Cllr Jack Jeanes

31/07/2026

🚌🌞 Free bus travel + cheaper days out for Dorset families this summer!

Children aged 5–15 can travel free on buses across Dorset throughout August as part of the Great British Summer Savings campaign — making it easier (and cheaper!) for families to get out and explore.

🎟️ Plus, there are discounts on days out until 1 September, including:
🍽️ Children’s meals
🎬 Cinema & theatre
🏛️ Museums & heritage sites
🎢 Soft play & adventure parks

With so many brilliant Dorset destinations reachable by bus, it’s a great chance to enjoy the summer without stretching the budget.

🗺️ Plan your trips:
🔎 Great British Summer Savings website
🚌 Dorset Council bus timetables
📍 Traveline journey planner

Looking for affordable family days out this summer?

Families across Dorset can benefit from free bus travel for up to three children when accompanied by a fare-paying adult, plus discounted entry at a range of attractions throughout August.

Whether you're heading to the coast, exploring the countryside or planning a family adventure closer to home, these offers could help you save money while making the most of summer.

Find out what's available and how to take advantage of the offers in our latest news story, link below 👇

24/06/2026

The tip will be closed tomorrow from 1PM. For those that have booked a tip slot after 1PM tomorrow, you will receive an email asking you to reschedule your visit.

Thank you for your understanding.

Due to the Red Weather Warning for heat, all of our Household Recycling Centres will be closed from 1pm tomorrow (Thursday 25 June). If you have made a booking at one of our four sites with a booking system - Dorchester, Wimborne, Sherborne and Shaftsbury - during the time of closure, you will receive an email asking you to reschedule. We apologise for any inconvenience.

19/06/2026

Under the Lib Dems and thanks to sound financial management, Dorset Council has not overspent its budget for the first time since 2019.

This means Dorset Council can ensure public money can be spent on the services you care about most. It also means we can continue to look after roads proactively, not just reactively, thanks to record investment in our highways and the return of a dedicated gully and drainage team.

A stable budget helps Dorset plan the route ahead.

For the first time since Dorset Council was created in 2019, the council came in just under budget, with a small £169,000 underspend from a £417 million budget.

That matters because it is your council tax. It should be spent responsibly.

After previous savings, tighter controls and stronger budget management, Dorset is on a firmer footing to protect the essential services we all rely on: care, roads, waste collection, local facilities and investment for the future.

This is not about celebrating a small underspend for its own sake. It is about stability, planning ahead, and making sure public money is focused on the basics residents care about most.

That includes continued investment in roads, drainage and proper maintenance, fixing the cause where we can, not just patching the same problems again and again.

Planning ahead. Protecting the basics.

01/06/2026

Happy Dorset Day! We are so lucky to be able to call one of the most beautiful places in the country home.

Today (1 June), we are raising the familiar yellow and red flag of Dorset, and the county civic flag, to mark Dorset Day.

It is also the Feast Day of St Wite (pronounced Wheat-a), a local Saint after whom the Dorset Flag was originally named. The Saint’s origins are unknown and there are no written records. She is understood to have been a local woman from the west of the county who worked tirelessly for the community. A firm tradition holds that she lived as a hermit on the cliffs near a sacred well and offered a light to ships at sea. It is believed that she was killed defending the local people against a Viking raid.

King Alfred is believed to have built a church in her honour at Whitchurch Canonicorum (now called the Church of Candida and Holy Cross) in the Marshwood Vale, which houses her remains. This became a major place of pilgrimage, along with St Wite’s Well near Morcombelake.

The Chair of Dorset Council, Cllr Stella Jones said: “Dorset Day is a moment to reflect on our county’s long and proud history, and on the values that continue to shape our communities today. By raising our flags, we honour the enduring legacy of St Wite and celebrate the quiet dedication, kindness and resilience shown every day by people across Dorset who give so much to support others.”

Today, we proudly honour the tradition of St Wite and celebrate the continuing tireless work and commitment shown by so many people across our communities.

15/05/2026

In light of heavy misinformation being spread online I felt it was worth sharing this post from the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner.

Please take the time to conduct your own research and ensure it’s from a credible source. There’s too much AI tripe on social media.


“There is misinformation circulating online, amplified by AI-generated content, falsely claiming that migrants in Dorset are responsible for 44% of sexual offences. This information is categorically incorrect, and the statistics quoted are not from Dorset Police.

Between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2026 there were eight sexual offence reports where the alleged offender was reported to be from asylum accommodation hotels in Bournemouth. Every report is investigated thoroughly.

Across the same period, there were a total of 808 sexual offences reported within the Bournemouth area. The figure relating to asylum accommodation therefore equates to one per cent of the total.

Spuriously generated AI material being pushed out online has no place in serious public discourse when it spreads fabricated claims and inflames tensions within our communities. Misinformation of this kind risks damaging public trust and undermining confidence in legitimate policing data.

The public deserve facts, not algorithmic sensationalism. Technology platforms and AI developers must take responsibility for ensuring false and misleading claims are not presented as truth.”

21/04/2026

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