Dorset Council has been accused of doing little to publicise the effects its Local Plan review might have on Dorchester – other than take down a banner which drew attention to it.

That move has now led to the town council seeking to take control over which banners are displayed in the county town.

Independent councillor Cllr Alistair Chisholm, who is among those opposing plans for 4,000 new homes north of Dorchester, says he finds it 'a bit rich' that Dorset Council ordered its staff to take down the banner across South Street, in a gale, and has yet to deliver on its promise of an exhibition in the town to publicise the plan review.

He claims the banner should have been allowed to stay put as it drew attention to the proposals and provided a link for people to get to the Dorset Council online review.

"All it did was suggest that people tell Dorset Council what they think with two pictures of the town now, and what it might look like," he told a town council meeting.

His motion to try and wrest control from Dorset Council over decisions about which banners could be put up in the town was passed – but only on the casting vote of Mayor Richard Biggs.

Cllr Janet Hewitt said Dorset Council seemed to be operating double standards. She said that on Portland there were signs all over the place opposing the incinerator, but Dorset Council seemed content to let them stay in place.

"Their banners are up, their posters are up, we had just one and Dorset Council took it down. I'm very disappointed," she said.

Cllr Stella Jones said, on the plus side, the banner had generated more publicity by being put up and taken down, than it would have done had it stayed in place over a street where very few people would have seen it because of Covid retrictions.

Town clerk Adrian Stuart said he would start discussions with Dorset Council but warned that they were not likely to give up their right to say what should be displayed and, even if they did, were only likely let the town council take control if its promised to stick to the same rules.

He said as far as he was aware it was the first time a banner had proved so controversial and had been taken down.