Poole Borough Council
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox legislature
| name = Poole Borough Council
| coa_pic = Arms of Poole (Naturalistic Dolphin).svg
| coa_res = 150
| coa_alt =
| coa_caption = Coat of arms
| logo_pic = Poole Borough Council.svg
| logo_res = 150
| logo_alt =
| logo_caption = Council logo
| foundation = 1 April 1974
| house_type = Unitary authority
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| term_length = Whole council elected every four years
| voting_system1 = Plurality-at-large
| last_election1 = 7 May 2015
| session_room = Poole Civic Centre.jpg
| session_res = 250
| meeting_place = Poole Civic Centre
| website = {{URL|www.poole.gov.uk}}
| footnotes =
|succeeded_by=Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council}}
Poole Borough Council was the unitary authority responsible for local government in the Borough of Poole, Dorset, England. It was created on 1 April 1997 following a review by the Local Government Commission for England (1992), becoming administratively independent from Dorset County Council, and ceased to exist on 1 April 2019.{{cite web|url=http://www.boroughofpoole.com/go.php?structureID=U464057c6c52db&ref=S4649D38C61551|title=History of Poole|publisher=Borough of Poole|year=2009|accessdate=2009-05-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105050439/http://boroughofpoole.com/go.php?structureID=U464057c6c52db&ref=S4649D38C61551|archive-date=2010-01-05}} Its council comprised 16 wards and 42 councillors and was controlled by a Conservative administration before it was merged into Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.
The council was based at Poole Civic Centre.
In February 2018 the 'Future Dorset' plan was approved by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Sajid Javid, which meant that Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole borough councils were merged into one unitary authority in April 2019.{{cite press release |author=Dorset For You |title=Government approves unitary councils for Dorset |url=https://news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/2018/02/26/government-approves-unitary-councils-dorset/ |location=Dorset |publisher=Dorset County Council |date=26 February 2018 |access-date=2021-07-21}}
Composition
{{Further|Poole local elections}}
42 councillors were elected across 16 wards{{cite web| url = http://boroughofpoole.com/wards| title = Borough of Poole - Wards| accessdate = 12 May 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110516051440/http://boroughofpoole.com/wards/| archive-date = 16 May 2011| url-status = dead}} and there were elections every four years. The last election, in May 2015, resulted in a Conservative majority.{{cite web | url = http://www.poole.gov.uk/newsroom/may-2015/results-of-2015-local-elections-in-poole/ | title = Borough of Poole- Results of 2015 Local Elections in Poole| accessdate = 16 July 2015}} The Mayor was Sean Gabriel, a Conservative councillor for the Canford Heath West ward since May 2015.{{cite web| url = http://www.poole.gov.uk/newsroom/may-2015/poole-welcomes-767th-mayor/ | title = Introducing Poole Welcomes 770th Mayor| publisher = Borough of Poole | accessdate = 16 July 2015}} The Council was made up of 32 Conservative, 6 Liberal Democrat 3 Poole People and 1 UKIP councillors. After the election, a Conservative administration was formed{{cite web | url = http://www.poole.gov.uk/newsroom/may-2015/results-of-2015-local-elections-in-poole/ | title = Borough of Poole- Results of 2015 Local Elections in Poole| accessdate = 16 July 2015}} with a cabinet of seven councillors who were responsible for deciding how the Council's strategies and policies were implemented and how the budget was spent. The Council Leader was Janet Walton (Conservative).{{cite web | url = http://www.poole.gov.uk/newsroom/may-2015/new-council-leader-for-poole/ | title = Borough of Poole- New council leader for Poole| accessdate = 16 July 2015}}
=Wards=
| class="wikitable sortable" border="1" | |
| scope="col" | Ward
! scope="col" | Number of seats | |
|---|---|
| Alderney | 3 |
| Branksome East | 2 |
| Branksome West | 2 |
| Broadstone | 3 |
| Canford Cliffs | 3 |
| Canford Heath East | 2 |
| Canford Heath West | 2 |
| Creekmoor | 3 |
| Hamworthy East | 2 |
| Hamworthy West | 2 |
| Merley and Bearwood | 3 |
| Newtown | 3 |
| Oakdale | 3 |
| Parkstone | 3 |
| Penn Hill | 3 |
| Poole Town | 3 |
Unlawful use of surveillance
For three weeks in 2008 the Council carried out unlawful surveillance on a family following an allegation that they were living outside a particular school catchment area. The surveillance was carried out by one of Poole Borough Council's education officers, who followed the family's movements for 24 consecutive days between 10 February and 4 March 2008.[https://ukhumanrightsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/investigatory_powers_tribunal_ruling.pdf#page=13 "Judgment of Investigatory Powers Tribunal in the case of Ms Jenny Paton & four others v. Poole Borough Council"], 29 July 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2019. Tim Martin, the council's head of legal services, authorised the surveillance and initially argued that it was justified under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000,[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/7341179.stm "Council admits spying on family"], BBC News, 10 April 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2019. set up to counter serious crime, including terrorism. However, at a subsequent tribunal, the Council's actions were ruled unlawful on multiple grounds: there was nothing, for instance, to suggest that the family's three young children had committed any criminal act, yet they were still made targets of the surveillance.[https://ukhumanrightsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/investigatory_powers_tribunal_ruling.pdf#page=18 "Judgment of Investigatory Powers Tribunal in the case of Ms Jenny Paton & four others v. Poole Borough Council"], 29 July 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2019. The tribunal also ruled that the surveillance "was not proportionate and could not reasonably have been believed to be proportionate".[https://ukhumanrightsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/investigatory_powers_tribunal_ruling.pdf#page=21 "Judgment of Investigatory Powers Tribunal in the case of Ms Jenny Paton & four others v. Poole Borough Council"], 29 July 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2019. The Council said that it accepted the judgment "fully".[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-10839104 "Poole Council loses school catchment 'spying' tribunal"], BBC News, 2 August 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.poole.gov.uk/ Borough of Poole]
{{Former unitary authorities of England}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Former unitary authority councils of England
Category:Leader and cabinet executives
Category:Local education authorities in England
Category:Billing authorities in England