Gosport Conservatives

10/09/2026

Excellent news! New Storm Pump for pumping station, Alverstoke.

Contractors are fitting a new storm pump at the pumping station, Alverstoke, today.

Storm pumps play a vital role in flood protection — during heavy rain or high tides, they actively pump excess water away when normal gravity drainage can't keep up, helping protect homes, roads and businesses.

To allow the works to be completed the footpath connecting Little Anglesey Road & Clayhall Road will be closed today.

09/09/2026

We are so pleased that the high number of written representation and our open letter to the Home Secretary has supported the Crown Development application for the IRC being granted a full inquiry. The highest level of scrutiny.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1480563783878538&id=100057747923304

09/09/2026

I am pleased to report that the Planning Inspectorate has listened to my request, and those of our Gosport Conservatives Councillors Cllr Zoe Huggins BEM, Cllr Lesley Meenaghan, Councillor Alan Scard and Cllr Robbie Beech, for a full Planning Inquiry into the Home Office’s application to expand Haslar Immigration Removal Centre.

An Inquiry is the highest level of scrutiny available and will allow the evidence behind the Home Office’s proposals to be properly examined and tested, including through formal cross-examination.

The Planning Inspectorate has confirmed that an Inquiry is necessary because the application has generated considerable local interest and some of the issues raised are complex and would benefit from formal cross-examination.

The Inquiry will be open to the public. Anyone who wishes to participate can request to do so by writing to the Planning Inspectorate at [email protected], quoting reference CROWN/2026/0000005.

I certainly intend to participate in the Inquiry and will continue to represent the views and concerns of local residents as the Home Office’s proposals are scrutinised in detail. The date, time and venue will be confirmed by the Planning Inspectorate in due course.

This is exactly why I called for an Inquiry in my objection. The proposed expansion of Haslar would have a significant impact on our community and it is right that the Home Office’s case receives the highest level of scrutiny.

You can find the latest information on Haslar IRC, including my formal objection and updates, on my website: caroline4gosport.co.uk/haslar-irc-faq

https://find-crown-development.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/applications/7fe2266a-f9a0-4e95-a294-54c363c7821d/application-information

09/09/2026

GOSPORT NEEDS CALM, RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP

Following the events in Portsmouth over the weekend, Reform Gosport wrote to Cllr Zoe Huggins BEM, as Leader of Gosport Borough Council, requesting an extraordinary Full Council meeting.

We are sharing their letter, along with Cllr Huggins’ response, below.

“Gosport should not be expected to absorb the impact of national policy without meaningful communication and proper consideration of local circumstances, pressures and concerns.”Cllr Zoe Huggins BEM, Leader of Gosport Borough Council

Call for a council meeting: As Cllr Huggins points out, under the Council’s Constitution, which is publicly available online, it is not the Leader who calls an extraordinary meeting of Full Council and clear business to be determined should be brought forward, as it costs the council in officer time.

We must , press Government for answers and protect Gosport’s interests without creating unnecessary concern through speculation or inaccurate information.

The events in Portsmouth understandably raise questions about whether the risks facing coastal communities are changing. Residents deserve to be heard and Government must provide clear answers.

We are working with our MP, Dame Caroline Dinenage, and the Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones for Mayor to seek clarity from Government about exactly what happened in Portsmouth, what it means for the wider Solent and what action is now being taken.

This is a time for calm, responsible leadership. Dealing in facts, not speculation.

07/09/2026

👮‍♂️ Update Gosport Police Station 👮‍♂️

Good to see contractors were on site today.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CB2JJpHza/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🏗️ Gosport Police Station is getting a new lease of life.

Work has started on the landmark multi-million-pound refurbishment of the South Street building, with Fareham construction company Amiri Construction leading the transformation.

The station has been empty and unfit for purpose for more than eight years, but plans are now becoming reality. Once completed, it will provide a modern base for local policing teams, improved facilities for officers and staff, and a front counter where residents can access support.

Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones called the project a "jewel in the crown" of the police estate and says it will play an important role in increasing police visibility and supporting crime prevention across the area.

The project is expected to be completed in 2027, delivering a station that will serve Gosport residents for generations to come.

👏 Great to see this historic building being brought back into use for the benefit of the community.

https://www.hampshire-pcc.gov.uk/construction-work-gets-underway-at-gosport-police-station

07/09/2026

Thank you to the Council Officers for their hard work on this.

We are proud to be delivering results for residents.

