Ward members report January 2026

January 2026 Meetings 

12 January – Audit and Governance Committee

13 January – Hazelbury Bryan Parish Council Meeting

19 January – Lydlynch Parish Council Meeting

21 January – People and Health Scrutiny Committee

22 January – Place and Resources Scrutiny Committee

23 January – Members Transformation Committee

30 January – Parish and Town Council Meeting with Simon Hoare MP

Local Government Financial Settlement  

Dorset Council has welcomed the government’s provisional three-year Local Government Financial Settlement providing greater certainty over future income. However the level of funding settlement effectively forces authorities like Dorset to raise council tax to the maximum level just to maintain existing services. Although the settlement appears to include an extra £25.9 million, the council says £24.1 million of this would come from higher council tax rather than increased government funding.

The council had called for fairer funding to reflect the higher costs of providing services in a large, rural county with an ageing population. It says additional investment is needed to support adult social care, improve transport links and strengthen schools.

However, the council says the government has removed funding that would have recognised rural service pressures, leaving Dorset increasingly reliant on council tax income. Despite this, the council says prudent financial planning will allow it to set a balanced budget for 2026/27, although further savings will still be required.

A high level overview of the 2026/7 Budget has been presented to Councillors, but will be scrutinised in detail in the People and Health Scrutiny Committee and the Place and Resources Scrutiny Committee on the 21 and 22 January 2026.

The performance of the Children’s and Adult’s Directorates will be crucial if DC is to achieve its budget and consequently will come under greater scrutiny in the months ahead.

Highways – Potholes and Flooding

Please don’t drive past a pot hole or incident of fly tipping.

I have reported 9 potholes to DC this year so far and have contacted Highways about recent flooding incidents. If you see potholes or persistent flooding or incidents of fly tipping please report them on the DC website or let me know and I will report them on your behalf.

Steve Murcer

Councillor, Blackmore Vale Ward