A GROUP campaigning to revert West Dorset District Council back to a committee system of local government is closing in on a petition to trigger a referendum.

Public First are aiming to collect 4,100 signatures from West Dorset electors in order to force a referendum during the first half of next year.

The group successfully added to their total in Beaminster at the weekend, and will be out in force in Bridport on Saturday, (10) as Public First edge closer towards their goal.

John Grantham, secretary of Public First, said: “In Beaminster last Saturday we recorded another 152 signatures for our petition to achieve a referendum in the first half of 2016.

“Support from the public is overwhelming wherever we ask for signatures. We now seek a further 400 plus in our return to the larger town of Bridport this Saturday."

The group will be in Bucky Doo Square on Saturday (10) to collect more signatures, while leaflets will be sent to homes showing residents how to sign.

“It’s a fact that there’s not one West Dorset District Council councillor with a ward in Bridport representing Bridport town in the powerful cabinet," added Mr Grantham.

"This is one strong reason why the Bridport public urgently seeks a change in the system."

Mr Grantham believes that the majority of people he has spoken to would like to see the system changed to a committee style of local government.

He said: "We’ve only had about three dozen people talk with us this year who actually want to keep the cabinet system in West Dorset.

"This is about the same proportion as seen at our open public meetings where people voted by a show of hands. People see power and decision-making currently to be completely disproportionate to how we vote, and they definitely want the change the Localism Act 2011 at last enables us to achieve."

Public First aim to have collected enough signatures to hand over their petition to West Dorset District Council by November or December.

For more information, please visit publicfirstgroup.co.uk