Evening meetings should be held for the new Dorset Council to attract younger, working people to stand as councillors.

The call comes from Weymouth and Portland Borough Council which holds some of its main meetings in the evening.

It was said that several councillors of working age were considering not standing for the new authority because of the difficulty in attending meetings during the day.

The new council comes into being in April next year.

Several councillors, during a borough council meeting on Thursday, said the change might also help address the age imbalance on many local councils – predominantly made up of retired people.

Proposing the move to call on the new council to hold some evening meetings Cllr Colin Huckle said the decision would provide “an equality of opportunity” for those who might want to stand for one of the 82 seats on the new authority.

“Even though it is enshrined in legislation I know it is difficult to get time off to attend meetings in the day.”

Cllr Penny McCartney said she worked and was well supported by her colleagues but often had to take leave to attend meetings: “It would be a shame if people had to think twice about standing,” she said, pointing out that it was usually easier to arrange childcare in the evenings.

Cllr James Farquharson said he had spoken to members of the borough council and colleagues at Purbeck who he said were ‘having reservations about standing because of meetings being held in the day.’

“There are some brilliant retired people around but we do need some diversity,” he said.

Cllr Kevin Brookes said that when he worked for the prison service he was allowed time off for council duties but when he moved to a commercial company his manager ‘laughed in his face’ when he spoke about time off for meetings.

Councillors backed the motion. Mayor, Cllr Gill Taylor will now write to the chair of the new shadow council asking for evening meetings to be considered.