I believe that Poole council desperately needs a change of governance.

The leader and cabinet system is outdated, non-democratic and does not allow the majority of councillors to be involved in important decision making.

Changing to a committee-style council would ensure that all members play a part in policy-making and to act in the best interests of their residents and the Borough of Poole as a whole.

Poole residents certainly deserve better. It will stop the ruling executive, or as I see it, the ‘cabinet dictatorship’, making decisions which very often are rarely questioned.

There have been too many bad decisions made by individual cabinet members, some of whom have no expertise in the portfolios they hold.

The recent sacking of a cabinet member because she stood up for her residents was totally wrong and shows how dictatorial the leadership is.

I believe that all members of the council are of equal importance whatever political party they belong to but politics at local level should not get in the way of good decision and policy making and everyone must be involved in that That is why I am putting a motion to full council calling for a review of council processes in order to increase accountability and efficiency.

Cllr Sally Carpenter

Parkstone Ward,

Borough of Poole