Leader With A Mission To Transform Town

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Satish Nayer

Stephen McLoughlin, the Conservative leader of Bournemouth Council, is a man with a mission – to implement the vision for Bournemouth that he started three years ago.

He has come under pressure to stand aside as leader whilst being investigated for misuse of council computers. Commenting on recent, torrid headlines in the local papers, he said: “The investigation is underway and I cannot comment on it. But, the recent headlines are unhelpful and unwelcome.”

He added: “It distracts from the plans which this council embarked on in 2007 and we need to focus on delivering for the people of Bournemouth.”

His focus includes implementing the new town vision and responding to financial pressures to reduce expenditure, especially to the local government financial reductions announced in this month’s budget.

The £1.1 billion cut to local government finances, out of a total of £6 billion cuts announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer last month will cost Bournemouth a total of £3 million reduction in grants this year.

Although the council had devised a two-year financial strategy in 2009 to reduce expenditure by £16 million over 2010-12, it now needs to revise its plans and consult on service priorities for Bournemouth.

Current plans include outsourcing services, including IT, and finalising a private-sector partner to work with the council on the town centre vision.

This month’s budget announced further cuts of 25% across the board and the council will need to fight it’s corner to achieve them and complete plans to refurbish schools and implement it’s flagship town centre vision.

With local elections to take place in May 2011, the council and its leader have their work cut out to meet the competing demands of its residents and the cuts demanded by central government.

A Future Vision Of Bournemouth

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Satish Nayer

On its bi-centenary Bournemouth has a vision for the future.

It moved a step closer to implementing this vision with the announcement of a private sector partner, Morgan Sindall Investments, who will work with the council to develop sites and provide funding for the projects.

Roger Parker, Bournemouth Town Centre Manager said: “The Victorians built Bournemouth into a premier seaside resort but there is a disconnect now between the various parts of the town such as the beach, Triangle, Square and Horseshoe Common.”

He said that these parts needed to be connected and that the council had started to do so with projects such as the refurbishment of the Pavilion and a redeveloped markets and events space in the Triangle.

However more needed to be done and the new Town Vision was planned to address this and draw in private investment. With over five million visitors a year, Bournemouth needs to renew itself if it is to maintain or raise this number.

Martin Tiffin, from the Town Centre Master Vision team, said: “We have announced our preferred partner, Morgan Sindall, who are a substantial company with a £2.2 billion turnover, to work with us in developing several sites and providing funds and profits for the Council to invest in our town.”

The partnership proposal goes to a full council meeting on 27 July for approval.

Bournemouth Already In Xmas Mood

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Satish Nayer

Bournemouth is planning for Christmas cheer. The Town Centre business forum met yesterday evening at the DeVere Royal Bath Hotel to prepare plans for Christmas.

It was critical for Bournemouth to plan a unique Christmas offering, said Town Centre manager, Roger Parker. It did not have a single covered venue and market offering like Castlepoint or Poole’s Dolphin Court nor could it compete with the likes of historic Bath or Winchester.

Bournemouth is now preparing plans for a Christmas market and entertainment featuring Bournemouth and Dorset based local arts and crafts. Traders are being offered the opportunity to take stalls in the town’s public spaces.

Bournemouth Council will be working with S&D Leisure to organise events across seven centres throughout the town. They will also be looking at organising town-wide events and are polling traders for ideas and support.

The Christmas shop windows competition will also take place and traders are being encouraged to repeat the successes of last year. Strawberry Fields, the event planners, have been engaged to develop plans for a series of unique events that are uniquely Bournemouth – based on street performances and shows.

Inspector Wayne Bridge of Bournemouth Police introduced a new initiative, Operation Globe, to invite traders to influence police activities in the town centre including traffic management and controlling anti-social activities.

Traders and interested parties should contact Carol Butler of the Bournemouth Chamber of Trade and Commerce on 01202 372437 or email at info@bournemouthchamber.org.uk.

Union Warns Of Local Government Cuts

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Satish Nayer

The trade union UNISON is warning that overstretched and underfunded local authorities are facing a triple whammy with the 25% cuts in today’s budget, the cuts of over £1.1 billion announced last month and a freeze on council tax.

They say that after years of annual efficiency savings, compulsory competitive tendering and outsourcing, council services will suffer further savage funding cuts and large job losses.

Joanne Kay, Unison’s South-West regional manager, said: “The government are waging war on the public sector with the most draconian budget in decades. These cuts will affect the private sector as public sector employees spend less and our members will find it harder to pay their bills.”

She said that there would be a serious and negative effect on frontline services. With over 10,000 unfilled social worker vacancies across the country services for children and vulnerable adults would suffer and existing social workers would struggle to handle increasing caseloads.

She added that outsourcing work, such as the one at Bournemouth, did not offer a good solution. Profits would go to private contractors and local authorities not able to get things right when contracts fail or to achieve unrealistic savings.

