EVERYONE needs money in the lockdown, including councils (Virus costs £1m a week - Echo Friday, 24 April).

There are 26 county councils, let alone the municipal authorities in England. £1m a week is £4m per month x 26 counties is a lot of money, so it’s doubtful that the Government will quickly come up with that sort of credit.

Coming up with that sort of hard cash to fill that black hole will take a great deal of creative accountancy to keep public services running locally here in Dorset.

Surely, this is therefore the exactly appropriate time for cross party co-operation. On April 7 (in Have Your Say Dorset Echo) Mike Joslin argued for a co-operative model of political leadership at County Hall.

With a meeting of Dorset Council’s Cabinet scheduled for May 5 this will be a timely opportunity to discuss a new model of cross party political leadership, with plenty of competent Lib Dem, Green and Labour members willing to assist in the current lockdown emergency.

Council Leader Spencer Flower should be happy to grasp the nettle with every chance of success. Such a gracious and big-minded move by him and his Conservative Cabinet colleagues would be met with plenty of public support.

Richard Denton-White

Mill Lane

Charminster