Sir, – The Boundary Committee would like to offer a warm welcome to the new unitary authority in County Durham which started work last month.

We’re working at the moment to decide the electoral arrangements for the new authority and your readers’ views can help to inform our decisions.

Your readers have already informed our decision that there should be 126 councillors who sit on the new authority. After making that decision, we began the second part of our consultation by asking people to tell us where the electoral boundaries should be drawn, in order that they reflect communities and provide for good electoral equality. What do you think of as a “community”? Which areas in the county do you identify as your local community? Are there any areas nearby that you don’t identify with?

We’d like to hear views from everyone across County Durham. Your readers can find out more information at local libraries or by clicking on the review for your new council area on our website at boundary committee.org.uk. You have until June 8 to tell us what you think, but everyone will have another opportunity to submit their views later in the year when we publish our draft recommendations showing which area each councillor will represent.

ARCHIE GALL Director, Boundary Committee for England, London.