WEST DORSET’S new look district council has met for the first time.

The authority held its first meeting since all seats were contested in local elections.

The meeting saw Peter Shorland elected as chairman for the council after serving on the authority for more than 20 years.

He told members: “Over the last 26 years I have seen how chairmen of this council have conducted themselves and I promise you all that I will carry out my duties of this office to the best of my ability.”

Cllr Shorland said that he would be choosing a mental health charity as his chairman’s charity but had not decided which one yet.

He will be supported by Jean Dunseith as deputy chairman, who said she was ‘delighted’ to be chosen for the role.

Anthony Alford was re-elected as council leader.

He said: “I commit myself to serving this council as leader to the best of my ability.”

Cllr Alford’s executive committee will be consist of Alan Thacker, Mary Penfold, Ian Gardner, Peter Barrowcliff, Tim Yarker and John Russell.

Following the appointments to various roles, the business of the meeting saw members discuss a motion proposed by Trevor Jones to look at streamlining member governance structures in light of the partnership work involving Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and North Dorset District Council and to bring forward proposals for implementing at the respective annual meetings of council next year.

Cllr Alford said that the executive committee had added an addendum to the motion to make it clear that each council will be responsible for making any changes to its own constitution to facilitate the operation of the agreement and to stress the need to preserve the sovereignty of each individual council under any proposed new arrangements.

Concerns were also raised at the meeting about the lack of information being fed back to the council from the under fire Dorset Waste Partnership.

Cllr Stella Jones asked at the meeting when a planning application could be expected for the details of the phase two Charles Street development in Dorchester.

Chief executive Matt Prosser said that the ‘long stop’ date was February 2016.