FANCY a Boris in North Dorset?

Voters are being offered the chance to have their say on how North Dorset District Council is led, and a Boris Johnson-style elected mayor is one of the options.

But district councillors have already said they don’t want an elected mayor, voting at a recent meeting to show their preference for sticking with a leader appointed in the conventional way.

Opposition leader, Cllr David Milsted, told colleagues that his party had no desire for an elected mayor and questioned the purpose of legislation forcing councils to choose.

“There’s no change to the current system except to how we order the tumbrel to take him away if we decide to remove the leader,” said Cllr Milsted.

An elected mayor would not be a councillor, but work instead as a full-time mayor. He or she would be elected for four years and choose between two and nine councillors to form a cabinet.

The council is currently made up of 33 elected members who elect a leader each year. The leader then appoints up to nine other councillors to form a cabinet.

“None of the options gives the council more powers or money to spend or alters the boundaries of the district, although some may cost the council more money,” a council spokesman said.

The public can have their say on whether they’d like an elected mayor until October 28, when the district council closes its consultation.

Cabinet bosses will then consider the public’s view before a special meeting of all councillors has the final say on the matter in December. Their decision will take effect after the next local elections in May 2011.

For more details of the consultation, visit consultationtracker. dorsetforyou.com. To have your say, write to the Democratic Services Manager, North Dorset District Council, Salisbury Road, Blandford, DT11 7LL or email jwilliams@north-dorset.gov.uk.

Letters and emails should be clearly marked “Representation on Governance Arrangements”.