The Department's running cost budget for 2009-10 includes provision of £1.57 million for work on local governance, including work on any reorganisations of local authorities. As required by the affordability criterion for the unitary bids, implementing the unitary proposals is self-financing, and the savings generated by the new unitary councils are available to be invested in front-line services or to reduce the pressure on council tax; hence, implementing a unitary council has no additional impact on departmental expenditure.