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 Wednesday 19 March 2025 (12 noon, 3 clear working days before the meeting).
The deadline for the submission of a statement is mid-day Monday 24 March 2025 (mid-day the working day before the meeting).
The deadline for the submission of a petition is Tuesday 11 March 2025 (10 working days before the meeting).
Minutes:
Public Questions
Public Question from Joanne Keeling
"Given that Sir Keir Starmer advocates scrapping NHS England for its unnecessary bureaucracy, why is BCP Council considering establishing parish councils, another tier of administration? Shouldn’t we streamline local governance instead of adding layers that increase costs and complicate decision making? If current services are struggling, wouldn’t strengthening the existing council be more efficient than forming new parish councils? There would be no need for extra layers if BCP operated more efficiently. While we call for reduced bureaucracy nationally, locally we propose expanding it. How do these contradictory policies align with an alleged cost conscious government? Please clarify.”
Response by the Leader of the Council, Councillor Millie Earl
Following a commitment by the Three Town’s Alliance administration to empower our communities to make decisions on the issues that matter most in their areas and the lack of consultation on community governance throughout the Local Government Reorganisation process for Bournemouth and Poole residents, Council approved the commencement of a community governance review in October 2024.
Council this evening will be asked to consider the draft recommendations of the Task and Finish Group following the invitation of initial submissions and if approved, these will be subject to a 12-week consultation.
The responses will be considered in accordance with the agreed timetable and Council will be asked to consider any final recommendations in October 2025.
Parish and Town Councils are a legitimate tier of local government with over 10,000 councils in England. They can play a pivotal role in the provision of services at a local level reflecting the priorities in the area, as evidenced by the existing parish and town councils in Christchurch and in Bournemouth.
Public Question from Soo Chapman
Agenda Items 12 and 13 concern the well-being of children and young people. Young people should not have to fight for a habitable future nor should our children's life chances on a Grenfelling planet be ignored.
The single page illustrated document I wrote, East Dorset Friends of the Earth endorsed & Bournemouth Borough Council printed, was distributed by myself and my late husband on our 30th anniversary 24.7.2006 to all 12 Bournemouth libraries. Since then, no such document has appeared in libraries, doctors' surgeries nor anywhere to inform the public just what is happening to their world. Denialism is allowed to flourish and with it our chances of survival.
An escalating, dangerous 429 parts per million CO2 when Earth's safe level is 350ppm, shows the failure of all authorities to respect, warn and prepare subsequent generations for the Anthropocene.
How does BCP plan to redress this?
Response by the Portfolio Holder for Climate Response, Environment and Energy, Councillor Andy Hadley
Soo, thank you for your clear warnings.
The Council are actively working on awareness for children and young people. Our Educational Improvement Team is assisting schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole to address the Department for Education's ‘sustainability leadership and climate action plans’ initiative, which involves all education settings nominating a sustainability lead and putting in place a climate action plan. This compliments the Council’s Environmental Schools Award, an established scheme that helps schools improve their environmental performance across many areas, including energy, waste, biodiversity and travel. I have been asked into a local school to hear of the work of their Eco Leaders, and I would welcome more such visits.
The Council has also been taking practical measures to reduce emissions and raise awareness at schools with the ‘School Streets’ scheme aimed at restricting traffic and parking, initially outside four local schools during peak times. This resulted in an 11.5 per cent rise in parents and carers opting to leave their cars at home and either walk, cycle or scoot, and 92 per cent of respondents requesting the scheme be made permanent. Other schools are coming on-board.
To raise awareness more widely, I presented the Climate Action Annual report to Cabinet earlier this month, and at the same time launched the Council’s Emissions Dashboard that can be accessed by anyone from the Climate pages of the Council’s website. This makes available our emissions data and shows our progress towards becoming carbon neutral, displaying roadmaps illustrating how this can be achieved, and case studies.
I agree that we need to do far more to counter the false narratives and apathy. The links that you frequently share are always valuable, most recently
- Predictions from the Medical Journal “The Lancet” about massive population health impacts of climate change,
https://lancetcountdown.org/2024-report/
- from the Society of Actuaries and Exeter University about the Global risks to food production, millions of deaths, and Trillions of annual GDP losses across the planet.
- from Oxford University Press, which highlights the huge shift in human emissions needed to undo the damage of the last century of human activity, but which includes a glimmer of hope in that changes from the International Maritime Organisation to regulations on sulphur content in fuels used by global shipping have resulted in measurable impacts being recorded. https://academic.oup.com/oocc/article/3/1/kgad008/7335889
In recent weeks, The Climate Team has been strengthened by two new officers, part of whose role will be to carry out community engagement on sustainability issues, including climate change awareness.
Public Question from Judith Adda
"As a long-time BCP taxpayer, I want to know about Bournemouth Live, the shadowy, outsourced, closed company running the massive, underutilised BIC.
Who’s the CEO? How much does this immense Bournemouth asset contribute to our town and BCP’s coffers? Time to reveal this now with BCP’s contracting budgets.
This information appears nowhere in my latest Council Tax demand, nor is it public information on BCP’s or BH Live websites.
It surely cost BCP £millions to build and BIC’s far from paying its way today as expected, with the pitifully limited number of events it now hosts.
