Dorset Council (UK)

Last updated

Dorset Council
Dorset Council.svg
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 2019
Preceded by Weymouth and Portland
West Dorset
North Dorset
Purbeck
East Dorset
Dorset County Council
Leadership
Stella Jones,
Liberal Democrats
since 16 May 2024 [1]
Nick Ireland,
Liberal Democrats
since 16 May 2024
Matt Prosser
since 1 April 2019 [2]
Structure
Seats82 councillors
United Kingdom Dorset Council 2024.svg
Political groups
Administration (42)
  Liberal Democrats (42)
Other parties (40)
  Conservative (30)
  Green (4)
  Independent (4)
  Labour (2)
Elections
First past the post
Last election
 2 May 2024
Next election
3 May 2029
Meeting place
Dorchester - County Hall (geograph 3007327).jpg
County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ
Website
www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Dorset Council is a unitary local authority for the district of Dorset in England, encompassing most of the area of the county of the same name, Dorset. Created in April 2019, the council was formed when the county moved from a two-tier county council and district council system to a one-tier system, with the county divided into two districts administered by two independent unitary authorities – Dorset district and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole district. [3]

Contents

History

Statutory Instruments for local government reorganisation in the ceremonial county of Dorset were made in May 2018. Under the plans, dubbed "Future Dorset", all existing councils within the county were to be abolished and replaced by two new unitary authorities. One was formed from the unitary authorities of Bournemouth and Poole which merged with the non-metropolitan district of Christchurch to create a unitary authority known as Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. The other, Dorset Council, was created from most of the area administered by Dorset County Council (apart from Christchurch) and the non-metropolitan districts of Weymouth and Portland, West Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck and East Dorset. [4]

Shadow authority

Statutory instruments for the creation of the new authority were made on behalf of the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 25 May 2018, and a shadow authority was formed the following day. [5]

The Shadow Dorset Council consisted of all elected councillors from Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, West Dorset District Council, North Dorset District Council, East Dorset District Council, Purbeck District Council and all councillors from Dorset County Council with the exception of the five that were elected from divisions within Christchurch. [6]

The first meeting of the shadow authority was held on Thursday 7 June 2018, when Hilary Cox was elected to be chair of the shadow authority and Peter Shoreland was elected as vice-chair. [7] [8]

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England recommended that the new council should have eighty-two councillors representing a mix of single-member, two-member and three-member wards. [9] [10]

Locations

Buildings used by the council and its staff include County Hall at Dorchester, which was completed for Dorset County Council in 1955. [11]

Elected council

The inaugural elections for Dorset Council were held on Thursday 2 May 2019, alongside other local elections. Whilst the shadow authority had 172 seats, the new council had 82 seats, with revised ward boundaries. The Conservatives were the largest party, with 43 seats (out of 42 required for a majority), but with a reduced majority. The Liberal Democrats (29), Greens (4), Independents (4) and Labour (2) all won seats as well. The Independents subsequently sat as the Alliance for Local Living Group, [12] and in October 2019 the councillor for Rowell and Wyke left the Labour party to sit as an independent, leaving Labour with just one seat. [13] Further seat changes occurred in 2022, when Daryl Turner resigned in Lyme and Charmouth. [14]

Spencer Flower, a Conservative, was appointed the leader of the council at the first meeting of the council after its first elections in 2019. He had been the last leader of the former East Dorset District Council. [15]

In 2021, Mike Barron, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Corfe Mullen, joined the Conservatives. [16]

On 6 November 2023, Conservative councillor for Littlemoor and Preston Tony Ferrari died after collapsing while running. [17]

2024 Liberal Democrat administration

In the 2024 Dorset Council election, the Liberal Democrats won a majority of seats. [18] Nick Ireland, prospective leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said there were plans to include members of other parties in the new cabinet. [19]

On 14 May 2024, the new cabinet was announced, including Green Party councillor from Rodwell and Wyke, Clare Sutton. [20] Lead councillors were scrapped to save money. [21] [22] Four councillors representing wards in Weymouth were appointed, which was significant as the previous Conservative cabinet had no members from the town. [23]

CouncillorPartyPortfolioWard
Nick Ireland Liberal Democrats Council leader, performance, communications, the environment, climate change and safeguarding Crossways
Richard Biggs Liberal Democrats Deputy leader portfolio holder for property and assets, economic growth and levelling up, Dorchester councillor Dorchester Poundbury
Simon Clifford Liberal Democrats Finance, corporate assets and strategy Chickerell
Ryan Holloway Liberal Democrats Corporate development, transformation, digital and change Wareham
Jon Andrews Liberal Democrats Commissioned services, highways, waste and travel Sherborne East
Steve Robinson Liberal Democrats Adult social services Lytchett Matravers and Upton
Gill Taylor Liberal Democrats Public health, environmental health and housing Chickerell
Shane Bartlett Liberal Democrats Emergency planning Wimborne Minster
Ryan Hope Liberal Democrats Customer, culture and community engagement Westham
Clare Sutton Green Party Children’s services, education and skills Rodwell and Wyke

