I AM delighted to see that Cumbria County Council and Stewart Young have once again raised the idea of a unitary authority for Cumbria.

The benefits are clear to see -not just financial savings but ending confusion among the public as to which organisation is responsible for which services.

However, will the latest bid be any more successful than those that have been made in the past? The sticking point always seems to be the district councils (turkeys and Christmas comes to mind!).

Would it be asking too much to hope that the district councils will put aside self interest and look at what is the greater good for the residents of Cumbria? I do hope so and urge the district councils' to support CCC.

Also, I wonder why the Government does not instruct the local authorities in Cumbria to agree to a unitary authority and implement this as soon as possible. After all, it is always the Government that makes decisions on the structure of the NHS.

David Thomas

Bowness