IT must now be inevitable that Christchurch joins Bournemouth and Poole in one powerful council for the one very big town that we three make up.

Ultimately the government can decide to do whatever they like, and that seems to be what they want.

They know exactly how much local government costs our country, and they rightly want to cut it.

Once they cut off the blood supply of cash, then all these mini bureaucracies with their expensive officials and multiple councillors will have to do the sensible thing- merge with larger organisations.

Christchurch has one of the most elderly populations of any UK town, and older people are famous for their dislike of change.

Sure enough, it is the more elderly of Christchurch councillors who are most against the merger with our larger neighbours.

But politicians, whether local or national, famously have one big interest in common: their own remuneration.

So it's no surprise that all five Christchurch councillors who sit on Dorset County Council in Dorchester are all for keeping their positions, where they pick up an average of £20,000 a year each for a leisurely drive into the country once a month.

I would be too. They want to keep Christchurch away from Bournemouth and Poole.

But even on Dorset County Council which has another couple of years of life before it closes, Christchurch only has five councillors out of 46.

That is a much smaller representation than the probable nine Christchurch councillors of the 50 total on the super-council-to-be of Christchurch-Bournemouth-Poole.

But if we join our bigger neighbours, life here will still go on pretty much as before. Christchurch will still have its 1,000 year history, its Priory Church, its Mayor, its processions and traditions. Council tax for Christchurch residents will almost certainly fall with the massive cost savings.

Over three quarters of our council tax in Christchurch goes off to Dorchester anyway. And yet this distant town controls the important road building schemes in Christchurch, which is why so much needs to be done.

Those who urge you to vote against joining Bournemouth and Poole have no firm idea of what they actually do want to join now that Dorchester is effectively gone.

So do the right thing in our forthcoming referendum, Christchurch people. Vote YES.

Stephen Bath

Former MD of Bath Travel (Christchurch resident for 54 years)

Purewell, Christchurch