A new 'working party' has been established by the England and Wales (ECB) to determine the final structure for domestic cricket next year.

It comes amid reports that seven counties voted against plans to reduce the number of Twenty20 Cup matches, which are viewed by some clubs as the most financially lucrative. According to the BBC, clubs that do not host international cricket - such as Sussex, Essex and Somerset, are against efforts to cut the number of Twenty20 Group games from 16 to 10.

Somerset chief executive Richard Gould told the broadcaster: "In time, we may not be able to compete with the Test match grounds if there is a reduction. Our playing staff would have to be cut and we might end up on a vicious downward spiral." In a statement, the ECB said the working party will be chaired by the national governing body's chief executive David Collier and a decision is to be made on the 2011 schedule on 17 November.

An ECB spokesperson said: "The decision follows a consultative meeting at Lord's last week with 56 different representatives of the first class game to discuss scheduling issues. "The working party will be chaired by ECB chief executive David Collier and will include representatives from the PCA and the wider county game."

Sussex CCC chair Jim May added: "Clearly there are major issues concerning getting the balance right in terms of the amount of cricket played and the format of competitions from 2012 onwards. "Equally, we need to ensure that the way forward is sustainable financially for counties which have different business models."