COUNCILS fighting for their existence in North Yorkshire say a MORI poll proves people want them to continue.

They say a plan to scrap district councils in the county, including Craven, and create one single authority based in Northallerton are unpopular with residents.

In a joint statement sent out by the councils, the districts stated: North Yorkshire residents have delivered a resounding NO to plans to create a single unitary council providing all services across the whole of North Yorkshire - 77 per cent preferred instead to see the existing district and county councils working more effectively together.

Local people from across the county took part in an independent survey last month commissioned by the North Yorkshire District Council Network. Leading district councillors were concerned that residents were not getting a chance to have their say in the debate over the creation of a single council.

And they found that the majority thought the area is too big to be served by one authority and that a single council would be too remote and less in touch with local peoples needs.

Leading research agency Ipsos MORI was commissioned to gather opinion.

A random sample of people in all seven areas of the county V Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby V took part in the telephone survey.

Nowhere in central governments consultation plan do the 582,000 who live in North Yorkshire feature V the very people who these changes are going to affect most, said Councillor Arthur Barker, speaking on behalf of Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby.

So we have asked the questions for them V we hope they now will listen to the answers. As we expected the residents of North Yorkshire do not want to see a single unitary created for the county V in fact 69 per cent of them said the current system works well for them.

And a massive 75 per cent agree with our view that one council for whole county will be too remote and less in touch. Added to that, 71% say the area is too big to be served by one authority and that councillors would have less power to improve things in their local area.

It is vital that these results are taken into consideration V the public have spoken and they have said NO to a single council for their county.

He said the surveys other main findings are:

*After consideration of the issues over half (55 per cent) disagree that there is a need for a change to a single council, with just one in three (32per cent) favouring it

*Residents do not consider the present arrangements to be perfect V 55per cent say they find it confusing but more than 70per cent recognised the roles of the district councils and most of the services of the county council

*68per cent are satisfied with the way in which their district council runs the area

*81per cent said they would still prefer a single point of contact

*90per cent said all council leaders should meet regularly to take the needs of the county forward together

*48per cent disagreed that a single council would be more efficient V 37per cent agreed

*54per cent say the change would be too disruptive

We went to Ipsos MORI because we wanted a true picture of what local people think. The questions were formulated by MORI, were impartial and the survey was conducted with a representative sample of people across the county, he added.

Creating a single council will take the local out of local government V it would create a body too large to cater for the diverse rural and urban needs of North Yorkshire. We believe that the best way forward is to keep the present two tier system but with increased partnership work V something we all signed up for only last year.

We have already agreed to create 34 one stop shops across the county where all council services can be accessed by local people V that process is only being hampered by this debate. We were also working on improved efficiencies in waste management and transport. These improvements do not need a single unitary authority in order to happen.

Central government announced in March that North Yorkshire County Councils bid to create a single unitary council for the county was one of 16 to go forward for further consultation. That consultation ends on June 22 V to add views and for more information log on to www.structures@communities.gsi.gov.uk or Unitary Structures Consultation team, Zone 5/E8, Eland House, Bressenden Place, London, SWIE 5DU h Ipsos MORI interviewed a representative sample of 2,007 residents aged 18+ across the North Yorkshire area by telephone between 11 and 17 April 2007 h Full details of the survey can be found at www.hambleton.gov.uk