Cornwall Council has raised “severe concerns” about plans to merge Devon and Cornwall Police with Dorset Police.

A debate at today’s full council meeting saw councillors levelling strong criticism against Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Alison Hernandez and Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer.

Malcolm Brown, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, proposed the motion and said he wanted to get the council to “make a clear opposition to the merger”.

Cllr Brown said: “I think this is, sadly, a classic example of how you do not do a consultation and not get people to go with you.”

He said there had been a “lack of respect” shown to the council and a lack of respect shown to town and parish councils which had not been invited to take part in the consultation.

Cllr Brown said councillors had, in the past 24 hours, had letters from the chief constable and the PCC about the issue.

He said the one from the chief constable was “lengthy, rambling, contradictory and unclear” while he said “the PCC one contains statements that I find offensive”.

Cllr Brown said the letter indicated that the PCC would be going to the police and crime panel which is debating the issue at an extraordinary meeting next month with her decision already made.

The Lib Dem councillor said that despite attempts to get information about the merger and what it would mean for Cornwall none had been provided.

Independent councillor Bert Biscoe said: “I find the commissioner’s letter the best possible case for not having a merger I have seen so far.”

He added: “In my view this is a half-baked proposal that has not been thought through in terms of the long-term resilience and safety of the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.”

Several councillors said they were concerned that merging with Dorset would take resources away from Cornwall.

There were also concerns about the possibility of households in Cornwall having to pay an extra £18 a year in precept to the police to bring rates in line with Dorset.

But Conservative councillor John Fitter said that rather than criticise the merger the council should be supporting it.

He said: “I believe that we should be supporting our police force.”

Cllr Fitter said that most people did not mind who was running the police force “as long as they get more policing and police on the beat”.

“I believe that doing this will achieve what has been indicated by the chief constable and the PCC.

“Yes it will cost more money. But people have said that they won’t mind paying £18 more a year and they will do that if they get more policing.”

Chris Batters, vice chairman of the police and crime panel, said he believed that the Home Office was putting pressure on the chief constable and PCC to push forward the merger.

He said he had been told that Dorset Police was facing financial difficulties and was having to do this to avoid any further complications.

Conservative councillor Linda Taylor dismissed the claims that the merger was being forced by the Home Office saying that it had come from the chief constable and PCC.

She said: “There has been a very close relationship between Devon and Cornwall and Dorset. We need, as a county, to be working together and sharing our resources.”

The council voted 60 in favour and 25 against raising concerns about the merger.

After the meeting the PCC issued a statement saying: “My team and I have spent the summer hearing arguments for and against a merger at numerous events and in council chambers around Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. This is an important proposal and not one that is being taken lightly by me, the Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police or our counterparts in Dorset. We’re listening closely.

“I share councillors’ frustrations about the timeframe for the engagement exercise – in an ideal world we would have longer to make these decisions. My office has given out as much information as is available to councillors and is preparing an executive summary for the extraordinary meeting of the Police and Crime Panel which has been called specifically to discuss this issue and whose members include Cornwall councillors.

“Ultimately the merger is about community policing and making Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly safer and more secure. When the final business case is prepared I will be able to take a view on whether it will deliver that vision. If it can I’ll support it, if that case is not convincingly made then I cannot.”