Boscombe & Pokesdown Matters

14/04/2026

More councils doesn’t mean better services.

It means more complexity, more confusion, and more cost.

We believe in clear accountability — where residents know who is responsible and how their money is being spent.

Promoted by Malcolm Farrell on behalf of Poole Conservative Association, 66 Rosemary Road, Poole, BH12 3HB

23/03/2026

Stop the holiday tax!
Please sign and share.

Sign the petition now!

11/02/2026

Sign the petition to oppose the Lib Dems Mega Council Tax Hike in BCP

11/02/2026

11/02/2026

BCP Conservatives kept your council tax to a minimum. BCP Lib Dem’s and Independent councillors went behind your back to Government, to request an unprecedented 7.4%!

11/02/2026

BCP Conservatives keep your council tax to a minimum. BCP Lib Dem’s and Independent councillors went behind your back to Government, to request an unprecedented 7.4%!

10/02/2026

£100 Million extra but they want MORE!

Since our last update, the Government has now approved BCP Council to raise council tax by 6.74%, above the normal referendum threshold. The Liberal Democrat led administration are denying residents their right to vote as to whether or not they will accept a council tax increase above the capped limit of 4.99%.

For many families across BCP, this comes at the worst possible time. The cost of living remains high, bills continue to rise and on top of this increase, residents will also face new town council precepts, pushing overall council tax bills even higher for some households.

While the labour government have allowed the rules to be waived on this occasion it does not remove the responsibility on the council to fully justify why residents are being asked to pay substantially more. People are rightly questioning why higher taxes are being pursued while additional layers of governance and their ongoing costs are being introduced at the same time.

The administration continues to argue that this increase is unavoidable. Whilst BCP claim poverty their income has increased by over £100m since its creation and the remaining budget gap represents only a small proportion of the council’s overall finances. Against that backdrop, it is reasonable to ask whether all alternatives have been properly explored in public before asking residents for more.

The Lib Dems have now been in control of BCP Council for nearly three years. These decisions are theirs and responsibility for them cannot continue to be passed elsewhere.

BCP Conservatives will continue to challenge this approach, demand transparency and stand up for residents who are being asked to pay more while confidence in how the council manages its finances continues to be tested.

Residents deserve honesty, accountability and a council that listens.

29/01/2026

🚌 Update on the No. 36 Bus

Many of you will remember the campaign we ran to protect the No. 36 bus service. I wanted to share an important update following the publication of BCP Council’s Subsidised Bus Services Review.

The good news is that the Council’s recommended option proposes that the No. 36 (Talbot View – Bournemouth – Kinson) will be retained with no change to its route or timetable. The report explicitly lists the 36 as one of the core Monday–Saturday daytime services that is considered socially necessary and offering good value, and therefore planned to continue as it is.

This matters because the review makes clear that:

1) The council can no longer afford to subsidise all services in the same way;

2) Some routes will be altered, combined, or withdrawn; and

3) Others, including the No. 36, are proposed to remain because of strong usage and community reliance.

The report also confirms that the future funding model will rely on Bus Grant funding rather than traditional council subsidy, which means decisions now are critical to securing services long-term.

So what happens next?

This forms part of a wider consultation and decision process, with final decisions still to be made by councillors. That means:

• Nothing is fully guaranteed yet
• Community voices still matter
• We must stay engaged to ensure the No. 36 remains protected

I firmly believe the strength of local feeling around this route has played a role in where we’ve landed so far. We all came together by responding to the consultation, writing to MPs, we organised residents to speak to ITV Meridian and we had an article written in the Bournemouth Echo. What great team work! Thank you to everyone who signed, shared, responded to consultations, or spoke up.

The report is going to BCP Council Cabinet on 4 February 2026. I will update you as this moves forward.

https://democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/documents/s64054/Our%20people%20and%20communities%20Subsidised%20Bus%20Services%20Review%20Report.pdf