Some in the Labour Party

"There is no clean solution to all of this," Davies said."It's expensive to the public if we run another election only two years after this one.

"And some continuity while we get on with achieving the unitary [authority] is in my view a benefit."Combined authorities cover larger geographical areas and a number of local councils. They are run by directly elected mayors.Gloucestershire has three main options when it comes to joining a combined authority.

It could apply to enter the existingwhich covers Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset (BANES), or it could look to form a new authority with either Swindon and Wiltshire, or Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Davies said the county council is undertaking a "courting" process with other areas.

"I'm not fixed on this, but my gut feel is that Gloucestershire generally looks south to Bristol way, rather than north to Birmingham way," he added.There were numerous meetings between local MPs and business groups; visits to the Department for Transport (DfT) and questions in Parliament.

In 2012 the government unveiledwith the work to be completed by 2019.

The-then Health Secretary and Cambridgeshire MP Andrew Lansley was sent to Ely to announce that the junction was on the list."It's about making sure we prioritise the capital projects that will have the biggest benefit in the long term," he told me.