02/09/2026
Last night Reform UK’s Cllr Gill Seymour attended the public meeting at the Regent Centre in Christchurch about pollution in Christchurch Harbour.
The meeting was packed. Around 500 people were able to get inside, with roughly another 300 people left outside because there simply was not enough room.
Gill is a member of Southbourne Canoe Club, based at Hengistbury Head Outdoor Centre with direct access into Christchurch Harbour.
Last week members were told that they could not go out on the water because of concerns over E. coli levels. That is why this matters.
Christchurch Harbour is not something people simply look at from a distance. Residents swim in it, sail on it, canoe through it and use it throughout the year.
Concerns about pollution in the harbour have also been raised for some time.
Residents have repeatedly asked BCP Council to take stronger action to protect Christchurch Harbour, and the council has already committed to developing further protection for it.
But residents are still waiting.
In July 2026, Reform UK’s Cllr Simon Hollosi attended the protest and meeting outside BCP Civic Centre where residents were again calling for action over pollution in our local waters.
That should have been another clear warning to the Lib Dem-led BCP Council that people wanted this issue dealt with.
Instead, two months later, hundreds of residents are still turning up to meetings looking for answers.
When around 500 people fill a venue and another 300 cannot even get through the doors, it is difficult to argue that this is a minor issue.
Residents should not have to keep petitioning, protesting and attending packed public meetings before BCP Council acts with the urgency this deserves.
The Lib Dems made a promise. Now they are failing to keep it.
Reform UK will keep our promises, get things done, and bring real change to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
