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 18 March (mid-day, 3 clear working days before the meeting).
The deadline for the submission of a statement is mid-day Monday 23 March 2026 (mid-day the working day before the meeting).
The deadline for the submission of a petition is Tuesday 10 March 2026 (10 working days before the meeting).
Minutes:
Public Questions
Public Question from Joel Troy-Barnes
As a resident of Southcote Road, I am regularly exposed to street-based drug use including open crack consumption, prostitution, and associated violence outside my home, often continuing until the early hours of the morning, it seems to be progressively more violent over the last 2 months requiring nearly nightly calls to relevant services.
I would like to ask the Council: is this a known and documented issue in the Southcote road area, and if so, what multi-agency response is currently in place? Specifically, what measures are being taken to ensure the safety of residents living in directly affected streets, and has any consideration been given to increased visible presence or patrolling during the hours when these activities are most concentrated, particularly between midnight and 4am? This situation feels quite lawless after the hours of 8pm and only seems to be getting worse.
Response read by the Leader of the Council, Councillor Millie Earl on behalf of the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Regulatory Services, Councillor Kieron Wilson
I can confirm that our Public Protection team are aware of your concerns. Our anti-social behaviour team are working closely with Dorset Police on the issues you have mentioned. Recent action includes increased use of CCTV monitoring, additional police patrols to both deter ASB and kerb crawling, and tackle drug use and supply, and work with local residents and landlords to increase the reporting of concerns. We would encourage all residents to report any anti-social behaviour to our team or via the police online platform, so that we can work together to tackle issues.
Public Question from Katherine Avery (Read by the Chief Executive)
I would very much like the Council to consider the impact that short - term lets is having on the tourism industry. I have been running a bed and breakfast in Bournemouth for the last 12 years and this is having a big impact on business for B&B’s and hotels in the ward.
B&B's and hotels are fully compliant, we pay thousands every year to ensure the safety of all of our guests in our establishments, as well as paying business rates to BCP Council.
What does need considering are the short-term lets on Booking agents and the student halls selling rooms. Many of which are 10 metres from local B&B’s.
What is the Council going to strategize in the future to prevent the sudden influx of short-term lets in the BCP ward to prevent the smaller establishments closing? Will there be more regulations in place?
Response by the Portfolio Holder for Destination, Leisure and Commercial Operations and Car Parking, Councillor Richard Herrett
Thankyou for your question,
The rise of Air BnB and other short term lets, are another example of where technology and changes in supply, have outstripped legislation and where local authorities need support from central government to deal with the consequences.
Currently the councils ability to enforce against short terms lets is limited in planning terms, as changes to national planning laws are required to do so. The current classification C3 makes no differentiation about how a home is used. There is a national registration scheme promised that is yet to come forward, and it is unclear as to whether local authorities will be resourced in addition to this to operate the register and how it might respond to those failing to register, and the consequences of that.
With use of private student accommodation falling as international numbers recede due to hostile immigration policies, and local ones stay closer to home due to rising costs, it is unsurprising that operators of student accommodation are seeking to sweat their assets aswell.
What I often hear is that hotel and B&B operators would like a level playing field.
The council can enforce on ASB, noise complaints and other issues where appropriate, that mainly relate to the behaviour of people, but currently does not have the facility within planning laws to take action against the premises on the grounds of existence. There will only be more regulations in place if the government provide the powers.
Public Statements
Public Statement from Sarah Cooper (Read by the Chief Executive)
I urge you to support this motion because for families like mine, SEND policy is not theoretical it determines whether our children receive the support they need.
I am the parent of two autistic children who attend specialist schools. Our journey through the SEND system has been long and difficult. The reason my children now have the support they need is because EHCP’s provide legally enforceable rights. Without those rights, I genuinely don’t know where they would be today.
If I hadn’t been able to challenge decisions and appeal, my children wouldn’t be in the safe, supportive school they attend now. My son’s mental health declined significantly when their needs weren’t met and destroyed them.
Being able to challenge decisions is not about conflict. It is about making sure vulnerable children do not fall through the gaps.
Reform must strengthen support — not remove the legal protections families rely on
Public Statement from Paul McAughtry (Read by Gerri McAughtry)
The underlying pressures in the SEND system need to be addressed. The current legal framework under the Children and Families Act 2014 and Equality Act 2010 provides important legal safeguards for families that must be preserved. Reforms should prioritise early identification in schools, specialist workforce development and individual needs-led support not weakening existing legal protections. The core challenge is not structural design but insufficient specialist capacity; inadequate national funding and lack of specialist provision outside mainstream. The Government needs to implement the recommendations of its own Neurodivergence Task & Finish Group Report published in February 2026.
Public Statement from Gerri McAughtry
If children with SEN needs lose access to legal rights and specialist support, those needs will escalate in already overstretched mainstream classrooms. Teachers will be under greater pressure to manage SEN needs without adequate funds or support. This inevitably will reduce teaching time and learning quality for all pupils. Supporting this motion does not oppose reform; rather, it asks that reform improves the system by addressing specialist workforce capacity and sustainable SEN funding, without removing the legal safeguards that protect vulnerable, disabled children and their families. This will support teachers, councils and schools to deliver education effectively for everyone.
Public Statement from Mark Elkins
The hotel industry within East Cliff and Springbourne has been put under severe strain with too many new hotels within Bournemouth approved by the Planning Committee leading to over capacity in tourist accommodation in recent decades. This has caused many existing hotels to cease trading and this in turn is wasteful from an environmental standpoint with emissions from the building of new hotels and in some cases demolition of existing hotels. Short term holiday lets such as Airbnb only make this scenario worse causing further over capacity
Public Statement from Philip Stanley Watts (Read by the Chief Executive)
As a father of a daughter at university I feel the BCP council need to get together with partners the health authority and university to warn of the risks of meningitis in the light of the outbreak in Kent.
Public Statement from Rosie Radwell (Read by the Chief Executive)
The BH Area Hospitality Association supports stronger regulation of short-term lets, as the current system creates an uneven playing field. Anyone can establish an Airbnb-style property without meeting the compliance standards required of hotels and guest houses, placing legitimate operators at a clear disadvantage. At the same time, tourism demand is weak, with many properties operating at unsustainable occupancy levels, particularly outside peak months.
There is also an oversupply of hotel accommodation alongside a severe housing shortage. A practical solution is to allow smaller hotels to convert into residential units with streamlined planning approval, helping meet local housing needs while stabilising the sector.
Immediate action is essential: enforce compliance, restrict unregulated short-term let platforms, and create a council-led rental portal to ensure standards and accountability. Prolonged consultation must now give way to decisive intervention to protect businesses, communities, and housing supply.
The council need to control with their own platform.
Public Statement from Rachel Filmer (Read by the Chief Executive)
Having campaigned locally and nationally on SEND, the concerns in this motion are wholly reflective of the risk of these reforms. They would disproportionately impact on the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children, and those with the most complex needs. Failing children has profound consequences, not just for families and schools but for public services. Removing rights would exacerbate the crisis in social care and other public services. The legal rights of disabled children must not be negotiable. I urge all councillors to support this motion and defend the rights of vulnerable disabled children in BCP.