Chairperson - Sue Fotheringham

Your Residents Association Newsletter

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YOUR COUNCILLORS WORKING FOR YOU
 

As a Resident's Association we would like to keep you informed by the councillors who are acting on behalf of their residents' ward. We don't wish this to be viewed as supporting any political party but merely to support those who support you. Our Newsletter will include information about individuals and their goals to support JSCH.

Sue Fotheringham (Chair)

from COUNCILLORS MARGARET PHIPPS AND VANESSA RICKETTS
 

 Cllr. Drew Mellor suddenly resigned with immediate effect on Monday evening with a statement to the press, amid a storm over the budget coming to Council next week.  BCP is therefore currently in a state of flux with this shock announcement. Opposition Cllrs. at that time had received no formal notification of his resignation, but later that evening were sent an agenda item to elect a new Leader of the Council on 21^st February.  In the meantime the conservative core budget proposal is still being put before Council on the 21^st for debate.  Cllr. Mellor had publicly stated that he was considering proposing an alternative budget, and we know that Auditors raised a red flag that BCP is "considering a late amendment to the indicative 2023/24 budget". "We are highly concerned that this is introduced without appropriate advice and extra checks and balances to ensure it is in the best long term interest of the Council"….. [Cllr. Mellor's plan] “gives rise to a concern that the Council may be putting at risk its future financial sustainability by entering into high risk projects without the proper and full consideration that good governance require". 
The auditor’s letter can be read here.
The Government had also written to Cllr. Mellor warning against any more risky proposals.  The intervention from BCP's own auditors could have been the last straw, leading to the resignation.  The situation at Council changes quickly, so keep an eye out for what happens next!

Land on the Corner of The Grove/Barrack Road
Having had 2 previous applications for houses and flats refused, Fortitudo Ltd, has now put in an outline application for 2 Drive Through Restaurants on this site. The application number is 8/23/0074/OUT.  Many residents will have opinions about this application, so please put your comments on the BCP Planning portal.  Also, feel free to contact us if you wish.  An outline application, if granted, will establish the principle that the development is feasible on the site.  Any detail would come forward later in a full application.  The local aspiration is that the land frontage which is owned by BCP should be left as green open space, and we will be following that up with BCP Council.  Do you think this site is the right place for 2 Drive Through Takeaways?  We urge you to make your opinions known.  The consultation runs until 1^st March.
 
BCP Budget 2023/24 and Council Tax
The biggest issue within BCP Council at the moment is setting the Budget for 2023/24 which will include how much your Council Tax rises. A final decision will be made at Full Council on 21^st February.  The current core proposal is to raise BCP Council Tax by 2.99% and add on a further 2% for Adult Social Care, giving a total rise of 4.99%. 
Part of the Budget proposal must contain a statutory report from the Chief Financial Officer (a Section 25 Report).  To get an understanding of the budget the easiest way is to read his 10 page report, here.  It sets out his professional opinion and outlines the many risks associated with the budget proposal.  There are a lot of them.
The full report to Cabinet can be found at Item 8, here:
https://democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/documents/g5356/Public%20reports%20pack%2008th-Feb-2023%2010.15%20Cabinet.pdf?T=10
Any Cllr. or group of Cllrs. can put forward specific changes to the budget or submit a completely different budget for consideration by Full Council.  We will have to wait and see whether that happens.
 
Traffic
We are delighted that SGN has now finished work at Iford Roundabout. Vanessa met with them to discuss their current issues around the town and unfortunately it appears that they will shortly have to commence work on Christchurch By-pass due to a fractured low pressure pipe.  We can expect more delays.
The Approval for an Incinerator in Hurn
A controversial planning decision was to grant an Incinerator located in Hurn despite over 700 objections.  It will burn waste trucked in from this area and beyond for the next 25 years.  The Government is considering a moratorium on such incinerators and the country already has overcapacity.  The long-term aim is to reduce waste generation, not promote it by having to perpetually feed this furnace, which will produce toxic ash and potentially spread unhealthy particulates from its chimney across this whole area on the wind.  The Environment Agency has yet to licence this facility and we will keep you informed in case you want to make comment when an application is made to them.
 
