THERE are just days to have your say on the prospect of the biggest shake-up in Dorset’s local government for more than 40 years.

The county’s nine major councils have put forward plans to merge into just two.

The Reshaping Your Councils consultation, which started on August 30, will end on October 25 – although any postal surveys with a postmark of that date or before will still be accepted.

Postal surveys were sent to 20,000 households county-wide, with other residents taking part online or at libraries and roadshows. The independent organisation ORS will collate the responses.

Debbie Ward, chief executive of Dorset County Council said, on behalf of all Dorset’s councils: “Our efforts over the last seven weeks have been focussed on encouraging local people to have their say and take part in the consultation, which is wide-ranging and fully compliant with best-practice principles. Thirty-nine roadshows have taken place across Dorset, where we’ve spoken to thousands of residents, and we’ve been encouraged by local people’s receptiveness and enthusiasm for the prospect of change.”

The options are:

Option 1: Retaining the current nine councils.

Option 2a: ‘Large conurbation and small Dorset’. Bournemouth, Christchurch, East Dorset and Poole would merge, taking on the services currently delivered by the county council in Christchurch and East Dorset. The rest of the area would have a single council.

Option 2b: ‘Medium conurbation and medium Dorset’: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (and the county council’s services in Christchurch) would merge, with a single council covering the rest of the county.

Option 2c: ‘Small conurbation and large Dorset’: Bournemouth and Poole would merge, with one authority for the rest of the county.

The idea of one single council has already been discounted.

The leaders of all nine councils will consider the responses, along with the financial and business case, from December. Each council will decide its response so that the authorities can agree a final approach by January.

If they decide to move forward with a plan, a case will be submitted to Sajid Javid, the communities and local government secretary.

Legislation would go through Parliament later next year, with interim arrangements in place in 2018, ready for the new councils to take responsibility for services in April 2019. Elections to the new authorities would be held in May 2019.

Details are at reshapingyourcouncils.co.uk

The case for change 

By Douglas Eyre and David Trenchard of the pressure group Uniting the Conurbation

Five key arguments for a unitary council for the conurbation.

1. To protect good, affordable council services.

With ever more pressures on the public purse, there have been and will continue to be less funding for council services. One unitary conurbation council, saving on the present wasted triplication (at least) of administration costs, would give immediate and longer term financial savings which will help sustain and improve the services which residents require.

2. To give us the better recognition we deserve.

With a population of some 450.000 people, our conurbation is one of the largest urban centres in the country. However, nationally, we bat way below our weight. A stronger single message to the outside world will improve our profile and influence encouraging better outside public and private investment in this ever more competitive national and ‘global’ economy.

3. To ensure better ‘Joined up’ planning.

There are increasing pressures on transportation and the environment. A stronger voice for the conurbation can enable more visionary ways to cope with local traffic gridlock and road links. More robust planning policies will enable best land use for our needs whilst protecting our local heritage and the natural beauty of this area. Central government will only devolve more powers to areas that show a real sense of vision and commitment.

4. To more reflect our real “sense of place” and belonging To most people the conurbation is one place where we live, work or relax unaware of historic boundaries and expect “joined up” thinking. A strong unitary council can not only protect the civic traditions, history and mayoralties of each “borough” but also devolve more influence to the real local communities where we actually live (e.g. Highcliffe, Westbourne, Hamworthy, Ferndown, etc.).

5. To deliver a better outlook for the next generation.

Although ‘no change’ can always be felt to be a comfortable option, the world moves on and conurbation wide local government will produce a better “joined up” strategy which can attract the inward investment to ensure the best of opportunities in education, employment and that much needed affordable housing.

Working together we can achieve more.

The case against

By Christopher Chope, Conservative MP for Christchurch

It is neither necessary nor desirable to change local government structures in Dorset.

The embryonic combined authority which will have responsibility for transport infrastructure and economic regeneration from next April will best be able to deliver the ‘southern power house’ to which local businesses aspire.

The great virtue of a combined authority is that each of the existing nine councils will be represented on its board and it will be able to evolve to develop and include responsibility for adult social care and children’s services which consume more than three quarters of the expenditure of upper tier authorities.

By keeping council structures as they are now - Option 1 of the consultation – councils will remain independent and democratically accountable while working in partnership together. Borough and district councillors are right to want to retain local control over planning, the Green Belt, housing allocations and many other key policy areas which differentiate our Dorset communities.

There is no financial justification for changing structures. Chief finance officers have confirmed to me that “All authorities within Dorset are in a solvent position and have sufficient balances to remain this way for the foreseeable future.” Great credit should be given to councillors, particularly those in Christchurch and East Dorset, who have worked so hard to deliver this strong position.

The financial crisis in Poole and Bournemouth is largely caused by the refusal of those councils to increase council taxes in the past. Band D council tax in Poole is almost £200 a year less than in Christchurch. The solution to Bournemouth and Poole’s problems can be in their own hands if they need to increase council tax. It is an insult to Christchurch that Option 2b would perpetuate forever higher taxes for Christchurch residents even in a unitary structure.

The consultation process has been used to bully and deceive residents into believing that ‘no change’ is not an option. We now know, however, that the content and assumptions of the consultation document and questionnaire are a travesty of the truth.

The whole process is irreparably flawed and any results emerging will be worthless.