Unimpressed with many rebuffs I received when I offered my organisational business development skills, I can help develop significantly more revenue from this major Bournemouth asset, I believe is now a white elephant-on-sea!
I offer proven business leadership skills, knowledge, 'savvy', drive, determination to help improve this situation and respectfully ask for some answers".
Response by the Portfolio Holder for Destination, Leisure and Commercial Operations, Councillor Richard Herrett
Thankyou for your question,
BH Live are a separate organisation to BCP Council and run as a registered charity.
They currently hold the lease for the BIC, Pavilion and 3 of our BCP owned Bournemouth based leisure centres.
BH Live pay the council a service fee on an annual basis as part of this lease agreement which is within the Council’s overall budget. Council officers have regular partnership meetings with BH Live in line with the contractual arrangement which covers their service plan, budgets and performance.
BH Live have a board of trustees and submit their accounts to Companies house and the charity commission, along with a full report on an annual basis as with all registered charities.
The Trustees names, which include two BCP Councillors are publicly available on the charity commission website, along with annual reports, in which the senior management names including the Chief Executive are listed.
The Council do not appoint staff to, or recruit for BH Live , this is done through their own process, being an independent charity.
Public Statements
Public Statement from Susan Stockwell
I applaud this administration's foresight in providing residents and businesses with 20mph limits. Whatever the motivation, be it safer roads for everyone, healthier conditions for travelling actively, or something else I am grateful. I also applaud our opposition on BCP council, for contributing to alternatives to private vehicles, introducing Beryl Bikes and Scooters, manifesto commitments to public transport and a general offering of towns which are kinder to the environment. Each has had a part to play.
Frustration over traffic jams is a great leveller. We may disagree, often passionately, over how to tackle this. But better to care and disagree than nobody caring.
Recently, health evidence from ULEZ and Clean Air Zones, and accident figures for 20mph have become available. I urge you as decision makers to use this wisely.
Public Statement from Mark Elkins
The East Cliff and Springbourne Neighbourhood Forum application (ECSNF) in stark contrast to the East Cliff Neighbourhood Forum application (ECNF) is the only one that does not seek to split up East Cliff by including all the buildings and green space within East Cliff. It also includes all the beaches and cliffs whereas the ECNF fails to include these at all. In addition (ECSNF) includes the whole of Springbourne thus aiming to have a considerably greater impact on preserving heritage, designing out Crime, local employment opportunities, levelling up, enhancing tourism, business opportunities, retail trade, and avoidance of housing development cramming.
Public Statement from Paul Spector
This is a statement to express my support for the Twinning arrangement between Bournemouth and Netanya and my concern at the negative and divisive campaign to de-twin.
Twinning with Netanya helps connect people from one seaside town, with a strong tourist background, to another. It was initiated in 1995 and, since then, through visits and exchanges, friendships have been forged, honest opinions exchanged, and best practices shared.
The ordinary citizens of Bournemouth and of Netanya share common aspirations - for peace and prosperity, for a quiet life. That is why we should support and encourage the twinning of the two towns.
The concept of “Love thy neighbour” is central to all three major monotheistic religions, and it’s time we started to work together, as a community, for the good of all our neighbours.
Public Statement from Alexander McKinstry
Last week's Audit and Governance Committee debate, regarding FuturePlaces, was deeply dissatisfying. I see nothing in the Constitution that requires a business case, or budget, to be submitted before appointing external investigators; the Standards Committee never does this. I was disappointed too at the failure to define the scope for an investigation, despite four public statements setting out key issues at the start of the meeting. As the investigation and its parameters have now been delegated to the monitoring officer and head of internal audit, I've emailed both officers details of principal concerns surrounding FuturePlaces: its accommodation, the streamlined recruitment process, who authorised the bonuses and on what grounds, and how the final settlement (£2,691,704) was determined. Lastly, I deplore the remarks about "needing to move on", uttered by one councillor mid-meeting: this belittles public concerns, and ignores the fact that audit is a retrospective exercise.
Public Statement from Philip Gatrell
COUNCIL’S PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
IN 150 PERMITTED WORDS
LOCAL GOVERNMENT OMBUDSMAN
• Complaints Processed:
2019-20 43
‘20-21 40
‘21-22 73
‘22-23 77
‘23-24 90
‘24-25 to 28.1.25. 85
Total 408
• Complaints Upheld after 137 Cases Fully Investigated:
2019-20 5 (42%)
‘20-21 9 (69%)
‘21-22 22 (65%)
‘22-23 26 (68%)
‘23-24 32 (81%)
‘24-25 to 28.1.25. 17 (74%)
Total Upheld 111
INFORMATION COMMISSIONER
• Information Time Limit Compliance Response Rates compared with Commissioner’s Target 90%:
2022-23 88%
‘23-24 82%
• Further Information Release Rates following Internal Reviews and Complaints to Commissioner:
2022-23 48%
‘23-24 54%
• InformationRequester Tribunal Appeals to date:
1 - Concluded at hearing 22nd January 2025. Published judgment imminent.
LOCAL AUDIT AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT 2014
• Local Government Elector’s Section 27 Objection accepted concerning 2023-24 Section 28 “Unlawful Item of Account”:
Senior Officer’s “Compensation for Loss of Office” £37,500. Detailed by public issue at Audit and Governance meeting 27th January 2025. External Auditor’s 2014 Act remediation to follow.