31 May 2022
Councillor Chris Rigby has been reported in the Bournemouth Daily Echo responding to reports that nitrogen dioxide levels at several monitoring points in Bournemouth exceed World Health Organisation limits: "The levels of air pollution across the three towns is concerning, and it's an issue I've been aware of for some time."
25 May 2022
Councillor Chris Rigby says: "Yesterday evening I attended my first Place Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) committee, this alongside the new Corporate and Community O&S have replaced the O&S board I've sat on since I was elected in 2019. Both of these new committees are now chaired by Conservatives, both of these committees will meet 5 times a year, both of these committees will have two items on their agendas. That's 20 items per year. The previous board was chaired by an independent member, met 20 times a year, most often with 3 items on each agenda... so up to 60 items could be looked at per year."
11 May 2022
The Bournemouth Independent & Green (BIG) Group on BCP Council has called for the Council to scrap its 'Leader and Cabinet' system, in favour of a "more stable and cooperative" committee system, that would involve all councillors in decision-making. 59% of Bristol voters backed moving to a committee system in a city-wide referendum this month. Sheffield voted last year to scrap its 'Leader and Cabinet' system in favour of a committee system.
08 May 2022
The two Conservative councillors for Moordown attended BCP's Full Council meeting on 26 April, in a crowded Council Chamber, while knowingly and visibly ill with Covid. This led to "a row", "chaotic scenes" and the "entire meeting coming to a halt", followed by BCP Council agreeing to file a 'dangerous occurrence' health-and-safety report.
03 May 2022
Local residents and businesses have been contacting campaigner Kate Salmon with further traffic concerns at the junction of Charminster Road and West Way. This has extremely loose corners which encourage traffic to turn left at speed. This has led to a number of minor collisions.
14 April 2022
Simon Bull, Green Party Councillor for Winton East, spent Wednesday afternoon at Winton Recreation Ground. First he helped out with the ongoing programme of wildflower seeding. Then he visited the Community Shed, to see the tool safe purchased with Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding that Simon and fellow local Green Councillor Chris Rigby were very happy to support. Then Simon checked out how the new pond is coming along.
11 April 2022
Traffic is grinding to a halt during school-run times in the vicinity of St Luke’s Primary School on Bemister Road in Winton, causing safety worries. Chris Rigby, Green Councillor for Winton East, says: “I’m working with the Headteacher on possible remedies."
07 April 2022
Conservative-run BCP Council is racking up an extra £220 million of local taxpayer debt over just two years. This equals £1,315 more to be borrowed for every single household in BCP. Disingenuous local Conservative propaganda to the public avoids acknowledging that new spending between 2021 and the next local election in 2023 is with borrowed money. Instead they try to pass off new pots of money as some kind of consequence-free dividend or windfall.
07 March 2022
Work is underway to reopen the rear area of Winton Library Gardens - reimagined as a community garden. The front section was reopened by the Council two years ago, after much campaigning by hard-working local Green Councillors Simon Bull and Chris Rigby. They promised to continue working until reopening was completed. Restoration has been taken on by BH9 Business Community and their volunteers, led superbly by John, reimagining the space as “an oasis for the whole community to enjoy”.
24 February 2022
BCP's ruling group of Conservative councillors have voted down a proposal by Green Councillors Chris Rigby and Simon Bull, for BCP Council to endorse the call for a global Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.