West Yorkshire Police Authority members will today discuss whether to take High Court action in a bid to defy Government plans to merge the force with three others.

They will consider whether they should seek a judicial review of Home Secretary Charles Clarke's demand for West Yorkshire Police to form a 'superforce' with South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Humberside.

Last week Mr Clarke announced his decision to push ahead with his plan for one strategic regional force, which is likely to come into being by April 2008.

That was despite the Authority arguing for West Yorkshire to remain as a stand-alone force.

Mr Clarke has given all four authorities until April 7 to respond to his decision and West Yorkshire Police Authority is meeting to discuss the issue today.

It could write to the Home Secretary to ask for a voluntary merger, which would be subject to conditions on matters like finance, and would reserve the right to withdraw the request at any time.

But the Authority could also decline to request such a merger. That could mean seeking a judicial review, an option that has been threatened by the Cleveland Police Authority, which is against a proposed merger with Northumbria and Durham.

Councillor Clive Richardson, deputy chairman and a Bradford member of West Yorkshire Police Authority, said he personally did not think a judicial review was the way forward, but all options were open.

He said: "The advice we have been given is that it would be extremely expensive with no guaranteed outcome, and I don't think it is a road we can go down. But everything is open for discussion and judicial review will be discussed as an option."

Coun Richardson said many questions about the merger still needed to be answered, particularly on finance.

He added: "We still don't know where the money is coming from, but I suspect it will fall on council tax payers.

"We have to recognise the Home Secretary has got the power to do this, even if we don't agree, and we have got to get the best out of a bad situation."

If the Authority decided to pursue a judicial review it would be based on a claim of inconsistency in the way the Home Office is implementing the mergers.

A report by the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, which recommended the creation of larger police forces, said those with more than 4,000 officers performed better. West Yorkshire fitted the criteria, with 5,500 officers.

But three smaller forces in the south, Thames Valley, Kent and Hampshire, have been told they do not have to amalgamate.

The four Yorkshire police authorities are to meet next week to discuss the merger.