Other posts, including council chair, committee chairs and vice-chairs were elected at the council’s annual meeting in Dorchester on 16 May 2024. [24]

Committee chairs: [25]

  • People & Health Overview Committee – Cllr Beryl Ezzard
  • People & Health Scrutiny Committee – Cllr Toni Coombs
  • Place & Resources Overview Committee – Cllr Andy Canning
  • Place & Resources Scrutiny Committee – Cllr Noc Lacey-Clarke
  • Audit & Governance Committee – Cllr Gary Suttle
  • Appeals Committee – Cllr Andrew Starr
  • Harbours Advisory Committee – Cllr Rob Hughes
  • Licensing Committee – Cllr Derek Beer
  • Strategic & Technical Planning Committee – Cllr Duncan Sowry-House
  • Northern Area Planning Committee – Cllr Richard Crabb
  • Eastern Area Planning Committee – Cllr David Tooke
  • Western Area Planning Committee – Cllr Dave Bolwell
  • Pension Fund Committee – Cllr Andy Canning

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorset</span> County of England

Dorset is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south-east, the English Channel to the south, and Devon to the west. The largest settlement is Bournemouth, and the county town is Dorchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weymouth and Portland</span> Former non-metropolitan district and borough in England

Weymouth and Portland was a local government district with borough status in Dorset, England from 1974 to 2019. It consisted of the resort of Weymouth and the Isle of Portland, and includes the areas of Wyke Regis, Preston, Melcombe Regis, Upwey, Broadwey, Southill, Nottington, Westham, Radipole, Chiswell, Castletown, Fortuneswell, Weston, Southwell and Easton; the latter six being on the Isle of Portland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Branksome, Dorset</span> Human settlement in England

Branksome is a suburb of Poole, in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole district, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. The area consists of residential properties and also a number of commercial and industrial areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorset County Council</span> Former local authority in England

Dorset County Council (DCC) was the county council for the county of Dorset in England. It provided the upper tier of local government, below which were district councils, and town and parish councils. The county council had 46 elected councillors and was based at County Hall in Dorchester. The council was abolished on 31 March 2019 as part of structural changes to local government in Dorset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bournemouth Borough Council</span>

Bournemouth Borough Council was the local authority of Bournemouth in Dorset, England and ceased to exist on 1 April 2019. It was a unitary authority, although between 1974 and 1997 it was an administrative district council with Dorset. Previously most of the borough was part of Hampshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poole Borough Council</span>

Poole Borough Council was the unitary authority responsible for local government in the Borough of Poole, Dorset, England. It was created on 1 April 1997 following a review by the Local Government Commission for England (1992), becoming administratively independent from Dorset County Council, and ceased to exist on 1 April 2019. Its council comprised 16 wards and 42 councillors and was controlled by a Conservative administration before it was merged into Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.

Poole was a unitary authority in Dorset, England from 1997 to 2019. From 1974 until 1 April 1997 it was a non-metropolitan district. In 2019 it was abolished and subsumed into Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Dorset County Council election</span>

An election to Dorset County Council took place on 2 May 2013 as part of the United Kingdom local elections. 45 councillors were elected from 42 electoral divisions, which returned either one or two county councillors each by first-past-the-post voting for a four-year term of office. The electoral divisions were the same as those used at the previous election in 2009. No elections were held in Bournemouth or Poole, which are unitary authorities outside the area covered by the County Council. The election saw the Conservative Party maintain overall control of the council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole</span> Unitary authority area in Dorset, England

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. It was created on 1 April 2019 by the merger of the areas that were previously administered by the unitary authorities of Bournemouth and Poole, and the non-metropolitan district of Christchurch. The authority covers much of the area of the South Dorset conurbation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council</span> Unitary local authority for the district of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council is a unitary local authority for the district of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in England that came into being on 1 April 2019. It was created from the areas that were previously administered by the unitary authorities of Bournemouth and Poole and the non-metropolitan district of Christchurch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poole People Party</span> Local political party in England

The Party for Poole People is a movement and local political party in Poole, Dorset, England. Defining itself as neither left or right wing, the party has stood in elections for the former Poole Borough Council and the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council which replaced it. On the council it is part of the Poole Independents Group, which includes all three Poole People Councillors, one Alliance for Local Living (ALL) Councillor and one independent Councillor. It was previously part of the "Unity Alliance" administration on Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council from 2019 until a vote of no confidence in 2020, after which the party has been in opposition. It was founded in 2010 by Mark Howell, and has contested three local elections, as well as the Poole constituency in the 2015 UK general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorset (district)</span> Unitary authority area in England

