OPINION from Torfaen residents was mixed today as councillors agreed to a voluntary merger with Blaenau Gwent Council.

At a special council meeting held yesterday, Torfaen Council leader, Bob Wellington outlined that he believed the council should submit an expression of interest in a voluntary merger with Blaenau Gwent Council to Welsh Government by November 29.

This was unanimously supported by councillors.

Yesterday councillors in Blaenau Gwent also unanimously agreed to submit an expression of interest in relation to a voluntary merger with Torfaen council.

Pontypool resident, Ken Blake, said he wishes the council could stay solo and questioned how much it would cost administratively for the merger to take place.

“I hope that it won’t cost the local people,” he added.

The merger proposal was supported by Lisa Rowles from Varteg.

She said: “The merger is welcome as long as it brings benefits for the people of Torfaen such as better services.”

But David Simpson from Cwmbran disagreed saying there were no benefits of merging with Blaenau Gwent.

He said: “I would have preferred a merger with Monmouthshire or Newport as they perform better and Torfaen Council could have learnt a lot from them which would have benefitted local people.”

The merger plans began following the report of the Williams commission, published in January, which recommended a reduction in the number of Local Authorities in Wales, from 22 to 12.

The Williams Commission recommended that Torfaen is merged with Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly.

However, the preference of Torfaen’s Cabinet, has been to explore a merger with Blaenau Gwent and Monmouthshire.

Caerphilly Council expressed a preference for staying alone and Monmouthshire Council have expressed a preference for further examining of alternative models of service delivery.

Cllr Wellington said he believed that structural reform will happen, either voluntarily or on a mandatory basis and it would be unrealistic for a council of Torfaen’s size to remain alone as councils are currently facing the most sustained period of financial austerity that the public sector and local government have ever experienced.

Newport council says it also wishes to remain a standalone authority. The Welsh Government deadline for expressions of interest in voluntary mergers is Friday.