Despite accusations that 'asset stripping' would leave Weymouth and Portland's most vulnerable at risk, the budget for the new super council has been approved.

Leader of the Shadow Dorset Council, Rebecca Knox said the budget would set a "sound financial basis for the new council" and "provide a firm financial footing for consequential years".

She said there would be "no cuts in frontline critical services" as the reorganisation has enabled savings, and before them was a "budget of investment".

However, Weymouth and Portland councillors hit out at a meeting on Wednesday claiming the budget would not protect the borough's poorest residents.

Cllr Colin Huckle said the decision to cut back council tax support for low income families from 91.5 per cent to 90 per cent was "callous and unfair".

"This is a cut in a frontline service contrary to the spirit of formation of the new unitary authority," he said and recommended it was increased.

However, Cllr Tony Ferrari said at 90 per cent, Dorset was still "much more generous than other councils".

Cllr Kate Wheller added: "Just because other councils are happy put an increased burden on our most vulnerable does not mean we should do so."

She added the budget came at the cost of "every single district losing it assets".

"The council may get to the end of its first year hopefully in the black but it will be at the expense of all of the town and parish councils struggling," she said.

Cllr Jon Orrell said stripping assets from Weymouth would be a "bitter medicine to swallow" for the borough's poorest.

"We have some significant assets in our hotels and car parks which pay for our summer events and goes some way to subsidising our poorer inhabitants. It’s galling to see this being taken from our area.

"This is a very bitter medicine that the poor are being asked to swallow. It will poison our disabled children and it kills our elderly people."

County councillor for Westham, David Harris said members had been promised a "new era" where decision making which would be delegated to local communities.

"This promise has not been kept so we are being asked to support a budget that would deliver an unknown agenda, centralising decisions rather than delegating them and in a very traditional rather than transformational way," he said.

"Weymouth owns around 70 seafront hotels and guesthouses. Other than providing a potential capital gain, what justification can the unitary council have for taking ownership of these properties...other than being sold to fill the gap in our finances created by the government?" he said.

However, Cllr Ferrari hit back saying voting against the budget was both "irresponsible" and "political posturing".

"Weymouth is not losing out in the formation of its town council it’s getting exactly what it asked for.

"Of course Weymouth can’t keep all of its assets. It isn’t going to do many of the things it used to...All that is being done is dividing up who does what between Dorset and Weymouth. We divided up the money correctly to pay for both. No one is gaining or losing in the reorganisation," he said.

More than 70 per cent of members of the new council voted to approve the budget.