Bournemouth mayor defends town against ‘wild west’ narrative

Following highly charged incidents including anti-migrant protests outside a Bournemouth hotel, the town’s mayor and a local councillor have written a joint statement to push back against the negative media narrative about the area.

BCP Council’s Cllr Sara Armstrong for East Cliff and Springbourne and the Mayor of Bournemouth Cllr Jackie Edwards wrote the letter to express their concerns about Bournemouth’s reputation. Cllr Edwards has a background in tourism, hospitality and leisure having ran a bar, a restaurant, a guest house and written a book about Bournemouth’s hotels. She is also a resident of the East Cliff.

The letter, released overnight, says: “I am deeply concerned about recent events in our town — the antisemitic attack in East Cliff, protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, the use of our nation’s flag to intimidate vulnerable communities, and misinformation being spread about Bournemouth portraying it as some kind of ‘wild west’. These actions risk sowing further division and fear. There is no place for hate in Bournemouth or anywhere.

“This negative narrative is harming livelihoods. Hotels, restaurants, and leisure businesses — already struggling with rising costs after years of austerity — now face cancelled bookings from visitors deterred by headlines about ‘safety’. Some may not survive the winter. Tourism is vital to our local economy, contributing over £1 billion a year by some reports. Bournemouth already undersells itself, and this damaging narrative does no favours for our economy, and it divides communities.”