Dorset would be better off under one single unitary council, according to the county council’s Conservative leader – but that does not mean a county council ‘takeover’, says Cllr Robert Gould.

In an interview with the Echo’s sister paper the Echo he admitted he has not known for very long about plans for a ‘breakaway’ super council in the conurbation.

As the Echo exclusively revealed two weeks ago, Bournemouth, Christchurch, East Dorset and Poole, all Conservative-led, are formulating proposals for a conurbation unitary council.

If approved by the government, it would mean the partial dismantling of the Dorset County Council (DCC)as it would no longer be involved in the east of the county.

Cllr Robert Gould, who became DCC leader last December, said: “We haven’t been directly involved in the discussions, but we continue to talk with our colleagues.

“We have been talking for some time about a combined authority and bringing together all the councils in Dorset to attract investment and encourage economic growth but this is an entirely different thing.

“It’s useful that this is now out there and it’s open on the table for debate. I don’t think they have done much detailed work on this proposal. We now need that kind of detail. How much will it cost and how much will other options cost? There now needs to be a lot of number crunching and fact and figures brought forward.”

Cllr Gould said there had been a lot of partnership work between Dorset’s nine councils already, particularly in delivering services such as adult social and waste collection and disposal.

“It seems counterintuitive to split the county up at a time when the government is encouraging councils to come together. Ministers want to see a single point of accountability and to me that suggests a single, pan-Dorset solution.

“I don’t think it makes sense to unpick all the work that’s been done. However a single tier Dorset unitary doesn’t mean a Dorset County Council takeover. It’s critical that the identities of the towns remain in tact.”

DCC chief executive Debbie Ward conceded that the council had been surprised at the timing of the announcement by the four east Dorset councils.
“We knew they had been talking but we didn’t know they were going to make it public so soon.”
Any new arrangements could be in place by the next round of elections in 2019.

Under the devolution agenda, ministers have said they won’t impose a solution but have told council leaders to come up with a viable plan if they want change.