Issue - meetings

RECOMMENDED that: -

(a)           the Task and Finish Group community governance review final recommendations, as set out in paragraphs 49, 62, 74, 92, 104, 117, 128, 140, 152, 166 and 181 of this report be approved;

(b)          the Head of Democratic Services be authorised to make all necessary reorganisation of community governance orders to implement the changes agreed by Council; and

(c)           the Task and Finish Group continue to consider the transfer of civic and ceremonial assets, statutory services and precept requirements for year 1, for each new parish, on the basis of minimal transfer and precept, and a report be presented to full Council in due course.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the size of the documents contained within the appendices these have been packed into two supplementary packs:

Pack 1 contains Appendix 1 – Appendix 2(I2)

Pack 2 contains Appendix (J1) – Appendix 4

The Leader of the Council presented the report on the Community Governance Review – Final Recommendations and outlined the recommendations as set out on the agenda.

In introducing the report, the Leader advised of an alteration to deal with the issues as set out in paragraph 86 of the report and as discussed by the Working Group that an additional recommendation be included at (d) to read: -

(d)           the Chief Executive be delegated authority to make amendments to the boundary between Bournemouth and Poole to avoid the co-existence of the Charter Trustees and a Town Council for the respective area.

The Leader advised that this addition was to avoid duplication as the boundaries of the historic borough and the Charter Trustees were not coterminous.

Council consented to the amendment which therefore became part of the substantive motion.

Council comprehensively debated the item with members speaking both for and against the introduction of Town Councils with members making reference to the petition submitted to the meeting.

Councillor John Challinor proposed an amendment to recommendation (j) seeking to delay the introduction of town and parish councils and the election of councillors onto those until 2027 as follows: -

(j)               a Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (Reorganisation of Community Governance) Order be prepared in accordance with the above recommendations and that the Order be effective from 1st April 2026 2027 save for those recommendations relating to parish electoral arrangements which shall come into force on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2026 2027.

This amendment was seconded by Councillor Lawrence Williams.

The monitoring officer advised council that the proposed amendment was not in accordance with the constitutional provisions set out in Part 4, Paragraph 14.9 for the submission of an amendment, and that the amendment as submitted had the effect of seeking a vote against the motion and therefore negated the motion itself and was  subsequently deemed to be inadmissible as an amendment.

Council continued to debate the substantive motion.

Councillor Simon McCormack proposed that the question now be put in accordance with Procedural Rule 14.16 of the Councils Constitution, this proposal fell and following a short adjournment for a comfort break the debate on the item continued.

Meeting adjourned at 9.24pm

Meeting reconvened at 9.44pm

Following a lengthy further debate Councillor Margaret Phipps proposed that the question now be put in accordance with Procedural Rule 14.16. 2 of the Council’s Constitution, this proposal was seconded and upon being put to the vote was carried with voting: For: 40, Against:26, Abstentions:1

Councillor Oliver Walters, Chair of the Community Governance Task and Finish Group addressed the Council as the seconder of the proposer and provided background to the work of the Task and Finish Group and of the benefits the proposed Town and Parish Councils could provide.

Following summing up by the Leader of the Council, the recommendations contained within the report were put to the vote.

Councillor Cameron Adams requested a recorded vote in respect of this item and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44

The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (Part 4) devolved power from the Secretary of State to principal councils to carry out community governance reviews and put in place or make changes to local community governance arrangements.

The Council commenced a review following the Council decision in October 2024 at which the terms of reference and timetable were approved. The Task and Finish Group has considered the response to the consultation, taking into account all relevant factors, engaged with local ward councillors and existing parish councils before determining these recommendations.

Cabinet is asked to consider the final recommendations of the Task and Finish Group and to make a recommendation to Council.

RECOMMENDED that: -

(a)           the Task and Finish Group community governance review final recommendations, as set out in paragraphs 49, 62, 74, 92, 104, 117, 128, 140, 152, 166 and 181 of this report be approved;

(b)           the Head of Democratic Services be authorised to make all necessary reorganisation of community governance orders to implement the changes agreed by Council; and

(c)           the Task and Finish Group continue to consider the transfer of civic and ceremonial assets, statutory services and precept requirements for year 1, for each new parish, on the basis of minimal transfer and precept, and a report be presented to full Council in due course.

Voting: Unanimous/Nem. Con. X:Y (Z abstentions)

Reason

The Task and Finish Group considered the responses to the consultation received during the third stage of the review process and considered all material factors in developing these final proposals. The views of these representations received, along with representations from councillors and advice on what counts as effective and convenient, have helped shape the final recommendations.

Prop: Cllr Earl

Sec: Cllr Martin

Voting: Unanimous

(a)  117, 166, 181 and (c) : 9:1 against

117, 166, 181 – Cllr Wilson against support b and against c

The Chair of the Community Governance Task and Finish Group, Councillor Oliver Walters presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'B' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (Part 4) devolved power from the Secretary of State to principal councils to carry out community governance reviews and put in place or make changes to local community governance arrangements.

