I READ your report of the Priory meeting with great interest as I was not in Christchurch that evening. Great that so many responded, it seems to have been a lively event.

As a YES supporter I noted Cllr Bungey's comment regarding Iford roundabout and I think, unwittingly, he made an excellent point about why a merger will benefit Christchurch.

Presently Bournemouth collects tax from its residents to provide services that they will benefit from. Iford roundabout on its borders chiefly affects Christchurch residents commuting to and from work.

It just does not annoy so many Bournemouth voters and the council therefore has not lost too much sleep over it - they don't hear the pain of Christchurch's voters.

Under a joint council, in which Christchurch is a partner, Christchurch has muscle in sorting out this bottleneck properly as it becomes a shared problem.

A half-hearted attempt to fix it won't get approved as the Christchurch voice (a veto perhaps on local matters) will come into play until there is a good plan.

As things stand (and if the merger is stopped) Christchurch's traffic jam just isn't and won't be Bournemouth's priority.

ADAM HOBBS

Wentworth Avenue, Bournemouth