I find it fascinating that Val Smith has "jumped ship", resigning from Oxford City Council and putting herself forward as a candidate for Oxfordshire County Council (Oxford Mail, March 23).

Her platform for standing for the county is apparently to have it abolished.

I suspect she will have an interesting time on the doorstep explaining how she justifies the inevitable disruption and cost such a major reorganisation would entail.

I have three brief points to make:

There are plenty of easier ways to make the current two-tier system work. A shared telephone switchboard system for the five district councils and the county would make our services a lot more seamless as would local shared service centres. I strongly support moves in this direction that would cement our already good working relationships, rather than destroy them by holding the spectre of abolition over one or more organisations.

Mrs Smith wants to abolish a county council judged by the independent Audit Commission to be 'good' (one below the top rating) in favour of a city council that has been judged as 'weak' (one above the bottom rating). Will giving Oxford City Council more responsibility make it better?

If Mrs Smith is really standing for the county council because she wants to wield power, she will need to join the Conservative Party first and stand as a Conservative candidate because Labour's prospects of running the county council after May 5 are about as good as a donkey winning the Grand National.

KEITH MITCHELL (Councillor)

Leader, Oxfordshire County Council