The council company tasked with delivering regeneration at major sites across the conurbation has got off to a “terrible start”, according to the local authority’s leader.
Cllr Vikki Slade said there was no trust in BCP FuturePlaces and suggested the organisation could be asked to narrow its focus.
FuturePlaces is BCP Council’s urban regeneration company, which was founded in 2021.
It has been funded by an £8million working capital loan from the local authority. The money is paid back as projects are brought forward and approved by councillors.
The company was formed when the Conservative administration was running the council from late 2020 until last month’s local elections.
Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Slade provided an update on the company during a recent online question and answer session.
She said: “We have to do lots and lots of regeneration of sites that are going to take a lot longer than four years to do and taking it out of the political cycle of elections every four years will hopefully stop people from stop start, stop start, so there is a really good reason to have FuturePlaces.
“It has got off to terrible start. There is no trust and the mission creep of everything they have been doing has gone a bit crazy.
“There was an independent review commissioned with a chap who used to be the head of the civil service, Lord Bob Kerslake.
“He is currently doing his review and we have asked him to narrow the focus on the really big, important strategic sites we need to get right and to stop doing some of the stuff which isn’t delivering any income to the council and isn’t delivering homes.”
As reported, huge plans for Poole Civic Centre and Christchurch Civic Offices were paused by councillors in March.
FuturePlaces had completed outline business cases to deliver hotels and homes on both sites.
In the final full council meeting before the local elections, members voted to halt the projects and not progress to full business cases, which would have involved a financial commitment of around £2.1million.
At the time Cllr Slade said the elections would allow the new councillors to give FuturePlaces a fresh “start and potentially a fresh impetus and make sure that everybody is behind it”.
Then council leader and Conservative councillor Philip Broadhead said pausing was “kicking the can down the road once again”.
During the recent Q&A session, Cllr Slade said the results of the review by Lord Kerslake, who is FuturePlaces's independent chair, should be provided in the “next few weeks”.
She added: “We have also asked to look at whether it needs a rebrand. That is not about spending more money.
"It is about focusing its attention on delivery and bringing some of the services it has been offering back into the council, so it is the council’s company and not going off and doing its own thing.”
A spokesperson from BCP FuturePlaces said: "BCP FuturePlaces have had and continue to have discussions with the leader and the new administration of BCP Council to deliver regeneration for the betterment of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
"FuturePlaces commissioned its independent chairman, Lord Kerslake, to conduct a review of the first year's operation of the company. The findings of Lord Kerslake’s review will help inform the business plan of BCP FuturePlaces in partnership with the administration.
"BCP FuturePlaces look forward to working with the new administration and wider community, and I encourage residents seeking an update to visit www.bcpfutureplaces.co.uk and read the annual review."
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