It is good to know Adur and Worthing Councils 'welcome the potential for devolution' (Herald 24th April). Also that Jeremy Gardner and Sophie Coc, their leaders, want devolution to be "rooted in what matters most to our residents" and that "puts people first".

Devolution of a serious amount of central powers is to be welcomed indeed.

However, our council leaders tell us nothing about what will happen to local democracy in the local government reorganisation which is to follow devolution.

We have some clues. There will be only three unitary councils to cover the whole of Sussex. The Government says each should have a population of around 500,000. That means a reduction in the number of local councillors by probably two thirds (for otherwise the councils would have an unwieldy number of members).

Not a word about how this small number of super councillors will be elected. They should be elected by a fair votes system, not first past the post.

Not a word about how the new councils would be run. It is vital they should be run by all the councillors, not a favoured few in a cabinet. The cabinet system has failed to produce more "efficient" local government, contrary to the claim by the Blair government which introduced it. The evidence for this is now becoming clear at Worthing and Adur councils - but that will require a separate , long letter.

There is a real risk of a democratic deficit. We need to hear from Worthing and Adur's MPs, Beccy Cooper and Tom Rutland, about what they are going to do to ensure there is a vibrant local democracy after the reorganisation.

Will they support town councils for Worthing, Shoreham and Southwick? Will they fight to keep Worthing and Adur as a West Sussex council and stop us being lumped in with Brighton & Hove whose city council faces early bankruptcy now that hundreds of equal pay claims have been lodged by the GMB?

John Robinson, Chair, Adur and Worthing Liberal Democrats.

Letter to editor: Devolution to be welcomed, but brings real risk of democratic deficit