I agree with the petition to separate Halton from the Liverpool City Region.

I have signed the petition and agree that it's not just about Covid.

The residents were not asked if we wanted to join the City Region and I would suspect that if we had a referendum the result would have been "no thank you". We have had to put up with becoming a one horse town unitary authority against our will, forced to vote twice and managed by people in positions way above their intelligence or experience.

The only one to benefit in a "city region" or devolution is the city itself, it's the extra money they want to subsidise their schemes, amongst other areas of concern.

Again it's the attraction of money that draws them into making bad decisions.

As for Steve Rotherham, he showed his ignorance this morning on Radio Merseyside when he stated most people in Halton would affiliate themselves with Liverpool or Manchester if asked, but he hasn't asked us has he ?

Chester is our nearest city and we are in Cheshire. Our health service is not in the Liverpool Region either. He hasn't got a clue about what the residents of Halton think, this is not " little Liverpool".

There is no need for an extra tier of administration particularly run by a Liverpudlian with Liverpool interests, it is a conflict of interests that needs to be addressed.

We need a referendum in Halton to ask the electorate if they want a Metro Mayor. We have also been charged for the privilege without being asked "again".

I advise everyone who wants "out" to sign the petition and voice their concerns to their local Councillor or MP before bad feeling between Liverpudlians and Haltonians gets out of control. Which it will.

M Reid

Runcorn