PRIME Minister Andy Burnham is being challenged to come to Dorset and see the good work – and the struggles of Dorset Council.

Finance portfolio holder Simon Clifford laid down the gauntlet while discussing the authority's annual report.

He said the funding for the county, and other rural areas, from the Government was unfair and said the authority would be robust with the new PM to improve amount of Government money it gets – with Dorset facing the same pressures, and some additional one, as other places in the country.

Cllr Clifford (Chickerell Lib Dem) said that with just a fraction of the money Mr Burnham had spent on a tram and bus system in Manchester, £2.2billion, Dorset could be turbo-charged and put on the world stage.

"We will prod Andy Burnham to visit Dorset and see where we do well and where we struggle," he said.

The Chickerell councillor was just one of a series of Cabinet members who lined up to sing the praises of their staff and departments.

Council leader Nick Ireland said: "Overall I believe we have made very strong progress despite the financial pressures… we have continued to make a positive difference," he said.

Weymouth councillor Matt Bell, portfolio holder for public health and communities said the council had been strengthening relationships between the council and the communities it serve; while health and social care portfolio holder Steve Robinson described the annual report as "Something good, something to celebrate." He said he looked forward to the changes to social care the new PM was keen to introduce.

Dorchester councillor Richard Biggs, portfolio holder for regeneration, growth and strategic assets spoke of the early successes of a new team at the Winfrith Innovation Park and the work underway on transforming sites the council owns in Weymouth.

"There is going to be some real progress but it will take some time – it's a marathon not a sprint but we've got over the first 100 metres," he said.

Housing portfolio holder Cllr Gill Taylor said the council was now well above the national average in preventing homelessness by getting in early and working with residents, but said she wanted to work harder to reduce any reliance on temporary accommodation, which she said was not appropriate anyone facing homelessness.

Cllr Ben Wilson, who is heading the transformation work at the council, said good progress was being made with new IT systems which would make the council more efficient and the staff more adaptable with the help of additional training – although Sturminster Newton councillor Carole Jones said steps needed to be taken to improve the customer call service which she described as "dire" and long-winded, ending up with a ten minute wait almost every time.

Cllr Wilson said he would investigate but said the outline from Cllr Jones was not his experience of the system.