A former council officer claims he was pushed out of the authority after raising concerns about the handling and cost of several major regeneration projects.
Martin Tiffin, 62, worked as a Town Centre Vision Programme Leader at BCP Council, having previously worked on major regeneration projects for Bournemouth Borough Council.
He claims he raised concerns in 2021 about a number of regeneration schemes and was subsequently subjected to what he describes as the council’s “mushroom treatment”, where he says he was excluded and pushed out of his role.
The former lawyer is now representing himself in an employment tribunal claim against BCP Council.
He claims he was later selected for redundancy and described himself as being “in a redundancy pool of one”.
His concerns centred on three regeneration projects: the former Poole power station site, Carter’s Quay in Poole and Bournemouth’s Winter Gardens.
Martin told the Echo he believed councillors had not always been given all the financial information they needed to make decisions about development projects.
He said: “If you want something to happen as an officer, and you think that a council might not agree with you, you only give them the information that you think that they're likely to accept.”
The first project was the former Poole power station site, which Martin said presented significant financial risks because of contamination from its former industrial use.
He claims that while the council was considering buying the land, he sought advice from an experienced brownfield developer who believed the site had a negative value.
Martin said he also became aware of another valuation which, he claims, raised similar concerns about the value of the land.
Despite this, the council went ahead with the purchase.
Martin alleges councillors were not given the full picture about the competing valuations and potential cost of developing the site before the decision was made.
Martin also raised concerns about Carter’s Quay, a waterfront development in Poole where more than 160 apartments were planned.
He said he had assessed the project and believed the amount being sought for the land was substantially higher than its value.
Martin claims he recommended bringing in specialists to advise the authority because of the complexity of the proposed financial arrangement, but says this did not happen.
His third concern related to Bournemouth’s Winter Gardens.
Martin said years of work had gone into plans to regenerate the site and that planning permission had been secured for a major development.
However, he claims the project was then paused while proposals to potentially relocate the Bournemouth International Centre to the Winter Gardens site were explored.
Martin believes the three projects illustrate a wider issue about how major decisions were being taken at BCP Council following the creation of the unitary authority in 2019.
He questioned how much control elected councillors had over major projects when they depended upon council officers to provide them with the information needed to make decisions.
Martin said that after raising his concerns, he became increasingly excluded from strategic work.
He claims he was eventually told he was being made redundant shortly after then-council leader Drew Mellor resigned in February 2023.
Martin said he was initially led to believe councillors had approved his redundancy but claims he later discovered they had been told about savings within the regeneration department without being told that his particular role would disappear.
He said it took him two years to establish what he believes had happened.
Martin also said the dispute has had a lasting impact on his career.
He told the Echo he has not been able to secure another permanent job since leaving the council.
He believes his decision to challenge his former employer has damaged his employment prospects.
He said: “Once you're seen as someone who's brought an action, you're seen as a troublemaker.”
Martin, who previously worked as a civil engineer before becoming a project finance lawyer and later a partner at a law firm, joined Bournemouth Borough Council in 2008.
He is now pursuing his claims against BCP Council at an employment tribunal.
A spokesperson for BCP Council said: “It would be inappropriate to comment before the hearing has taken place, but the council contests the claims and will continue to defend them through the tribunal process.”
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