CHRISTCHURCH councillors are set to instruct their officials to investigate alternative restructuring options working with Purbeck and East Dorset.

An emergency motion has been submitted to full council on Tuesday night by councillors David Flagg and Nick Geary.

The motion comes a week after six councils submitted a plan to the government for the abolition of the current nine local authorities in Dorset, replacing them two unitaries.

Christchurch, East Dorset and Purbeck did not support the proposal.

The motion "regrets" that the submission was made without broad consensus and that "no attempt was made by the six Councils to seek whether any common ground could be found."

It also instructs officers, working with colleagues at Purbeck to investigate an alternative submission to Communities and Local Government Secretary, Sajid Javid, on the basis of sharing services but with each authority retaining its own sovereignty.

There are also plans to establish a steering board of three councillors from each council to oversee the submission.

It's unclear if the motion is going before East Dorset on Monday night and Purbeck on Tuesday.