AN INCREASING number of Dorset councillors are voting with their feet and not attending meetings – with local government changes only six months away.

Some are complaining that they’ve been left out of the process and not consulted as a handful of councillors make all the key decisions.

However, a member of the shadow cabinet, dominated by Conservatives, claimed with so much work to do and so little time to do it, they just have to press on.

Shadow Cabinet member Graham Carr-Jones, leader of North Dorset District Council, said backbench councillors are being offered the chance to participate, but need to get themselves organised to do it.

Cllr Carr-Jones, the shadow cabinet brief holder for access and engagement, says regular briefings are sent out to all councillors and there is a standing invitation to attend any shadow authority meeting.

He told a meeting of the shadow overview and scrutiny committee on Monday that out of 176 members of the full shadow council only 43 had logged on to the council’s Sharepoint system to read their newsletters.

He also said that only nine out of 16 councillors had attended Monday’s meeting – outnumbered by those sitting in the public seats, and that some members of the committee had never attended.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” he said, “We are happy to do anything to engage members. There are councillors who have disengaged for whatever reason, but we can’t spoon-feed them. It’s down to the membership to inform themselves.”