Agenda

To receive any apologies for absence from Councillors.

Councillors are requested to declare any interests on items included in this agenda. Please refer to the workflow on the preceding page for guidance.

Declarations received will be reported at the meeting.

To confirm and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Meetings held on 4 February 2026 and 11 February 2026.

To receive any public questions, statements or petitions submitted in accordance with the Constitution. Further information on the requirements for submitting these is available to view at the following link:-

https://democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CommitteeID=151&Info=1&bcr=1

The deadline for the submission of public questions is mid-day on Thursday 26 February 2026 [mid-day 3 clear working days before the meeting].

The deadline for the submission of a statement is mid-day on Tuesday 3 March 2026 [mid-day the working day before the meeting].

The deadline for the submission of a petition is Wednesday 18 February 2026 [10 working days before the meeting].

To consider recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny committees on items not otherwise included on the Cabinet Agenda.

This report presents a proposal to dispose of the following assets:

1.    12-14 Commercial Road, Poole, BH14 0JW

2.    Queensmead Care Home, Bronte Avenue, Christchurch, BH23 2NP

3.    Penn Hill Car Park, Canford Cliffs Road, Poole, BH14 9LZ

The proposal to dispose of the above assets was considered by the cross-party strategic asset disposal working group on the 12 February 2026. The draft minutes of this meeting are presented as a confidential appendix to this report (Appendix 3). The approved recommendation of the cross-party working group was to endorse the proposal.

[PLEASE NOTE: Should Cabinet wish to discuss the detail of the confidential appendix at Appendix 2 the meeting will be required to move into Confidential (Exempt) Session].

BCP Council adopted ‘A shared vision for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 2024-28’ in May 2024. 

The shared vision is the corporate strategy which sets out the council’s vision, priorities and ambitions as well as the principles which underpin the way the council works as it develops and delivers its services. 

Incorporated in the vision is a set of measures of progress for achieving the vision, priorities and ambitions. 

This is the performance monitoring report for Quarter Three 25-26, presenting an update on the progress measures. 

The council’s delivery against its priorities and ambitions can also be monitored through the performance dashboardwhich is available on the council’s website providing up-to-date real time information on the progress measures.

This report presents the sixth annual update to Cabinet on progress towards commitments made in the BCP Council Climate and Ecological Emergency Declaration, made on the 16 of July 2019.

In the 2024-2025 year, progress against the main commitments is:

·       Make BCP Council and its operations carbon neutral by 2030 - scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions reduced by 20.9% from the 2019 baseline

·       Work with the wider community to make the region carbon neutral before 2045 – according to data released in 2025, total area-wide emissions for 2024 had reduced by 17.7% from the 2019 baseline.

Overall, both the Council and the wider BCP area have made progress since 2019, supported by clearer roadmaps, better data, strengthened governance and growing collaboration across sectors.

Continued acceleration, investment and partnership working will be essential to stay on track for the 2030 and 2045 targets.

BCP Council conducted a Department for Transport (DfT)authorised trial in August 2025 to test whether increasing Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) levels and associated charges to London?equivalent rates would improve compliance and reduce illegal parking in the coastal area from Sandbanks to Hengistbury Head. The trial showed a reversal of the expected rise in contraventions, with overall PCNs decreasing against forecast models, alongside reductions in serious on?street breaches and improvements in bus punctuality. No negative impact on visitor numbers was identified, and parking capacity remained consistently available, suggesting most illegal parking had been by choice rather than necessity. Some behavioural displacement occurred into lower?level car park contraventions, and peak?pressure days still presented challenges. Overall, the trial demonstrated that higher PCN levels can effectively improve compliance, with BCP Council recommending either a national review of PCN rates outside London or a wider, longer?term follow?up trial.

Through the implementation of Pay and Reward, BCP Council has further enhanced the employee benefits package.

This report sets out the option for colleagues to access Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contributions in addition to their normal LGPS pension. These are paid via salary sacrifice arrangement.

This Supported & Specialist Housing Strategy (Appendix1) sets out BCP Council’s ten?year commitment to developing specialist housing and commissioning appropriate support services to meet the needs of residents. The strategy is required under the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, which mandates all local authorities to publish a supported housing strategy by May 2027.

This is the first such strategy for BCP Council and outlines the projected requirements of the following resident groups, ensuring access to appropriate accommodation and support models that promote independence and community integration.

·       Older people (over 65 years)

·       Working age adults with physical disabilities, long term conditions and/or sensory impairments

·       Adults with severe and enduring mental illness

·       Adults with learning disabilities and/or autistic people

·       People with complex housing histories and/or experiencing homelessness

·       Young people

The Framework for keeping safe in and around water aims to provide BCP Council with a clear overarching approach to water safety and a working action plan which aligns to the corporate strategy.  It aims to promote safety around our coastal and inland waters for the prevention of drowning. Following the National Water Safety Forum’s principles, it provides a practical plan using data and insights to assess our water spaces and provide communication and education to support safe access to our blue spaces.

BCP Council receives around 1,000 written highway search enquiries each year, requiring specialist officer time to interpret statutory highway records, verify adoption status, and prepare formal written responses. The Council currently absorbs all associated costs, unlike most local authorities that operate cost?recovery charging frameworks. This places financial pressure on core budgets and creates inconsistency for customers working across authority boundaries.

This report proposes the introduction of a Highway Searches Charging Policy and accompanying Schedule of Fees and Charges, enabling the Council to recover the reasonable cost of delivering these enquiries in line with the Local Authorities (England) (Charges for Property Searches) Regulations 2008. The policy also supports improved data governance, workflow efficiency, and alignment with regional and national practice.

