FERNDOWN should be included under the new conurbation unitary authority, a councillor has claimed.

In an email chain seen by the Echo,members of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole councils have been discussing proposed boundary changes being considered by the Local Government Boundary Commission, with many expressing reservations.

In particular Bournemouth councillor Nick Rose submitted the map made above, claiming that the border of the new authority, when it comes into effect in April next year, should reflect whether the locations have an urban or rural character.

The Westbourne and West Cliff councillor said: "The towns of Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch are about to merge in a LGR (Local Government Reorganisation).

"However no consideration has been made to 'tweaking' the boundaries so that we can remove those quirks from historic boundaries that split communities like Upton down the middle, where communities on one side of the street are considered "rural" and the other side "urban".

"There is also significant disquiet amongst other councillors where it is considered that the process is being rushed without adequate consultation.

The LGR is such a significant change to our area that we should get it right, and pause to make those final important changes."

He said that on his diagram the blue line represents the Boundary Commission's current proposed borders, the solid red line his proposals and the dotted line any additional ideas from other councillors not yet mentioned.

He is urging Communities Secretary James Brokenshire to pause LGR so councillors can put the larger boundaries to residents in a referendum.

"But it is not my decision to impose boundaries, for any town and village shown in the two boundaries on my map that are not in Bournemouth Borough Council, Poole Borough Council or Christchurch District Council, they would need to make up their own mind in a referendum."

In the email chain, which Cllr Rose confirmed was genuine, Poole Town councillor Marion Pope said: "The commission is recommending to parliament that the constituency will be renamed Mid Dorset but will include my ward of Merley and Bearwood.

"The commission propose to split the ward and merge Merley with Broadstone and Bearwood with Kinson South.

"This would mean that Bearwood and Kinson South would fall into two separate parliamentary constituencies."

Poole councillor Andy Hadley, of the same ward, said: "This has all proceeded with indecent haste, in a series of urgent lurches, with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government sitting on the decision so long that proper review seems to have been impossible."

Visit consultation.lgbce.org.uk/node/13247 to see the consultation, which closes on August 27.