THE parliamentary process to dissolve Dorset’s existing nine councils and create two brand new unitary authorities was launched yesterday.

The Structural Change Order (SCO), which is the legal document that will need to be approved through both Houses of Parliament, has been submitted by the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Senior officials expect approval to come in June.

Two new shadow authorities will be formed with the first meetings of these groups expected to take place within 14 days of the SCO's approval.

All current councillors from the relevant councils will make up the new shadow authorities.

Executive committees will be formed, featuring 16 members for the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole authority and 20 members for the Dorset Area council.

Cllr Janet Walton, chair of the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Joint Committee, said: “It is excellent news that the Government has presented the SCO.

"This is a significant step in the creation of two new councils for Dorset and marks the first stage in a formal process of scrutiny and debate through the House of Commons and the Lords, before we expect the Order to be in force in early June.”

Cllr Rebecca Knox, chair of the Dorset Area Joint Committee, said: “This is a huge step forwards in the creation of the new ‘Dorset Council’.

"We can now work towards the establishment of the Shadow Authority for the Dorset area, which will be made up of 206 voting members. We expect the first meeting of the Shadow Authority to take place in June. We will work hard to ensure our communities receive a seamless continuity of services when the new council goes live on April 2019.

There will be two further orders once the SCO is approved – a Finance Order and a Miscellaneous Order for all other matters.

The Finance Order is designed to ensure all previous local government finance legislation is applicable to the new unitary authorities, as well as some high-level principles for Council Tax Harmonisation.

The Miscellaneous Order includes all other provisions for the new authority. In addition, it is possible that a final, third consequential order will follow in the late autumn, should there be any outstanding matters that require resolution.