Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Frampton, Haywood and McCarthy.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 14 July 2025 as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 July 2025, be confirmed.

To note any declarations of interests made by members in connection with an agenda item.  The nature of the interests must also be specified.

Members are asked to discuss any possible interests with Democratic Services prior to the meeting.

There were no declarations of any disclosable pecuniary interests by Members.

Former Councillor – George Dart

The Chairman reported with great sadness of the passing of former Cllr George Dart.  George had been elected in 2003 to the North Totton Ward and served continuously for 12 years, until 2015.

George served on the Economy and Planning Review Panel, the Environment Review Panel, Planning and Transformation Review Panel and the Planning Development Control Committee.

On behalf of the Council, the Chairman extended sincere condolences to George’s family and friends, and placed on record the Council’s thanks for his service to the District.

Chairman’s Engagements

The Chairman reported on the following engagements undertaken since the last Council meeting:-

Bower Lodge School in Dibden

The Chairman had attended the official opening of Bower Lodge School in Dibden and cut the ribbon with the senior management team, parents and school staff.  The School Head, Jemma Dudgeon gave a guided tour of the new school building, which was very modern with facilities and brand new equipment throughout.

Civic Day

The Chairman’s Civic Day had been held at Hanger Farm, Totton, where the facilities on offer were showcased with the Manager, Jay, Director of Social Enterprise, who spoke about what they do as well as what Minstead Trust and Furzey Gardens also offered.  The day was a great success and the Civic Heads who attended were very impressed.  He understood that some had already visited Furzey Gardens. 

New Forest & Hampshire County Show, Brockenhurst

At this event, staff had shared information about recycling and the new waste service.  The Chairman reported he had spoken to many stall holders and visitors throughout the day.

Silver jubilee anniversary celebration of Fordingbridge Museum

The event had been attended by distinguished guests and a guided tour of the museum was interesting and informative.

Flag raising of the VJ80

The Chairman reported he had attended this, alongside Cllr Alvin Reid, the District Council’s Armed Forces Champion at Appletree Court.

Hampshire Scout Exhibition

The Chairman reported he had been pleased to attend the Hampshire Scout Exhibition return from Malawi, on Friday 1 August, where the scouts did a brilliant production and spoke about their experiences and how much it had affected them.  They discussed the masses of work achieved at the three schools, this included decorating, building a brick kitchen room and cementing holes in floors and walls.

Salisbury Arcade Totton

The Chairman reported he had had the privilege to officially open the Salisbury Arcade, Totton.  The event had been attended by Cllr Jill Cleary, Cllr Jeremy Heron and officers.  The improvements made by NFDC enhanced the wider area.

Friends of New Forest Airfield memorial service

The Vice-Chairman, Cllr Dave Penny had attended the Friends of New Forest Airfield memorial service to remember those who flew from the New Forest airfield.  It had been a lovely and well attended afternoon.

The Leader made the following announcements:

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

The Leader’s focus at the current time was on securing the best possible outcome for the New Forest as the future of local government was being decided.  Members would debate LGR at the Special Council meeting on 25 September.  The Leader assured members that the council remained focused on the delivery of improvements to the district and people right now.

Ballard Lake, New Milton - Greenway Recreational Mitigation Project

The official opening to mark the completion of the improvements was held on Tuesday, 9 September.  The Leader reported that she had attended the opening alongside Cllrs Blunden and Tipp, and was pleased to cut the official ribbon and to see the local beauty spot benefiting from accessible seating, improved footpaths and a picnic bench for residents and visitors to use to enjoy the views of the lake.

Salisbury Road Arcade, Totton

The Leader reported she had attended the official opening of Salisbury Road Arcade. The District Council had invested over £200,000 into improvements to Salisbury Road Arcade.  At the opening event on Thursday, 11 September she got to see the improvements including new and reduced roof canopies, new ceilings, lighting, new branding signage, cycle racks, a public seating area as well as other aesthetic and material improvements to add vitality to the space.

