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Contents
BCP Council Update
CCTV cameras to be installed
3rd Christchurch Brownies 70th birthday
Christchurch Living Advent Calendar
Lewis Manning tree collection
Steamer Point Fair
Links and Contact Details
COUNCILLORS MARGARET PHIPPS AND VANESSA RICKETTS
BCP COUNCIL UPDATE
2024/25 BUDGET CONSULTATION
We have previously told you about the dire state of BCP finances, left to the Three Towns Alliance in May 2023 as a legacy from the previous administration, with a £44m gap identified for the 2024/25 budget. We also told you that the reality of the situation is that we could see future cuts in some services. Well, it’s happening – the new administration has so far identified £32m savings which would have to come from a variety of sources. BCP still had £12m to find (to make the £44m), however, with the Chancellor’s announcement of the increase to the living wage in April 2024, it means that the deficit could increase from £44m to £50m and therefore the remaining money to find is likely to now be £18m not £12m.
There are many items within this proposal which will impact on all residents of BCP and some specifically to residents of Christchurch – These are just a few - less grass cutting – closing Christchurch Household Recycling Centre for 2 days per week – loss of Community Safety Team from Christchurch Town Centre – reduction in library opening hours.
We urge you to make your views known via the consultation. We are told this is an unprecedented financial challenge, however, we are not fully in agreement with some of these proposals and will be talking directly with the Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance.
This consultation on the 2024/25 budget is running until 11.59pm on 20th December 2023 and can be found here: https://haveyoursay.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/budget
The following is a brief outline of its content: Please read the whole document at the link as it gives much more information about the Council’s finances and why these proposals have come forward.
? Grounds Maintenance Service – we are proposing a review of the service
which would impact on the number of times we cut the grass in some areas
and a larger proportion of the BCP area would be left unmown. Decorative
planting, litter pickings and sports maintenance would also be impacted.
? Christchurch Household Recycling Centre (HRC) – we are proposing to
close Christchurch HRC on a Sunday and Monday.
? Paddling Pools – we are proposing to work with partners to see if they can
take on the running of the paddling pools in a community management
arrangement. If we are unable to set up a community management transfer of
the pools, then the council would look to close them.
? Public Protection – we are proposing reductions in our public protection
service which would limit the ability for teams to undertake proactive
enforcement and will increase our response times. We would no longer deal
with neighbour disputes, and it would take us longer to respond to things like
noise nuisance complaints.
? Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) – we are proposing to
remove our CSAS from Poole Town Centre, Christchurch Town Centre and
Boscombe.
? CCTV – we are proposing to reduce live monitoring of cameras by 15-30%
and seek support from partner agencies to fund the service.
? Library opening hours - we are proposing to reduce opening hours in most
of our libraries.
? Street lighting - we are proposing to turn off streetlights from midnight to 6am
on quieter residential roads within the Poole area.
? School crossing patrol - we are proposing to remove school crossing patrols
from locations that have existing crossing facilities and remove school
crossing patrols from locations that, following a survey, do not meet the
government threshold. We plan to use capital funding to upgrade school
crossing patrol sites so there is a crossing facility at the locations that need
them.
? Hengistbury Head Outdoor Education Centre - We are looking to transfer
the facility and land to a community group under a development, management
and maintenance lease arrangement or community asset transfer. If this
cannot be achieved the site would need to close.
This budget will affect every resident so we encourage you to respond to the consultation.
In addition, as noted in the consultation document explanation, Council Tax will undoubtedly rise in April 2024. The alternative to such major cuts, is issuing a Section 114 Notice which effectively means that BCP declares bankruptcy and loses control of the Council. Then only Statutory Services will be provided. We want residents to be fully aware of the situation and give their views so that we can make informed decisions on your behalf. Please have your say.
ERECTION OF ADVERTISING SIGN EAST OF HURN ROAD – APPEAL
We want to make you aware that the BCP refusal of a proposed illuminated advertising sign at the junction of Hillside Drive and Hurn Road, has been appealed. The references are as follows: Appeal Reference: APP/V1260/Z/23/3328695 Application No: 8/23/0286/ADV Appeal Start Date: 15 November 2023 Link for Planning Inspectorate: https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk
You can make comments through the Government Portal at the link above
JUMPERS ROADRESURFACING
We have been asked about Jumpers Road and been pushing for it to be resurfaced. This work is starting on the February 17th 2024 for a period of 2 weeks whilst Retread carriageway recycling work is undertaken. A temporary surface dressed road surface will be applied whilst the ‘new’ road structure settles and comes to full strength. On the 2nd and 3rd March the new asphalt running surface will be laid completing the scheme.
