New Forest District

Last updated

New Forest
Non-metropolitan district
Totton, Redbridge Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 5447014.jpg
The Redbridge Bridge in Totton
Motto: 
"Old yet ever new"
New Forest UK locator map.svg
New Forest shown within Hampshire
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region South East England
Non-metropolitan county Hampshire
Status Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ Lyndhurst
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyNew Forest District Council
 •  MPs Julian Lewis
Desmond Swayne
Area
 • Total290.8 sq mi (753.2 km2)
 • Rank43rd (of 296)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total176,262
 • Rank118th (of 296)
 • Density610/sq mi (230/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 •  Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 •  Religion
List
Time zone UTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code 24UJ (ONS)
E07000091 (GSS)
OS grid reference SU2581608959

New Forest is a local government district in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Lyndhurst, although the largest town is Totton. The district also includes the towns of Fordingbridge, Lymington, New Milton and Ringwood. The district is named after and covers most of the New Forest National Park, which occupies much of the central part of the district. The main urban areas are around the periphery of the forest. The district has a coastline onto the Solent to the south and Southampton Water to the east.

Contents

The neighbouring districts are Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Dorset, Wiltshire, Test Valley, Southampton and Eastleigh (across Southampton Water). The district also faces the Isle of Wight across the Solent.

History

The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of two former districts and most of a third, which were all abolished at the same time: [2]

The new district was named New Forest after the forest which covers much of the area. [4]

New Forest is one of the most populous districts in England not to be a unitary authority; at the 2021 census only four non-unitary districts had more people. The Banham Commission had recommended that New Forest should become a unitary authority in 1995, but this was rejected by the government. [5]

Governance

New Forest District Council
New Forest District Council logo.svg
Type
Type
Leadership
Neville Penman,
Conservative
since 22 May 2023 [6]
Jill Cleary,
Conservative
since 14 November 2022
Kate Ryan
since December 2021 [7]
Structure
Seats48 councillors
Political groups
Administration (26)
  Conservative (26)
Other parties (22)
  Liberal Democrat (14)
  Independent (4)
  Green (3)
  Labour (1)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
Last election
 4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
New Forest District Council buildings, Lyndhurst - geograph.org.uk - 154959.jpg
Appletree Court, Beaulieu Road, Lyndhurst, SO43 7PA
Website
www.newforest.gov.uk

New Forest District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Hampshire County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government. [8]

In the parts of the district within the New Forest National Park, town planning is the responsibility of the New Forest National Park Authority. The district council appoints four of its councillors to serve on the 22-person National Park Authority. [9]

Political control

The council has been under Conservative majority control since 1999.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially acting as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control since 1974 has been as follows: [10] [11]

Party in controlYears
Independent 1974–1976
Conservative 1976–1991
No overall control 1991–1995
Liberal Democrats 1995–1999
Conservative 1999–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1990 (formally the chair of the policy and resources committee prior to 2001) have been: [12]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Jack Webb Conservative pre-19905 May 1991
Jack Maynard Liberal Democrats 20 May 199124 May 1993
John Coles Liberal Democrats 24 May 199324 May 1999
Simon Hayes Conservative 24 May 199918 Nov 2002
Mel Kendal Conservative 18 Nov 200231 Oct 2008
Barry Rickman Conservative 1 Nov 2008Mar 2021
Edward Heron Conservative 12 Apr 202114 Nov 2022
Jill Cleary Conservative 14 Nov 2022

Composition

Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was: [13] [14]

PartyCouncillors
Conservative 26
Liberal Democrats 14
Independent 4
Green 3
Labour 1
Total48

The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 26 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [15]

The district is divided between two parliamentary constituencies: New Forest East and New Forest West. [16]

Premises

The council is based at Appletree Court on Beaulieu Road in Lyndhurst. The oldest part of the building was originally a large house, which was purchased in 1954 to become the offices of the New Forest Rural District Council. The building has been substantially extended since becoming council offices. [17] [18]

Towns and parishes

The whole district is covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Fordingbridge, Lymington and Pennington, New Milton, Ringwood, and Totton and Eling have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". Whilst Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst are both post towns they have parish councils rather than town councils. The parishes are: [19] [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lymington</span> Seaside town in Hampshire, England

Lymington is a port town on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ringwood, Hampshire</span> Town in Hampshire, England

Ringwood is a market town in south-west Hampshire, England, on the River Avon close to the New Forest, northeast of Bournemouth and southwest of Southampton. It was founded by the Anglo-Saxons, and has held a weekly market since the Middle Ages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Dorset</span> Former non-metropolitan district in England

East Dorset was a local government district in Dorset, England. Its council met in Wimborne Minster between 2016 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyndhurst, Hampshire</span> Village in Hampshire, England

