We need a public debate on tri-council partnership

Members of the public? No, – Councillors. Was it in the election manifesto? No. Properly interactively debated with the public? No. Discussed in terms of numbers of tiers of local government? No. Covered in WDDC’s information newspaper to all residents, ‘Community Link’? No. (WDDC has cut off this news source).

WDDC made a dash for its new offices in Charles Street South public car park, previously earmarked as part of a transformational shopping development.

They took up over a third of all Charles Street car parking for the offices. Recently a WDDC director said in a meeting: “We’re short of 150 car parking spaces.”

True. We were sitting on them.

So dare we now entrust them with another tri-partite ‘dash’, persuaded by benefits such as independence, interdependence and a government grant?

The real analysis needed – not debated in this recommendation – is would such a partnership reinforce the middle tier of local government, thereby complicating Dorset streamlining to a successful unitary system like Wiltshire’s?

And what does WDDC’s recommendation tell us financially of the unitary option?

It doesn’t.

There’s no analysis.

The executive summarily dismisses it saying ‘it would require government action which at present seems highly unlikely’. So who will examine the case?

I’ve written to council leader Robert Gould to ask if he, as leader, would lead the way in a debate with a panel of members of the public in the Corn Exchange, so that he can openly communicate why ‘unitary local government’ doesn’t appear worth investigating and whether he believes WDDC would try to persuade the post-election Communities Secretary to promote Unitary as a living option for Dorset.

We hope council leader Gould will debate openly, democratically, publicly and interactively, not just with the 48 ‘chamber-members’ but also many of the 100,000 ‘electorate-members’.

John Grantham, Public Holds WDDC to Account