The Bournemouth West constituency includes the whole of the town centre of Bournemouth encompassing the well known Bournemouth International Centre, the Pavillion, the famous Upper and Lower Pleasure Gardens as well as the Square which is the town's commercial and civil heart. The constituency also includes a large part of Bournemouth sea front which overlooks Poole Bay and the Isle of Wight.
Under boundary changes the area will also include the Branksome and Alderney areas from the Borough of Poole. This is not new as much of the Bourne Valley area was included in Bournemouth West in the past. Indeed the roundabout the end of the Wessex Way called 'County Gates" marks the historic border between Hampshire and Dorset, and also the border between Bournemouth and Poole - a border that has been blurring in recent years.
The area is very diverse. As well as the beautiful sandy beaches and the chines each part of the area has its own unique identify. Away from the vibrancy of the town centre the Westbourne area has very much the feel of a village with the wide range of small shops giving it a special identity cherished by local residents and visitors alike. The cultural diversity of Charmister is shown in the wide range of foods available in the different restaurants. Winton is known for its long road packed with shops of all varieties. In the north of the constituency lies Kinson which has its own identify which is very separate from that of Bournemouth town.
The area of Talbot Village has seen much change in recent years as the University has expanded in both the number of students and the range of courses available. Bournemouth University now has some 17,000 students from over 130 countries studying locally.
Campaigning in Bournemouth
Bournemouth is one of the most vibrant yet at the same time tranquil places in Britain. We have a large retired population living alongside the dynamic University that brings so much to the town. We have tens of thousands of visitors who coming to the town each year either on business and drawn by the conference facilities or as tourists to enjoy the unspoilt beach and the wonderful leisure facilities.
Yet underlying this Bournemouth faces some very real threats and challenges.
Local Conservatives are fighting the Government's plans to impose 16,100 new dwellings on Bournemouth in the coming years - 1,500 being proposed on flood plain land that protects us from the River Stour. Local Conservatives believe that these decisions should be in the hands of locally accountable people and not taken by faceless people in Bristol and Exeter who have not been elected and cannot be removed.
Everyone who lives in Bournemouth or visits Bournemouth knows that our roads are already congested and there is already too much pressure on the local health services.
Local Conservatives celebrate and welcome the fact that the town has such a vital night life and enjoy people coming here to enjoy themselves. However we must ensure that our town remains an attractive and non threatening place for people of all ages to enjoy themselves. We want to reclaim the streets so that all may enjoy the town and this is especially true on weekend nights.
We are very fortunate that Bournemouth has relatively low crime rates and we want to keep it that way. Yet although crime is low fear of crime is on the rise. Local Conservatives want to see high visibility policing that makes people feel safe so that no one is a prisoner of their own home.
With two Universities in the constituency that is growing in size, stature and reputation with every passing year local Conservatives welcome the great boost to the area that having the University gives. We welcome the students who make their home in the town for the three years of their degree and the many who stay on. Yet we always work to promote respect between the young people and the long term residents and are pleased that relations between the two are good.
The presence of the Universities reminds us of the need for high quality local education. Local Conservatives are proud of the diversity of school locally and will always defend this diversity.
We are committed to being in touch with and easily accessible to local people and welcome contact. Please feel free to contact us at any time if we can help or if you have any suggestions as to how our town can be made to be an even better place to live and work.