I was most impressed with the letters on the proposed council merger (September 29) and had pre-empted the suggestion made by several of your correspondents to contact our members of Parliament.

A prearranged appointment with Gary Streeter, on Friday afternoon elicited the information that the MPs for the area covered by South Hams and West Devon are at present gathering evidence on this subject, because if the councils decide to go ahead, our MPs will have a say in the Government’s final decision.

Putting to Mr Streeter that I felt central government were to blame for this requirement to economise by merging, as they were withdrawing all funding from local councils, he responded by stating that local councils would be allowed to keep business rates to make up their funding. In rural areas this will obviously not cover the former Government grants, so patently the main responsibility for this present mess must be with the Government.

We discussed many of the points raised in the published letters about the bias in the survey. For example, the fact that while only one member of a household could submit on the family computer, it is possible to request as many paper copies as you liked, with no proof of who had completed them. So, not only was the form of the survey biased, but with a little ingenuity it was possible to fill in many paper returns. Interestingly, Mr Streeter gave the impression that if this merger went ahead, it would only be an interim measure and that we would eventually end up with a unitary authority. Therefore, in a short space of time we would be subject to two changes which would at least double the expense. Where, then, are the projected savings?

Mr Streeter said he would welcome people contacting him, as I am sure would Sarah Wollaston. I suggest that you make your views known or face a 40 per cent increase in the district council component of your council tax bill.

A final thought. For many years it has been agreed that ‘rates, community charge, council tax’ is an unfair system of taxation. Mrs Thatcher tried to change it and look what happened to her. Should we not encourage our MPs to sort out Brexit first and then investigate a fair system of local government, including paying for it, suitable for the modern day but in the meantime continuing to fund local authority grants to save all this expensive nonsense.

Dr Mike Oakins

Benedict Way, Modbury