Bournemouth Town Council saves £100,000 from annual budget
The full breakdown had been demanded for over three months
A budget adjustment has delivered thousands of pounds of savings for Bournemouth Town Council.
At a meeting on Monday, August 17, the council approved changes for the remainder of the 2026/27 financial year, including a reduction of the Communities Administrative Costs Contingency from £10,000 to £2,000 and the transfer of a £7,000 allotments staffing budget from Staffing Costs to Supplies and Services.
The changes are expected to increase the council’s projected closing reserves to £1,407,560.
Councillor Kieron Franklin, chair of the finance, governance and staffing committee, said: “This budget represents exactly what we promised residents when we set out our approach to running this Council’s finances: understand the true costs first, find savings wherever they genuinely exist, and only then decide how to spend.
“The single biggest development is the confirmed cost of the May 2026 elections.
“After more than three months of repeated requests to BCP Council, including a formal escalation to BCP’s Section 151 Officer, we finally received the full, itemised breakdown on Friday 14 August.
“The confirmed figure is £343,333, more than £100,000 lower than the £450,000 we had prudently budgeted.
“That saving now flows directly back into this year’s budget, for the benefit of residents.”
Further savings were also found through scrutiny of civic support costs for the Mayor’s Office, where Cllr Franklin said only evidenced expenses such as chauffeuring, macebearing, and accommodation were accepted.
Administrative support costs were excluded after BCP Council was unable to provide a consistent figure.
Instead, the council has chosen to recruit a single, permanent clerical member of staff who will support the Town Clerk, manage the Mayor’s administration, and handle allotments administration.
He acknowledged that the budget arrived at committee with “less notice than would ordinarily be ideal,” due to delayed information from BCP Council.
Cllr Franklin said: “Rather than delay residents’ sight of an accurate budget any further, the Deputy Chair and I worked through the weekend to ensure Members and the public had the earliest possible opportunity to scrutinise real, evidenced figures.
“That is not a shortcut, it is the direct result of insisting on facts before financial press releases, papers, or decisions.”
He also reaffirmed the council’s pledge not to increase the precept next year, stating that every budget decision had been tested against that commitment.
Cllr Mike Cox, Deputy Leader of BCP Council and Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “BCP Council has worked closely with Bournemouth, Poole and Broadstone town councils since they were established this year by helping them put in place legal, staffing and operational arrangements and helping them develop budget plans.
“Our officers have responded to Bournemouth Town Council’s enquiries and provided information as it has become available, including a detailed breakdown of the May election costs.
“It is normal for election costs to take a few months to finalise, as a range of statutory and administrative processes must be completed following an election, including the collection of candidates’ expense returns and the processing of payments to polling staff.
“We had advised the town council that a realistic timeframe for providing finalised costs would be around three months after the elections. We provided the final costs as soon as all necessary information had been received and fully checked.
“As an independent authority, Bournemouth Town Council is responsible for setting its own budget and deciding how best to use the funds it raises from residents, and we remain committed to supporting its successful development as a new authority.”