Ms Gillian Coughlan:

On town councils, yes there is a role for town councils as our towns grow and as our population grows there is huge demand for this around the nitty gritty of footpaths, estate management and things like that. The town council could take that role. The municipal districts have benefited, particularly small villages and rural areas, so I think town councils and municipal districts operating hand in glove within the county council structure could work very well. And yes, of course, I think professional local politicians would benefit the system.