Lyndhurst is a large village and civil parish situated in the New Forest National Park in Hampshire, England, about nine miles (14 km) south-west of Southampton. Known as the "Capital of the New Forest", Lyndhurst houses the New Forest District Council and Court of Verderers. It is also a popular tourist attraction, with many independent shops, art galleries, cafés, museums, pubs and hotels. As of 2001 Lyndhurst had a population of 2,973, increasing to 3,029 at the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Forest East (UK Parliament constituency)</span>

New Forest East is a constituency in Hampshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its creation in 1997 by Julian Lewis of the Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Forest West (UK Parliament constituency)</span>

New Forest West is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by Desmond Swayne, a Conservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Forest (UK Parliament constituency)</span>

New Forest was a county constituency in south-west Hampshire which elected one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boldre</span> Village in Hampshire, England

Boldre is a village and civil parish in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is in the south of the New Forest National Park, above the broadening (estuary) of the Lymington River, two miles (3 km) north of Lymington. In the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,931, and in the 2011 census, 2,003. The parish has a few campsites and a tourist caravan site, along with visitor parking around its mixed woodland and heath hamlet of Norley Wood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Totton railway station</span> Railway station in Totton, England

Totton railway station serves the towns of Totton and Eling, Hampshire, England and is on the South West Main Line. It is 82 miles 43 chains (132.8 km) down the line from London Waterloo. It is managed by South Western Railway who also operate the only services to stop at the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Forest Tour</span>

The New Forest Tour is an open-top bus service in the New Forest, running three circular routes around various towns, attractions and villages in the protected forest. It is run by morebus and Bluestar in partnership with Hampshire County Council, New Forest District Council and the New Forest National Park Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southampton and Dorchester Railway</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Southampton and Dorchester Railway was an English railway company formed to join Southampton in Hampshire with Dorchester in Dorset, with hopes of forming part of a route from London to Exeter. It received parliamentary authority in 1845 and opened in 1847.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Boldre</span> Human settlement in England

East Boldre is a linear village and civil parish situated near Lymington, Hampshire, England. East Boldre is surrounded by the New Forest and forms part of the district of New Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denny Lodge</span> Human settlement in England

Denny Lodge is a large civil parish in the New Forest in Hampshire, England. It covers a large area of heathland and woodland encompassing much of the eastern side of the New Forest, but contains no towns, villages, churches, or schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Hampshire County Council election</span>

The 2017 Hampshire County Council election took place on 4 May 2017 as part of the 2017 local elections in the United Kingdom. All councillors were elected from electoral divisions by first-past-the-post voting for a four-year term of office. The electoral divisions were somewhat changed from the previous election, with some being split, merged or with boundary changes. No elections were held in Portsmouth and Southampton, which are unitary authorities and hold their elections in other years. Similarly the districts within Hampshire did also not hold elections this year.

<i>Lymington Times and New Milton Advertiser</i> Weekly English newspaper

The Lymington Times and New Milton Advertiser are weekly English broadsheet newspapers which serve the New Forest in Hampshire and neighbouring Christchurch in Dorset. They are published by Highland News and Media Limited.

References

  1. 1 2 UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – New Forest Local Authority (E07000091)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  3. ↑ "The New Parishes Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1973/688, retrieved 12 November 2023
  4. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  5. ↑ "Local Government Review". Hansard. UK Parliament. 21 March 1995. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  6. ↑ "Council minutes, 22 May 2023". New Forest District Council. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  7. ↑ Yandell, Chris (8 September 2021). "Kate Ryan succeeds Bob Jackson at New Forest council". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  9. ↑ "Members". New Forest National Park. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  11. ↑ "New Forest". BBC News Online . Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  12. ↑ "Council minutes". New Forest District Council. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  13. ↑ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  14. ↑ "Local elections 2023: Tories keep control of New Forest District Council but lose BCP Council". Lymington Times. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  15. ↑ "The New Forest (Electoral Changes) Order 2021", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2021/888, retrieved 12 November 2023
  16. 1 2 "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  17. ↑ "Will new R.D.C. offices cost £50,000?". New Milton Advertiser. 2 October 1954. p. 6. Retrieved 21 July 2022. The R.D.C. bought Appletree Court during the early part of this year for offices and a Council chamber, at a cost of £12,000.
  18. ↑ "Information offices". New Forest District Council. Retrieved 21 July 2022. Lyndhurst (main office): Appletree Court, Beaulieu Road, Lyndhurst, SO43 7PA
  19. ↑ "Parish and Town Councils". New Forest District Council. Retrieved 12 November 2023.

50°52′44″N1°37′59″W / 50.879°N 1.633°W / 50.879; -1.633

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