A new independent review of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council’s weed management programme has raised serious concerns about the widespread use of pesticides and herbicides across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. The analysis carried out by local environmental researcher Steve Harper, found that 49 of the 51 chemicals used by the council in 2024 – […]
According to Oxfam, private jets are the most polluting form of transport per passenger. A single flight from London to Paris on a private jet emits six times more CO₂ per passenger than a commercial plane, 12 times more than a car, and 180 times more than taking the train. A round trip from London […]
In 2021, we published an article urging readers to oppose planning permission for a new waste incinerator to be run by Eco Sustainable Solutions, in Parley, Christchurch. It was granted planning permission in December 2022, but the Environment Agency has not yet received an application for the necessary permit to operate it. In July 2023, […]
We delivered our 20 hearts to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) on April 14 2024, to call for an all-at-once rollout of a 20mph speed limit. BCP council is proposing some limited extensions to 20mph areas, like the one currently out for consultation in the Boscombe area. We’re in an environmental emergency and a […]
In a matter of days, the members of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) will make a momentous decision. The result may affect the delivery of services to vulnerable children across the region. And though this will only apply to local council services, it could become a national touchstone. The question is whether to join […]
Councils have been facing a growing funding gap since the Conservatives came into power in 2010. It is estimated that one in ten councils face bankruptcy. The government has just announced the first increase in funding, following this protracted period of austerity, but councils maintain that it is still not enough to meet rising costs […]
A closure of sorts for BCP, as an independent report is revealed at the recent Audit and Governance Committee. The audit covers the 2021-23 era of former Conservative leaders Drew Mellor & Phil Broadhead, and slams their chaotic time in government. The headlines:Red flags were raised against BCP’s financial management, governance, efficiency and effectiveness.Auditors found […]
One year ago today, I submitted a major complaint to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council (BCP). The full case touches on potential negligence, misconduct, corruption & perhaps even breach of law. I’ve chased many times, & met with senior BCP officers. But a year later, BCP has failed to respond at all. This defies reason. […]
Four years after its first election, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) faces another day of reckoning on May 4, 2023. Since the 2019 poll that formed this new, unitary authority, BCP has had two administrations, three leaders, three votes of no confidence, racked up record debts, achieved national infamy, flirted with insolvency, and even […]
We are about to put out a piece on tactical voting in the upcoming elections. We thought you might like a little refresher/reminder of what has gone before in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole! In chronological order: Well done! You’re nearing the end of this saga…May 4! Don’t forget your photo ID!
As regular readers will know, it’s been a dramatic 2022 at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP). Our local leaders have nearly signed off for the holidays, and some may already be sitting in a dark corner, mumbling to themselves while nursing a litre-bottle of sherry. So this is a good moment to reflect on […]
For the background to this story, please read: This summary is written particularly for the 3,081 people, including 2066 locals, who signed our petition of no confidence in the leadership of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. As a Facebook commenter noted: Brian Sutcliffe: This petition run by one resident on a Facebook site obtained 3000 […]
Kamikaze budget, casino economics, bankrupting policies, freezing taxes while increasing borrowing dangerously as interest rates soar. Sound familiar? No, not Number 10, but BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) Council leadership promising low tax/small state, but instead wasting millions on high-rise, big plan transformation vanity schemes while neglecting the basics. Consequently, BCP suffers some of the […]
Picture this scene. An embattled Conservative leader sees the failure of their headline economic policy. As the plan collapses, critics surround them from every side – even their own. With the economy plummeting, the leader needs others to bail them out financially. And then, at the moment of greatest humiliation, with public finances and services […]
In a previous article on these pages, Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council (BCP) was likened to a shopping trolley, smashing from one side of the aisle to the other. Based on recent events, it looks like we’re gonna need a bigger metaphor. Yes, the south-coast disaster movie continues to amaze and astound. Even the council’s […]
Here at WCV, we’ve been intrigued by the goings-on at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. Ian is the latest resident to contact us with a story about the rather shabby goings-on. Editor-in-Chief For the background to this latest development in the beach hut saga, please read this: If you want a masterclass on how to […]
According to the Bournemouth Beach Huts Association, there are some 20,000 private beach huts in the UK and, despite their limited size and lack of home facilities, they have become icons of the British seaside resort. Many beach huts were former fishermen’s huts, boatsheds or converted Georgian or Victorian bathing machines, which looked like beach […]
Back in May 2021, Boris Johnson’s former guru, Dominic Cummings, painted a scathing picture of the Prime Minister. Describing a culture of U-turns, policy changes and general chaos, he likened Johnson to “a shopping trolley smashing from one side of the aisle to the other”. Since then, Cummings’ tweets and blogs have often referred to […]
Few BCP Council committees were more highly regarded than the Overview & Scrutiny Board (OSB), which tracked and challenged Cabinet policy, grilled the leadership, and benefited from a truly impartial chairman … Clearly it had to go. It was abolished under a proposal brought by the Council’s deputy leader, Philip Broadhead, on 10 May 2022. […]
In 2020 the anti-corruption group Transparency International UK published a paper on the potential for corruption in English local authorities. Fifty key councils were assessed on how they manage corruption risks such as lobbying, oversight and conflicts of interest. One council was deemed by far the worst in England: Bournemouth-Christchurch-Poole (BCP). Why was BCP Council […]
Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (XR BCP) held a striking silent actionon the morning of Sunday, 9 November, on Bournemouth Pier Approach, calling out what they describe as the “failure and hypocrisy” of the international COP climate talks ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil. At 11:00, the group began with a two-minute silence. Participants […]
Activists, community groups and campaigners came together in Poole on Saturday 11 October 2025, for a march for climate justice. Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (XR BCP) organised the event as part of Black History Month. The march highlighted the deep links between the climate crisis, colonialism and corporate exploitation — both globally and […]
Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (XR BCP) and allied groups will march through Poole on Saturday October 11, calling for climate justice and standing in solidarity with communities around the world on the frontlines of the climate and ecological crisis. The march will begin at Poole Park at midday and finish at Poole Quay […]
Local residents gathered at Boscombe Pier on September 6, 2025, as part of a nationwide day of action demanding that the government reject Rosebank, the UK’s largest untapped oil field. The Bournemouth action featured a striking banner drop from the pier, music from Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (XR-BCP) Rhythms drummers, and an outreach […]
As Trump implements Project 2025 at pace, can Americans and the rest of the world count on the USA remaining a democracy in other than name? Many people have grave reservations about Donald Trump’s policies – for example the Budget, which the US Congressional Budget Office says will cost the poorest families around $1,600 per year over the years […]
We have covered the resistance to the incinerator plans before, but, sadly, it seems people have to protest yet again. Local residents are angry that the BCP Planning Committee have made a summary recommendation to grant permission for MVV to build their proposed waste incinerator in Canford. The BCP Planning Committee are meeting at 1pm […]
Environmental groups, local organisations and concerned residents, demonstrated on April 3, 2025, outside Bournemouth’s Civic Centre where the Planning Committee were meeting, to oppose the granting of planning permission for a waste incinerator in Canford. The demonstrators held placards, signs and banners which showed their opposition to the incinerator. There were also drummers and singing. […]
On Saturday, March 29, 2025, Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (XR BCP) and Extinction Rebellion Wimborne (XRW) joined forces in a powerful protest at Poole Quay, marking the second anniversary of the Poole Harbour oil spill caused by French oil company Perenco. The demonstration featured the rhythmic beats of XR BCP’s drumming band, striking […]
