We need genuine local authorities that represent defined communities - Yorkshire Post Letters

The article by Conservative Councillor Georege Jabbour (Benefits from the council shake-up, December 22), typically concentrates almost entirely on the machinery of service delivery and the apparent benefits of scale.

Obviously, up to a point, sheer efficiency is important but in a number of respects “small is beautiful” not least in ensuring the closeness of service points and the ability to exercise accountability by elected representatives.

There is, however, a far more important aspect of local government and that is the essence and purpose of local democracy.

Each community has its own identity and at the local level its citizens can better participate in its governance. Fifty years ago there was the important national Bains report on local government management.

Gordon Moore, the splendid Gordon Moore, Chief Executive of Bradford Metropolitan Council at the time, provided the forward to the report; he wrote: “Local government is not limited to the provision of services. It is concerned with the overall economic, cultural and physical well being of the community.”

The increased anonymity of society today and the erosion of local townships means that these words are even more important today.

We need a single regional Yorkshire authority to stand up to Westminster but below that we need genuine local authorities that represent defined communities.

Reducing large and ancient boroughs such as Harrogate and Scarborough to the level of parishes is a retrograde step.