MAKING savings in council budgets ought not to be the sole aim of the new Dorset Council, according to one councillor.

Councillor Cherry Brooks told the county audit and overview committee this week that there was no point in making savings in the Dorset Waste Partnership budget when some parts of the area were "knee deep in litter.”

She said the aim of the new Dorset Council, which started work on April 1, must also be to improve standards.

“The aim should be not just to cut budgets but to transform services," Cllr Brooks said.

"The Dorset Waste Partnership is forecasting an underspend, but what is the point when we are knee deep in litter.

"We need to make sure we are doing the job properly, not just saving money."

Committee chairman Cllr David Harris echoed her concerns.

He said one of the reasons the Dorset County Council was likely to finish the financial year with a balanced budget was because it had not filled a number of vacancies over six months.

"As a consequence of that there may have been work which has not been done,” he said.