Cabinet was informed that the Council had commenced a review following the Council decision in October 2024 at which the terms of reference and timetable were approved, and that the Task and Finish Group had considered the response to the consultation, taking into account all relevant factors, engaged with local ward councillors and existing parish councils before determining these recommendations.

Cabinet was asked to consider the final recommendations of the Task and Finish Group and to make a recommendation to Council.

The Leader expressed thanks to Councillor Walters and the other members of the Task and Finish Group for all their hard work emphasising that the work which had gone into this was huge. Thanks were also expressed to the Head of Democratic Services for all his help and support.

The Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Board, Councillor Kate Salmon addressed the Cabinet advising that the Board at their one item agenda meeting the previous evening thoroughly debated this item and had heard from speakers from the Association for Town and Parish Councils and Charter Trustees and representations from a large number of councillors following which the Board had agreed the following recommendations: -

The Overview and Scrutiny Board agreed the following recommendations to Cabinet in relation to recommendation a of this item (area references as contained within the Task and Finish Group report provided for clarity):

1. That the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group relating to proposals for Burton and Winkton (A), Hurn (B), Highcliffe & Walkford (C) Christchurch Town (D) and Throop and Holdenhurst (E) be recommended to Council for approval without amendment.

(Majority Decision)

2. That the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group relating to Broadstone (F) be recommended to Council for approval without amendment.

(Majority Decision)

3. That the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group relating to Redhill and Northbourne (G), Boscombe and Pokesdown (H) and Southbourne (I) be recommended to Council for approval without amendment.

(Majority Decision)

4. That the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group relating to Poole Town (J) be recommended to Council for approval without amendment.

(Majority Decision)

5. That the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group relating to Bournemouth Town (K) be recommended to Council for approval without amendment.

(Majority Decision)

In relation to recommendations b and c of the report, that these be recommended to Council for approval without amendment.

In presenting the recommendations the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Board highlighted that the voting in respect  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47

The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (Part 4) devolved power from the Secretary of State to principal councils to carry out community governance reviews and put in place or make changes to local community governance arrangements.

The Council commenced a review following the Council decision in October 2024 at which the terms of reference and timetable were approved. The Task and Finish Group has considered the response to the consultation, taking into account all relevant factors, engaged with local ward councillors and existing parish councils before determining these recommendations.

Cabinet is asked to consider the final recommendations of the Task and Finish Group and to make a recommendation to Council.

The Chair of the Task and Finish Group presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'B' to these minutes in the Minute Book. The Board was advised that the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (Part 4) devolved power from the Secretary of State to principal councils to carry out community governance reviews and put in place or make changes to local community governance arrangements. The Council commenced a review following the Council decision in October 2024 at which the terms of reference and timetable were approved. The Task and Finish Group has considered the response to the consultation, taking into account all relevant factors, engaged with local ward councillors and existing parish councils before determining these recommendations.

Introduction and External Contributions

The Chair of the Task and Finish Group introduced the report and outlined the process undertaken. It was noted that the consultation had received 1,866 responses, representing approximately 0.5% of the BCP population. The proposals had been amended in response to feedback, including reductions in Councillor numbers and boundary adjustments.

The Board then received the following presentations and had the opportunity to ask questions:

- The Chief Executive of the Dorset Association of Parish and Town Councils, who outlined the role, powers, and funding mechanisms of local councils.

- The Vice President of the Association of Charter Trustee Towns, who submitted a written statement highlighting the importance of preserving civic traditions and the role of charter trustees.

The meeting adjourned at 6:45pm and resumed at 6:50pm

Contributions from Non-Board Councillors

The Chair invited non-Board Councillors address the meeting. Due to the number of non-Board Councillors who wished to speak each was given approximately two minutes to share their views. There were a number of issues raised, including:

- Concerns that the proposals were top-down and lacked grassroots support.

- Objections to the Bournemouth Town Council proposal, citing low consultation response rates and potential duplication of existing community structures.

- Support for the principle of localism and the potential for town councils to protect non-statutory services.

- Warnings about the political risks of proceeding without broader public support.

The following questions were raised and responded to:

-        The confidentiality of the consultation results was questioned and it was clarified that the task and finish group was not subject to the same rules as Cabinet and therefore the specific procedure rule outlined did not apply, and that the draft results contained personal identifiers, justifying their restricted access.

-        The estimated cost of elections for the proposed town councils and how long it would take to repay those. It was stated that the estimated costs were £36,700 for Broadstone, £412,900 for Poole, and £483,900 for Bournemouth, with an estimated £7.20 per property in the first year. BCP Council would fund the elections upfront and recover costs through council tax.

-        In response to a question about where the idea for a Bournemouth Town Council  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47