Christchurch

In order to meet the Councils' objectives and deliver services efficiently and effectively, Christchurch Borough Council and East Dorset District Council have been working in partnership and had a shared Chief Executive, David McIntosh.

This has now ended as part of the Local Government Reorganisation efforts with Christchurch joining Bournemouth and Poole to form the new BCP unitary authority.  

The information about Christchurch Borough Council in this area is here for historical/archive purposes.

Residents Survey 2015

As part of a bi-yearly survey, residents in Christchurch and East Dorset were asked for their views and comments on a number of key issues including the importance of services in the local area, satisfaction as a place to live, satisfaction with council services and community safety.

In a random sample of 6000 addresses, 2078 completed questionnaires were received.

Download the results of the Christchurch Residents Survey 2015.

Download the results of the East Dorset Residents Survey 2015.

Our services

The Christchurch Borough Council and East Dorset District Council Partnership was organised into seven different service areas:

Community and Leisure

The service area was responsible for:

• building capacity within community groups and organisations to enable them to take a lead in delivering local services and initiatives
• the development of leisure, sport and open spaces policies and services
• supporting the development of local arts, culture and museums
• the management of beach and river sites in Christchurch and leisure sites in both areas

Finance

The service area was responsible for:

• preparing the annual budget and statement of accounts
• advising the councils on all financial issues
• providing treasury, banking and exchequer functions
• undertaking the internal audit of all services

The Stour Valley Partnership provides the Revenue and Benefits Service for Christchurch, East Dorset and North Dorset Councils.

Growth and Economy

The service area was responsible for:

• preparing the Local Plan, which sets out the policy for local development
• ​enabling the strategic delivery of market and affordable rented housing
• working with existing local businesses to promote growth in the economy, attracting new investors to the area, developing and supporting thriving town centres and the rural economy
• ​ensuring that the principles of sustainability are embedded across all of the councils' functions
• considering planning applications and applications for work on protected trees and hedges
• ​Building Control

• promoting the two areas as high quality tourism destinations

Health

The service area was responsible for:

• public health and protection, aiming to protect and improve the health and wellbeing of residents and visitors to Christchurch and East Dorset and provide support for local businesses in the fields of health, welfare and safety
• issuing and enforcing a range of licenses, permits and certificates, providing advice and support to licence holders and the public
• working in partnership with other agencies to facilitate crime reduction and managing the Closed Circuit Television provision in Christchurch

Housing

The service area was responsible for:

• Housing services - producing housing policies, improving housing opportunities for local people, operate the housing waiting list and providing advice and support services to vulnerable applicants

Planning

The service area was responsible for:

• planning applications and pre-application advice
• granting planning permission under delegated powers or making recommendations to the planning committee
• Planning Enforcement 
• Planning Policy

Legal and Democratic Services

The service area was responsible for:

The Legal Services team:

• provide legal advice on the councils' powers and duties
• draft notices, contracts and agreements
• represent the councils in court, public inquiries and tribunals
• manage Freedom of Information requests and data protection for the councils

The Democratic Services team:

• provide support and procedural advice for the elected Members for both councils
• organise council meetings and committee meetings
• produce agendas, attend meetings and produce written minutes

The Elections team manage elections and produce the annual Register of Electors.

Organisational Development

The service area was responsible for:

• ICT - providing information and communication technology support to the councils
• Human Resources - providing HR support including recruitment services
• Organisational Development - including customer services, communications and strategic change services to support the development of the councils
• Liaison with Dorset Waste Partnership

Property and Engineering

The service area was responsible for:

• property maintenance and estate management
• coastal defence and maintenance
• land drainage (non-main rivers)
• managing and maintaining pay and display car parks and public conveniences
• licensing of beach huts, moorings and the dinghy park in Christchurch
• the preparation of major incident plans