Poole Borough Council was the

unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...

responsible for

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

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) The Local Government Commission for England was the body responsible for reviewing the structure of Local government in England, local government in England from 1992 to 2002. It was established under the Local Government Act 1992, replacing th ...

, becoming administratively independent from Dorset County Council, and ceased to exist on 1 April 2019. Its council comprised 16 wards and 42 councillors and was controlled by a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...

before it was merged into

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, which styles itself BCP Council, is the Local government in England, local authority for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, a local government district in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. Th ...

. 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 The secretary of state for housing, communities and local government is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom and is the Cabinet minister responsible for the overall leadership and strategic direction of the Ministry of Ho ...

Sajid Javid Sir Sajid Javid (; born 5 December 1969) is a British former politician who served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from June 2021 to July 2022, having previously served as Home Secretary from 2018 to 2019 and Chancellor of the ...

, which meant that

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

and Poole borough councils were merged into one

in April 2019.

Composition

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

s were elected across 16 wards and there were elections every four years. The last election, in May 2015, resulted in a Conservative majority. The Mayor was Sean Gabriel, a Conservative councillor for the Canford Heath West ward since May 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 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).

Wards

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. 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 The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (citation of United Kingdom legislation, c. 23) (RIP or RIPA) is an Act of parliament, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, regulating the powers of public bodies to carry out surveillanc ...

, 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. The tribunal also ruled that the surveillance "was not proportionate and could not reasonably have been believed to be proportionate". The Council said that it accepted the judgment "fully"."Poole Council loses school catchment 'spying' tribunal"

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

, 2 August 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2019.

References

External links

Borough of Poole
{{Authority control Politics of Poole Former unitary authority councils of England Leader and cabinet executives Local education authorities in England Billing authorities in England 2019 disestablishments in England Local authorities in Dorset