With fewer councils there should be fewer back-office functions and therefore more money for the frontline, so the argument goes.

BBC: School standards: Councils warned of 'further action'

Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris suggested religious organisations carrying out public welfare functions should be gradually replaced with "secular-governed" agencies.

BBC: Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor said he feared discrimination

Do we think all these functions should be done by the state, in this case by fully-trained warranted police officers?

BBC: The private life of a police force

Issues surrounding who should have day-to-day control of human resources and finance functions in the new single force have yet to be fully settled.

BBC: Scotland

Should the courts find that Dish was able to implement TiVo-like functions without violating any TiVo patents, it would be fair to assume other companies would begin to do the same thing.

FORBES: Today In Tech