BOROUGH of Poole has been accused of hoarding cash from developers earmarked for neighbourhood improvements.

Council figures from monitoring reports covering 2013-16 show that nearly £3.9 million was collected via the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) - which is intended to offset the impact of new housing developments on communities. The cash collected has increased dramatically each year.

Of this, £583,000 has been designated by the council as a ‘neighbourhood portion’ to benefit communities, but only £7,000 has actually been spent as the borough has yet to set up a body to dole it out.

Poole Liberal Democrat councillor Philip Eades said: "It is absolutely remarkable that an administration that is cutting residents’ services left, right and centre, including eight public toilets in the last week, is leaving these substantial sums of public money lying idle.

"If one assumes the 2016/17 year to be anything like 2015/16 there is more than a million pounds that should be being spent on improving local neighbourhoods in Poole, not sitting in the council’s coffers gaining interest.

"I demand that the council leader gets a system in place immediately to spend these monies.

"Poole’s neighbourhoods have had the development - they should have the public realm improvements that go with it."

He said he thought the money should be used to fund transport improvements.

The neighbourhood portion spent thus far has funded elements of the Broadstone and Poole Quays Neighbourhood Plans. The authority has also spent £193,000, five per cent, on admin costs for the collection of CIL, and some £2.6m has been used to repay cash borrowed for the construction of the Twin Sails Bridge.

CIL cash is also set aside for 'heathland mitigation' and 'harbour mitigation', with £189,000 spent on the former in 2014/15, but none on the latter over the three years. The council has nearly £350,000 designated for these uses in the bank.

Borough of Poole said no 'working party' had been formed to administer the fund as no suitable projects had been put forward, although it has also yet to confirm how such applications should be submitted.

Planning policy and implementation manager Nicholas Perrins said: "The council committed to establishing a working party for the neighbourhood proportion as it recognises the importance of supporting communities and using it positively to deliver benefits over and above large-scale infrastructure investment.

"The working party has not yet been formed as no projects have been put forward, which is the reason why there has been little spend of the money collected.

"Now that sufficient funds are available, council will shortly be confirming arrangements for the submission and consideration of neighbourhood projects to ensure that this money is used to deliver real and lasting community benefit for the residents of Poole."