WEYMOUTH and Portland Borough councillors have urged caution at the possibility of a unitary authority representing all nine councils in Dorset.

As reported in the Echo, the Government has awarded the county funding to explore ways of authorities working together in a bid to accelerate economic growth in the area, and one way that is currently being discussed is for a combined unitary authority.

All six district and borough councils, as well as the county council and current unitary authorities from Bournemouth and Poole, are in discussions to combine into one authority.

However, as revealed in the Echo last week, a breakaway group of the Bournemouth, Christchurch, East Dorset and Poole district councils are drawing up plans to make one authority for the conurbation, which is completely separate of the discussions to create a unitary council for the whole of the county.

Speaking at the scrutiny and performance committee of the Weymouth and Portland Borough Council (WPBC), Cllr Penny McCartney said the breakaway plans raised “trust” concerns.

She said: “I have got no problems with discussing a unitary council in principle, but we do need more information otherwise we won’t know the full picture.

“My only concern is what relationship we have with the other councils, do we trust them?

“There is a concern about trust.”

Cllr Ian Bruce, who is chairman of the council’s management committee, has been representing the council in talks over plans for the county-wide unitary authority.

Talking of the breakaway plans, Cllr Bruce said: “It’s disappointing, and it certainly came as a shock.

“I have always gone into this in a spirit of co-operation but I know that people will be very concerned if they think the conurbation is taking them over.

“There is an option to say ‘thank you very much, but you other eight go through with it’ but I think we should go with what we are all saying and I will try my best to negotiate a good deal.”

Cllr Mark Tewkesbury said: “I just don’t think we can trust Bournemouth and Poole, and it goes to show how they are playing their cards.

“There is a staffing issue, and a trust issue, and it goes hand in hand with the mergers in the tri-partnership as well “The only reason they want it is for the money, and you have got to look at what happened with the Dorset Waste Partnership. We offered a great service before, but we don’t now and we have had to pay for it.

“The alarm bells are already ringing straight away.

“Why do they want us to do a unitary authority? Because of the money, because of the budget of £750,000 and Bournemouth and Poole want it.”

Cllr Ryan Hope added: “It is worrying we might be signed up to something that we can’t get out of. We will be a big machine, there will be pressures on staff, by as local members we seem to be losing our voice again.

“We are all accountable to our residents, and it worries me that if we are not in the right party wearing the right colours or voices will not be heard.”