I WAS born in Suffolk, I live in Suffolk, I worked all my life in Suffolk and I love Suffolk. Suffolk people are warm, straightforward, thoughtful people and many of my best friends come from Suffolk.

I WAS born in Suffolk, I live in Suffolk, I worked all my life in Suffolk and I love Suffolk. Suffolk people are warm, straightforward, thoughtful people and many of my best friends come from Suffolk.

Therefore a proposal from the Boundary Committee that Lowestoft should become part of Norfolk comes as a shock. For Lowestoft to have to leave Suffolk would be tantamount to separating a lonely child from its loving parent.

Of the £1,362.58 I pay in council tax this year a huge 78.3pc goes to Suffolk County Council and a further 10.90pc goes to Suffolk Police Authority. Is this a reason to be forgotten? Especially when only 10.8pc will go to Waveney District Council.

So I considered what Lowestoft gets in return for its huge contribution to the county's coffers. Could it be the A12? Could it be Lowestoft bridge? Could it be help for a third crossing?

Lowestoft has, for more decades than even I can remember, begged for assistance in a third crossing. And what has loving parent always said? In a nutshell, clear off. Until last month and now behold; just as the possibility of losing Lowestoft to Norfolk looms - the Highways Agency will apparently carry out preliminary investigations. Suffolk is ecstatic. The authorities are ecstatic, the politicians are ecstatic.

Now I'm not a cynical man and Lowestoft people are not cynical people, but if we were it might seem a teeny-weeny bit miraculous that such happy news should break now. And we might also suspect that as soon as this boundary argument is resolved the prospect of such a crossing will vanish as suddenly as it appeared.

I do recommend that everyone should make the Boundary Committee aware of their views, whatever they are.

It may be appropriate to remark that the Lowestoft dialect is a Norfolk dialect; that the Lowestoft postcode is a Norfolk postcode; that our local hospital is in Norfolk. It should also be remarked that far more Lowestoft people use Norwich rather than Ipswich as a shopping centre; that it is easier and quicker to access Norwich than Ipswich.

Furthermore, supposing Lowestoft were in Norfolk and policing was therefore centred in Norwich, it would be a far quicker journey to Lowestoft from Norwich than from where Suffolk police have chosen to base themselves - at Martlesham. And finally if Lowestoft and Yarmouth were in the same county they might together have more clout in attracting a larger share of funding than either has enjoyed in the many lean years since the war.

I want what is best for the people of Lowestoft. I love the county of my birth and in that respect whether Lowestoft is in or out of it is immaterial.

RUSSELL BOWER

Grand Avenue

Pakefield

This wins our Letter of the Week Award and the writer will receive a bouquet courtesy of Sansom's Florists.