Freedom of Information figures show BCP Council directly employed 6,460 people in August, with leisure and housing changes cited as part of the explanation at a scrutiny meeting. Direct staff numbers at BCP Council have risen by 700 over the past three years. Figures released under Freedom of Information rules show 6,460 people were employed directly by the council in August 2026, either at Bournemouth Town Hall or working from home. The figure was 5,761 in May 2023. When casual staff are excluded, the direct workforce increased from 4,779 to 5,328 over the same period. The figures were rai
Direct staff numbers at BCP Council have risen by 700 over the past three years.
Figures released under Freedom of Information rules show 6,460 people were employed directly by the council in August 2026, either at Bournemouth Town Hall or working from home. The figure was 5,761 in May 2023.
When casual staff are excluded, the direct workforce increased from 4,779 to 5,328 over the same period. The figures were raised at an overview and scrutiny meeting on Monday by Councillor Gavin Wright.
He told the meeting he had seen a Freedom of Information response which suggested the council employed "700 more people since 2023". He said that, if correct, it seemed like "an awful lot more people" in three years.
Council leader Councillor Millie Earl said some services which had previously been run through external providers were now being delivered in house. She pointed to leisure provision for Poole centres and the former Poole Housing Partnership arrangements.
Councillor Earl said there were "lots of other areas" where contracts had been brought inside the council. She said the authority had identified services which could be delivered directly.
BCP Council was asked for comment on the Freedom of Information response, but had not replied at the time of publication.
