DEAR Editor,

Our present two tier management of council services was designed 50 years ago before the business advantages of the M5, internet, mobile phones and satnavs. Adjacent councils have already changed to the cheaper unitary structure with one senior management team.

The Conservative leadership of Somerset County Council has worked hard over the last four years to bring this normal business reform for the benefit of Somerset citizens.

Their One Somerset business plan, saving £18.5m a year, was developed by the project manager of the successful change to unitary of neighbouring Wiltshire Council. It will end confusion about who does what and remove duplication.

The Liberal Democrat Party wanted to replace five existing councils with five new organisations, including a combined authority and a shareholder owned service delivery organisation.

The present leadership has coped with paying £42,000 a day interest on the £324m debt left by the last Somerset LibDem council while improving services, perhaps most visibly the junction resignalling at Paul Street and Rowbarton. These have been inconvenient at the time but traffic flows have improved. The huge £8.3m lane improvements at Creech Castle will be finished soon.

The Somerset Manifesto 2022 lists six plans from looking after our money to supporting us and our families.

It also has pledges for each existing district council area such as a Taunton/Wellington cycleway, two further park and rides and a new Taunton bus station.

Building the right homes in the right places is also a priority and the new council will make sure developers deliver on community infrastructure, as happened 40 years ago with the Comeytrowe centre.

If we want to keep this ability, ambition and low risk, we can elect Conservative councillors on 5th May.

Chris Mann, Taunton