MERGING the councils of South East Dorset is essential to drive the area’s economic growth, according to its leaders.

As exclusively revealed by the Daily Echo yesterday, bosses at Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and East Dorset’s authorities have been in talks during the summer to form one ‘super council’.

And yesterday the Conservative leaders gathered at Branksome beach to show a united front in a bid to convince the public.

Cllr John Beesley, Bournemouth council’s leader, said creating a single unitary authority for the conurbation is a ‘significant opportunity for residents and businesses’.

“It seems to us that the time is absolutely right for us to pool resources and to make sure that we end up with a government settlement that is properly sustainable to the residents we serve,” he said.

Pointing to the ‘overwhelming majority’ of council budgets being spent on adult social care and children’s services, Cllr Beesley said: “It is not unreasonable for us to be looking to the longer term and making sure we are driving efficiency and sustainability wherever we can.”

Cllr Beesley dismissed the likely concerns of councils in the west of the county, which are not included in the plans, adding that South East Dorset is ‘clearly driving the economy of this part of the world’.

"The amount of inward investment we are already getting across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and East Dorset is very considerable," he said.

“We want to capitalise on that and we can only really do that as one unitary authority.”

Leader of Christchurch council Ray Nottage said: “It’s a tough decision but at the end of the day it’s about efficient government and bringing services closer to the people.

“We have to maintain all the issues associated with our heritage, civic functions and duties as best we can, as in Christchurch our heritage guides our future."

Former Bournemouth council leaders Douglas Eyre and David Trenchard have long campaigned for the councils to merge, launching pressure group Uniting The Conurbation (UTC).

Welcoming the news, Mr Eyre described the conurbation as a ‘world class area’ and that the plan will lead to ‘less fragmented decision-making, greater efficiency and being taken more seriously nationally’.

He added, however, that ‘personal agendas and politics’ are likely to prove the biggest obstacles to the idea becoming a reality.

MP for South Dorset Richard Drax said he could understand the need to make things more efficient but that often delivering services in rural parts, like in his constituency, is more expensive than in urban areas.

Councillor blasts merger plan 

A SENIOR Poole councillor has blasted proposals for a council merger as a "sell-out".

Cllr Mike Brooke, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Borough of Poole said members were only officially told of "behind closed doors" talks of a single authority covering Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch and East Dorset in an "urgent" meeting on Thursday. 

"It really looks like a sell-out as far as Poole is concerned," he said. The Tories selling Poole to Bournemouth."

He called for a referendum and said residents must decide. "Although the boundaries are blurred, Poole is a separate town, it has a very different economy. It has its own issues, problems.

"I think there would be a real danger in terms of Poole being subsumed within Bournemouth. Some people might think it's the right thing to do. Personally I don't. One thing is absolutely clear, the public have to have their say."

He said: "With something as big and important as that there would have to be a referendum. It is absolutely essential we find out what the people want."

Government seemed to favour mergers rather than take-overs he said, adding, "I would prefer to see a full partnership rather than a merger."