FURTHER information has been provided on a consultation deciding whether a buffer zone should be placed around a Bournemouth abortion clinic.

BCP Council have released information to help people answer “ambiguous” questions included in an ongoing consultation.

The public discussion follows campaigns by women’s rights group, Sister Supporter Bournemouth, for a public space protection order to be introduced around the BPAS Clinic in Bournemouth.

The zone would offer clinic users protection from protesters, who are said to regularly gather outside the Orphir Road clinic.

Read more: Council launches public consultation for abortion clinic buffer zone

After their petition for the buffer zone gathered over 4,000 signatures, their concerns were taken to the council and a public consultation was launched.

However, Sister Supporter say they have received feedback from the public that some of the consultation questions are a bit “ambiguous”, leaving many people “hesitant” to complete the form.

The council have since released a ‘frequently asked questions’ document to help people with their answers, and Sister Supporter have shared a guide to the consultation on their Twitter page.

Group member Jess Bone said: “It’s good news that the council have now released FAQs to help people answer the way they intend, but this is yet another document that must be read in advance. It would be far better for the council to amend the way the questions and answers are framed.

Read more: Abortion clinic 'buffer zone' campaign held in Bournemouth

“We think some people will find the form inaccessible and we already know of several people who completed the form and then later found out they had filled it out in a way that doesn’t reflect their viewpoint.

“We weren’t given a chance to see the form before it was released. If we had, we would have flagged the issues many people have since raised.

“We were planning on releasing a reference guide as to how Sister Supporter would fill out the form, regardless of the form's ease of use, as we know this means a lot to people and they would want to make sure they expressed their views strongly and clearly.

“However, the public feedback showed us that we needed to focus on making the form as accessible as possible, and we tailored our reference guide to cover this.”

Councillor Bobbie Dove, portfolio holder for community safety, said: “I ask people to read the accompanying documentation carefully and share any other ideas that can help guide us towards the right option for the community. There is a ‘Further Comments’ section which offers the chance to add any views or thoughts you might have about the PSPO consultation. 

“We have FAQs available to read on the website which can help with answering the questions in the consultation. If residents need further assistance completing the consultation, they can contact our team: asbteam@bcpcouncil.gov.uk or get in touch via social media. 

“We also understand that not everyone will want to complete the consultation online. I would urge them to drop into a BCP library closest to the consultation area and pick up paper copies of the consultation document and survey.”