STAFF at BCP Council's arms-length Future Places company have been suffering online abuse, councillors have been told.

It has been claimed for some it has become so bad they have considered leaving the urban regeneration company.

Company managing director Gail Mayhew said in one case, on Twitter, it appeared a ‘kangaroo court’ was taking place and she pledged to defend staff from unwarranted claims and allegations.

The organisation, set up eight months ago and supported by an £8million loan arranged by the council, has yet to deliver any regeneration projects although it has been said that five are expected to go to the council leadership for approval in the next three months.

The company is working on 19 projects in total, some of which have attracted interest from private capital investors, including pension funds.

It has been claimed that, in time, the organisation could deliver up to £3billion in regeneration projects, including housing, for the area.

Councillors at the place and overview committee on Thursday June 16 were also told that the organisation is not involved in the BCP Council's possible acquisition of Barclays House in Poole, although the company had "helped out to a very limited extent" around "some of the transaction issues".

Former council leader Vikki Slade told councillors when people heard the organisation wanted to have its own headquarters, separate from the council, and when staff were being offered what she described as "generous bonuses" not available to council staff, it was no surprise that some were dubious about the way the organisation had been set up.

She also questioned the lack of feedback about what the organisation was up to and the fact that its financial arrangements with the council had recently been changed and were now different than agreed by the council a matter of months ago.

Cllr Slade claimed that early successes for the organisation would be “nice, easy schemes” which had been already part-prepared by council staff.

“As a member of the public it doesn’t look right," she said.

"Nothing is visible and then, suddenly, there’s a bonus scheme and we’re going to change the financing and then within a couple of months bang, bang, bang, nice easy schemes which were already in the plans of either BCP Council or Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch. I’m just worried it’s not a good optic."

She said the council had sought to reduce the use of consultants, but Future Places would be taking more on and would also be employing highly paid management staff.

Company chief operating officer Craig Beevers admitted some of the schemes had been started by council staff, but had been picked up by Future Places because the local authority had not been able to complete the projects due to other work pressures.

He stressed that the organisation was wholly-owned by the council and any returns would go back to the council with nothing “evaporating into thin air”.

He confirmed fees paid to the organisation from the projects by the council would be used to repay the £8m loan and any interest on that.