Apprenticeship Hub

The District Council had teamed up with New Forest Business Partnership to deliver a new Apprenticeship hub. This would boost local skills, support residents and strengthen the economy of the district. It was funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.  The hub would ensure that businesses had the right people with the right skills for the future.  It would help people of all ages access apprenticeships and training making it easier for them to gain the skills needed and be able to access jobs closer to home.

Silver award from the armed forces Employer Recognition Scheme

The District Council had recently been awarded silver from the armed forces employer recognition scheme.  It was a prestigious award, recognising the ongoing commitment to support the armed forces community.  The armed forces staff champion, Wesley Pay, who works in housing maintenance collected the award on behalf of NFDC.  The award was testament to the commitment to support serving personal, veterans and military families across the district.  The award had been displayed outside the Chief Executive’s office.

PART I – ITEMS RESOLVED BY CABINET

There were no speakers on the items resolved by Cabinet at its meeting on 6 August 2025.

PART II – RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL

Item 5 – Revised Transformation Strategy and Business Case

Cllr Cleary introduced the item and moved the recommendations.  She highlighted that the transformation strategy was a key element in the Corporate Plan and that transformation needed to be seen through the lens of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), looking at activities and investment.  Cllr S Davies seconded the motion.

A councillor questioned whether any lessons learnt from the rollout of the new waste strategy had been included within the updated strategy. 

One member spoke in support of the revised transformation strategy, recognising the importance of maintaining a flexible approach in light of LGR.

RESOLVED:

That Council:

1.     Noted the revised business case position; and

2.     Approved the revised transformation strategy

Item 6 – Principal Risk Register Review

Cllr Cleary introduced the item and moved the recommendation.  In doing so, she highlighted that the update to the Principal Risk Register was to meet the requirements of the council’s Risk Management Policy and to ensure that the council was compliant to the corporate governance requirements in relation to risk management.  Cllr S Davies seconded the motion.

A member noted risk PR14 (Waste Strategy Implementation) within the Principal Risk Register and felt that the problems experienced within phase 1 roll out had not been identified fully within this risk.  It was highlighted that at the next Audit Committee meeting, members would consider this in more detail.

RESOLVED:

That the Principal Risk Register updated be adopted.

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PART I – ITEMS RESOLVED BY CABINET

Item 1 – Financial Monitoring Report (based on performance April to June 2025 inclusive)

A councillor acknowledged that the report detailed funding spent on the waste roll out and sought clarification whether an update would be provided of further unbudgeted expenditure.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate clarified that the report detailed funding received from Defra of £151,000 and that a further £150,000, agreed by the Section 151 officer, had been allocated to the initial changes to the waste service roll out and the way the food waste was collected.

PART II – RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL

Item 2 – Review of new waste collection service phase 1 roll out and motion to suspend phases 2 and 3

Cllr Blunden introduced the report and moved the recommendation, which sought that Council endorse the six Cabinet resolutions, as the correct and proportional response to the motion.  Cllr S Davies seconded the motion.

A number of members spoke raising concerns that the report and response did not adequately address the issues raised in the first phase of the roll out.  It was felt that lessons learnt from the phase 1 rollout had not resolved the problems encountered by residents and that until they could be rectified, it was felt that the phase 2 and 3 roll out should not proceed.

The issue of donkeys accessing waste was raised and the ‘behind the gates’ policy which had been introduced for the pannage period within areas open to livestock.  It was acknowledged that donkeys could access waste all year round and the view was expressed that a long term ‘behind the gates’ policy should be adopted, without waiting for the business case for come forward, and that Cabinet recommendation 3 be amended to reflect this.  The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate addressed this matter and expressed confidence that a ‘behind the gates’ collection policy would be maintained in the long term, however, good financial management was necessary to ensure that the costs associated with the proposed policy change were budgeted for, in line with financial regulations, and recognising that the council was accountable for expenditure of public money.  It was therefore important to go through the due process before committing to any policy change.

