TMSTH Area Forum Meeting - 2nd September 2024

(about 40 people attending)

Ray O’Luby, Chair; Conor Niall O’Luby, Secretary; Jean Kirk, Treasurer

Cllrs Kieron Wilson, Lisa Northover, Millie Earl

1. Welcome and introduction

a The death of Cllr Brian Castle

b BCP Council Leader Millie Earl

c The Cob Barn

2. The death of Cllr Brian Castle

Cllr Kieron Wilson talked about Cllr Brian Castle, who passed away after a short illness, tragically leaving a young family behind. He was a genuine person, who was getting to grips with becoming a councillor. He was committed to his community before joining BCP, and worked as a postman. His colleagues will miss him.

A by-election will be held in the next couple of months.

3. BCP Council Leader Cllr Millie Earl

I spent the last year as deputy leader, and now as leader, I want to listen to your questions.

I was elected in 2019 for Newtown Heatherlands ward in Poole (Rossmore etc.). I was born and grew up there, and am honoured to have been elected. 2023 brought about a change from the Conservatives. We formed the 3 Towns Alliance, which includes the Liberal Democrats, Poole People Party and Christchurch Independents. In Poole, we were concerned about the merger of the three towns (now we’re the 12th largest council in the country). We want to rewind a little so we promote/protect the unique natures’ of the 3 towns.

We had to make nearly £50m cuts to services, we didn’t want to. We have a legal obligation to deliver adult and social care, we want to listen and have prioritised community investment.

We have achieved a balanced budget, there are still concerns but we’re in a more stable position. We can now think about the things we want to do.

Corporate strategy: sets out our priorities for the future

Environment and place: clean environment, tackling climate crisis, filling in potholes, removing weeds, protecting wildlife, green spaces

People and communities - there is entrenched poverty, we’re trying to address this, we have a big housing problem, standard of living now is quite different from 10 years ago.

Skills and opportunities - we want to contribute to help people get on life

BCP council has had some difficulties over the first 5 years. We still haven’t fully harmonised services, there are some wage disparities. In the past we had a council that wanted to control many more things, but now we want to see other organisations taking more of a leading role.

We want to ensure more accountability as regards how tax payers’ money is spent. We are now more transparent and able to help prevent some dubious financial practices some councillors had previously engaged in.

Tourism - we get littering, clogged up roads, some anti-social behaviour, so we want to ensure the local residents benefit with a discount card. After all, it’s tax payers money that pays for the clean-ups etc. that are required after tourists leave.

Governance review - there is a massive gap between BCP and community. We want to introduce some town or community councils at a lower level to ensure more accountability. This is to address the size issue of BCP.

Play strategy - play parks are looking worse for wear. We didn’t have enough money for maintenance. We want to make the parks better and involve local community and children in changes.

The private sector may be able to offer sponsorship - e.g. Blue Flag -, we can do this in education and public health with partners to help address certain issues.

Bournemouth town centre - Really struggling, high streets across the country are struggling, but Bournemouth is much worse off than Poole and Christchurch.

We’ve been working with Police and Youth Services to help deal with anti-social behaviour and more serious crime.

Bournemouth can go from a pleasant environment to a scary one quite quickly. We’re working with BID (Business Improvement District) to try and tidy the area, make it more animated e.g. local bands, town ranger teams, community safety officers.

In June, footfall in the town centre had increased by 7% on 2023. Hopefully, this will continue. We should convert some of the empty buildings into accommodation. It’s difficult because many properties are privately owned and some owners will just sit on the properties rather than let them out.

Following the election, we’ve been told we’ll be helped with our financial situation, though it’s difficult to know exactly, given that we’re told how difficult the current economic situation is.

As leader, I work in strategic partnerships across the regions.

Public Questions:

Phil S-W: I wish you well, you say BCP is a very large council. You didn’t mention the Local Plan which is going through at the moment. What are you views on planning, neighbourhood plans, quality housing, protecting wildlife.

Cllr Millie Earl: Now I have planning as part of my portfolio, I’m interested in planning. I’m involved in the Poole Local Plan.

The BCP Local Plan will dictate the next 15 years of policy for the area. The draft has been submitted to the Inspector, to check whether it’s deliverable, whether it meets the relevant criteria. There is now a 12-18 months process/dialogue with the Inspector.

The local plan makes protecting environment a priority, it’s a democratic, cross-party agreement.

Q. Phil SW Flooding, flood defences.

Cllr Millie Earl: There’s a consultation ongoing, how can we better prepare (Flood and Coastal Erosion Management). We have a good team, other councils ask for help. I am concerned for the future.

Environment Agency - give two options along Poole Bay seafront: massive sea wall or allow cliffs to erode away.

Hengistbury Head Long Groyne project

We have issues inland as well. In my ward we have hills, the more gardens are paved over, the more water goes straight down into the drain causing floods.

Need further investment from government.

Q. You mentioned ‘weeds’ how do you define weeds? What about the benefits to birds and insects.

Cllr Millie Earl: This is a much talked about issue. Some people like them for wildlife, some think it’s untidy. I’m a big fan of making space for nature.

