Letters: We need a new system of local government for New Forest

YES, Local government certainly needs changing: the top three candidates in the recent town council elections received a total of less than 1,200 votes out of a total number of possible voters in the region of 10 times that amount (I couldn’t find the exact number of potential voters on the internet) so we don’t seem to be very interested in local, local elections.

This is unsurprising given the little power our councillors hold.

Next they’re proposing to do away with NFDC and move to larger “regional” councils. What will that do for local democracy? Nothing at all.

What we need is a new system which provides real, accountable, well paid, non-political power at local level rather than remove local decision making enabling executive pay to escalate further.

We should be scrapping Hampshire County Council which is already too fat and unresponsive and use the money to appoint the right people to run local matters.

Michael D Robinson

Lymington

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CLEARLY the government deadline for fast-track reform is unrealistic.

It is also worth stating that that Hampshire was a wealthy county with several important well-connected towns including Southampton, Portsmouth, Winchester and, until that fateful April Fool's Day back in 1974, Bournemouth.

When it came to large Dorset towns, these consisted of Poole, Weymouth and the county town of Dorchester. The rest of it was viewed, at that time, as a rural backwater. To this day, it has no cities or motorways. Bournemouth and Christchurch were never a natural fit for Dorset.

With BCP and Dorset now separated, it makes much greater sense to link BCP with Hampshire and the south-east region. The massive building programme proposed by the government will inevitably require different solutions in rural areas as opposed to our cities. For our cities it may make sense to build garden towns linked to them by new electric transport.

The government's present financial strategy is not working – they must cut costs. A strong local mayor would be able to challenge them to do the right actions for their devolved area.

Geoff Bantock

Christchurch

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NOW the smoke has cleared over the devolution announcement, I wonder whether those in charge will blow the dust off the safe and spend some money on residents rather than any reserves be swallowed up by another administration's debts.

Cllr Mark Clark

Deputy leader, Liberal Democrat Group