Selling the idea of a joint west Dorset council, a new unitary body, included the words ‘saving money’.

Reading in the Echo, I see the new over spend is now £14.5 million and that is from April to now, a mere six months, so what will this council achieve in a year one would ask?

Some of the shortfall, according to the council members, is through child services, which isn’t surprising given that children in need are receiving care outside the county. Even a bear with a small brain would work out this, with expenses for monitoring and parental visits added to the care cost of £8 million.

Another big expense that adds to the council’s overspend is adult and elderly care. Certainly with these care needs again, we should not be surprised as in Dorchester alone we have more than enough elderly care residential homes.

The hospital recently quoted figures of a backlog of patients that are ready to be discharged but no care is available in the community - be it carers or residential homes.

We are only in autumn with winter yet to come, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that we have more bed blocking to come and no money from the NHS as all the funds went to east Dorset.

Dorset has one of the highest council taxes in the country, certainly in west Dorset houses are emerging on a par with rabbit breeding, yet we have an overspend not of one or two million but £14 million plus and this is after six months.

Surely questions should be raised as, like the song goes, ‘where has all the money gone’. Salaries? Expenses?

I am a pensioner who never had the privilege of a big salary, but I haven’t borrowed or overspent and spend what I can afford. I certainly do not waste money on changing logos to suit different activities even if it’s done, as I’m told, in house, it’s still someone’s time plus usage of equipment.

With the new council supposedly cutting staff and the initial recruitment of staff for this new unitary body, it’s a shame a finance officer wasn’t employed.

Services have been cut year in year out but the council tax still rises.

I for one would like to see some return for my money, once I had a view thanks to over building that has gone, pollution with increased carbon footprint is getting more, the beloved countryside that people want to escape to is getting smaller.

When are you going to wake up to the mess you have created?

Heather Robinson

Bridport Road,

Dorchester