IN its recent press release about the proposed unitary authority for Oxfordshire, the county council claims that 70 per cent of county residents agree with the draft proposal.

As a city resident I have had no direct communication about this proposal other than a letter from Bob Price arguing the case of the city council.

What the public really believes is hard to know. Judging by the online survey, the opinion gathering process by One Oxfordshire was skewed to elicit a positive response.

The proposal for the unitary authority claims that large sums of money would be saved by the change. Some of these savings would presumably come from the dramatic reduction in the number of elected representatives. It is unclear what the consequences of this would be for local accountability.

At present I feel I have some influence over the policies implemented in Oxford through my relationship with our local councillors and as far as I can see this would wholly disappear under the new arrangements.

Exactly how a city ‘convention’ would work is unclear. What price do we place on democracy?

Ian Hudspeth’s suggestion in the county council’s press release that opposition to the proposals for a unitary authority comes from a rabble whipped up by the city council is insulting.

I am not a political activist and I would rather not be spending time on this.

I am a busy working person with multiple demands on my time who is frightened by this erosion of my rights as a citizen and the way that change which directly affects me appears to be being bulldozed through.

I accept that there may well be a case for some rationalisation of local authority structure and responsibility, but if this is to happen it should be on a consensual, transparent basis that involves open agreement with all local councils.

The current highly politicised process, with its bullying tone, is a waste of resources and an abuse of the time and goodwill of ordinary citizens like me. It needs to stop.

JANE BUEKETT

South Street, Oxford