REGARDING the recent enthusiasm for making Blackburn Council a unitary authority, I am not in favour of the proposal.

I told the Commission for the Review of Local Government I would prefer to see the present "two-tier" system retained for two reasons.

I do not believe Blackburn Council is capable of delivering services to the present standard, without a substantial increase in costs to local residents.

And I do not believe that Environment Secretary John Gummer is acting in the interests of the residents of Blackburn, Blackpool or the rest of Lancashire. Although I have no evidence, I suspect his actions are solely in the interests of the Conservative Party.

I am employed in local government and honestly believe my opinion to be correct.

However, no doubt some member of the local Conservative party will inform me that the "nice" Mr Gummer has all our interests at heart and that the yokels, sorry, locals, have nothing to worry about.

And pigs might fly!

M E WELSH, Thornhill Avenue, Rishton.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.