury and West Wiltshire will be swept away, along with the top tier county council.

Local Government minister John Healey said the new countywide authority could prove to be a "flagship" for the rest of the country to follow.

All of the local government services will come under the umbrella of a countywide unitary authority covering a population of more than 400,000.

"Our approach provides for a transition which is effective, one that is as efficient as possible, one that avoids as far as possible disruption to services, one that we believe gives a good deal to citizens and to service users," said Mr Healey.

He said order was "fair. One that is credible to council staff and, above all, one that will open the door to creating what in Wiltshire could be one of the flagship local authorities for our country in the future".

But Conservative MP for North Wiltshire James Gray said the move had not been called for by Wiltshire residents.

He asked Mr Healey: "How do you explain the fact that the Mori poll shows something like 71 per cent opposed and all four district councils were clearly opposed by polling?"

Mr Healey replied that that there was widespread support from businesses and the business community for the plans.

The first elections for the new authority are expected to be held in May next year.