AMASSIVE amount of senior staff time has been spent on what seems to me, and no doubt to many senior council staff, as another example of poor judgment, with potentially ruinous consequences for Herefordshire residents.

Herefordshire Council has a poor reputation locally and nationally. It is significantly under-funded compared to similar councils.

Top council leadership set a culture of blame and scapegoating, driving out or exasperating those who dare to challenge proposals and decisions, and staff quality goes unrecognised. This is not a learning organisation. There are many very talented members of staff but their potential is wasted. A few come here to end their careers comfortably in a pretty county and are not interested in change. We badly need new leadership with energy, vision, the ability to engage with people constructively and to listen, ready to consider radical ideas and to delegate confidently and supportively.

It is surely madness, in these circumstances, to suggest a major, innovative reorganisation linking the council and health. Health soaks up money, is driven by national agendas and is totally focused on government targets that have no connection with local needs. The council's financial problems would be made worse not better, and representation of local people would be diminished not increased.

The costs of reorganisations are immense - redundancies, early retirements, premises adaptations, staff re-training, staff time for planning and implementing change. And the loss of staff focus on their current jobs would also cost us. With the right leaders, partnership working between health and council could be very effective, but it does not need a Public Service Trust to achieve that.

(Name and address supplied).