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Environmental activists have criticised Dorset Council for discussing climate change issues behind closed doors.

Full membership of the council's climate change executive advisory panel (EAP) is not known and its agendas and findings are not published, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Extinction Rebellion said it amounted to a "reduction in democracy".

The council said such panels were standard practice and allowed "free-flowing discussions".

The authority, which declared a Climate Emergency in May, said EAPs were made up of councillors with an interest in a particular subject.

They are supported by officers with the relevant knowledge and other individuals who the Cabinet member believes may be able to contribute,

Any recommendations can be taken to the appropriate committee, cabinet or full council for discussion.

Caz Dennett, from Extinction Rebellion said: "[EAPs] can effectively block the opportunity for full council to discuss, debate, review and make decisions.

"This lack of transparency is a genuinely serious concern. Surely there is no need for Dorset Council's climate change panel to be so covert."

Ray Bryan, who heads the panel, said there was "misunderstanding and suspicion" about the EAP, but said it would continue and was "making good progress"

"The use of EAPs to explore and develop policy ideas... is standard practice in local government.

"We have recently published information on the panel in our Dorset Council News magazine, which is posted to over 200,000 Dorset households."

He said it would help develop the council's climate change strategy in setting a zero-carbon goal which would be announced in April.