Dorset County Council votes to support creation of two new unitary authorities

The most popular proposal among county councillors was to have two new unitary authorities

Dorset county councillors have voted to support creating two unitary authorities as part of devolution.

Creating one unitary authority for Bournemouth and Poole and another for the rest of the county gained the most support at the special meeting.

The other option is to have one unitary authority for Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch and another for the rest of the county.

Reports on the financial benefits of various options are due in April.

The county council is aiming to submit a proposal to the Department for Communities and Local Government in early 2017 and have changes in place by in 2019.

As well as Dorset County Council there are currently two unitary councils for Bournemouth and Poole, and six lower-tier councils - Purbeck District Council, Christchurch Borough Council and the district councils of East Dorset, North Dorset and West Dorset and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.