June 2020 – bcp

25Jun 2020 by Drew Mellor No Comments

Beach Chaos

Reacting to the news of a Major Incident being declared by BCP Council due to the visitor numbers over the last few days, Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns and the BCP Council Conservative Group issued the following statements: Conor Burns MP: "The scenes we have witnessed over the last two days that have drawn national attention risk Bournemouth being known for all the wrong reasons. Sadly this was all too predictable. The Council have utterly failed to learn the lessons from the recent bank holiday. Illegal parking is rife with scant enforcement, some of our more selfish second home owners have returned and the beaches are packed. We should have been much better prepared for this and the messaging should have been stronger and clearer. The buck for this stops firmly at the…

Baden Powell

Actions without consultation are dangerous. Neither the public nor elected Councillors were consulted before this action was agreed by the Council. That feels wrong. We recognise that decisions like these need sensible, grown up discussion – including the public. That’s why the Conservative Group are calling for a cross party working group, involving the community, to look at our cultural history as whole and make informed decisions on the best course of action. We need to recognise the sensitivities around many of our historical figures and need to look carefully at the pros and cons of such measures. Furthermore, we are asking for clarity on whether this decision was at the insistence of Dorset Police. We should be asking the public first, not last. We look forward to hearing from…

Letter to the Editor – A time to unite for all BCP

As the Leader of the Conservative Group on BCP Council, I feel compelled to respond to the recent comments in this paper from some of my fellow councillors. I wholeheartedly agree that this is a “critical and challenging time” as we manage the enormous health and economic crisis before us. The ruling Unity Alliance has suffered resignations in the last year. As such, the Alliance is now a minority administration whose cabinet of political compromise is paralysed by their internal politics and inexperience at a time when this conurbation cannot afford weak leadership. That is why the Conservative Group, after consultation with the Chief Executive and other senior officers, offered to put politics firmly to one side and to work with the current Leader in dealing with these issues together…