A letter from Trevor Farrer appeared in The Westmorland Gazette some weeks ago advocating the advantages of a unitary authority for Cumbria. I would like to support the idea.
The present anomalies of the current system are prolific and the savings and the efficiencies of a unified authority could be immense.
Here is a small example to set the tone of the debate. In Kirkby Lonsdale the car parks are the responsibility of South Lakeland District Council, while on-street parking is the responsibility of Cumbria County Council. This is only the tip of the iceberg.
If we has no district councillors and their allowances and expenses, a dramatic fall in the number of chief executives, senior staff and their back-up teams it would all add up to a sizeable drop in expenditure. However, there are among the ranks of the district authorities many talented, hard working and highly experienced officers.
I would hope that any new authority would wish to retain as many of them as possible and, going forward, ensure that perhaps over two-three years, by voluntary redundancy, early retirement and normal staff turnover they will have retained the very best.
Mel Mackie
High Casterton
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