Latest news with #BCPCouncil
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Car gets stuck in sand after rescue attempt at Boscombe Beach
A car has become stuck in the sand at a tourist hot spot for the third time this summer.A witness told the BBC that a black Land Rover drove onto Boscombe Beach in Bournemouth to try and rescue two people on a broken-down water Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council are installing warning signs to remind people not to drive on to the sand following this latest incident on Tuesday evening. The local authority said cars should not be driven on the beach for the safety of tourists and residents Lee Williams and two of his friends were out fishing when they spotted the vehicle driving near to Boscombe Pier. He said he noticed the water scooter had been broken down for at least two hours and watched as the 4x4 driver reversed their trailer into the sea in an attempt to help. His two friends then assisted the driver by pushing the car free from the water. BCP Council is reminding people that driving on the beach is "strictly prohibited."Councillor Richard Herrett, cabinet member for destination, leisure and commercial operations, said: "The safety of residents and visitors enjoying the seafront, including children, is paramount and there are plenty of car parks conveniently located across the three towns and close to the beaches."We will be placing signs along the beach road to remind drivers they must not drive onto the sand." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
What has happened to Bournemouth Air Festival?
As hopes of a 2026 edition of Bournemouth Air Festival fade, what factors have led to its demise, and will it ever return?The private air show operator that was expected to run the event on a 10-year contract has pulled out of major sticking point was its plan to close the promenade and seafront between the piers, which the council said it legally could not US-based firm has also blamed the "instability of the financial and political climate" for its decision to withdraw. The free air festival was first held in 2008 and has taken place every August, with the exception of 2020 when Covid restrictions were in its peak, it attracted about 1.3 million visitors to the seaside conurbation, and estimates of how much it annually contributed to the local economy vary from £14m to £ the cost to the council has sky-rocketed in recent years, with hikes across insurance, security, infrastructure and counter-terrorism measures. Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) said its net budget for the four-day festival had risen from £300,000 in 2019 to £400,000 by legislation brought in after the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing is also set to significantly increase costs for all organisers of public authority, which has been run by a coalition since 2023, has already slashed millions from its budget as it grapples with a huge deficit for its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) a million people attended the final council-funded air show in 2024, which was scaled back from four days to three, with the final net cost to the council reaching £248, the months that followed, officers explored two options - one was for a sponsor to foot the £400,000 bill of a council-run event, the other was for an external operator to run the air show at no cost to the no firm offers of sponsorship, but five potential operators raising their hand, things began to look those early discussions led to just two firm expressions of interest and, with one of those requiring financial backing from the council, the initial flurry of enquiries quickly dwindled to a shortlist of destination and leisure councillor Richard Herrett said the prospective organisers had flown from the US to attend the 2024 event, but had drawn up a "wide range of requests that would have created significant financial pressures on the council".A report to BCP councillors said the plan to close off the beach and promenade between Boscombe and Bournemouth piers was to enable "a variety of hospitality offers ranging in price".But the authority said the firm's "non-negotiable" request presented legal difficulties, as fencing off the area would contravene the Open Spaces Act 1906. After the report was published, but before councillors met to discuss it, the company announced it was pulling a letter read to councillors, the operator, whose name was redacted, said: "Several factors led us to this decision, with the most significant being that, without the ability to fence off and restrict access to a significant part of the beach and the surrounding areas, it would be challenging to create a financially sustainable event model."The instability of the financial and political climate were also factors that would challenge us to deliver the event in a similar manner to our other events."Council leader Millie Earl said: "We are still open to any interest from potential operators or sponsors. "In the meantime, we remain invested in the cultural future of our beautiful area and are continuing to work with our partners and support others where we can."The council says its Bay Run, Arts By the Sea Festival and Christmas in Bournemouth events will still go with 12-months needed to organise the air show, any potential air show sponsor or operator would now be working towards 2027 at the earliest. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-council leader wrongly claimed tax discount
A former Conservative council leader has admitted claiming the single person discount for council tax despite not being eligible. Phil Broadhead, who spent three months leading Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council in 2023, said it happened when he moved house in 2022 and blamed the local authority's online forms for not being in "plain English". Broadhead, who voted on the authority's budgets at a time when he was in council tax arrears, said he repaid the underpayment as soon as it was noticed and that the council agreed it was an honest mistake. BCP Council said it had "worked hard to make our online systems clear and easy to use". Under the Local Government Act, an offence is committed if a councillor votes on any financial or budgetary matters when they are themselves in council tax arrears for two months or more. Broadhead - leader of the Conservative group at the council - has not confirmed to the BBC how long he was in arrears. In a letter, published in the Bournemouth Daily Echo, he admitted to the error but said he wondered "how many other examples there are of people getting caught out by the complications of online intricacies". "Surely we need a team whose focus is on making sure that the council's processes pass the plain English and ease test," he added. In January this year, BCP Council said it had recovered £654,000 by re-checking who was claiming single person's council tax discount and checking against other records such as the electoral roll. Details of that investigation are due to be published shortly. The deadline for a council response to a Freedom of Information request from a resident about the matter passed earlier this week. The council has yet to publish its response. In a statement to the BBC, Broadhead said: "When I was informed by the council that I'd been claiming this discount, I was shocked. "At no point had I had any correspondence by post that this