While such strong accusations have been denied (Echo letters 4 April), Poole’s Conservatives have a bit of a history in opposing the existence of a Poole Council.
Back in 2017 it was Poole Conservatives who voted to abolish Poole’s unitary authority and the merging of Poole with Bournemouth and Christchurch to form BCP Council. I remember the meeting well. The debate got rather heated.
All the Conservative councillors present voted for the merger with all eleven non-Conservative councillors voting against.
Given the momentous consequences of abolishing Poole Council, this stark division surely should have given some pause for thought, perhaps to consider holding a referendum on the matter as was done in Christchurch.
The referendum in Christchurch was strongly against the merger (84 per cent against) but Christchurch could not stop the merger on its own.
Today Poole’s Conservatives now opposes the creation of a Poole Town Council.
Yet today only two of the Poole Conservative councillors from back in 2017 serve as councillors on BCP Council but not as Conservative councillors. Indeed I see a third Poole Conservative councillor from 2017 is now the Chair of Poole Reform UK. Clearly Poole Conservatives have been abandoning the Conservatives!!
And underlying all this abandonment is surely the collapse in Conservative representation of Poole on the council – 70 per cent in the 2015 elections, 24 per cent in 2019 and down to just 7 per cent in 2023.
The underlying cause is Poole voters abandoning Poole Conservatives.
Dr Martin Rodger
Bloxworth Road,
Parkstone