MAY I urgently remind the people of Devon that the latest consultation on the Boundary Committee's further proposals closes on Thursday May 14. 

These are the most important proposals yet and I appeal to everyone to write or email their views to the Boundary Committee and/or to Secretary of State for Local Government, Hazel Blears, MP, or to your own MP.  The more views the better the decision she will be able to make on these proposals for a new unitary authority for Devon.

The Boundary Committee is suggesting a single unitary for the whole of the current Devon County Council area excluding Plymouth and Torbay, or a Greater Exeter and Exmouth unitary authority, and a rural unitary authority covering the remainder of Devon, again with no changes to Plymouth and Torbay.

Do people want these to happen? I give the addresses to write to at the end of this letter.

As a representative of Okehampton Town Council I have attended most of the Boundary Committee meetings in Devon since their first proposals came out.  At their meeting, which I attended in Exminster,  I expressed my concerns on finance, democracy, community boards (the comprisation of) and also the north/south divide. The north of the county is poorer than the south and I asked if the north will be discriminated against in any new unitary authority where funding is concerned.  Boundary Committee representatives replied that they 'can't be sure of fairness in the future'.

Copies of the unitary local government review are available in all libraries and the offices of councils, and on the internet..

Please write by email or letter, but please write as this will affect everyone for the generations to come. The email addresses are as follows:

reviews@boundarycommittee

.org.uk Hazel Blears MP [email protected]">[email protected] or write to:  The review Manager, (Devon Review), The Boundary Committee for England, Trevelyan House, Great Peter Street, London SW12P 2HW.

Cllr Hyder Ali Pirwany

East Street

Okehampton