Dorset is a unitary authority area, existing since 1 April 2019, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. It covers all of the ceremonial county except for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. The council of the district is Dorset Council, which is in effect Dorset County Council re-constituted so as to be vested with the powers and duties of five district councils which were abolished, and shedding its partial responsibility for and powers in Christchurch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election</span> 2019 local election in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

The 2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect the inaugural members of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in England, formed from the former unitary authorities of Bournemouth and Poole, and borough of Christchurch. At the same time an election for the new Christchurch Town Council was held.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Dorset Council election</span> 2019 UK local government election

The 2019 Dorset Council election was held on Thursday 2 May 2019 to elect councillors to the new Dorset Council in England. It took place on the same day as other district council elections in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alliance for Local Living</span> British political party

The Alliance for Local Living (ALL) was a minor localist party and political group based in Dorset, with separate branches in the two authorities, ALL for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and ALL for Dorset. The BCP office was based in Poole, whilst the Dorset office was based in Weymouth. The party was deregistered in November 2023, at which point it had four councillors on Dorset Council, who continued to sit together as an informal grouping. The group became Independents for Dorset in 2024.

The Christchurch Independents (CI) are a political party and group in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, formed by journalist Andy Martin and (former) Conservative and Independent Councillors after the reorganisation of local government in Dorset, with new candidates joining to stand in Christchurch wards for the inaugural 2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council Election. Originally not forming a registered political party, CI was initially the joint-third largest alongside the Poole People and ALL group. In 2020, Christchurch Independents councillor Colin Bungey died, leading to a by-election being held the next year in the Commons Ward, for which the Christchurch Independents were registered as a political party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canford Cliffs (ward)</span>

Canford Cliffs is a ward of Poole, Dorset. Since 2019, the ward has elected 2 councillors to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council is a unitary authority in Dorset, England. It was formed in April 2019, with the inaugural elections held in May of that year. The council is made up of 76 councillors from 33 wards, elected for a four-year term, with the next elections due take place in 2027.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election</span> 2023 English local election

The 2023 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election took place on 4 May, 2023, to elect all 76 members of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in Dorset, England.

Dorset Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Dorset in England. There are 82 councillors, elected every five years until 2029, after which elections will be held every four years.

References

  1. ↑ "Dorset Council key roles announced". Dorset Council. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  2. ↑ "Council report, 27 September 2018" (PDF). Dorset Council. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  3. ↑ Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (25 May 2018). "The Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole (Structural Changes) Order 2018". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "Future Dorset - Two new authorities for Dorset". futuredorset.co.uk. Archived from the original on 31 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  5. ↑ "Parliament passes councils merger plan". Bbc.co.uk. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  6. ↑ "Historic day, as Parliamentary process to create new councils concludes - Future Dorset". futuredorset.co.uk.
  7. ↑ "Shadow Dorset Council on Twitter".
  8. ↑ "Shadow Dorset Council on Twitter".
  9. ↑ "Dorset | LGBCE Site". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  10. ↑ "New ward boundaries plan unveiled". BBC News. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  11. ↑ Bevins, Trevor (1 November 2023). "County Hall 'may be redeveloped' as more work from home". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  12. ↑ "Dorset Council Political Composition and Political Group Leaders".
  13. ↑ ""It is no longer a party I recognise" - Councillor Kate Wheller quits Labour Party". Dorset Echo. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  14. ↑ "Lyme and Charmouth by election results". Dorset Council. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  15. ↑ Bevins, Trevor (7 May 2021). "No change in senior roles at Dorset Council". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  16. ↑ "'Long time coming': Councillor makes switch from Lib Dems to Conservatives". Dorset Echo. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  17. ↑ "Dorset councillor Tony Ferrari dies after collapsing while running". BBC News. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  18. ↑ "Local elections 2024: Liberal Democrats take control of Dorset". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  19. ↑ George, Martin (7 May 2024). "New Lib Dem majority 'could put other parties on Dorset cabinet'". Local Government Chronicle (LGC). Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  20. ↑ "Green councillor to join Dorset Council Lib Dem cabinet". BBC News. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  21. ↑ "Major changes under new regime at council". Bournemouth Echo. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  22. ↑ "Major changes under new regime at council". Dorset Echo. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  23. ↑ "'Amazing for Weymouth': Four councillors take top roles at Dorset Council". Dorset Echo. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  24. ↑ "Major changes under new regime at council". Dorset Echo. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  25. ↑ "Dorset Council key roles announced". Dorset Council. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.