Bournemouth Town Centre Citizens' Panel
In 2025, up to 50 residents of Bournemouth from different backgrounds and of all ages came together as part of the Bournemouth Town Centre Citizens' Panel - a collaboration between Bournemouth West MP Jessica Toale and BCP Council Leader Millie Earl, working in partnership with Feria Urbanism, Pier Journal and Patch. In 2026 they unveiled their Co-Created Action Plan.
Plan, ideas and governance
Below are the key outputs from the Bournemouth Town Centre Citizens' Panel - a Co-Created Action Plan, a full ideas bank and - to help with delivery - a governance document showing how we'll check check progress and ensure ongoing involvement from panellists. And also a panellist handbook to give an overview of how the town centre operates.
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The panel sessions
After an open call for panel applicants in April 2025, we used a random selection process to appoint 50 panel members - representative of the demographics of the local area - to make up the first Bournemouth Town Centre Citizens' Panel. From June - November 2025, they attended five sessions. Below is an overview of those sessions.
Session #1
Panellists undertook a mapping exercise of the town centre and a Strenghts Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis. Read more here.
Session #2
Dorset Police joined us for a Q&A about safety, crime and antisocial behaviour with panellists heading out into town to identify the good, the bad and the ugly. See more here.
Session #3
After a busy summer for Bournemouth, the panel heard about the highs and lows and, crucially, what those not in the room thought about the town centre. Find out more here.
Session #4
This is where work really began on creating the shared action plan. Panellists also heard from the leader of Bournemouth Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID) on the role they play in supporting the town to thrive. Read more here.
Sesssion #5
After lots of work to understand the opportunities and challenges, this is where the panel really started co-creating the Bournemouth Town Centre Action Plan ahead of some fine-tuning and official launch in early 2026. Read more here.
Bournemouth Town Centre Citizens' Panel Co-Created Action Plan launch
Officially launched at an event at Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum in Bournemouth in January 2026, the Bournemouth Town Centre Citizen's Panel Co-Created Action Plan outlines a shared vision to improve the town centre.
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Read the plan here.
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