Local authority merger talks 'destabilising'

Chairman puts foot down on plans

Talks of a proposed merger between Port St Mary and Port Erin Commissioners have had a 'detrimental' effect on local politics.

Port St Mary chairman Laurence Vaughan-Williams made those claims after the authority's clerk, Alistair Hamilton, tendered his resignation yesterday.

Though the exact reasons have not been revealed, it is the latest in a line of staffing changes at the board in recent months.

Mr Vaughan-Williams says the idea of amalgamation has sparked fears over redundancies - and that there are more important issues to worry about: