WHILST fully agreeing with the disquiet expressed by Mr Mathew (Letters, February 10) and Mr Letchford (February 17) about the possible move to an executive-led system for West Devon Borough Council, there is an additional grim problem looming, albeit in a slightly longer term, and that is the full merging of West Devon Borough Council with South Hams District Council.

The two councils already share a chief executive and an increasing number of officers and services. Whilst the economies of scale brought by sharing are to be applauded, the full combination of the two councils would be a step too far.

At a recent meeting with West Devon senior officers I asked the direct question of whether they consider the merging of the two councils to be a possibility and the reply I received was that it was almost certainly inevitable.

In the recent past there were considerable additional problems for electors, councillors and officers in working between West Devon's two offices in Tavistock and Okehampton, a result of the combination of those two districts in 1978. Consider how much worse it would be in the future in working between the Tavistock and Totnes offices if West Devon and South Hams merge.

A resident in Hatherleigh would have to do a 100-mile round trip to attend a council meeting in Totnes – hardly local democracy! And if the merged council was executive-led with an executive committee of perhaps just eight members, then the councillor for Salcombe could be making decisions for the people of North Tawton.

If, after the May elections, the councillors of both councils decide to move ahead on a merger, then an application has to be made to the Boundary Commission which would have to hold wide consultations before a decision is made in time for the next elections in 2015.

The commission could, in its wisdom, split West Devon into its pre-1978 districts, and align the old Okehampton District with its current parliamentary constituency leaving Tavistock (District) to go south. The geography of Dartmoor makes this a possibility.

Would you support a council merger between West Devon and South Hams? is also the question every candidate for the May elections should be asked. The question will almost certainly be on an early agenda for the newly elected councillors.

Noel R H Cartwright

Sampford Courtenay