The Bournemouth One News Centre

All the news you need for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole with travel information and national headlines.

• Help give Upton House its next chapter

  Residents are being asked for ideas on how to secure the long-term future of Upton House as the historic building faces major repair and modernisation challenges. BCP Council wants suggestions for new uses that could bring the House back into fuller use, improve access and reduce the need for subsidies. An online ideas board is open until early February and shortlisted options will go out for wider consultation in the spring.

• Concern grows for Spetisbury missing man

  The family of a forty nine year old man from Spetisbury are asking for help to find him after concerns were raised with police. Jamie was reported missing after leaving home last Friday night at ten thirty. Officers say searches are continuing with specialist teams and support from the air. You can see a photo of him on our website, and anyone who has seen him or has information is urged to contact police as soon as possible.

• MP leads talks on SEND reform

  A Bournemouth roundtable has brought parents, carers, schools and other organisations together to discuss changes needed in the support system for children with additional needs. Jessica Toale MP hosted the session to ensure local experiences are included in the government’s national conversation on Send reform. She said families, schools and charities have told her the system is not working well enough and that funding for new specialist places in Bournemouth is a positive step.

• Dorset Council sets out 2026 budget plans

  Dorset Council has published its proposed budget for this year, setting out how it plans to spend four hundred and eighty two million pounds on services across the county. Around sixty per cent of the funding is set aside for care services for older people, vulnerable adults and children, alongside investment in roads and local infrastructure. Council tax is set to rise by four point nine nine per cent, with car parking charges frozen for another year. The proposals will now be reviewed by scrutiny committees before a final decision later this month.

• Extended Cliff Top Music Festival approved

  This year's Cliff Top Music Festival in Christchurch has won permission to operate across two days for the first time this year despite objections from locals. Stir Events secured approval from BCP Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee for the extra hours, and the new licence permits music and activities on both Saturday the 5th, and Sunday 6th of September. Supporters say it will boost Highcliffe’s cultural life while organisers commit to responsible management. Soul music band The Commitments are already confirmed as the headline act.