Both Bridgemary and Leesland skateparks have now reopened.
All works are now complete and ready for residents to use.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.

07/09/2026

Good news for Gosport. The government has withdrawn going ahead with Local Government Reorganisation for Hampshire & The IOW.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DMBTUk11b/?mibextid=wwXIfr

VERY GOOD NEWS FOR HAMPSHIRE 🌳

The Government has today WITHDRAWN its decision on Local Government Reorganisation in Hampshire and the Solent.

This is, quite simply, the best possible outcome at this stage.

And the timing could hardly be more appropriate. As I write, campaigners from New Forest Together are at Parliament presenting their petition against the proposals to split the New Forest.

What a day for them to be there.

Thousands upon thousands of people have backed their campaign to Keep the New Forest Together. Communities elsewhere in Hampshire have also made very clear that they did not want historic communities carved up simply to make an imposed reorganisation model work.

At Hampshire County Council we challenged the Government’s decision for another, equally important, reason.

We launched Judicial Review proceedings because the Government had failed to provide satisfactory answers about the evidence behind its decision and, particularly, the financial sustainability of the new councils it proposed creating.

We were repeatedly told that pursuing legal action was unnecessary and a waste of money.

Today rather emphatically demonstrates why we believed it was necessary.

Following updated legal advice, the new Secretary of State has withdrawn the Hampshire decision and ordered a review of Local Government Reorganisation.

That does NOT mean I believe nothing should change.

I have always said that this is not about preserving existing councils. It is about getting what replaces them right.

The previous proposals risked splitting established communities, transferring major areas of economic growth and business-rate income between authorities and leaving behind councils whose long-term financial sustainability was, in my view, deeply questionable.

Getting that wrong could have cost Hampshire taxpayers tens or hundreds of millions of pounds over the next decade and meant less money for the services people actually rely upon.

We now have the opportunity to start again.

I hope Government will allow Hampshire and the Solent’s councils to come together, with proper time and proper evidence, to develop a solution which is properly costed, financially sustainable and commands much broader support.

And I am particularly delighted today for everyone involved with New Forest Together.

They organised, campaigned, collected tens of thousands of signatures and refused to accept that splitting their community was inevitable.

To be standing in Parliament presenting that petition on the very day the decision they have fought against is withdrawn is quite something.

Well done to them. 👏🌳

Now we need to work together to get whatever comes next right.

07/09/2026

Gosport deserves answers.

We share the concerns raised by our MP Caroline Dinenage MPfollowing yesterday's deeply worrying events around the Solent.

We are working closely with our MP to make sure Gosport's concerns are heard, the facts are clear, and the right questions are being asked.

There are also important distinctions between the accommodation of people in the asylum system and the separate role of Border Force in landing and initial processing, including what we saw at Eastney and the potential implications for Gosport and Hampshire’s shores.

We will continue to press Government for answers, seek reassurance for our residents and hold it to account for the responsibilities and decisions that sit with the Government.

Gosport residents deserve nothing less.

Residents deserve facts, transparency and reassurance, clear leadership, and we will continue to work with our partners to make sure Gosport’s concerns are heard.

04/09/2026

Tonight Caroline Dinenage MP and Cllr Zoe Huggins BEM spoke with over 100 residents to hear their concerns over the ongoing construction of Haslar IRC. Caroline and Zoe were also joined by Cllr Lesley Meenaghan, Councillor Alan Scard and Councillor Robbie George Beech MBE.

During the election we committed to residents that we would oppose the expansion of Haslar IRC and we are doing exactly that.

03/09/2026

📢 You Said. We Listened.

At the local elections, we promised to bring open and honest leadership back to Gosport Borough Council. That means making sure residents can be involved in what the Council is doing and, quite literally, can hear what is being said.

For too long, the microphone set-up at Council meetings simply wasn’t fit for purpose. Residents and councillors raised concerns about meetings being difficult to hear, but under the previous administration it was not treated as a financial priority, while huge amounts of time and money were being focused on projects such as Criterion.

We have taken a different approach.

Rather than overcomplicating things, we have delivered a best-value solution that improves the experience for residents attending meetings and helps make it easier for people to follow and participate in local democracy. 🎙️

Eight new wireless gooseneck microphones have now been introduced, providing additional capacity for Council and committee meetings. They have been tested successfully and will work alongside the existing equipment where needed.

It might seem like a small change, but it is exactly the kind of practical improvement we promised: a Council that is more open, more accessible and focused on getting the basics right.

You said it. We listened. We delivered.