A BID for an elected mayor and combined authority for Oxfordshire is being put forward as a rival idea to a ‘super council’.

Oxford City Council is planning to suggest the alternative to Communities Secretary Sajid Javid, despite a lack of agreement from other authorities.

It is in response to proposals for a super council, which are due to be sent to Mr Javid before the end of this month by Oxfordshire County Council, Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire district councils.

The plan could save £20m a year but has been bitterly opposed by the city council, which argues the new council would be too big to address local issues.

It wants a mayor and combined authority instead, as part of a devolution deal to claw back powers and cash from Westminster, and is set to submit a bid without full backing from other councils.

An email sent to all city councillors yesterday, leaked to this newspaper, said: “The public opposing the county proposal has been given a voice by our campaign.

“Over the next few weeks we will develop an alternative proposal which creates a partnership body to oversee spatial planning and infrastructure invested in the county with the aim to get all councils to work together.”

A source said: “The email is an admission they have been opposing the super council plan without an alternative and now they have one it doesn’t have consensus.”

The city council could face problems putting forward its idea. Guidance published by the Government says bids for combined authorities and mayors must usually be submitted with support from all local authorities that would be affected by them.

This was the case – with all of Oxfordshire’s councils committed to a devolution proposal – but the county council and its allies pulled support earlier this year.

City council leader Bob Price said yesterday: “Technically you do need unanimity to put in these bids, but we will be putting this forward in response to the county’s [super council] proposal.

“It can then be provided to Mr Javid as an option for what else is possible.

“There was support for this idea from all councils until January and it would achieve what the Government wants in terms of economic growth and housing development.”

But the move was criticised by Andrew Gant, leader of the city council Liberal Democrats group, who said last night: “The super council proposal is not perfect but the way to change that is to engage, something the city council has failed to do. The point of all this is deliver better services for residents.

“You can’t do that by shouting from the sidelines.”