Jan Golling, the Unison representative based in Taunton, said that Bournemouth’s £200 million outsourcing project; which includes IT, revenues, benefits and facilities; was both flawed and rushed.

Dave Higgins, Unison’s Bournemouth local government branch secretary, said: “Bournemouth Council rushed the business case assessment to go ahead with the project and are allowing an inadequate period of only three weeks public consultation from 25 June.”

He said that Bournemouth Council had cut 70 jobs last year and that this project would affect a large number of council staff and he had concerns about the council’s ability to monitor the contract and achieve the savings it had to achieve.

The council have announced that their preferred bidder is Mouchel with a decision due on 15 July. Dave Higgins said that he was concerned that the council had not invited an in-house bid.

Unison is demanding a longer public consultation period and has collected 600 signatures so far from staff and Bournemouth residents to support their case.

Post General Election Blues

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Satish Nayer

In elections, as with other competitions, the victor gets the prize and glory whilst the losers disappear.

And so it would seem with the May general election this year. We interviewed four losing candidates to find out what they now think, after time for reflection, and their future plans.

Alasdair Murray stood for the Liberal Democrats in the Bournemouth West constituency but lost decisively to Conor Burns, the Conservative candidate.

He said: “The leaders debate ignited the political arena but as the election date approached people returned to their traditional voting patterns. We, as a party, had perhaps enough funds to fight for some 80 new seats nationally. In Bournemouth we were short on both money and people.”

He added that the Liberal Democrats were disappointed by the overall result and he had not expected the Liberals to form a coalition government with the Conservatives. However, he said, he was pleased with the outcome there was good coalition agreement with both sides investing heavily in the new government.

He expected the new government to last even if not for the full term of five years and credited the two leaders with the ability to handle objections from their own parties.

He said that he would have to think hard about running again although he had enjoyed the campaign. He had to put family first and consider working, perhaps in London, as a political consultant.

Harvey Taylor stood in the same constituency as Alasdair but as an independent. He polled only 456 votes and lost his deposit. He said: “As an independent I had no support nor funds. I used money from an inheritance to fund my campaign. I did so to try to inject meaningful, local politics into the elections but I was naïve when I started.”

He added: “I enjoyed campaigning and debating with the other candidates but found the rest sheer hard work. I was a one-man party and could not match the others for manpower and I had only two months for my campaign although I did get some support from the Independent Network set up by Martin Bell.”

However, Harvey added, he was impressed by those currently in politics and felt that they were not recognised for the amount of work that they did and for putting their reputations on the line.

He supported the new coalition government and wished them well but would have to think hard about running again. He said that he would try to establish himself more in local affairs, including business and school governorships, in preparation for any future elections.

Sharon Carr-Brown was the Labour candidate for the same ward, losing to Conor Burns and coming in behind Alasdair. She said that she was not put off standing again but would prefer to fight for a seat where she stood a better chance of winning.

She said: “We lost ground while both the Liberals and the Conservatives gained several thousand votes. We diverted a lot of local resources to help Jim Knight in the neighbouring constituency where we thought we stood a better chance of winning. I had been expecting a hung Parliament.”

She added that, in the country’s best interests, she wanted the new coalition government to last the course as long as it implemented the right policies.

Lisa Northover, currently a Bournemouth councillor, stood for Parliament for the first time as a Liberal Democrat. She lost to the Conservative candidate, Tobias Ellwood, in the Bournemouth East constituency.

She said: “I was quoted betting odds of 30-1 against and was pleased that we held on to our share of the vote. I had few resources and only two months so it was a high hill to climb but I will be fighting again.”

However she added that she would, if she had won, have struggled to keep her family commitments. With young children she would have found it hard to balance family with political life and feels that Parliament needs to think hard about encouraging more women to stand.

In the mean time she continues as a Bournemouth councillor and wants to find better ways of holding the executive to account.

All-in-all the four candidates have good memories from their election campaigns and hope for future prizes even if it may be years before they can run again.

New Fashion Face For Bournemouth

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Satish Nayer

Bournemouth has a new kid on the block. Molly Green, at 15 years, of Southbourne won this months’ fashion model competition, beating 60 other contestants, to win unanimously.

Kelly Anne Morgan of LMP Models, who sponsored the new faces competition, spotted Molly working at the Café Riva in Southbourne and invited her to enter the event.

Kelly Anne Morgan said: “I saw her and thought she would be a versatile model. She is like a blank canvas – able to work on a wide variety of modelling assignments. All of three judges agreed that she was the clear winner.”

She added that, in her view, Molly reminded her of Agnes Deyn. Molly now has a contract with LMP Models.

Molly said: “I was amazed to win. I was doing my GCSEs and this has come as a big surprise. My parents were shocked and dead chuffed and my schoolmates and friends are very excited by this.”

She added: “I have just sat my GCSEs and hope to go to Brockenhurst College to study public service and go on to become a police officer. I have got to keep my feet on the ground but I would like to be like Kate Moss who was discovered at the age of 14.”

