I AM frankly astounded to read in the Echo on Friday that the four Conservative leaders of the local councils have been meeting behind closed doors with a view to creating a single council covering the conurbation.

The Borough of Poole has a long and proud independent history and has always, even during the period of time when it was part of Dorset County Council (1974-97), maintained its own local council.

The council of the county and the Borough of Poole can trace its history back to the Longspee Charter of 1248 and two different town halls survive today – the Guildhall (dating from 1761) and the Civic Centre (dating from 1932). Local residents will no doubt be aware that Bournemouth and Christchurch have only actually been in the same county as Poole for 41 years.

Any combination of councils with Bournemouth in whatever form will inevitably result in the loss of people of Poole determining their own future and we will no doubt in future be regarded as nothing more than a suburb of a Greater Bournemouth.

The Conservative party in Poole did not include this is in their manifesto for the recent local elections and most certainly do not have a mandate from the people of Poole to give away sovereignty to a ‘super council’.

Poole council must give the people of Poole their say in a referendum and I shall be bringing forward a motion to council to bring this about.

Councillor PHILIP EADES Borough of Poole