PROPOSALS to merge town and country in the same electoral areas have come under fire from a Richmond councillor.

Coun John Harris accused North Yorkshire County Council of "gerrymandering" in its attempts to redraw the boundaries between its electoral divisions.

He said proposals to replace the existing five divisions with six, in a bid to even up the numbers of electors represented by each member, would work to the detriment of townspeople in Richmond.

Two options before the county council would see Richmond town divided into three, with a rural area added on to each.

Coun Harris said such a move would mean townspeople were in a minority in each of the three divisions.

"This would be a very artificial situation which would go against the traditions of Richmond town," he said. "There would also be potential conflict for councillors who would be trying to represent town and rural dwellers."

Coun Harris's concerns are shared by officials at Richmondshire District Council, who want to see Richmond retained as one electoral division.

In a response to county council consultation, district chief executive Harry Tabiner said: "We do not believe either option best reflects the identities and interests of local communities."

The district council prepared its own option, which would see county divisions closely following the boundaries of district wards, as recommended by the Boundary Committee for England.

The review is an attempt to ensure county councillors represent roughly the same number of electors, an aim that is more difficult in sparsely-populated rural areas such as Richmondshire. The new divisions are expected to come into force for the county council elections in May 2005.

The options are discussed by the county's Richmondshire area committee at the Swaledale Fell Rescue headquarters, Catterick Garrison, on Monday, 6pm. Coun Harris said he hoped members of the public would air their views.