Dorset Councils to Merge

Plans to merge Dorset’s nine principal councils into two unitary authorities have been approved by the Secretary of State for Local Government.   Sajid Javid said in a statement to Parliament that he had decided to implement the merger, having previously said he was “minded” to support it.

One Unitary will cover Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, with the second covering the rest of the county.

The new structure, which is still subject to parliamentary approval, aims to save £108m over six years and would see the number of councillors cut from 331 to around 180. First elections to the new councils will be held on 2^nd May 2019.