CANCELLATION of the annual State of the Area debate, which has been held in Poole for more than 10 years, has been branded “absolutely disgraceful”.

The evening event, held by Borough of Poole, to which residents and business people were invited, was due to be held at the Civic Centre on Monday, November 30.

But after being informed it had been axed, Cllr Mike Brooke, leader of the Liberal Democrat group said: “It’s disgraceful. It’s the death of democracy.”

He said: “It was an opportunity for the business organisations and charitable organisations to come and meet and talk and listen to a speaker, ask questions and have them answered by officers, the leader, opposition and the guest speaker, together with the Member of the Youth Parliament.

“This is a democratic deficit which has never been seen in Poole for years and years and years.”

And he accused Conservative council leader Janet Walton of “not wanting to meet the public”.

This was a charge she robustly refuted, telling the Echo she had invited, “particular members of the community in to meet me over the last four months. I’m not scared to meet my public”.

Cllr Walton said axing the debate was part of a new focus on community involvement.

“This is an old fashioned way of doing community engagement,” she said of the State of the Area debate.

It would be replaced with themed meetings, focus groups looking at particular issues such as the budget and increasing use of digital communication.

Holding the meeting, not counting officer time, cost £800, she said. “I would rather spend that money on something I get a better outcome from.”

She added: “We want to do things differently because we want to get a more meaningful outcome where we do open up better and more meaningful channels with our community.”

Bill Constance chairman of Poole Quays Forum said: "I'm surprised the council feel they don't need to be giving the community a yearly update. I think it's a retrograde step.

"They do need to give some thought to this communicating with the community rather than just axing everything. There needs to be something else put in place."