New Forest Together

19/06/2026

***⚠️ POLITICS BEFORE PEOPLE? ⚠️***

Times report suggests ministers ignored official advice when redrawing council boundaries - raising serious questions about the decision to break up the New Forest.

According to the report, concerns were raised around financial sustainability, service delivery and the strength of the evidence supporting some of the options ultimately chosen.

Why does this matter to the New Forest?

Because these are the very issues that Hampshire, Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk County Councils are now seeking to examine through the Judicial Review process.

For months, we have argued that the decision to break up the New Forest appeared to place insufficient weight on financial sustainability, community identity, local service delivery and the overwhelming opposition expressed by residents, businesses, councils and community organisations.

This latest reporting does not determine the outcome of any legal challenge, but it raises important questions about how these decisions were reached and whether all relevant evidence was properly considered. In short - there appears to have been a process issue.

If accurate, these revelations strengthen the case for full transparency and careful scrutiny before irreversible changes are imposed on communities such as ours.

📢 We will continue to follow developments closely.

🙏 Thank you to our supporter Mrya for bringing this article to our attention.

18/06/2026

Well said Councillor Richard Young.

Our campaign has written to the Leader of Southampton City Council following a series of public comments which appear to place the interests of the city above those of neighbouring communities.

This is not the spirit of partnership and cooperation that residents were promised. Increasingly, it risks reinforcing concerns that this process is about expansion and takeover, rather than genuine collaboration between communities.

We will be sharing our letter, along with any response received, with supporters shortly.

*** Who Benefits From Splitting New Forest? ***

Straight up: I am an (annoying) optimist. I always look for the best in people and hunt for hidden opportunities as sometimes even the very best opportunities are found in the trickiest of situations. Hence, on the decision to rip the New Forest waterside communities away from the District and lump us in with Southampton, Eastleigh, and parts of southern Test Valley in a new urban dominated unitary authority, I’ve looked hard for real benefits to existing New Forest residents.

Spoiler: I reasonably consider that there are NONE.

The facts are brutally clear:

- New Forest District Councils existing debt per head: £671 — less than one-third of Eastleigh Borough Councils and around half of Southampton City Councils.

- There is NO new money coming with Local Government Reorganisation. Waterside residents will therefore inherit a DOUBLING — possibly TRIPLING — of debt per head under the new Unitary.

- Southampton’s planning policies are aggressively urban: regeneration, densification, high-rise. New Forest’s policies protect rural character, landscapes, biodiversity, and the National Park.

- Forcing the New Forest waterside into an urban-focused authority most likely means one inevitable outcome: more concrete, more pressure, less Forest.

- Stripping the more affordable waterside housing out of the New Forest and handing it to a city-led council will ramp up development pressure on the National Park itself, threaten commoning, and drive young locals even further away from the place that they grew up in.

- Just this week, Southampton’s new leader demanded the new authority keeps “Southampton” in the name to protect their identity. New Forest residents? Our identity does not even get a single mention.

- Well, “just make it work” sounds nice — until you realise that actually it’s code for ignoring the evidence, bending the rules, and forcing through decisions that clash with local policy and harm our communities. I will not be playing that game.

Splitting the New Forest is demonstrably wrong.

Wrong for our debt, wrong for our landscapes, wrong for our communities, and wrong for the future of the New Forest National Park.

15/06/2026

The First Roadshow tonight at Lyndhurst Community Centre. Well attended and all want to keep the New Forest Together

15/06/2026

***🌳📢 TONIGHT at 7pm - LYNDHURST - NFT ROADSHOW 📢🌳***

🗣️ The Future of the New Forest - Have Your Say!

Following the Government's decision to split parts of the New Forest under Local Government Reorganisation, join us tonight for updates on:

⚖️ The latest legal developments
📅 Key timelines and next steps
🔄 Opportunities to revisit decisions
🙋 Your questions and how you can get involved

Event details:
📅 TONIGH - Monday 15th June
🕖 7:00pm
📍 Linden Hall, Lyndhurst Community Centre, SO43 7NY

This is your opportunity to hear directly from the campaign, understand where things currently stand, and ask questions about what the future may hold for our communities.

SPECIAL THANKS to Lydhurst Parish Council for kindly offering the use of the hall for free - we are very grateful.

14/06/2026

🌳 A fantastic afternoon at the Culford Cutway Summer Event in Totton!

A huge thank you to local supporter, Sheila Webb, for making us aware of the event. 🙏

It was wonderful to speak with so many local residents and hear their views on Local Government Reorganisation. The message from the community was clear: people overwhelmingly support pursuing a Judicial Review and using every option available to prevent the break-up of our communities. 💪

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to chat, ask questions, and show their support. Together, our voices are being heard. 🌲

13/06/2026

Fawley Fete was wonderful today. Perfect weather, lovely people who came and sought us out to sign the petition, buy a badge or a car sticker. Thank you for your support.

Big thanks to Ronni Harris and Jane Gilbert who were amazing…yet again. I love you ladies 💖

13/06/2026

What a great supporter of ours, plus his dog. Read the TShirt

13/06/2026

All set up, just waiting for you all! If you’ve not signed the petition yet, want to buy a car sticker or badge. We are here at Fawley Summer Fete 😀