Council tax rises by 6.74% in seaside conurbation

Council tax payers in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole will see their bills increase by 6.74% from April after the council set its annual budget.

Councillors also agreed £14m of cuts and the removal of council tax discounts on beach huts as they approved the £452m budget for 2026/27.

At a full council meeting on Tuesday, finance councillor Mike Cox said although the government was giving BCP some financial support, the local authority remained "technically insolvent".

The budget was passed in a vote of 39 to 20, with eight councillors abstaining.

Council tax increases of 5% or more require a local referendum but the government has permitted seven councils, including BCP, to raise bills above the cap.

It means band D council taxpayers will pay £1,980.46, an increase of £125.05.

An amendment from the Greens to remove lead member special responsibility allowances was rejected, along with a Labour proposal to use the extra £5m generated for potholes, playgrounds and libraries.

More than 30 councillors spoke at the debate, including Conservative John Beesley who said the majority of councillors were "intent on making life even harder" for residents who did not get support with paying council tax.

Labour's Sue Aitkenhead said the system for funding local government was "broken", adding: "There is one group not at fault and that is the residents in BCP."

Cabinet member for transformation, resources and governance Jeff Hanna said: "The test of a budget is based on the opposition's ability to produce a coherent, sustainable, alternative budget.

"The opposition has failed in that task, which demonstrates this is the best budget we can agree."