Editing Bournemouth (section)

==Governance==
[[File:Bournemouth town hall.jpg|thumb|left|[[Bournemouth Town Hall|Civic Centre]]: Built 1885 as the Mont Dore Hotel, converted to Bournemouth Town Hall in 1921]]
{{Main|Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council}}
There is one tier of local government covering Bournemouth, at [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] level: [[Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council]], which is based at the [[Bournemouth Town Hall|Civic Centre]] (formerly known as Bournemouth Town Hall) on Bourne Avenue in Bournemouth.

===Administrative history===
The area that is now Bournemouth was historically mostly within the [[ancient parish]] of [[Christchurch, Dorset|Christchurch]] in Hampshire. A [[chapel of ease]] was established at [[Holdenhurst]] to serve the west of the parish, and the [[chapelry]] of Holdenhurst subsequently came to be treated as a separate [[civil parish]] from medieval times.<ref name=Holdenhurst>{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume 1 |date=1979 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0901050679 |page=210}}</ref>

When the development of Bournemouth began in 1810, the site straddled the parishes of Holdenhurst and Christchurch. An [[ecclesiastical parish]] of Bournemouth was created in 1845, but for civil purposes the town continued to straddle the parishes of Holdenhurst and Christchurch.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume 1 |date=1979 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0901050679 |page=199}}</ref> A body of [[improvement commissioners]] was established in 1856 to provide local government services in the town.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bournemouth Improvement Act 1856 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/19-20/90/contents/enacted |website=legislation.gov.uk |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=29 June 2024}}</ref>

Bournemouth was incorporated as a [[municipal borough]] in 1890. In 1900 it was elevated to the status of a [[county borough]], making it independent from [[Hampshire County Council]], whilst remaining part of the [[Ceremonial counties of England#Geographical counties 1889–1974|geographical county]] of Hampshire. The borough boundaries were enlarged on several occasions, notably in 1901 when it absorbed [[Pokesdown]], [[Southbourne, Dorset|Southbourne]] and [[Winton, Dorset|Winton]], and in 1931 when it absorbed Holdenhurst and [[Kinson]] (the latter being transferred from Dorset to Hampshire on its absorption into Bournemouth).<ref>{{cite web |title=Bournemouth Municipal Borough / County Borough |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10042264 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=29 June 2024}}</ref> In 1921 the borough council bought the former Mont Dore Hotel on Bourne Avenue, which had been completed in 1885, and converted into the Town Hall.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Former Town Hall, BCP Civic Centre, Bourne Avenue|num=1389612|grade=II}}</ref>

The county borough of Bournemouth was reconstituted as a [[non-metropolitan district]] in 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]]. The district kept the same boundaries, but was transferred from Hampshire to Dorset, it being considered desirable that the whole of the [[South East Dorset conurbation]] should be in the same county.<ref name="AA28" /><ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|access-date=29 June 2024}}</ref> Bournemouth's [[Borough status in the United Kingdom|borough status]] was transferred to the new district, allowing the council to take the name [[Bournemouth Borough Council]] and giving the chair of the council the title of mayor, continuing Bournemouth's series of mayors dating back to 1890.<ref>{{cite web |title=District Councils and Boroughs |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1974/mar/28/district-councils-and-boroughs#S5CV0871P0_19740328_CWA_145 |website=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |access-date=4 December 2021 |date=28 March 1974}}</ref>

On 1 April 1997, Bournemouth Borough Council became a [[unitary authority]], taking over the provision of county council functions from [[Dorset County Council]].<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Dorset (Boroughs of Poole and Bournemouth) (Structural Change) Order 1995|year=1995|number=1771|access-date=29 June 2024}}</ref>

As from April 2019, the nine councils of Dorset were merged into two and Bournemouth became part of a unitary authority with Christchurch and Poole (known as BCP).<ref name="HOB">{{cite web|url=http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/PlanningBuildings/ConservationDesignTrees/Conservation/historyofbournemouth.aspx|title=History of Bournemouth|publisher=Bournemouth County Council|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910184420/http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/PlanningBuildings/ConservationDesignTrees/Conservation/historyofbournemouth.aspx|archive-date=10 September 2011|access-date=13 December 2011}}</ref> For the purposes of [[Lord Lieutenant of Dorset|Lieutenancy]] it remains part of the [[ceremonial county]] of Dorset. Since the abolition of Bournemouth Borough Council in 2019, Bournemouth has had [[charter trustees]], being the BCP councillors representing wards in the former borough of Bournemouth. The trustees preserve the town's civic charters and traditions, including appointing one of their number each year to serve as mayor.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bournemouth's Charter Trustees |url=https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/about-the-council/civic-dignitaries/charter-trustees/bournemouths-charter-trustees |website=Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council |access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref>

In October 2024, BCP Council resolved to conduct a community governance review which could lead to the creation of town and parish councils in its area. An initial draft recommended creation of a Bournemouth parish which would elect a town council, alongside creation of parish councils in the surrounding area and a town council for Poole.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Community Governance Review Consultation |url=https://haveyoursay.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/cgr-consultation |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=Have Your Say Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gayen |first=Deb |date=2025-04-02 |title=BCP Council launches consultation on new town and parish councils |url=https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/25053425.bcp-council-launches-consultation-new-town-councils/ |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=Bournemouth Echo |language=en}}</ref>

===Parliamentary representation===
Bournemouth is represented by two parliamentary constituencies in the House of Commons; [[Bournemouth East]] and [[Bournemouth West]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/search?search_term=bournemouth|title=Find your MP|publisher=UK Parliament|access-date=24 August 2013}}</ref> In the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]], the former was gained for [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] by [[Tom Hayes (British politician)|Tom Hayes]] with 40.8% of the vote, while the latter was also gained for Labour by [[Jessica Toale]] with 36.4%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UK election results 2024 {{!}} Constituency map |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election/2024/uk/results |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> However, the seats had previously both been considered Conservative safe seats.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-02 |title=These seats have long voted Tory. That might be about to change |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cl7y2xj728do |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=BBC News |language=en-gb}}</ref> In 2022, both of the towns Conservative [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MPs]], Conor Burns and Tobias Ellwood had the [[Whip (politics)|whip withdrawn]] forcing them to sit as [[Independent politician|Independents]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 October 2022 |title=Conor Burns sacked after being seen 'touching young man's thigh', witness says |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/08/conor-burns-sacked-after-being-seen-touching-young-mans-thigh-witness-says |access-date=13 October 2022 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tobias Ellwood MP stripped of Tory party whip after abstaining in confidence vote |url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/tobias-ellwood-mp-stripped-tory-party-whip-abstaining-confidence-vote/ |access-date=13 October 2022 |website=LBC |language=en}}</ref>