I’m very concerned about decline in insects. I like the idea of allowing more space for nature, I think people should use their gardens for nature too.

We were fortunate to get some extra funding from government to maintain a reasonable level of mowing.

Q. What’s your view on the Labour government’s new planning ideas i.e. about housing in green belt.

Cllr Millie Earl: The draft Local Plan may have to be reviewed if and when the government’s new planning regulations come into effect, as our housing targets are nowhere near the targets suggested by Labour.

I think we need to look at how we increase efficient use of space in urban areas whilst also protecting green space.

Town centres may also be a good place for new accommodation, eg putting a couple of extra stories on current blocks.

The largest brownfield site on the power station site in Poole, this could be a good site. A major issue is car parking, what should be done? More car parks or better sustainable public transport. Perhaps we need to promote more car-free living.

We need to make sure our MPs are on side, but I can’t make promises about total protection of green belt, if the government insists on its use for housing.

We do have a housing crisis, however. I have a couple of residents who are facing eviction because the rents are going too high for them. We need to create housing for those who really need it, young people, people in B&Bs.

Q. Jasmin P. - Eric Pickles, Ministerial statement 2015, makes it clear that local authority objections can be overridden by developers going back to ministers.

Many buses in the area focus on the work commute and don’t always meet the needs of people who need to go to the doctor, local shops.

Townsend - faces many issues,

Clr Millie Earl: Issue of inequality stands out for me, I live in Rossmore which has both great wealth and deprived communities.

In Poole we used to have a ‘pooling’ system for developer levy money, CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) so the money could be applied for from across the town. In BCP, this money stays in the ward it was raised.

I don’t like it that Canford Cliffs has a CIL pot which can only be spent there, the geographical boundary for CIL is arbitrary. We should introduce a ‘pooling’ system for BCP.

Revenue spend - our biggest strain is delivering care services, so we can’t do the other maintenance we often need e.g. painting lampposts, mowing the grass (within reason). We can sometimes get capital grants, but we can’t easily get revenue funding and this is a big issue.

Conor Niall O’Luby: Sounds similar to my experience in charity management.

Q. David Lammy has announced some restrictions on Israel arms sales. Why are we still twinned with Netanya?

Cllr Millie Earl: I’m not a member of Bournemouth Charter of Trustees, they are the ones who decide on twinning. I’m from Poole; I’m not involved in these decisions. I suggest you contact Graham Farrant or the Charter of Trustees.

Q. Winter Fuel Allowance (WFA) cuts -

Cllr Millie Earl: Cuts are dramatic, I disagree with the cuts. The Government has announced they will continue the Household support fund for Councils for another six months, this is a genuine lifesaver. We can pay for blankets, provide a £100 grant for food/heating. We are happy that the government is continuing this.

I think the £15,000 border on WFA payments is too low. It’s difficult to live on this amount.

Q. Why is there no accountability for our failed management team? You’re against the airshow, against cars.

Cllr Millie Earl: There are divided opinions on the show, congestion, military links, environment costs. I’m not against it, but we have asked the private sector to pay for it.

I drive, cycle, and walk. I think we need to be pragmatic and recognize that people sometimes need to use cars, but we do have a congestion problem and we can’t just reconfigure roads to deal with the issue.

Also, I think working from home can be very good, with real benefits.

I support helping to make the town more cycle-friendly, making school streets safer, and cleaning the air. One of the junctions in my ward had a very high level of pollution.

Q. Will the council support paying for the infrastructure?

Cllr Millie Earl: Cabinet will debate this in September.

Q. At the back of Bradpole Rd there’s a service road that had loads of rubbish for ages. Can the councillors walk around and see the area?

Cllr Kieron Wilson: I jog around and when I see things I report.

Q. Are you going to introduce a blanket 20mph speed limit?

Cllr Millie Earl: Thanks, I’ll address some of the misinformation. We got £120,000 to look at this issue. My ward is mostly 20mph. We are looking at injury and death stats and see where introducing 20mph will help. This is not a ‘blanket’ 20mph across BCP.

I think we have normalized deaths on the road; we would be up in arms in other settings. We have responsibilities in terms of public health.

Q. Throop and Holdenhurst, Townsend interested in 20mph zones.

Cllr Millie Earl: That’s very interesting; the impact of slowing down is significant.

4. Cob Barn

Conor Niall O’Luby: We have arranged for a chartered surveyor to assess the Barn’s current condition. We are waiting for the Council to allow us access.

Cllr Kieron Wilson: I’m going to get the officer and the keys

Sheena: We need to deal with the wider anti-social behaviour issues before we start something. We need to do something with the skateboard park

Jasmin: It’s less likely to be targeted if people use it for community purposes.

5. AOB

Cllr Lisa Northover talks about ward improvement fund £4000 per councillor, groups can apply for particular projects. Short amount of time to apply (mid September), get in touch with local councillors. This may be postponed if not enough ideas arrive in this time period. The funding can’t replace Council funding, it is only for new, small-scale practical projects.