Published on Wednesday 06 February 2019
Ahead of the Shadow Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 7 February, BCP Shadow Authority have published a report recommending approval of the draft Constitution for BCP Council.
The meeting this week, to be held at the Civic Offices in Christchurch, will see committee members consider the proposed Constitution, which includes the establishment of both the Planning and Licensing Committees for the new Council.
The report recommends that a single Planning Committee, consisting of 15 members, will serve Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. This recommendation ensures a consistent decision making approach on development matters and means the public know who is responsible for planning decisions.
The Licensing Committee will also consist of 15 members and will operate within the current statutory framework in accordance with the Licensing Act and other legislation.
Tanya Coulter, Interim Monitoring Officer, BCP Council, said: "Considerable engagement has taken place with Members and Officers of the preceding councils to ensure that the Shadow Authority can adopt the Constitution from 1 April 2019. The Constitution will enable BCP Council to operate lawfully and effectively, whilst ensuring there is a clear governance framework and transparency.
"The Task and Finish Group, which was established to support the preparation of the BCP Council Constitution, considered the views of members in regards to the proposal of establishing one Planning Committee. The option of having two or more Planning Committees for the conurbation was fully considered, however a single Committee provided greater key benefits and clarity."
The meeting will commence at 6pm and will be live streamed via YouTube.