THE top figure of the new 'shadow authority' for Dorset will be appointed by its executive of 16 councillors, it has been agreed.

The shadow authority will be set up in April, assuming the Government approves the plan to merge Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole councils together as one new unitary from May 2019.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Joint Committee agreed on Monday that the authority's chairman should be elected by the 16 councillors of its executive committee.

The move is controversial in some quarters due to the makeup of that committee, with eight councillors from Bournemouth, six from Poole and two from Christchurch.

Bournemouth councillor Andrew Morgan said the borough’s scrutiny panel for the merger process would prefer to see “the leader of the shadow executive elected by all the members of the shadow authority”, and therefore all members of the existing councils.

Committee member and Poole Liberal Democrat councillor David Brown also backed this idea, as did Christchurch council leader David Flagg who said: “My view is that in the interests of openness and transparency all members of the authority should be given the opportunity to vote.”

However the committee rejected this by 13 votes to three.

Poole councillor Drew Mellor said that as committee members would be chosen by the existing councils every councillor would have their say, and that the new chairman would be in post only one year until the new unitary is established.

n All the top legal and democratic officers in a combined Poole and Bournemouth department will be from Bournemouth, it has emerged.

Bournemouth’s legal officer Tanya Coulter is to become ‘service unit head of legal and democratic shared services’ for both councils.

The merger of the two departments is going ahead separately from the Future Dorset merger plans.

Other Bournemouth officials in top jobs are Sian Ballingall, head of legal service, Karen Tompkins, head of democratic services, Matt Pitcher, head of elections, land charges and registration services, and Viv Bateman, head of information governance.

All are dividing their time between Bournemouth Town Hall and Poole Civic Centre.