The committee's recommendation was met with horror in West Norfolk and MP Henry Bellingham denounced the move as a disaster for this side of the county.

Borough Council leader Nick Daubney joined the other leaders for a meeting on what to do next – a referendum in West Norfolk is already on the cards and it is hoped all Norfolk residents will have their chance to express a view in the same way.

Speaking before the meeting Mr Daubney said the borough council had never asked to be put in this position and had always wanted things to remain as they are as it was felt the current system offered the best of both worlds.

But having been forced to come up with proposals he was dismayed the Boundary Committee appeared not to have even considered them in any detail in the full report published last week.

If the Committee's proposal is accepted by the Government, the new unitary council may have 120 members – with the current West Norfolk Council wards having a total representation of around 20. The borough currently has 62 elected members.

"We never wanted to do this and do not want the system to change but it has been forced upon us. We want our residents to have a say in the future and believe a referendum is the best way to do this. I hope the other councils will join us in this," said Mr Daubney.

Residents can express views now at www.boundarycommittee.org, or by writing to Review Manager, Norfolk/Suffolk Review, Boundary Committee for England, Trevelyan House, Great Peter Street, London, SW1P 2HW.

• The Lynn News is backing a move for an east/west split as we believe it is important for local democracy to be truly local and that decision-makers on everything from our rubbish collections to schools should have a good local knowledge.