SEVERAL Bournemouth councillors are living outside the borough.

Council rules state that to be councillor one must be "a local government elector" in Bournemouth, or be a tenant or own land/property in Bournemouth and live there for at least 12 months, or work in Bournemouth for at least 12 months.

However many believe councillors would struggle to properly represent their residents if they are not living in the town.

Councillors who confirmed to the Echo that they do live outside Bournemouth were Westbourne and West Cliff member Nick Rose and Boscombe West member Christopher Wakefield.

Cllr Rose said he was living in Emsworth, having moved for "personal reasons", and while he would not be looking to stand again next year, he will not step down.

"Of course it is not ideal," he said. "However it will cost £18,000 to run a by-election, as I can't abide public sector waste and there is plenty that goes on inside the council as it is."

Cllr Rose was last year one of the signatories of a letter of complaint containing allegations about leader John Beesley, his ward colleague, which has since sparked a police investigation.

He said he would not resign unless "Cllr Beesley stays on as leader after the two investigations".

"I have been a Conservative for 25 years so I could not switch party, but it is unacceptable that he stays on as leader."

In the meantime, Cllr Rose said, he owns property in Bournemouth and is "only an hour away". "Sometimes it takes that long to get from one side of Bournemouth to the other because of the awful traffic," he added.

Cllr Wakefield said he was splitting time between the home of his new fiancée in Portland and his property in Boscombe, but was always available for residents to contact.

"I still work over here, I still have charitable interests over here, I am still fully accountable to my residents and I still attend all my council meetings and residents' meetings," he said.

"I am 100 per cent committed to Bournemouth and to Boscombe in particular."

Cllr Wakefield cited his involvement with local charities the Springbourne Family Centre, Crumbs, the Bournemouth Parent/Carer Forum and the Friends of Boscombe Chine Gardens, and a fire in Boscombe last year where he and ward colleague Jane Kelly were in the area the next day ensuring residents of the Bethany House sheltered accommodation scheme were being looked after.

Town hall sources claimed a number of other Bournemouth councillors were not living locally. Beverley Dunlop was said to be living in Ringwood and Gina Mackin in Poole. The Echo was unable to get hold of either to confirm or deny the claims.

Cllr John Adams, who was Mayor of Bournemouth two years ago, said he lived in a flat in West Cliff as his "main residence" although his wife lives in Lymington.

"My wife has a house in Lymington where I go at weekends, so I am always within striking distance," he said.

"I feel if you are representing people in Bournemouth you have got to live here. Our MP lives here in my ward. It makes a big difference, you get to know exactly where all the pot holes are."