Phoenix eggs and the Berlin wall were conjured up in a Rutland council debate about its future ahead of the leadership's big decision today.

The backbench members of the council gave their views at a meeting last night, with little appetite for the closing down of the unitary authority, but an almost unanimous resignation that it will happen.

The government told the authority earlier this year to put forward proposals to merge with its Leicestershire neighbours, a suggestion that has caused fall outs within the council and also with its neighbours.

Some Lincolnshire councils had proposed forming a new authority with Rutland but dropped the idea last week saying it would probably not be accepted by the government.

The Liberal Democrat cabinet that runs the authority will opt for a final decision at a meeting this afternoon and at last night's meeting leader Gale Waller said she and her colleagues would listen to the views of all elected councillors. Following questions from councillors about her reason for taking 

She said: "'I believe I have behaved fairly and honourably throughout this process' and said she was saddened and disappointed that the Lincolnshire authorities had decided to exclude Rutland.

Labour councillor Steve McRobb said the council was 'probably best served' by the North, City, South Bid, which Rutland's officers had been involved in drawing up. This along with an option put forward by the city council and another from the county council will be the three choices mulled over by the cabinet today.

He said: "We are shortly to vote on which species of Phoenix will arise from Rutland's ashes. There are now three Phoenix eggs on the table. One of them will soon be boiled, or maybe scrambled. 

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"Although it is important we have this debate, our vote tonight will not really decide anything. That ultimately falls to Cllr Waller and the cabinet, although not by her choice, but by the terms of the legislation.

"Nor will councillor Waller really decide. She will merely inform the government which option she believes is in the best interests of Rutland. Maybe the minister will listen, maybe not, but they will have other competing bids on the table."

Liberal Democrat Abigail West said:  "We are not going to have a Berlin wall built between Rutland and South Kesteven. 

"Things like that won't change for us."

Fellow Liberal Democrat councillor Ray Payne said his choice would be to 'throw the whole thing in the bin' but urged the cabinet to look at the financial benefits it could squeeze out of any proposal.

Independent councillor Oliver Hemsley said that there had been no choice in the matter for anyone and said the hard work starts after the decision as everyone would have to work together to get a good deal for the county.

Conservative David Wilby likened the reorganisation to a 'bag of worms' and said the 'timescales had been absolutely ridiculous'.

And leader of the Conservative opposition Lucy Stephenson was in fighting form.

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She accused the authority of being obedient and said the government had not done a cost analysis on the savings of local government reorganisation.

She said: "We have always worked in a financial envelope and it has been tough but we have succeeded.

"We are about to have that whipped away from us on the basis of Labour government legislation that is flawed. It is not going to solve local government. They are not listening."

She urged the leader Gale Waller to add a covering letter in her decision notice to the government pointing out issues and said 'can we start making a fuss about this?'.

Independent councillor Nick Begy said he could not vote for any proposal as residents will be worse off by the changes.

A non-binding vote was taken and nine members voted in favour of the North, City, South model – which would see Rutland merge with Melton, Charnwood and North Leicestershire councils. The rest abstained as did the cabinet.