Meeting documents

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·         Check if there is an item of business on this agenda in which the member or other relevant person has a disclosable pecuniary or the disclosable interest.

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·         Disclose the interest at the meeting (in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct) and in the absence of dispensation to speck and/or vote, withdraw from any consideration of the item where appropriate.  If the interest is non-pecuniary you may be able to stay in the room, take part and vote.

For further advice please contact Stuart Caundle, Monitoring Officer, in advance of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest to report.

30 minutes will be set aside to allow members of the public to ask questions relating to the work of the Council.  3 minutes will be allowed per speaker. The order of speakers is at the discretion of the Chair and is normally taken in the order of agenda items, questions must relate to a report which is on the agenda for consideration.  Notice is not required if you wish to speak at the meeting but if you require an answer to a question it is advisable to submit this in advance by contacting a member of the Democratic Services team or alternatively, by emailing kcritchel@dorset.gov.uk.

There was no representations from the public.

To receive questions from Councillors in accordance with procedure rule 12.

There were no questions from councillors.

That Members consider the draft report to Council and provide their comments.

The committee considered a report of the Chief Executive which sought      support to make a submission to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government requesting the restructuring of local government in Dorset through the formation of two new unitary councils to replace the existing nine councils in Dorset. 

The standard report (appendix 1) to all nine councils for consideration set out the findings of the commissioned work into the exploration of options for local government in Dorset and recommended a proposed course of action. A number of events had also been held for councillors across the three councils in the Dorset Councils Partnership.  

Pan-Dorset consultation across the County was carried out and the public consultation process included an open survey, household survey and consultation roadshows across the County (details of the consultation were also appended to the report).  In addition members also had access to three full reports from Local Partnerships, Options Research Services and PWC.

The Chief Executive further advised that based upon the weight of public opinion and the financial and other analytical evidence, option 2b as detailed in the report was the preferred option. The creation of two new authorities would help the Dorset Councils to address the county’s underlying challenges and ensure they maintained resilience in the face of continued financial pressures. He further advised that option 2b most closely reflected the local geography of rural Dorset and would deliver the greatest financial benefit to deliver improved services to the local community.  In conclusion, he stressed that change was required and that to maintain the status quo was not an option.

The Leader of the Council advised the committee that as a member of the Leaders Group and with the nine Chief Executives, the group had worked hard to produce the best case and form a future model for the continued delivery of local services.   He indicated, that this was the best chance of protecting those services, giving Dorset a much more powerful united voice and strengthen Dorset’s wider economic position.

The Leader of the Council acknowledge that should a decision be made by Council to support the recommendations, officers would bring forward a report  to commence a community governance review to consider the creation of a town council in Weymouth & Portland. There would also be a short informal discussion at the conclusion of the meeting to answer members questions on this matter.

Members discussed the information presented to them.

In response to a question, the Section 151 Officer set out the current assumptions for the financial settlement of the Council in the event that there was no change in structure.  He also set out the impact of amendments in the New Homes Bonus which was not predicted last year and how this affected the councils financial status. 

In response to concerns regarding Council Tax convergence , the Section 151 Officer confirmed that the impact within a new proposed structure did present a significant issue, which would require a political solution.

R Nowak advised  ...  view the full minutes text for item 101.