Sir, - I read with interest the letter from Archie Gall, director of the Boundary Committee (D&S, Jan 23). The Conservative county council is running a vigorous campaign trying to convince the public that big is beautiful and that it is the only council capable of running your services in the future.

If change is to happen then I personally support the unit of Richmondshire and Hambleton, as I believe we have similar communities and need similar services.

Any larger units would see us swamped by Scarborough in both the North Riding option and the Dales and Moors option. What would the future of Northallerton be in such a unit? The county option is both geographically too large and has very diverse communities which makes its future unsustainable in the long term.

The county council claims that it provides 85pc of the services - a hollow claim when they have to pass about 42.5pc of its budget to school governing bodies and a further 6.2pc has to be spent on further pupil services.

The reality is that it has no control over nearly half of its budget. Many other services are provided by the private sector through contracts, and the savings they have brought would continue but the commissioning of new contracts could reflect our local community needs better than is currently the case.

The future of local government should not be solely about costs but about building sustainable units which can deliver effective and efficient services.

Large units covering very diverse communities will give rise to tensions.

Local people I have spoken to would like to see a council which provides value for money but at the same time is accessible and where they can have influence over decision making. I agree E-government is an important part of future councils' communications with us but not the entire future and face-to-face encounters with decision-makers will still be desirable and necessary.

We should remember that North Yorkshire councils collectively are spending about £100m annually so we are only talking of savings and costs at the very margin of total expenditure, less than lp for every pound spent.

Community identity is the overriding reason why I support the Hambleton/Richmondshire option. It would best meet the future needs of our local area.

Coun CAROLINE SEYMOUR

Hambleton District and North Yorkshire County menber for the Stokesley Ward,

White House Farm,

Stokesley.

The county's duty

Sir, - You report that North Yorkshire County Council is acting to remove obstructions from footways in urban areas and that offenders will be punished if they do not respond to notices to remove them (D&S, Jan 23).

County Coun Peter Sowray states that the county council has a statutory duty to enforce the law.

This statutory duty applies to all highways including rights of way in the countryside. At present about 70pc of those under the council's direct control fail the national best-value performance indicator test because they are obstructed or otherwise difficult to use.

Can Councillor Sowray say when will the county council take similar effective measures against the many who obstruct our rights of way and make much of North Yorkshire a no-go area for many walkers and riders?

DAVID LEYSHON

Ripley Road,

Stockton on Tees.