Attempts to broaden who holds senior Dorset Council roles has failed – after a Conservative block vote against change.

The annual Dorset Council meeting also heard criticism of the Cabinet selection for its lack of women and limited geographical representation with the loss of the only Weymouth and Portland member, Cllr Tony Ferrari.

An attempt to elect Dorchester independent councillor Les Fry as vice chairman of the authority was defeated on a 41-31 vote with the Lib Dems, Greens and other independents in favour of him.

Instead the position went to long-serving Swanage Conservative Bill Trite with north Dorset’s Val Pothecary carrying on as council chair for another year.

Green Party leader on the council, Clare Sutton, proposing Cllr Fry, said she believed residents would be better served by having an independent councillor in the position, although she would have preferred him to step into the chairman’s position.

“Councillor Fry is a true Independent. When you scratch the surface, you do not find blue, yellow, red, or even green. And, given his illustrious 28-year career within the police, his integrity, diligence and sense of fairness, I know he is highly respected across this chamber and would do an excellent job,” she said.

“Senior Conservative Dorset Councillors sometimes claim that this council works in a non-political way but, if we are honest with ourselves, we know that’s not true. If this were a meritocracy, just speaking of my own group members, I don’t think there’s any doubt that my colleague Cllr Heatley would hold a Cabinet seat, and Cllr Clayton, as a former firefighter, would have a seat on the Fire and Rescue Authority.”

She went on to say she was saddened by the loss of Cllr Tony Ferrari’s (Littlemoor and Preston) from the Cabinet after the council assets portfolio was removed from him.

“I’m sorry to see Cllr Ferrari go, partly because it must be helpful to have a member from our largest and poorest conurbation at the ‘top table’. But it’s good to see some new faces, especially Cllr Jane Somper now has a Cabinet role, but it does mean that just four of the 16 Cabinet and Lead Member roles are held by women.”

The lack of women question was addressed by Council Leader, Cllr Spencer Flower, who claimed that having three women on the Cabinet was “three times better” than his first Cabinet, which only had one.

“We are making progress”, he said, to laughter from some opposition councillors.

His deputy leader, Cllr Peter Wharf, a Purbeck councillor, has stood down from the position in addition to his lead role for adult social care on medical grounds after suffering from long Covid. He will remain a ward councillor with the deputy role being taken by Cllr Gary Suttle, in addition to his finance brief. Cllr Jane Somper has taken on the adult social care portfolio.