The Save SOBO Beach campaign is calling on BCP councillors to exercise their independent constitutional powers after the Chair refused a request from five councillors for an Extraordinary Full Council meeting.
The campaign is seeking further scrutiny of the controversial 20-year procurement decision, which has attracted more than 10,800 petition signatures and prompted 15 substantive questions that campaigners say remain unanswered in full.
Under the Local Government Act 1972 and BCP’s Constitution, five councillors can convene an Extraordinary Meeting following the Chair’s refusal.
Campaigners are now seeking cross-party consideration of a further Full Council resolution to ensure that the independent review agreed on 13 October is completed and considered before a binding long-term agreement is signed.
The procurement standstill is currently understood to expire on Wednesday 4 November 2026, though the extension does not yet appear on the gov.uk tender portal.
A growing dispute over public accountability
The Council’s decision on 13 October approved a new 20-year lease for the Southbourne Promenade site, while offering the existing SOBO Beach operator an additional eleven months and referring the procurement for independent scrutiny.
However, the resolution did not require that scrutiny to be completed before the new long-term agreement could become binding.
The campaign says repeated requests for information about the tender’s design, financial assessment, evaluation criteria, due diligence and community consultation have yet to receive substantive answers.
Following advice from Council officers, the campaign has prepared 20 targeted Freedom of Information requests examining the procurement process and the decisions underpinning it.
Dan Astin-Gregory, co-founder of Save SOBO Beach, said:
“The Council has agreed to independent scrutiny but has not committed to waiting for its findings before entering into a binding twenty-year agreement. More than 10,800 people have called for answers, yet we are still struggling to secure the transparency and accountability that residents should reasonably expect.
“The Chair has refused the meeting, but the law provides another route. We are encouraging councillors across political groups to consider exercising those powers. This is about much more than one beloved beach venue. If the Council can commit a public asset for twenty years before the independent scrutiny it has authorised is completed, what does that mean for democratic accountability across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?”
Campaign calls for further standstill extension
Save SOBO Beach has formally requested that BCP Council extend the procurement standstill until at least 30 November, allowing the Council’s democratic procedures and independent review arrangements further time to progress.
The campaign is working independently of SOBO Beach’s management and legal representatives, who have separately begun pre-action legal steps concerning the procurement decision, as reported by the Bournemouth Echo.
Campaigners are now inviting all BCP councillors to examine the proposed resolution and indicate whether they would support bringing the matter back before Full Council.
“The question isn’t whether the incumbent operator should automatically retain the site,” added Astin-Gregory.
“It’s whether a decision of this magnitude should become binding before serious questions have been answered and the Council’s own independent review has been considered.
“Review First. Sign Second.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
About Save SOBO Beach
Save SOBO Beach is an independent, community-led campaign established following BCP Council’s decision to award a long-term lease for the Southbourne Promenade site to a new operator.
The campaign has gathered 10,823 petition signatures and thousands of personal messages describing SOBO Beach’s contribution to local community life, wellbeing, charity fundraising and the visitor economy.
Constitutional provisions
Schedule 12, paragraph 3(2), of the Local Government Act 1972 allows five councillors to call an Extraordinary Meeting following the Chair’s refusal of a valid five-member requisition.
BCP Council’s Constitution, Part 4D, Rule 1.3, recognises this procedure.
Separately, Rule 15.2 provides for reconsideration of a recent Council resolution through a Cabinet or committee recommendation, or a motion on notice supported by at least one-quarter of councillors.
The campaign is seeking councillor support for a further resolution.
Campaign website: savesobo.com
Supporter action: savesobo.com/take-action
Media enquiries
Dan Astin-Gregory
Co-founder, Save SOBO Beach