THE leader of BCP Council has claimed engagement with ministers shows how the conurbation is trying to lead the country on how local government reorganisation can fund council services.

Cllr Drew Mellor, the Conservative leader of BCP Council, said he had experienced an increase in access to local government minister Kemi Badenoch and prominent cabinet member Michael Gove.

Local government reorganisation in Dorset in 2019 saw nine councils merge to form just two large unitary authorities – BCP Council and Dorset Council.

The move was initially expected to save £108million over the six years to 2025, however, both councils are in the midst of separate “transformation” journeys.

Speaking at a recent BCP Council cabinet meeting, Cllr Mellor said: “It has really been interesting and apparent to me that the level of access we are now getting as an authority with both Kemi Badenoch at her ministerial level but also at the senior ministerial level in terms of Michael Gove and the fact that we have been asked to contribute how we are being so positive in terms of our financial outlook – Council Tax freezes, massive investment in services – and how we are funding that.

“We believe local government reorganisation can be a real blueprint for how to fund and structure local government going forward and the ministerial exposure we are getting shows we are now trying to lead the country in this.”

The current financial year’s budget from BCP Council relied upon central government permitting the flexible use of capital receipts.

At the time of setting the budget councillors were told it was not yet known if this flexible use would be allowed still, however, confirmation came in April.

The contentious plan to sell the council’s beach hut stock to a wholly or majority owned special purpose vehicle needed this approval to provide £54million for the transformation project.

Cllr Mellor said he had been in correspondence with Ms Badenoch on the “innovative proposal”.

He said: “Following that discussion with civil servants and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, and our senior officers, we are really hopeful that this is stimulating the department to look again at alternative strategies for funding ours and other authorities’ transformation programmes following local government reorganisation.”