Bloated sector

ASIDE of the apathy that surrounded the council elections was the reminder of the sheer number and duplication of local authorities. For a country of five million to have 32 separate bodies is typical of the bloated public sector in Scotland. The case for Ayrshire and Lothians to have three each, Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire to have two and the anachronism of tiny Moray and Clackmannanshire to have their own among others is all ripe for consolidation.

Why we need over a thousand councillors is as questionable as what MPs and MSPs are doing to justify their worth. The economy is wrecked for the immediate future if we’re expected to fund all these people.

C Dear, Linlithgow