SIR – It would appear that Mr Foster has got the rose-tinted specs on yet again and has rolled out the old chestnut of a unitary authority for Worcestershire on the basis that it is working in Shropshire.

Firstly, it would appear from the article that the Government is funding Shropshire people to the tune of £50 per head more than Worcestershire residents.

I think that it is rich to hail it as a success at this very early stage. Others have been much less successful. Northumbria Unitary Authority, one of the newest, was rolled out last year and has to find savings this year alone of £54 million pounds and more in the future.

As I have said previously in this newspaper, Gateshead was formed in the North East many years ago by dissolving all of the district councils. The idea was to “save money”. However fast-forward to today it has one of the highest council tax levels in the country after London and it is one of the most deprived areas of the country. Also, accountability has gone out of the window. This Labour Government seems hell bent on getting rid of the shire counties.

So be very careful about supporting a call for a unitary authority for Worcester. It will cost us all more money in the long term.

Bill Davison,
St John’s, Worcester.