was applied. When I asked to see the form to show I'd selected to receive the discount, I was told it had been lost. "I've since discovered that in the council's previous (and now scrapped) change of address form, if you didn't list those moving with you - which I must have inadvertently skipped - it automatically applied this discount without even telling you. "This is perhaps why so many others have fallen into this same trap, with the council reporting £700k collected for those mistakenly doing the same thing. "Once noticed, I rectified immediately and have repaid the full underpayment. The council agreed that it was an honest mistake and agreed no further action was needed. "I sincerely hope they've closed this quirk in the system so others don't fall into the same trap." A BCP Council spokesperson said the online form used to register for council tax at a new address included a confirmation screen showing any discounts being requested. "They are then sent an email every year, asking them to check that the details are still correct and that their circumstances have not changed, which also confirms any discounts being applied," the spokesperson said. "We have worked hard to make our online systems clear and easy to use and residents are also able to contact us if they have any questions. "As part of routine checks undertaken by BCP Council, working alongside the national fraud initiative, discrepancies between council tax payments and individual circumstances are flagged to us. "We then contact those individuals to make them aware and discuss repayment options, including applying a penalty where appropriate." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Dorset and BCP residents owe £45m in council tax BCP Council
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Former BCP Council leader wrongly claimed tax discount
A former Conservative council leader has admitted claiming the single person discount for council tax despite not being eligible. Phil Broadhead, who spent three months leading Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council in 2023, said it happened when he moved house in 2022 and blamed the local authority's online forms for not being in "plain English".Broadhead, who voted on the authority's budgets at a time when he was in council tax arrears, said he repaid the underpayment as soon as it was noticed and that the council agreed it was an honest mistake. BCP Council said it had "worked hard to make our online systems clear and easy to use". Under the Local Government Act, an offence is committed if a councillor votes on any financial or budgetary matters when they are themselves in council tax arrears for two months or more. Broadhead - leader of the Conservative group at the council - has not confirmed to the BBC how long he was in arrears. In a letter, published in the Bournemouth Daily Echo, he admitted to the error but said he wondered "how many other examples there are of people getting caught out by the complications of online intricacies". "Surely we need a team whose focus is on making sure that the council's processes pass the plain English and ease test," he added. In January this year, BCP Council said it had recovered £654,000 by re-checking who was claiming single person's council tax discount and checking against other records such as the electoral roll. Details of that investigation are due to be published deadline for a council response to a Freedom of Information request from a resident about the matter passed earlier this week. The council has yet to publish its response. In a statement to the BBC, Broadhead said: "When I was informed by the council that I'd been claiming this discount, I was shocked. "At no point had I had any correspondence by post that this was applied. When I asked to see the form to show I'd selected to receive the discount, I was told it had been lost."I've since discovered that in the council's previous (and now scrapped) change of address form, if you didn't list those moving with you - which I must have inadvertently skipped - it automatically applied this discount without even telling you. "This is perhaps why so many others have fallen into this same trap, with the council reporting £700k collected for those mistakenly doing the same thing."Once noticed, I rectified immediately and have repaid the full underpayment. The council agreed that it was an honest mistake and agreed no further action was needed."I sincerely hope they've closed this quirk in the system so others don't fall into the same trap." 'Routine checks' A BCP Council spokesperson said the online form used to register for council tax at a new address included a confirmation screen showing any discounts being requested. "They are then sent an email every year, asking them to check that the details are still correct and that their circumstances have not changed, which also confirms any discounts being applied," the spokesperson said. "We have worked hard to make our online systems clear and easy to use and residents are also able to contact us if they have any questions."As part of routine checks undertaken by BCP Council, working alongside the national fraud initiative, discrepancies between council tax payments and individual circumstances are flagged to us."We then contact those individuals to make them aware and discuss repayment options, including applying a penalty where appropriate." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Canford incinerator: Environment Agency grants permit
A planned energy-from-waste incinerator which could burn up to 260,000 tonnes of waste a year has been given a permit to Environment Agency (EA) said it had granted a permit to MVV Environmental Ltd for the proposed facility at Canford Resource Park near Bournemouth.A meeting of Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) council's planning committee on Thursday is due to decide whether the project can go ahead. The EA said it had considered the responses to a public consultation when granting the permit which covers the management and operation of the plant along with monitoring of emissions. The planned facility would burn non-recyclable and non-hazardous domestic, commercial and industrial waste to generate would provide 28.5MW of electricity to businesses at Churchill Magna Business Park as well as to Arena Way and Magna Road.A public consultation by the EA was held last year.A statement by the agency said: "This permit will ensure that robust levels of environmental protection are applied. "Our permitting decision process is objective and based on the applicant demonstrating they will meet the legal requirements outlined in the permit."The EA permit is separate to the council granting planning permission, although the plant could not operate until both have been area is already an active waste management site, alongside a former two people would be employed if the project goes ahead, according to the planning council said 469 objections to the scheme had been received during the planning included objections to building on green belt land, issues over transporting waste into the site and removing residue, as well as air also pointed to the emissions of CO2 from the plant and that waste incinerators were considered the "dirtiest" way the UK generates proposal is due to be discussed by BCP Council's planning committee on Thursday. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