Options considered include:

1.    Maintaining the current unfunded model—which is financially unsustainable; or

2.    Introducing a full cost?recovery charging framework—bringing BCP in line with other councils and ensuring service resilience.

The recommended option is to adopt the charging policy and fee schedule, delegate authority for minor operational amendments, and publish the updated information.

Conclusion: Implementing the charging policy ensures legal compliance, financial sustainability, improved transparency, and continued high?quality service delivery.

This report considers the outcome of the statutory public consultation for the proposed Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) which is required to implement the proposed 20mph Winton / Moordown Neighbourhood as consulted upon in Spring 2025.

The aim is to improve safety for all road users by reducing the number of collisions within the proposed area thereby creating a safer environment, the proposal should also encourage more sustainable travel.   

The report recommends full consideration of the consultation outputs and recommends implementation of the advertised speed limit changes. 

The Department for Transport (DfT) has set out details of the new Local Transport Consolidated Funding settlement for Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) and confirmed funding allocations for the next Spending Review period (2026/27 to 2028/29 for revenue funding and 2026/27 to 2029/30 for capital funding).     

The new settlement grant conditions require the council by the 20 March 2026 to submit Local Transport Delivery Plans (LTDP) setting out the planned 2026/27 investment of the funding and an indicative programme for the future year allocations covering the period 2027/28 to 2029/30. 

The council then has until the 18 September 2026 to provide greater detail on the proposed 2027/28 to 2029/30 indicative programme. 

This report sets out the recommended 2026/27 programme (refer to Appendix A) for consideration and seeks approval and delegation to deliver it and to submit indicative programmes into the future to ensure compliance with the new grant conditions.

Note 1: the recommended 2027/28 programme and future year programmes thereafter shall still be brought to Council for approval annually.  In the instance of the 2027/28 programme that shall be in February/March 2027.

Note 2: this report should be read in conjunction with the Active Travel Fund (ATF) and Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) Cabinet reports.

Active Travel England, the government’s executive agency responsible for walking, wheeling and cycling in England, published its Active Travel Capability Ratings in December 2025.  BCP Council was uprated from a Level 2 authority to a Level 3 authority.

The council is one of only 11 local authorities in the country to achieve level 3, and one of only 5 that isn’t part of a large, combined authority or city region. 

The increased grading has resulted in the council being allocated a larger Active Travel settlement.  The council has been allocated £2,249,725 of capital funding for walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure, per year up to and including 2029/30.  Alongside this, a revenue allocation of £705,869 per year up to and including 2028/29.  This represents a significant increase from the 2025/26 allocations of £1,128,857 (capital) and £330,685 (revenue).

This report recommends how the grant award should be invested and seeks delegated authority to facilitate the delivery.  The recommended proposals are aligned with the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) approved by Council in May 2022.

This report should be read in conjunction with the Local Transport Consolidated Funding Programme 2026/27 Cabinet report.

The council has been awarded £5.64m Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) by the Department for Transport (DfT) for 2026/27 to continue delivery of the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

The purpose of this paper is to seek council approval to accept and invest the grant, which is a combination of both capital and revenue funding. 

A proportion of the revenue element of the grant has been allocated to support a revised subsidised bus service network in accordance with the 4 February 2026 Subsidised Bus Services Review Cabinet report.

Note: this report should be read in conjunction with the Local Transport Consolidated Funding Programme 2026/27 Cabinet report.

The council has consulted on the potential establishment of a BCP Lane Rental Scheme (LRS) which would enable the council to charge up to £2,500 per day for works on the busiest roads at the busiest times.

This report presents the outputs of the consultation and seeks approval to apply to the Secretary of State for Transport to establish a BCP Lane Rental Scheme.

In line with the requirements of statutory guidance Making significant changes to maintained schools, the purpose of this report is to set out the proposal to establish a new Resourced Provision at Somerford Primary School. The proposal forms part of the council’s work to provide access to sufficient, specialist school places and is one a number of projects that will provide local places for local children in line with our statutory responsibilities to strengthen and expand high?quality SEND provision to meet growing demand.

The proposal aims to address increasing pressure on school places resulting from the rising number of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). A lack of sufficient local capacity has led to a higher number of placements in independent and non?maintained special schools (INMSS).

By expanding provision within Somerford Primary School, the council seeks to build on the strengths of local settings and enable more children and young people to access appropriate education closer to home. Increasing local capacity in Christchurch will reduce reliance on costly out?of?area placements, which typically involve higher fees and significant transport costs. This approach not only supports better outcomes for pupils by allowing them to remain within their communities but also delivers long?term financial efficiencies for the Council.

This report sets out the Education and Skills Capital Programme for the period 2026/27– 2028/29. The report summarises available capital funding totalling £34.9 million and provides an indicative programme of investment of £33.5 million set against key budget headings aligned to improvement priorities across the service.  The planned expenditure of available capital is set out in this report and shows a balanced budget. 

This report updates Cabinet on the development of BCP’s Best Start in Life Local Plan, which delivers the Government’s strategy for improving outcomes from pregnancy to age five and meets the requirement to publish a local plan by 31 March 2026. Key issues include achieving the Government-set Good Level of Development (GLD) targets (79.9% of children overall; 60.1% of children receiving Free School Meals) through whole system collaboration and establishing Best Start Family Hubs to provide integrated health, education and family support in areas of highest deprivation. Programme governance, project management, stakeholder engagement and a readiness survey are in place.

The Chief Executive to report on any decisions taken under urgency provisions in accordance with the Constitution.

To consider the latest version of the Cabinet Forward Plan for approval.