SPECULATION a Gwent county could share a “metro mayor” with a neighbouring Welsh authority and two others in England have been dismissed.

A report on the Mail Online website claimed Monmouthshire and Powys were being lined up as a region for a new metro mayor with neighbouring English counties Herefordshire and Shropshire.

The website had produced a map showing the border counties as one of 29 new proposed metro mayor regions under a shake up of local government, in England, announced by the UK Labour Goverment. There are already 11 areas of England with regional mayors including the West of England.

Monmouthshire County Council has however dismissed the speculation, and pointed out organisation of local government in Wales remains a responsibility of the Welsh Government.

A spokesman said: “The........

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