THE ruling party’s performance at July’s Dorset Council meeting reminded me of a ‘golf-ball’ deep in sand..…. content, not wanting to be moved.

The Cabinet system allows the Leader to form a Cabinet, and to hand-pick its 10 councillors and 6 Lead Cabinet members. But 60.7% of electors didn’t vote for the Leader’s party. Yet these same-party 16 of the 82 councillors effectively determine county policy.

Councillor representation can be skewed geographically too: ‘old’ West Dorset now has just one of the 16 appointees!

My question on whether it was a free-vote was ignored, yet answered when one free-thinking ruling-party councillor voted for the more democratic, ‘Committee’ system, to give representation that’s proportionate to the electorate’s votes.

The Leader said the opposition was dealing in ‘naked politics’ proposing the ‘Committee’ system. But isn’t ‘naked politics’ being used to stop councillors exercising reason/conscience?

The council confirmed there could be no Referendum before 2024. Wrong! The Localism Act 2011 shows it could even be in 2022; easily in 2023. (Thankfully Westminster’s rules, not Dorset’s,will prevail.)

The Cabinet can convert voluntarily, NOW, giving all councillors influence proportionate to the electorates’ votes: fair to all parties/councillors. Dare the Cabinet refuse?... forcing a Referendum spend of £500,000 for the electorate to buy democracy?

JOHN GRANTHAM

Burton Bradstock