Save our councils and cut EU

The Government is hoping to rush a unitary authority through before people notice - as it tried with police force merging.

The dearth of letters from non-councillors suggests most of us haven't realised just what the move would mean.

Removing a whole tier of government sounds reasonable. It seems to work for Telford & Wrekin. A slower rate of rise in council tax is promised - not an actual reduction, and for how long?

Much of the hefty year-on-year increase stems from European directives - on top of our huge payments to the EU.

In South Shropshire the share of council tax taken by Shirehall is several times that by SSDC.

The various services would still have to be provided, so there's not much scope for saving - around one per of the county council budget.

At present, parishes report to nicely-sized district councils, often with little effect. So what chance would the grass roots stand if competing for attention with the rest of this widespread county?

If any levels need removing it is not those close to the people, but the EU and its unelected regions.

For most of Shropshire, there's another factor: the city-based regions neither understand nor care for the countryside.

Farmers, rural communities and post offices all get a raw deal. Making control even more top-heavy can only further undermine their very survival.

How to tackle this "UKIP-issue" requires a letter of its own.

Richard Watkins, Craven Arms