A REPORT for next Tuesday’s Caerphilly County Borough Council meeting deals with several recommendations re. the Welsh Government Invitation to Local Authorities to submit proposals for voluntary merger.

Personally, I believe the people of Caerphilly County Borough should be consulted on this matter. I can’t see the people of my ward, Nelson, being enthusiastic about merging with Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen for, in general, they have little in common with those areas.

Maybe Nelson people would choose to go with Rhonda Cynon Taff and Merthyr Tydfil or just Merthyr Tydfil CBC, as the fourth option suggests. However, I cannot see this being the choice of many people living in Risca ward, for example.

How will the people of Caerphilly, Bedwas, Trethomas and Machen wards feel about these recommendations? Perhaps they would prefer to be merged with Cardiff or Newport? Then there are the northern wards, as well as Blackwood and surrounding wards. What would those people prefer?

Will Caerphilly CBC be one of the councils that will be split up – some going one way and others going another? I ask this, bearing in mind the comments reported on October 152014 of Welsh Minister for Local Government Services Leighton Andrews AM that Wales will have “fewer council leaders, fewer chief executives, fewer council cabinets and fewer councillors”. I believe he failed to mention in his comments the fact that there will be thousands fewer local government jobs too.

The people of Caerphilly Borough wards should, through their town and community councils, have referendums to see which council they would prefer to be part of and their views should be respected. Let’s have the real democratic debate and consult the people. What do you say?

Cllr Mrs Anne Blackman, Independent Caerphilly County Borough Councillor for Nelson Ward.