COTSWOLD District Council's proposed merger with neighbouring West Oxfordshire 'would be expensive' said Cotswold Tory MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown.

He said he had misgivings despite the Prime Minister, who is MP for Witney, in West Oxfordshire, showing interest in the plans by saying they should be 'fully explored'.

"The Prime Minister is keen on this proposal but I think there's a perfectly good Oxfordshire solution for Oxfordshire and a perfectly good Gloucestershire solution for Gloucestershire.

"It's once you start getting into the county structures - the social services, roads, civil contingency planning and all these sorts of issues, it becomes very much more difficult when you're crossing two county boundaries.

"It's more complex and, therefore, inevitably more expensive for my constituents in the Cotswolds," sad Mr Clifton-Brown.

But CDC leader Lynden Stowe said the plans, dubbed 'Coxit' were about getting the best deal for residents and was shocked by the negative response since the proposals were announced.

Mr Stowe added "Gloucestershire could still be Gloucestershire without the Cotswolds" and there was "nothing wrong with exploring the idea."

Consultants hired by the councils are expected to publish their interim findings regarding the plans in the next few weeks.