Christchurch

A man is due to appear in court in connection with a reported assault in Bournemouth.

The incident happened at approximately 3.25am on Saturday 7 April 2018 on Old Christchurch Road.

It was reported that a 16-year-old boy was standing near to McDonald’s when he was approached by a man and punched to the face. He sustained a broken jaw and was taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries.

A 20-year-old Southampton man has been issued with a postal requisition to appear at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 5 March 2019 for an offence of unlawful wounding.

Officers are appealing for witnesses following a collision between a car and an ambulance in Christchurch.

The incident happened at around 2.35pm today, Wednesday 20 February 2019, along Fairmile Road at the junction of Clarendon Road. The car involved was a Volkswagen Golf.

The driver of the Golf sustained a minor injury and was treated at the scene.

Pictures from @Steve_Hogan_ of the incident in #Christchurch involving an ambulance and a car.
Roads are closed which is causing severe congestion in the town. pic.twitter.com/BOZGFQY3Cf

— BBC Radio Solent (@BBCRadioSolent) February 20, 2019

Two paramedics from the ambulance were taken to Poole hospital as a precaution. It is understood the ambulance was responding to an emergency call at the time of the collision, however no patients were on board.

Prior to the incident, an unmarked police car had illuminated its lights and requested for the Golf to stop.

A road closure was put in place to allow emergency services to deal with the incident.

A 31-year-old man from Dorchester was arrested on suspicion of failing to stop when requested by police, driving without insurance, dangerous driving, drug driving and driving a motor vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence. He is assisting officers with enquiries.

Police Inspector Joe Pardey, of the traffic unit, said: “An investigation into the circumstances of the collision is now underway.

“I am appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident or the manner of driving of either vehicle prior to the collision to please contact Dorset Police.”

A balanced budget for 2019/20 has been approved by the Shadow Authority Executive ahead of the launch of the new BCP Council.

It will now go before a meeting of the full Shadow Authority on February 21.

The budget has been prepared from financial plans developed by the four shadow authority Delivery Boards – Adults, Children’s, Place and Corporate – working towards a single Medium Term Financial Plan.

The budget process has accounted for the required efficiencies and savings needed but still enables BCP Council to meet all its statutory responsibilities and provide enhanced support to areas such as Social Care for vulnerable adults and children.

The budget recommendation has managed a further £6.9million per annum cut in core annual Government funding and an estimated £105million per annum in reduced Government funding overall since 2010/11. It further prioritises an extra £3.3million in funding for the most vulnerable through increased budgets in Adults’ and Children’s services and continues to protect frontline services as far as possible.

As a result, the total net Budget for 2019/20 is £274million.

Chair of the Shadow Executive, Councillor Janet Walton, said: “This is an historic budget recommendation, the first for the new BCP Council and I am pleased to see it was (fully) approved by the Shadow Executive. An immense amount of work has been done by our Delivery Boards to meet the needs of the proposed Medium Term Financial Plan and the excellent progress which has been made means we have a sound budget proposal for 2019/20 that has been fully supported.

“The new BCP Council is required to set an annual balanced budget explaining how its financial resources, both income and expenditure, are to be allocated and used. In setting the budget for 2019/20 Members recognised their duty to balance this budget in a manner which reflected not only their obligation to current taxpayers but also their responsibilities to future taxpayers.”

It is envisaged that by 2021 the new BCP Council will cease to receive any core Government funding and all services will need to be funded locally from Council Tax, our share of business rates, fees and income.

Chairman of the Finance Task & Finish Group, Councillor John Beesley, said: “I was delighted to be able to present this balanced budget proposal. The new Council’s finances will remain under immense pressure, not only due to the reduction in Government funding but through numerous cost increases and meeting the ever-rising demand for Council services, especially those related to vulnerable adults and children.

“Nevertheless, as part of the Delivery Board process, significant work has been undertaken to determine the efficiencies that can contribute to the established savings targets, largely focussed on the reduction in staff where they become duplicated, for the new Council. These have concentrated on identifying fewer management roles, achieving economies of scale in service delivery and savings made through back office and support functions.”

In terms of Council Tax, the proposed 2019/20 budget is based on the assumption that BCP Council will adopt the Council Tax harmonisation strategy that states no current Council Tax levels levied by the BCP Unitary Authority will rise at a rate exceeding the Government’s cap and that the amount charged in Christchurch will be frozen or reduced until the harmonised rate has been achieved. It was previously decided by the Shadow Executive and endorsed by the Government that an alternative approach which harmonised the rate of council tax on day one was unacceptable as it would lead to many residents having increases above the referendum limit.

