PLANS to reduce the number of councils in Dorset from nine to two have been described as "the opportunity of a lifetime".

That was the claim from the leader of Dorset County Council as members of the authority, along with West Dorset District Council, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and North Dorset District Council, backed plans for two unitary councils today.

The county council voted in favour of an option, referred to as 2b, for one unitary authority made up of Weymouth and Portland, West Dorset, Purbeck, North Dorset and East Dorset and another comprising Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch.

The recommendation was approved following three hours of passionate debate in the council chamber, with 30 members voting for and 11 councillors voting against.

Among those opposed to the recommendation were members from Christchurch, with Cllr David Jones saying he feared the town becoming part of "greater Bournemouth".

There were also concerns about the consultation process, which resulted in the majority of members of the public indicating a preference for option 2b.

Cllr Peter Wharf voted in favour of the recommendations, but stressed that the new unitary council for Dorset would need to be fundamentally different from the existing authority, with a focus on driving down responsibility for services and activities to town and parish councils as much as possible.

He said the county council in its current guise was "not fit for purpose".

Cllr Trevor Jones said this was the third time the council had been presented with the opportunity to move to a unitary authority since the mid-1990s and it was vital it did not "drop the ball" again.

He said: "We are desperately short of money to protect services.

"Most officers here spent the last two years shutting down services or dramatically reducing them.

"What can be done to run things more efficiently is in our hand and we should take a leap of faith.

"What are we afraid of?"

Cllr Robin Cook added: "It's time we mad a very firm, bold decision for something definite and don't prevaricate because we don't have the luxury of any time any more."

Before the vote, council leader Robert Gould praised all those who had participated on both sides of the debate but said he had heard nothing that had swayed his conviction that the move to a unitary authority was the right thing to do.

He said: "This is is the opportunity of a lifetime.

"Let's grab it, let's go because what we don't want is for this to slip through our fingers."

Members of West Dorset District Council also supported option 2b as they passed the same set of recommendations.

Leader Cllr Anthony Alford said "We have the opportunity to transform our services and our councils."

Weymouth and Portland Council voted unanimously in favour of the plans.

However, several councillors, including Cllr Ray Nowak and Cllr Andy Blackwood, said they did so with a "heavy heart". 

Councillors expressed concerns about how unitary will remove local accountability and will give Weymouth and Portland less of voice.

Others though said that unitary is the best way to protect services. 

Councillors called for a strong town council for Weymouth once the authority comes in. 

Weymouth & Portland Borough Council leader, Cllr Jeff Cant, said: “Councillors unanimously agreed the recommendations of the report to change the current structure of local government from nine councils to two. The new unitary combined with the potential for strong town councils should deliver the best outcome for the borough.

"It will give us a voice at national level and will give the borough opportunities to help us achieve our ambitions. It will also enable us to make savings while protecting vital services.”