THE shadow Dorset Council will meet this week to approve its budget for 2019/20 - and the new council could be starting life with balanced books.

Among the main elements proposed is a harmonised council tax charge across the entire Dorset Council area, as well as around 200 redundancies of senior to mid-level managers and corporate staff to generate revenue.

Council tax is also set to increase from its assumed base rate by 2.99 per cent, meaning a Band D taxpayer will expect to pay £1,629.75.

The council had been facing a £15.5 million projected deficit when it starts work on April 1st but government changes to funding arrangements wiped out £11million of the potential shortfall.

Other ‘savings’ have been found elsewhere to balance the books.

Further savings, estimated at £10million, will be made over two years through the staff redundancies.

The shadow executive committee voted in approval of the budget in a meeting on February 11, and the shadow Dorset Council will make its final vote on the proposals in a meeting at South Walks House at 6.30pm on Wednesday.