MERLEY & BEARWOOD comprises two separate and diverse areas of population, lying in the Stour valley between Poole and Wimborne.
Merley – a mainly 1960s and ’70s area of medium density housing development. Merley has a small parade of neighbourhood shops, a school, a pub, a church and community centre.
Bearwood – a low density suburb on the western edge of Bournemouth.
Between Merley and Bearwood lies mainly open countryside designated as Green Belt land but also put to a variety of uses, including:
The Canford Arena; golf course; sports club; 2 garden centres and the prestigious Canford Magna school.
The ward has 8,245 electors (2015).
Elected Representatives:
Borough of Poole Council (3 seats) May 2015 : www.poole.gov.uk
David Brown (LD) e : d.brown@poole.gov.uk
Jane Newell (Con) e : j.newell@poole.gov.uk
Marion Pope (Con) e : m.pope@poole.gov.uk
Ward Meetings for the Borough of Poole are held approximately bi-monthly.
Check www.poole.gov.uk/councilmeetings for details of dates and venues
Some Local Issues: Green Belt Development; Traffic Congestion on A31 and at Merley Roundabout (A31/A349)
Election Results:
Borough of Poole May 2015
LD (3) D. Brown 2579, M. Newman 1661, K. Swash 1910
Con (3) R. Gregory 2284, J. Newell 2389, M. Pope 2332
UKIP (1) John Butler 1102
Grn (3) W. Goodliffe 458, G. Sismaet 454, E. Welch 312
Ind (1) P. Kazmierczak 377
2011 (Borough of Poole) – LD (3) 2,054, 2,026, 1,956; CON (3) 1,936, 1,639, 1,593; No UKIP Candidate
Local Publications:
Daily Echo
Stour & Avon Magazine (weekly) www.blackmorevale.co.uk
Poole News (Borough of Poole) www.poole.gov.uk/poole-news 01202 633295
