FORMER parliamentary candidate Sue Farrant has called on the government to step into the town centre furore in Dorchester.

She has written to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles about proposals to build £10.7million council offices as part of the Charles Street development.

Mrs Farrant, who stood for the Lib-Dems in the General Election and is now a parliamentary campaigner, said: “I am writing to you to ask for your intervention in a highly contentious public expenditure proposal by West Dorset District Council (WDDC).”

She adds: “Dorchester Town Council is so concerned that it has decided to ask the Government Office for the South West to ‘call in’ the application.

“Mr Pickles, I am wholly behind your determination to make local councils more responsive and accountable.

“We all recognise that the country cannot afford any wasteful public spending at this time of financial crisis.

“I very much hope therefore that you will step in and save West Dorset’s taxpayers from footing the bill for an expensive project that they don’t want and which is unlikely to deliver any significant benefit to them.”

Her comments come after a public exhibition about the £60million Charles Street scheme by Simons.

A town council planning committee also lodged its objection with the district council and signalled its intention to ask for a planning inquiry.

There have also been 298 representations lodged by members of the public about the Charles Street scheme.

Mrs Farrant, who came second behind Conservative Oliver Letwin in the election, pointed out that changes may happen in local government.

She said: “There are proposals to share senior management posts with Weymouth and Portland Borough Council. There are already partnering arrangements, thus reducing the total requirement for council offices in South and West Dorset.”

She added: “WDDC refused to run public meetings, despite repeated requests, and so I held two, one in Dorchester and one in Bridport.”

The council says that decisions about Charles Street and the offices were taken at meetings in public since a review of the council’s main offices began in June 2007.

Developer Simons held an exhibition for a week and answered questions about the proposals.

The application is expected to go before a development control committee in the late summer or autumn.