内容摘要：Director of corporate affairs, Emma Staples, said: "We need to improve our performance to rebuild trust back with customers... and deliver on the infrastructure that's going to help this region thrive."

Director of corporate affairs, Emma Staples, said: "We need to improve our performance to rebuild trust back with customers... and deliver on the infrastructure that's going to help this region thrive."

"When you make bigger councils that become more remote, you also have larger party machines operating at the bigger level more effectively," he said.He believes that larger structures would mean a bigger workload and "exclude" independents who are not professional politicians with the backing of a major party.

He added: "I think it's less democracy because if you're driven by national politics rather than local politics, the local communities would suffer as a result of that because whoever would be running the administration would be toeing the party line."He pointed out that Worcestershire County Council had been Conservative-run for years, while in Malvern Hills the council is run by a coalition of independents and Conservatives."If it were to go to unitary county, there would be no district council representation, there would be no independent voices," he said.

"They would be a secondary voice because they wouldn't be running the administration."A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "Our council reorganisation plans will strengthen local democracy and empower local leaders to meet the needs of their communities.

"This will boost local accountability and save taxpayers' money which can be reinvested into vital public services, as part of the biggest ever transfer of power away from Westminster."

The RNLI have urged people to check tide times after two people had to be rescued by volunteer crews when they were cut off by the tide."We tried to catch her and call her but she ran away down the road towards Bakewell," said Yuliia.

"She doesn't like towns where people are so it's more likely she is hiding in the woods."She's in survival mode and she might be afraid of strangers, but I really hope we can find her."

A theatre based in a former 19th Century courthouse remains on a register for venues at risk of closure for a 10th year, despite plans to renovate it.Spilsby Sessions House was added to the Theatres Trust Theatre's at Risk register in 2015 because its ceiling had become unsafe and was on the brink of collapse.