Residents in Dorset signal support for local government reorganisation

Residents of Greater Dorset have back a radical reorganisation of local government that would reduce the number of councils to two unitaries.

Public consultation results showed clear backing for creating one unitary council covering Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and another for the reminder of the present Dorset County Council area: East Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck, West Dorset and Weymouth & Portland.

Both a formal research survey and one to which the public were simply invited to respond showed majority support for this option across residents, the business community, voluntary sector and town and parish councils.

The ’two unitaries’ option scored 65% in the household survey and 53% in the open questionnaire. 

A study undertaken by business advisor PwC found that local government reorganisation in Dorset would deliver £108m of savings over the six years after the transition and improve services, provide stronger leadership, increase efficiency, save money and be sustainable.

Each council will now consider the case for reorganisation and if a request to Communities Secretary Sajid Javid goes ahead it could take effect in April 2019.

A joint statement by the nine council leaders involved said: “We are collectively committed to doing the right thing for our residents and for the county – to protect services, to raise Dorset’s profile, to grow the economy, and to generate prosperity and an enhanced lifestyle for all those who live here.

“We remain wholly optimistic for Dorset. Whilst we are conscious that there are a range of opinions and welcome the opportunity to mitigate concerns, we are hugely encouraged to see that the people of this county strongly support change in order to position Dorset and protect services in the future, and that the evidence concludes that change is in Dorset’s best interests.”

PwC partner Scott Bailey said his firm’s work had found “while the current councils in Dorset are performing and working together well, the evidence suggests that they could achieve even more by reorganising and changing the way in which they operate and deliver services”.

The reorganisation arose out of abortive attempts to create a combined authority for Dorset.

An earlier version would have seen the urban area of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole combined with East Dorset, which abuts the former two.

This though was rejected by East Dorset’s full council, leaving the option of a second council covering rural Dorset.

North Dorset, West Dorset and Weymouth & Portland already share management and services, though Purbeck is not involved in this.

Mark Smulian