The services and functions of Christchurch Borough Council are split between local Borough Councillors and County Councillors.
There are 24 Borough Councillors, each representing one of 11 Wards. Two Councillors represent each Ward, although there three Councillors in two of the Wards, according to population. They are responsible for Council services not under County control (see below). These include parks, revenues and benefits, housing, leisure and planning.
The Wards are:
- Burton and Wickton (2 seats)
- Grange (2 seats)
- Highcliffe (2 seats)
- Jumpers (2 seats)
- Mudeford and Friars Cliff (3 seats)
- North Highcliffe and Walkford (2 seats)
- Portfield (2 seats)
- Purewell and Stanpit (2 seats)
- St Catherine’s and Hurn (2 seats)
- Town Centre (2 seats)
- West Highcliffe (3 seats)
Click for our local Councillors, and there is a useful guide to those responsibilities here.
There are also 5 County Councillors sitting on Dorset County Council. They too are elected by local constituents. The County is responsible for schools, social care for the elderly and vulnerable, road maintenance, libraries and trading standards.
One County Councillor represents one Division. These are:
- Commons: Hurn & St Catherines + Jumpers
- Central: Town Centre + Stanpit and Purewell
- Burton Grange: Burton Grange and a small part of Mudeford
- Mudeford and Highcliffe: Mudeford and mostly Highcliffe Ward
- Walkford: North Highcliffe and Walkford and West Highcliffe Wards
There is a useful official map available online.
For some time there has been discussion of the possibility of the creation of a Unitary Authority, by joining with Bournemouth and Poole. With the recent General Election and awful terrorist incidents Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has obviously had more crucial things to deal with, so this has been quiet. The many documents and pages on the Keep Christchurch Special website are now on the Governance Menu, under Archive. The issue is not over: other possibilities are being considered and will be notified here when there is more information.