Molly’s father, Simon Green said: “Molly was in town with her mother, Jackie, when they heard the good new and there was a lot of excited screaming and shouting. This will suit her. She has always liked clothes and dressing up.”

He said that she would be able to cope with this welcome turn adding that she was an ardent Chelsea fan and had played on football teams for the Dorset Under-14s and the Christchurch Under-16s.

Simon said that Molly’s sister, Lydia, and two brothers, Charlie and Joe, were chuffed about Molly’s win but would help keep her grounded.

Molly will be on modelling assignments in a few weeks. Molly has a lot to celebrate on her 16^th birthday on the 3^rd of July – we wish her all the best and look forward to seeing a lot more of her.

Get On Your Bike, It’s National Bike Week

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Satish Nayer

National Bike Week kicked off with a live auction of bicycles, designed by celebrities including Victoria Pendleton and Lord Alan Sugar, and will last from the 19 to 27 June with the aim to put more people on bikes more often.

Ella Matthews, of Forsters, the marketing agency for the event, said: “This year there will be over 1,800 events across the country with four in Bournemouth and 15 in Dorset. The auction is going very well and we expect thousands of people to take part.”

Last year some 440,000 people took part in events across the country and organisers hope for an even larger turnout this year.

Martin Hanford, facilities manager at Bournemouth University, is organising a cycle event in Swanage on Thursday 24 June.

He said: “This is a delightful ride starting at the chain ferry in Swanage and we are offering free fish and chips for the first 25 entrants. The ride should last about two-and-a-half hours over 9 miles. We expect about 40 or 50 people.”

Martin said that Bournemouth University have initiatives to increase cycling amongst staff and students. Over 60 of about 1500 staff have taken part in a salary sacrifice scheme and interest free loans to buy bicycles and cycle to work and the University offers subsidised bicycle locks and free high-visibility vests.

Bournemouth Borough Council has a dedicated member of staff responsible for cycling and aims to include cycling in the design of roads and cycle routes. Lucy Marstrand, the borough‘s cycling officer, said: “We have a Green Travel Plan and will be consulting on a cycling strategy this September.”

With reports of high traffic congestion in Bournemouth and annual parking costs at over £600 this must be a good time for readers to consider getting on their bicycles. For more information about National Bike Week and events in your area visit www.bikeweek.org.uk.

Carmen Delights Bournemouth

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Satish Nayer

Carmen, the opera by Bizet, came to Bournemouth yesterday evening bringing with it the scent of orange groves from Seville, Mediterranean airs and gypsy melodies.

The opera was beamed live from Valencia in Spain to a 20 square metre screen in the Lower Gardens and over 10 other venues in Europe. Over 300 people came to the show to kick off the Summer Live festival in Bournemouth.

Jon Weaver, head of marketing and events at Bournemouth Council, said: “We thought this would be a wonderful way to start our festival and advertise Bournemouth in the other cities where the opera is also being shown.”

The opera, set in 19^th century Seville, was conducted by Zubin Mehta and featured Elina Garanca as the ill-fated Carmen and Marcello Alvarez as the tragic Don Jose. The quality of pictures and sound was excellent and many passersby stopped to watch a superb production, especially during the tuneful, foot-tapping arias.

Delighted opera buff Carolyn Date said: “I paid a three figure price for tickets to an opera at the Royal Opera House in Covent Gardens, London to listen to Elina Garanca. This is a great opportunity to listen to a superb singer and a star cast. The nearest places for us opera goers are either London or Glyndebourne.”

Councillor Nicola Green, cabinet member at Bournemouth for culture and tourism, said: “I was delighted to help to bring Carmen to Bournemouth and come to what is a rare event here.”

The audience for the show came dressed for the fickle British summer and stayed to watch the two-hour show through rain showers and, at the end, a heavy cloudburst.

The large screen in the Lower Gardens will be staying for the next two weeks and future screenings will include live tennis from Wimbledon. See www.bournemouthsummerlive.co.uk for further information.

Bournemouth business leader’s budget reaction

Posted on March 25, 2010 by Satish Nayer

Businesses in Bournemouth will have some reasons to be cheerful after Alistair Darling’s budget, but hoteliers and language schools are still facing challenges, according to the Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber’s chairman, Nigel Hedges was keeping a very close eye on the Chancellor’s one-hour speech.

“Today’s budget was not bad for business,” said Mr Hedges. “It shows they have listened and are trying to take a practical stance on what can be done.”

He said the staging of fuel duty increases, with additional percentage points in April, October and January, would soften the blow to business.

Mr Hedges felt there was more good news in a cut in business rates from October this year, which should help 500,000 companies nationwide and in the doubling of capital investment allowance for small firms to £100,000.

However Mr Hedges said Bournemouth Chamber’s campaign for a reduction to VAT on tourism to 5%, similar to that in Germany and France had been ignored.

And fears remain that proposed restrictions on visas for overseas students could drastically cut the numbers of students studying year-long courses in the town.

“We must show other countries, such as Korea, that we are open for business,” he said.

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