BCP Council has voted against offering free meeting rooms to town and parish councils, after councillors debated budgets, facilities and taxpayer funding across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. BCP councillors have rejected a plan to offer town and parish councils free meeting rooms. The motion was debated at a full Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council meeting on 11 August, with councillors voting 36 to 10 against the proposal after considering whether local taxpayers would be charged twice for facilities. Councillor Gillian Martin said “parking, facilities and operational suppor
BCP councillors have rejected a plan to offer town and parish councils free meeting rooms.
The motion was debated at a full Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council meeting on 11 August, with councillors voting 36 to 10 against the proposal after considering whether local taxpayers would be charged twice for facilities.
Councillor Gillian Martin said “parking, facilities and operational support all costs money”, while Councillor Vikki Slade said members were at the meeting as BCP councillors, not as representatives of town councils.
Councillor Tony Trent said budgets had been set for the new town councils, and Councillor Peter Sidaway said Broadstone Town Council could put money back into community facilities by hiring local spaces.
Councillor Michael Tarling, who has served on Christchurch Town Council since it began, said finding premises was difficult but added “suck it up”, while Councillor Andy Martin said frontline services should come first.
After the vote, Poole Town Councillor Xena Dion said creating town councils without a home was “madness”, while Bournemouth Town Councillor Mark Anderson said residents were being asked to pay twice for long funded facilities.