Therefore, in the proposed budget, Poole’s Council Tax will rise in line with the Government’s cap of 2.99%, Christchurch’s will be frozen until Poole’s rate has caught up, and Bournemouth’s will increase by slightly less than the Government cap until it too catches up with Christchurch (for 2019/20 this equates to a 2.4% increase). The 2019/20 BCP unitary charge in Christchurch will appear slightly lower than the combined 2018/19 Council Tax charge levied by Dorset County Council and Christchurch Borough Council due to the cost of services transferring to the two new Town Councils (Christchurch Town and Highcliffe & Walkford).

Not including any precepts which may be applicable for some, including the Fire and Police precepts, a BCP unitary band D Council Tax bill for 2019/20 will be:

Bournemouth: £1,473.40 compared to £1,438.92 in 2018/19
Christchurch: £1,598.30 compared to £1,607.16
Poole: £1,441.53 compared to £1,399.68
BCP Council’s Capital programme for the next three years includes £112 million of investment into Council assets and infrastructure and £119 million of Housing Revenue Account spend on local council housing provision.

Unallocated reserves will stand at £15.4million, which is approximately 5.6% of the proposed net revenue expenditure. Under the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy regulations, unitary authorities must hold reserves at between 5% and 10% of net revenue expenditure.

The budget proposal will also recommend a scheme for Members Allowances and the Chief Officers’ Pay Policy.

A man who carried out two knifepoint robberies and committed a string of other theft offences has been jailed for five-and-a-half years.

Gary Boothe, 40 and of no fixed address, was handed the prison term at Bournemouth Crown Court on Monday 4 February 2019 after pleading guilty to two robberies, three theft offences and three counts of possession of a bladed article. He also asked for two theft offences and one attempted theft offence to be taken into consideration.

The first robbery charge relates to an incident which occurred at 9.30am on Thursday 15 November 2018 at Coral bookmakers on Oakdale Road in Poole.

Boothe approached the counter and spoke to a member of staff before walking around the store. He then returned to the counter, opened a burgundy and cream bag and pulled out a breadknife, which was around six inches long. Boothe made numerous demands for money. He then climbed onto the counter and crawled along it. The member of staff, fearful for his safety, emptied the contents of the till and safe into the bag. Boothe left the store with approximately £720.

The second robbery occurred at 11.12am on Saturday 17 November 2018 at Bet Fred on Commercial Road in Bournemouth. Boothe entered the shop, waited for a male member of staff to go on his break and approached a lone female cashier. He pulled a knife from his holdall and threatened the cashier. He then jumped over the counter and ordered her to empty notes and change from the till and safe into the bag. He left with around £2,240.

Boothe was arrested and interviewed over two days on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 November 2018 after he was positively picked out during an identity procedure and his fingerprint was forensically linked to the scene.

He was also arrested and charged in connection with a cash theft at Co-op on Queens Road in Bournemouth on Monday 15 October 2018, theft of a large quantity of stock from Vape of Good Hope on Fairmile Road in Christchurch on Tuesday 16 October 2018 and theft of an iPad Mini from Solutions Inc. in Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth the same day. He later pleaded guilty to these offences.

During the incident at Co-op a member of staff attempted to shut Boothe’s hands in the till as he stole the money. As Boothe ran out of the store, he dropped a Co-op bag containing a large kitchen knife. 

At sentencing Boothe was told once released from prison he would have to serve an extended licence period of a further five years and three months due the danger he poses to the public. The judge praised the victims of the robberies and theft at the Co-op for their “impeccable bravery” with what they were faced with.

Detective Constable Aimee Lloyd, of Bournemouth CID, said: “Gary Boothe was responsible for targeting businesses in and around the Bournemouth and Poole areas over a sustained period of time.

“He took a knife to the bookmakers and threatened a member of staff for his own gain. This must have been a terrifying experience for them.

“Dorset Police takes offences such as this extremely seriously and we will do everything in our power to investigate these incidents and bring offenders such as Boothe before the court.”  

A man has been charged in connection with the reported theft of headphones from a store in Christchurch.

It was reported that at 1.23pm on Monday 15 October 2018 a man entered Purewell Electrical and stole Bose QC35 noise cancelling headphones, valued at £329.

Following enquiries by officers and a CCTV appeal, a 52-year-old Bournemouth man has been arrested and charged with theft. He is due to appear at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Friday 1 February 2019.