TO take pride in your home town and want it to succeed are laudable characteristics in anyone.

There is precious little civic pride around these days, so we certainly welcome the broad tone of former Worcester Mayor Clifford Lord's comments, if not the detail.

Mr Lord was a city councillor from 1950 to 1955 and again from 1984 to 1996. He is a man with a wealth of experience - and Worcester at his heart.

The 80-year-old has spoken out to say the city must expand beyond its current boundaries if it is to secure a decent future. He would like to see Worcester develop and for the council to become a single tier authority.

Mr Lord harks back to the time when he first sat in the Guildhall in the 1950s, when "Worcester was a very powerful authority".

We, too, would like to see the city secure its future and regain some of its lost status. And, yes, we believe that Mr Lord is right to say the city's transport infrastructure is in need of updating.

But, we don't believe that Worcester needs to expand beyond its existing boundaries.

One of the things that makes the Faithful City such a pleasant place in which to live and work is its size.

Would Worcester be the same if it swallowed up Kempsey, Powick or Hallow? We don't think so.

There are ample brownfield sites within the city's boundaries which can be developed for homes and businesses, without the need to encroach on nearby villages.