IN his recent letter, Mike Pearce of the Society for Poole, suggests that the role of our mayors could be "rolled up and disappear". Heaven forefend! I would like to assure him that whether we live in Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole, all of us are immensely proud of our civic identities, our civic histories and our mayors and are certainly not going to allow them to disappear in a puff of smoke in a year's time!

As a former mayor of Bournemouth myself and mayoress to my husband Michael before that, I know that the mayoralty is enormously respected and how much our mayors do in enhancing the life of our towns, acknowledging the good work of so many, acting as ambassadors and creating business opportunities. I also know how much the boroughs of Christchurch and Poole value their ancient traditions, their beautiful and historic regalia, their sheriffs, their wands, their maces and their unique and special heritage.

At the public meeting of the joint committee on March 20, it was proposed by Cllr John Beesley of Bournemouth and unanimously resolved by all present that the mayoralty of each town will definitely be retained, along with all those proud traditions.

The merger of the authorities will not make Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole disappear – each town, along with their mayors, will long continue to have their own individual characteristics and will thrive and bring pride to all their citizens and visitors well into the future.

CLLR ANNE FILER, Boscombe Cliff Road, Bournemouth