“WE have listened to what’s been said, and this plan is us being as transparent as possible.”

An action plan has been launched to help make it clearer for those who want to know exactly what’s going on with the big issues in Weymouth and Portland.

Leader of the council Jeff Cant said the plan – to be updated ahead of every management committee meeting – is designed to let people understand at a glance what progress is being made on issues such as the Town Centre Masterplan, the sale of North Quay, flood defences, the harbour, housing and developments at Weymouth Peninsula and Brewer’s Quay.

It is hoped the plan will encourage more people to have a say in what goes on in the town.

Cllr Cant said: “One of the more common complaints voters make is potentially that they do not understand what we are doing. The second thing is that we appear to be slow in progressing things that need to be done. Listening to that, we have decided to change the focus of the management committee in a significant way – so instead of receiving ad hoc reports on all sorts of different topics we are consciously setting out what key things we are expecting to be done, and when.

“This is not about, are my bins being emptied, are the weeds being cleared? It’s about the big, ongoing issues in Weymouth and Portland that affect us all.”

A ‘traffic light’ system shows how urgent items and updates are in green, amber and red.

Cllr Cant added: “This is as transparent as we can be, and there is a risk in that – the more people take an interest in going on the more people will challenge us. And we want to encourage members of the public to do that, to challenge us, if they think something is not going to work.”

The plan has been welcomed by senior councillors across political parties, including Cllr Colin Huckle, Labour leader on the council, Cllr Gill Taylor, leader of the Lib Dems, and Cllr Margaret Leicester, who represents independent councillors.

Cllr Taylor said: “It’s about working out what the public are going to be interested in, as opposed to what we are interested in. There is sometimes a big distance between councillors and the public, who do not always appreciate we are making decisions on their behalf.”

The plan looks forward to 2019 – when local government could look very different if plans for a unitary authority go ahead.

Cllr Cant said: “Our political group leaders have great will and determination to work closely together and make sure the best results are delivered for the community, between now and 2019.”