Some ward members spoke from the Lymington and Pennington areas, raising the ongoing issue of missed food waste collections in Lymington, Pennington and Buckland.  It was recognised by one member, that the situation had improved, but further work needed to be done.  It was hoped that the problems experienced by residents in phase 1 would not be repeated in the future phases of the roll out.

One member spoke about the residents in the phase 1 roll out feeling that that they had not been listened to and that customer services had been difficult to contact due to the volume of enquiries.  It was felt that the Extraordinary Council meeting had had a positive impact with clear evidence of listening to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

To ask questions under Standing Order 22.  Questions received will be published ahead of the meeting.  (Members are reminded that questions must be submitted to Democratic Services by no later than 12.00 noon, Wednesday 10 September 2025).

Questions were put and answered under Standing Order 22, as follows:- 

·       From Cllr O’Sullivan to the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability, Cllr Blunden, regarding the lessons learnt from phase 1 of the rollout of the new waste service.

·       From Cllr Reid to the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Homelessness, Cllr S Davies, regarding future shared ownership home opportunities.

·       From Cllr Murray to the Portfolio Holder for Community, Safety and Wellbeing, Cllr Poole on progress of the New Forest Community Lottery Scheme.

·       From Cllr Rippon-Swaine to the Leader, Cllr Cleary, regarding the impact of LGR on the Corporate Plan priorities.

·       From Cllr Glass to the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economy, Cllr Tipp seeking a progress update on the Skills Action Plan.

·       From Cllr Young to the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate, Cllr Heron on the workload of customer services.

·       From Cllr Ward to the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability, Cllr Blunden on the coastal management preparation for winter storms.

·       From Cllr M Wade to the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability, Cllr Blunden, on the property surveys for wheelie bins.

·       From Cllr J Davies to the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability, Cllr Blunden, on uncollected food waste in Marsh Lane / Lower Buckland areas.

·       From Cllr McCarthy to the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability, Cllr Blunden, on risk assessment and mitigation to prevent animals accessing food waste.

·       From Cllr Mballa to the Leader of the Council, Cllr Cleary, on the tangible benefits of the Freeport.

·       From Cllr Woods to the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability, Cllr Blunden, on parking income from the Fordingbridge car parks.

·       From Cllr Rackham to the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability, Cllr Blunden, on the Waterwatch scheme.

·       From Cllr M Clark to the Leader of the Council, Cllr Cleary, on LGR and a joint proposal with Hampshire County Council.

·       From Cllr Dowd to the Leader of the Council, Cllr Cleary, on LGR and the potential for service reductions or council tax increases in the medium term.

·       From Cllr Harrison to the Leader of the Council, Cllr Cleary, on the NFDC LGR public consultation.

·       From Cllr J Davies to the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economy, Cllr Tipp, on the loss of family homes to second homes and short term lets.

·       From Cllr Rackham to the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability, Cllr Blunden, on the parking income from the Totton car parks in the last financial year.

Note:  A copy of the full questions and replies are attached to these minutes.

In accordance with Standing Order 21, Cllr J Davies will move the following motion:-

Re-instating the one-hour free parking period on Lymington High Street

Council notes:

·        That Hampshire County Council is responsible for on-street parking across the county, including in the New Forest.

·        That the free on-street parking period in Lymington has been reduced from one hour to just twenty minutes.

·        That local shopkeepers and residents have raised concerns that twenty minutes is not long enough for people to use multiple shops, visit cafés, or support local services on the high street.

·        That Lymington and Pennington Town Council recently voted to support the campaign by shopkeepers for the reinstatement of the one-hour free parking period on Lymington High Street.

Council believes:

·        That the reduction from one hour to twenty minutes free parking is damaging to the vitality of Lymington High Street.

