A CONCERNED residents' association has written to Christchurch Borough Council's auditors after the authority launched legal action against the Government and other Dorset councils.

In a letter sent to accounting and consulting firm Grant Thornton, Jim Biggin, chairman of Jumpers and St Catherine's Hill Residents' Association, has asked for a full investigation of the "most unsatisfactory" situation, after the council decided to pursue a judicial review.

The residents' group claims if the authority fails it could face costs of up to £800,000.

As reported by the Daily Echo, London firm Blackstone Chambers, on behalf of Christchurch Borough Council, sent a formal ‘letter before action’ to the Government and to the eight Dorset councils which have consented to local government reorganisation in the county two weeks ago.

It is understood that the basis of the legal challenge is the government does not have legislative authority to implement the plan to abolish all nine principal councils in Dorset and allow two unitaries to be created.

However, Mr Biggin and the other members of Jumpers and St Catherine's Hill Residents' Association's management committee have called on Grant Thornton to review the move.

The letter, which is addressed to Alex Walling of Grant Thornton, says: "We fully understand why the discussion was held in secret.

"However, we believe it was fundamentally wrong to potentially commit hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayer's funds to a project in such a way that we, representing some 3,000 of those taxpayers, are unable to tell our members: how much has been allocated; whether that is a reasonable estimate; how it is to be funded; what risks are associated with the expenditure; what effect it will have upon CBC services; what effect it will have upon Dorset County Council services in Christchurch." Mr Biggin goes on to write that the dangers involved with a judicial review, whereby the loser pays everybody else's cost, could see the authority facing a bill of £800,000.

The letter also suggests the legal bid is a "very high-risk project" and Christchurch taxpayers will be worse off whatever the outcome.

It concludes: "We believe that CBC has committed itself to a profligate level of un-budgeted expenditure without undertaking a proper risk assessment and in such a manner that we taxpayers are not in any position to assess the situation.

"We are asking you to now please act as our guardian and undertake a full investigation of this most unsatisfactory situation."