Only three opposition councillors but scrutiny will be "more intense" says Bournemouth council leader

Cllr Beesley said he was hopeful backbench Conservative councillors would play an important role in holding him and his fellow cabinet members to account.

The Conservatives have led Bournemouth council since 2007, but increased their majority at the recent local election, securing 51 out of the 54 council seats.

The only non-Conservative members of the council are Independent Cllr Anne Rey, Green Cllr Simon Bull and UKIP Cllr Laurence Fear, a situation that has led to the creation of a new group called the 'Bournemouth Unofficial Opposition Council Scrutiny, Reading and Research Group' on Facebook.

The group has been set up by unsuccessful Green candidate Samantha Monks and unsuccessful Lib Dem candidate Lisa Northover.

Lisa said: "As a group we can challenge Bournemouth council for greater transparency and where appropriate question decisions. We intend to use our constitutional rights to raise issues of concern at council meetings and champion campaigns to achieve justice for residents of all Bournemouth, regardless of their political, social or economic circumstances."

But Cllr Beesley said fears the administration would not be properly scrutinised were unfounded. "Knowing some of the many who have now joined the council, it's quite likely that the level of scrutiny will intensify," he said.

"My hope is that it will be more challenging in terms of really holding the administration to account. I think it's important that that happens and that it's seen by the public to be happening.

"There are 41 other members of the Conservative group over and above those on the cabinet who will be looking forward to exercising the challenge of scrutiny.

"I think there will be considerable interest in some of those headline issues which will be coming forward over the next few years, not least as a result of the future austerity measures brought about by Government."