·        That a reasonable period of free parking supports both residents during a cost-of-living crisis and our small businesses who rely on local footfall.

·        That the council should support the campaign by local shopkeepers in pressing for fairer parking policy.

Council recommends:

·        That the Leader of the Council writes formally to Hampshire County Council requesting the reinstatement of at least one hour of free on-street parking in Lymington (with correspondence to be made available to all councillors).

·        That the council engages with local business groups, chambers of commerce, and residents’ associations to gather evidence on the impact of parking policy on high streets across the district, to strengthen the case for fairer parking provision.

Cllr McCarthy will second the motion.

Under the provisions of Standing Order 42, the above motion, after being proposed and seconded (without speeches), should stand referred to the body within whose terms of reference the subject matter of the motions comes, or the Cabinet or such Committees or Panels that the Council may determine.

The Chairman may allow the motion to be dealt with at this meeting if they consider it urgent, convenient or conducive to the despatch of business.

The Chairman announced that in accordance with Standing Order 42.2, that he would allow the motion to be dealt with at the meeting, as he considered it to be convenient to the despatch of business.

In accordance with Standing Order 21, Cllr J Davies moved the following motion:-

Re-instating the one-hour free parking period on Lymington High Street

Council notes:

·       That Hampshire County Council is responsible for on-street parking across the county, including in the New Forest.

·       That the free on-street parking period in Lymington has been reduced from one hour to just twenty minutes.

·       That local shopkeepers and residents have raised concerns that twenty minutes is not long enough for people to use multiple shops, visit cafés, or support local services on the high street.

·       That Lymington and Pennington Town Council recently voted to support the campaign by shopkeepers for the reinstatement of the one-hour free parking period on Lymington High Street.

Council believes:

·       That the reduction from one hour to twenty minutes free parking is damaging to the vitality of Lymington High Street.

·       That a reasonable period of free parking supports both residents during a cost-of-living crisis and our small businesses who rely on local footfall.

·       That the council should support the campaign by local shopkeepers in pressing for fairer parking policy.

Council recommends:

·       That the Leader of the Council writes formally to Hampshire County Council requesting the reinstatement of at least one hour of free on-street parking in Lymington (with correspondence to be made available to all councillors).

·       That the council engages with local business groups, chambers of commerce, and residents’ associations to gather evidence on the impact of parking policy on high streets across the district, to strengthen the case for fairer parking provision.

Cllr J Davies addressed the motion, highlighting that Lymington high street was at the heart of the town, that it was a place of history, business and of community.  The heart was being weakened as a result of the HCC decision to remove the one hour free parking, therefore impacting on residents and businesses.  He asked that the council request HCC to restore the one-hour free parking in support of Lymington businesses, the people and the future of the town.

Cllr M Wade seconded the motion.

Cllr Cleary proposed an amendment to the motion which added the following points under council notes:

·       That work is already underway to address concerns about parking policy, including active engagement by local Lymington ward councillors with residents, businesses, and Hampshire County Council.

·       That ward councillors have been working to raise awareness of the impact of the reduced free parking period and to support the campaign for reinstatement through formal and informal channels.

·       That this local work has helped to bring attention to the issue.

Cllr Cleary also proposed an amendment to the motion that the following bullet point be removed, under council recommends:

·       That the council engages with local business groups, chambers of commerce, and residents’ associations to gather evidence on the impact of parking policy  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.

To consider any changes to the membership of Committees or Panels that might be proposed by the political groups.

There were no changes.

Meeting Dates to be agreed (to be held on Mondays at 6.30pm).

2026

18 May – AGM (Already Agreed)

13 July

14 September

12 October

14 December

2027 DATES

22 February

12 April

17 May - AGM

RESOLVED:

That the following meeting dates for the 2026/27 municipal year, be agreed (Mondays, 6.30 pm):-

2026

18 May – AGM (Already agreed)

13 July

14 September

12 October

14 December

2027

22 February

12 April

17 May - AGM