Conservatives Call for Transparency Over BCP Council’s Finances and Council Tax Rise
BCP Council is seeking to close a £7 million budget gap, a figure that represents only a small proportion of the Council’s overall expenditure. Bournemouth Conservatives say that, rather than reflecting an unavoidable funding crisis, the shortfall highlights serious concerns about financial priorities and transparency under the Liberal Democrat run authority.
Conservatives point to a growing list of spending decisions that have delivered little benefit to residents. These include costly public consultations running into thousands of pounds whose outcomes have subsequently been disregarded, £500,000 spent on a residents’ card scheme that offers limited value and the creation of a second Planning Committee, enabling additional paid chairing roles despite meetings being frequently cancelled.
Most concerning, Conservatives say, is the approval of increases in councillors’ allowances at a time when Council finances are under pressure. This includes a 27 per cent increase for the Liberal Democrat Leader, raising serious questions about priorities when residents are being asked to pay more.
Against this backdrop, the administration is proposing a 7.4% Council Tax increase. This comes on top of new town council precepts being imposed on residents from April as a result of Liberal Democrat decisions. Bournemouth Conservatives argue that it is deeply cynical to pursue further tax rises while what they describe as “vanity projects” continue and residents’ voices are ignored.
The Liberal Democrat led administration has repeatedly claimed that reductions in government funding are to blame for the Council’s financial position. However, figures show that BCP Council’s core spending power is set to increase by £93.4 million over the next three years. Conservatives say this demonstrates that the problem is not a lack of funding but financial mismanagement.
Particularly troubling, Conservatives argue, is the revelation that councillors were not informed about an application for exceptional financial support submitted by the Liberal Democrat administration to central government. The proposal was not disclosed to councillors at the time, meaning it was submitted without scrutiny or a clear understanding of its potential impact on residents, businesses and visitors across the conurbation.
John Beesley, Leader of the Conservative Group, raised this issue directly with BCP Council’s Chief Executive, Aiden Dunn, who subsequently agreed to brief councillors. Conservatives say it came far too late and does not explain why the proposal was kept from elected members in the first place.
Bournemouth Conservatives are calling for the exceptional financial support bid to be published in full so that it can be properly scrutinised. They say the public is entitled to know how much money is being taken from reserves, what assets may be sold and how any funds raised would be used.
They also argue that the absence of public involvement in decisions of this scale is unacceptable, particularly where Council Tax rises exceed the usual 4.99% cap that would normally trigger a public referendum. Conservatives say that democratic accountability demands openness and public engagement, especially given the likelihood that these plans have been under consideration for some time.
The Liberal Democrat administration must now answer why such significant financial proposals were kept from councillors and the public and why residents are being asked to pay more while confidence in the Council’s financial management continues to erode.
