Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence from Councillors.

Apologies were received from the Vice-Chair Cllr S Aitkenhead

To receive information on any changes in the membership of the Committee.

Note – When a member of a Committee is unable to attend a meeting of a Committee or Sub-Committee, the relevant Political Group Leader (or their nominated representative) may, by notice to the Monitoring Officer (or their nominated representative) prior to the meeting, appoint a substitute member from within the same Political Group. The contact details on the front of this agenda should be used for notifications.

Cllr J Martin substituted for Cllr S Aitkenhead

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.

There were no declarations of interest made on this occasion. The Chair reminded all Councillors that the Interim monitoring officer had issued a dispensation for Councillors in relation to the Community Governance Review.

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 midday 3 clear working days before the meeting.

The deadline for the submission of a statement is midday the working day before the meeting.

The deadline for the submission of a petition is 10 working days before the meeting.

One Public Question and 2 public statements were received as follows in relation to agenda Item 6 – Community Governance Review – Final Recommendations:

Question from Mr B Lister

We already have 76 Councillors Representing 33 wards.

If All Those Represented Their Ward Constituents Properly With Funded Laptops, Constituency Meetings, CIL Funding & Generous Return For Part Time Work. 

Town Councillors Would Get Exactly What?? 

Why DO We Need Them, How Many Would They Be?

WHAT would the Taxpayers Precept Charge Be In Years 2026 & 2027?

Response from Cllr O Walters as Chair of the Task and Finish Group:

To clarify, there are 76 councillors representing BCP Council, however, there are also a further 53 councillors representing the existing town and parish councils of Burton and Winkton, Hurn, Highcliffe & Walkford, Christchurch and Throop & Holdenhurst.

If the recommendations are approved there would be an additional 50 councillors created.

The vast majority of town and parish councils do not provide IT equipment and do not normally receive allowances.

Parish and town councils can play a vital role in supporting and representing local communities, individuals and events, act as statutory consultee on a number of regulatory matters and act as the first point of contact locally.

BCP Council will be required to agree a first year anticipated budget for the new councils which will be worked on over the coming months if the recommendations are approved. It will be for the new councils, once elected, to agree their actual budget for 2026 and for all future years.

Statement from Mr H Seccombe, Chair of the Boscombe and Pokesdown Community Forum:

Boscombe has spent 15 years building genuine community-led governance — a Forum, a Towns Fund Board managing £20million in grant funding, a Neighbourhood Plan with

community-distributed CIL, and transparent local decision-making.

Imposing a Bournemouth Town Council will dismantle all of this. Residents rejected the proposal not out of apathy, but because Boscombe already has trusted, functioning systems. To override that rejection — while denying Boscombe its own parish — suggests a pre-determined agenda, not genuine localism. This is not parity. Throop is permitted a parish; Boscombe is denied one.

The consultation process was flawed: many residents were unaware that rejecting a Boscombe parish could lead to forced inclusion in a larger one. This directly contradicts the aim of “strengthening local voices.” It risks silencing one of the strongest and undoing years of hard-won community progress. We urge councillors to reject the recommendation and support a separate Boscombe parish or leave Boscombe out altogether.

Statement from Mr H Seccombe in a personal capacity:

Southbourne is a proud, distinct, and community-minded area with its own forum, coastline,

independent shops, and a long record of civic participation. It has the identity and infrastructure to support a parish council — just as much as the already approved Throop.

To deny Southbourne a parish while imposing a larger Bournemouth Town Council is a serious democratic failure. It overrides local identity in favour of administrative convenience, and risks silencing the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.

The Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) Board is asked to consider and identify work priorities for publication in a Work Plan.

The Chair advised that the report had been presented to the meeting the previous week and there were no further updates, as such it was proposed that the report be noted. A copy of the report had been circulated to each Member and a copy appears as Appendix 'A' to these minutes in the Minute Book.

RESOLVED that the work plan be noted.

Voting: Nem. Con.

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.

This report provides the quarter one 2025/26 projected financial outturn information for the general fund, capital programme, housing revenue account (HRA) and Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG).

The quarter one position reflects the increasing financial challenges facing local government around social care for both adults and children and in making provision for a growing number of children and young adults with special education needs and disabilities (SEND).

The forecast revenue outturn is indicating a £3.7m overspend but officers are continuing to seek mitigations to deliver a balanced budget by the year end.

This report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'C' to these Minutes in the Minute Book was circulated to Board members for information. No comments or questions were received on this in advance of the meeting and the report was noted.