IT STRIKES me that the public debate around the future shape of OUR local government has identified a number of ideas that should be seriously examined.

Why is the only possible option, as distasteful as that is to our current council, seen as to merge with Bridgend? That is seen as the only palatable alternative to the Welsh Government preference to merge with Cardiff City Council – but readers should ask themselves why is this being dismissed out of hand?

The excuses about the Vale being swamped by Cardiff are not any more robust than just assuming a merger with Bridgend would provide the existing Vale with some form of equality in any new authority – on what basis are those assumptions being made? It may be the case of the lesser of two evils - but whose interests do these arguments really suit - the electorate or the councillors?

There must be some merit in the Vale being allied with what will be the largest city-region in south east Wales? Maybe we’ll even get some much needed improvements to local infrastructure such as an upgrade to the hugely inadequate, poorly maintained road between Cardiff and the airport?

It strikes me that one option, already proposed in your publication, to split the existing Vale unitary authority and merge the western part of the Vale with Bridgend, is worthy of further discussion. Many people in the western Vale have more natural affinity with Bridgend; whilst the same situation exists in the eastern part of the Vale with respect to Cardiff. Why are the existing boundaries of the Vale viewed as sacrosanct?

Another sound idea, again proposed by one of your correspondents, is that any proposed changes should be subject to a referendum - for the tax payers to vote on. What a revolutionary idea – local politics being decided by local tax payers. I’m not surprised that the suggestion has met with stony silence from all members of the council – perish the thought that ordinary people might decide something for themselves about the way services are delivered to them at a local level. Particularly as a referendum could - and should - be managed so as to have no political bias, unlike normal elections.

It should be borne in mind that the devolution of powers to the Welsh Government and the ongoing squeeze on public sector finances will mean that the remaining local authorities will have to be much more aligned to the needs of their customers - us the tax payers - as they look to deliver services in the future.

The bottom line is fairly obvious, currently elected councillors feel threatened by these changes and are undertaking damage limitation. My view is that we have far too many, poorly performing councillors; so every soundly thought through proposal that offers a chance to move us on from the status quo has to be worth very serious consideration.

This is a once in a 20-30 year chance to change things for the better – let’s not throw that away or leave it to groups of people who obviously are clearly putting vested personal and party political interests above what would be best for all the people in our communities.

Nick Meyrick

Marine Drive

Barry