As always, you can contact us on any BCP or Ward related issue.
CCTV cameras to be in place in BCP bus stops and hubs
BCP Council has been awarded £480,000 from the Department for Transport as part of a nationwide pilot to reduce antisocial behaviour on the public transport network.
The funding is part of the Government’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, which also has a focus on preventing violence against women and girls.
Police and Crime Commissioner, David Sidwick, said: “We have all seen the reports of ASB on public transport over the last couple of years, and witnessing such an incident was one of the reasons I stood for office because I wanted to act against such appalling behaviour.
Councillor Kieron Wilson, BCP portfolio holder for housing and regulatory services said: “Incidents of anti-social behaviour on our transport network need consistent monitoring to identify and challenge negative behaviours in real time, so we welcome this funding from the Department for Transport to tackle this issue.
“ASB negatively impacts upon the quality of life for our residents, and we need to find solutions that work, especially in known hotspot areas such as public transport networks.”
Transport Safety Officers (TSOs) will also patrol key routes, working alongside Dorset Police and the British Transport Police.
BCP Council will also be working in partnership with Morebus and UK bike and scooter sharing scheme provider, Beryl, as part of the pilot.
Richard Wade, general manager at Morebus, said: “As with all operators, from time-to-time, we do experience incidents at bus stops and on buses, so we very much look forward to working with the local authority to determine where best to deploy these officers once in place.”
Chief Inspector, Darren Harris, from Dorset Police, said: “While it may often be deemed a low-level crime, anti-social behaviour has a significant impact on people’s wellbeing and sense of security.
“Dorset Police is committed to driving down ASB in the county through Operation Relentless and we look forward to working with partners on this new scheme and encourage people to report ASB wherever they see it.”
The pilot will be rolled out in January 2024 and run until March 2025.
The final event to celebrate the pack’s 70th birthday was to hold a PARTY for as many former and current members of the pack as possible. We invited the Town Crier to come along and help us to cut our cake and asked Sue Spittle, & Rosemary Worth to help too. Sue was a brownie in the unit and Rosemary helped Brown Owl when she first took over from Mrs Barbara Jones in 1978. Mrs Rocket was the first Brown Owl and the unit opened in 1953 at Priory School.
The Town Crier held a mini competition with the brownies to see if there were any female candidates for his job. The girls were allowed to ring the bell and shout “Happy Birthday” as loudly as they could. I am not sure that a definitive winner was found.!! They were all as good as each other and no decision could be made!! The girls tried to solve our Magic game, but although some came close nobody has yet discovered our secret and even the Town Crier had difficulty!!. Maybe we will let him into the secret next time we see him! It was lovely to see everyone and to catch up on all their news and will be remembered for a long time to come. There were lots of photo albums to browse through and memories to share. It was a golden opportunity to “dig out” the memorabilia , the toadstool, uniforms and pennant allowing the brownies to explore the Unit’s traditions whilst giving them the opportunity to show that Guiding is still valued and relevant to today’s girl. If you have any time to spare and you could spare us some, we would love you to come and join us. We are a friendly team and have lots of adventures to share with you. Please contact Annette Bowden – 3rdbrowniesandguides@gmail.com Look forward to hearing from you.
As you receive this, Christmas will be approaching fast. My fellow Town Councillors and I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy and successful New Year.
The CLAC (Christchurch Living Advent Calendar) will be operating throughout Christchurch during December, up until Christmas Eve, from 6-7pm (except 24th, at 2pm). Run by the Rotary Club for the benefit of many local charities, the details of each event can be found at www.christchurchlivingadventcalendar.org.uk. Please come along and support your local good causes.
On Thursday December 14th at 7.30pm is the Priory’s Christmas Carol Service. Come along and join in raising all our voices in our favourite carols to put us all in the mood for the Christmas Spirit.
So, once again, I would like to wish you and your families a wonderful Christmas and I look forward to meeting up with many of you during this festive season.
Cllr Viv Charrett
Town Mayor
Lewis-Manning Hospice Care will be collecting and recycling Christmas trees across Bournemouth, Poole, Purbeck, and Christchurch in the new year.
The collections, supported by Katie Fox Estate Agents, have raised an incredible £40,000 over the past five years.
The hospice’s recycling service has also contributed to environmental sustainability by preventing over 20 tonnes of Christmas trees from ending up in local landfills.
Residents are encouraged to register for their Christmas tree collection online and give a donation.
Collections across BH1 – BH23 postcodes will take place on January 11, 12, 13.
Roadworks
Before reporting a roadworks issue, please check the roadworks map below. This is continuously updated with the latest current and future roadworks information for the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area. Roadworks (bcpcouncil.gov.uk)
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