Bournemouth council news
Bournemouth council news, newest first: decisions, budgets, council tax, bins and services, each linked to the council's own papers.
Top story
Hicks Farm in Throop: Council Plans £1m Sale of Listed Farm
BCP Council wants about £1m for Hicks Farm in Throop: a listed farmhouse from about 1800 and its barns. The house and the old brick barns must stay.
More stories
Council
BCP Fraud Tip-Offs Hit 371, Over Half on Council Tax
BCP Council looked into 371 fraud cases last year, 195 on council tax discounts. 782 bus passes and 164 Blue Badges of people who had died were cancelled.
Council
FuturePlaces: £2.4m Written Off, 44% Spent on Consultants
BCP's FuturePlaces spent £7.1m, £3.1m of it on consultants, and £2.4m was written off. Full Council votes on 20 new rules for council companies on Tuesday.
Seafront
Bournemouth West Cliff Landslip: Plan to Reopen the Prom
BCP Council wants to pin the 2024 West Cliff landslip with soil nails up to 12m and steel mesh, so the closed stretch of prom can reopen. No start date yet.
Council
BCP Council £38m Budget Gap: £32m Overspend This Year
BCP Council's budget deficit for 2027/28 is £38.2m, rising to £41m by 2028/29, on top of a £32m+ overspend this year. Where it comes from and what happens next.
Council
BCP SEND Plan Approved: £161.85m Grant for Schools Deficit
Ministers approved BCP's SEND reform plan, unlocking a £161.85m grant to clear 90% of the schools deficit to March 2026. This year's overspend is not covered.
Bins
BCP Garden Waste 2027: £73.50 a Bin, Renew by 31 December
BCP's garden waste bin goes up £2.50 to £73.50 for 2027. Collections run 25 January to 10 December; sign up by 31 December to get all 23 of them.
Planning
BCP Local Plan: 2,980 homes a year, Green Belt in play
BCP must plan for 2,980 homes a year, almost triple the 1,100 built last year. Town sites fall 14,100 short, so Green Belt north of Bournemouth is in play.
Bournemouth Pier
Bournemouth Pier Safety Work Starts 21 September
Bournemouth Pier stays open by day while around 600 metal grilles are lifted out overnight from 21 September. The first phase should take 11 to 12 weeks.
Education
BCP School Transport Rules Rewritten: Have Your Say by 7 Oct
BCP Council's draft school transport policy widens personal travel budgets and ends yearly reapplication for most families. Consultation closes 7 October.
schools
SEND Inclusion Bases Open at Eight BCP Schools This Year
Four new Specialist Inclusion Bases open at Muscliff, Bethany, Pokesdown and Somerford primaries in 2026/27, three Boscombe and Poole infant schools convert, and Manorside in Parkstone adds 10 places.
Council
BCP Council forecasts £27m overspend and freezes spending
BCP Council forecasts a £27m overspend, 'a real threat' to its financial sustainability. Non-essential spending stopped in July; Cabinet meets 2 September.