IT would seem at first sight the downgrading of town and parish councils a retrograde step and particularly the lack of information about changes to the buses.
Most of us in Chippenham, who wish to travel to Bath, Swindon or Bristol using our bus passes are reliant on rumour.
The old Shire county structure which is a feature dating back to a pre-Saxon time continued into Norman times has been destroyed first with Avon and then BANES, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.
Why not do away with District Councils and revert to having local issues decided by the towns and parishes?
As for some counties they cannot be effective.
Now why not select regional government with an elected Chief Executive, who could make strategic policy decisions on housing, land use, planning for transport and energy generation.
After all, education has already gone from counties to Trust Boards and in some places the Church of England is making as good a job of running schools as it did before the 1944 Butler Act.
Regional governments can more appropriately direct EU funding to deprived areas than central government. Let us keep government local.
Paul B. Godwin
Chippenham
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