 
Our BCP Committees
We both work hard on the Council to represent you.  Vanessa is on the Standards Committee, which is always busy and Margaret is on Audit and Governance Committee.  We always challenge when we encounter what we consider to be weak standards of accountability and governance within the Council, having recently written directly to the Chief Executive about such issues.   
 
We are always available to assist you with Ward or Council matters. Our contact details are:
 
Cllr. Margaret Phipps – margaret.phipps@bcpcouncil.gov.uk  - Tel: 01202 478266
Cllr. Vanessa Ricketts – vanessa.ricketts@bcpcouncil.gov.uk – Tel: 07760 391467
 

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We are in need of a Treasurer, Newsletter Editor and Future Chairperson.

We would also welcome any general committee members who would like to become involved in the association.

If you or someone you know (with their permission) would like to become a Committee member please complete a nomination form and email it to enquiries@wcresidents.co.uk or by post to Jumpers and St Catherine's Hill Residents Association at 83 Hillside Drive, Christchurch, BH23 2SZ. 
Download a Nomination Form
 

For more information about the courses we offer and our monthly talks see our website Christchurch U3A

Our next talk is on Mon, March 13th at 2.00pm at Christchurch Baptist Church -

Mike Andrews - Christchurch Smuggling Fact and Fiction

Local smuggling stories have always had an appeal. using contemporary sources this talk looks at these stories with a view to revealing the truth, or otherwise!
 

Christchurch u3a members enjoying Michael Heatley's talk 'What not to say to a Guitar Hero' at the last Monthly Meeting 

Upcoming event at Stanpit Marsh Visitor Centre
Sunday 26th February, 10.30am or 14.00pm
Tickets are £7.00.  
 
David will be giving a talk and slideshow ,he is award winning wildlife photographer who has visited us twice before and has  been very popular hence his coming for a third time. There will be an opportunity to purchase cards and prints of his work and we will follow his talk with coffee and cake.
 
You can book by contacting:-
 
Zena Lee on 07517475275

Christchurch Town Council
 

Christchurch Town Council have a new Town Clerk in post. We are very grateful to Vanessa Ricketts for her work and support during her time as temporary Town Clerk for CTC.
 

Local elections are on the horizon so look out for voting details.
Voters in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area will need to show an accepted form of photographic identification at this year’s local elections.

The requirement to show photo ID at the polling station is a new condition, introduced under the UK Government’s Elections Act, which comes into effect for the first time this May.
 

Update on our Developing Neighbourhood Plan

During November and December 2022, the Christchurch Town Council Neighbourhood Plan Working Group held both a face to face and online consultation to listen to residents views on various aspects of our developing local Neighbourhood Plan.
 
The areas which were identified early in the process as a result of a previous residents consultation, identified the following as of prime concern:
 
Getting About, (Better walking, cycling, traffic), Open & Green Spaces, Town Centre Shops & Services, Town Centre Car Parks, Local Heritage assets and a Design Code – identifying a set of simple, concise, illustrated design requirements that wherever possible provide specific detailed instructions for the physical development of a site or area.
 
Over 1250 responses were received to the various parts of the consultation and the information, in many cases quite detailed, is currently being assessed and the results will be summarised in a newsletter to be sent out in the coming weeks.
 
It was good to see such a high level of interaction and feedback from residents across all the various local wards in Christchurch, Town, notably with a high level of response from two wards, Jumpers & St Catherine’s Hill Ward and Priory Ward, which together contributed over 50% of the responses.
 
In addition in November 2022,  we ran an afternoon session with the Student Council from the Twynham Learning Trust, consisting of 6 local primary and secondary schools across Christchurch.  18 students ranging in age from 10-18 met with their teachers and members of the Working Group to discuss and give their feedback on the various themes of the Neighbourhood Plan. The students were really exceptional in both how they presented themselves as well as their ideas and suggestions. We plan to have a follow up session with the Student Council in the coming months.
 
As mentioned above, we plan to send out a newsletter in the coming weeks, once we have had opportunity to fully review all the great feedback, comments, concerns and suggestions received from local residents. Such feedback and future consultations are vitally important in helping to ensure that our developing Neighbourhood Plan reflects a shared vision for our area and helps shape the future development and growth of Christchurch, providing a powerful set of tools for local residents to plan the types of development required to meet local needs.