THE next full council meetings at Christchurch and East Dorset will be broadcast live over the internet.

The meetings, which take place at East Dorset on Monday February 25 at 6.30pm and Tuesday February 25 at 6pm, include the setting of the council tax and approval to submit the Core Strategy to the Planning Inspectorate for public examination.

Due to the level of public interest in the core strategy and limited space in the councils chambers, councils are encouraging people to watch online.

Anyone wishing to address the meeting at East Dorset or raise a question at Christchurch is advised to contact the Democratic Services team on 01202 886201 extension 2403 as soon as possible as there are time limits, deadlines and a restriction on the number of representations that can be made.

Cllr Spencer Flower, leader of East Dorset District Council, said: “The core strategy is an emotive issue for many residents, however, it has been the subject of extensive consultation and engagement over several years and this version of the strategy is the culmination of that process.”

Cllr Ray Nottage, leader of Christchurch Borough Council, added: “What we are asking our members to do now is to approve the Core Strategy to go to the Secretary of State so that all of the views so far expressed can be independently scrutinised.

“Enabling the meetings to be watched over the internet will allow residents to listen to the debate without worrying about gaining access to the meetings.”

The web cast feeds will be live from approximately 15 minutes prior to each meeting at www.dorsetforyou.com/407569.