It is not Unitary Local Government that is ill-conceived (see front page of Herald, July 17), it is the practice of so-called two-tier as it governs Exmouth.

It is not Unitary Local Government that is ill-conceived (see front page of Herald, July 17), it is the practice of so-called 'two-tier' as it governs Exmouth.

Exmouth's problem is Miss Sara Randall Johnson calling for "Time on Unitary".

'Two-tier" is the wrong description. There is no hierarchy of responsibility. It is a dysfunctional split of responsibilities which has led Exmouth into disjointed 'shorttermism'.

For example:

There is the simple anomaly of seafront parking under two jurisdictions (front page of Journal, June 18). Visitors from Derbyshire bought their parking ticket from a Devon County (DCC) machine and were fined because they parked on the side of the road where East Devon District Council parking tickets were in use. This kind of split in responsibilities is inefficient, damaging and non-sensical.

Housing items in the Development Framework, recently produced by EDDC for public consultation, ignore concomitant issues of traffic and education which are both the responsibility of DCC.

EDDC has proposed a multi-storey car park at the London Inn, which will choke streets managed by DCC and frustrate town hall ambitions for a pedestrianised and community-servicing town centre.

Is there any evidence that communication between district and county is adequate to serve Exmouth well?

Has anyone shown any benefits for a 'two-tier' system of split responsibilities anywhere?

When any level of the present local government can propose a visitor attraction at the Mamhead Slipway site, we can all see that the system of governance is patently not fit for purpose.

It is time to call time. Unfortunately, the alternatives on offer for Exmouth are all flawed. There are more radical solutions, which could serve Exmouth's unmet vital needs, as well as those of the rest of Devon.

Nic Pawson,

1 Greenacre, 5 Isca Road, Exmouth.