Lymington & Pennington Conservatives

19/07/2025

Are you looking at visiting The New Forest this weekend? Please know there are Public Spaces Protection Orders in place and it is a finable offence to light a fire, use a BBQ or any cooking equipment with the National park.

We don't want the Livestock to be put in danger because you think its ok for you to have a BBQ.

Saw this little man dealing with the remains of a large wildfire...

Petting or feeding livestock is also an offense. Sounds brutal but has to be done. Our livestock should not be abused by visitors and should be treated with respect as they do their job as keeping the New Forest as the way we want to see it.

16/07/2025

16/07/2025

🌞 Temporary Hosepipe Ban for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

Southern Water has announced that due to the driest spring in over a century and the hottest June on record, river levels across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have reached critical lows—down 24% compared to seasonal averages.

💧 In response, and with the Environment Agency’s declaration of “prolonged dry weather” across the Solent and South Downs, Southern Water will be introducing a Temporary Use Ban (TUB)—commonly known as a hosepipe ban—for household customers from 9am on Monday 21 July 2025.

🚫 While the ban becomes legally enforceable from 21 July, customers are urged to begin limiting hosepipe use immediately to prevent a spike in demand and ease pressure on the endangered chalk streams fed by the Rivers Test and Itchen.

What’s included in the ban?

Watering gardens with a hosepipe
Filling paddling pools or ornamental ponds
Washing cars, windows or outdoor surfaces with a hose

📊 Did you know? One hour of hosepipe use = 1,000 litres of water—the same amount a person typically uses in an entire week!

💡 Switch to watering cans or buckets to help conserve water. Every drop saved supports local wildlife, including the rare Atlantic Salmon and Southern Damselfly, and protects our globally significant chalk streams—described as the “Amazon Rainforest” of freshwater habitats.

👥 The Temporary Use Ban applies to household customers only, but businesses are also encouraged to participate in water-saving efforts. A ‘You Save We’ll Pay’ scheme launches this August.

✅ Exemptions apply for customers with mobility or health needs, including Blue Badge holders and those on Southern Water’s Priority Services Register or WaterSure scheme.

ℹ️ For full details on exemptions and water-saving tips, visit southernwater.co.uk

01/05/2025

If you are interested in the future of Hurst Spit, here is a list of drop-in sessions where you can find out more. 🌊 And find out about the plans for Hurst on the following link too. This website is continually updated. https://www.hurstspit2lymington.co.uk

01/05/2025

Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are part of the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme, which could lead to a new Mayoral Combined Authority for ‘Hampshire and the Solent’ — and the election of a regional Mayor by May 2026. We’d like to hear your views on the importance of nature and t...

01/05/2025

⚓🌞 Make the most of the Bank Holiday weekend at Lymington Harbour!

Pick up a Town Quay mooring buoy and enjoy easy access to our beautiful coastline, charming town, and relaxed waterside vibes.

First come, first served — see you on the water! 🚤🌊

05/02/2025

More news on Devolution!

Hampshire County Council has been accepted onto the Government's fast-track Devolution Priority Programme (DPP). This marks a significant milestone in the journey towards devolution for Hampshire and the wider area.

Read on to learn more about this development and what it means for Hampshire and the wider region:

◼ Earlier this month Hampshire County Council, together with Southampton and Portsmouth City Councils and Isle of Wight Council put in a ‘Hampshire and the Solent’ devolution bid to central Government which seeks to bring power and money from Westminster and provide greater local control over vital areas such as education, transport, and health services for Hampshire residents - giving people more power to shape the things that are important to them and provide robust local accountability.

As part of devolution, a Mayor would be elected in the spring of 2026 to head up a new Combined Authority across the wider region of Hampshire County Council, Isle of Wight Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council, in line with the Authorities’ expression of interest submitted to the Deputy Prime Minister last summer. As well as promoting the interests of the wider region to central Government, the Mayor would work together with local council leaders, to make decisions about how to allocate regional funding. Greater collaboration across boundaries would be particularly effective in areas such as transport, skills and employment support, housing and planning, and tackling climate change.

Hampshire County Council Leader, Cllr Nick Adams-King said: "This is exciting news for Hampshire. Devolution represents the biggest change to local government in a generation and to be accepted onto Government's Devolution Priority Programme as a fast-track to delivering devolution for the area is a fantastic opportunity for Hampshire to self-determine and shape devolution proposals in the best interests of our residents and communities.

“We are one of a select few local authorities nationally to join this fast-track programme, highlighting the substantial devolution opportunities recognised by the Government for our area. This selection also includes our upper-tier partners, Isle of Wight Council, and Southampton and Portsmouth City Councils and with a combined population of over two million residents, 90,000 businesses, and an economy generating around £80 billion annually, Hampshire and the Solent region are pivotal to the UK's economic landscape.”

◼ Benefits of Devolution

Devolution will transfer greater powers and flexibilities from Westminster to Hampshire and the Solent region, accompanied by additional funding and investment. This shift will enable local authorities to make crucial decisions closer to where residents live and work, driving economic growth, innovation, and productivity.

"This will enable us to deliver the best possible future for our citizens and businesses, enhancing people’s quality of life and leading the way in the UK’s economic recovery over the coming years," added Cllr Adams-King. “In collaboration with our upper-tier partners, we have already begun to outline the opportunities that devolution presents: sustainable economic growth, reduced inequalities, and maximised net zero ambitions. We are committed to working in partnership across Local Government, businesses, education and the wider landscape of public sector partners to explore devolution’s potential for our area.”

The Government plans to consult with Hampshire residents very soon to gather people’s input and feedback on the prospect of devolution for the area.

◼ Local Government Reorganisation

Additionally, the Secretary of State has confirmed today that Hampshire will be formally invited to submit proposals for local government reorganisation.

The reorganisation aims to replace the current two-tier council system with new unitary (all-purpose) councils, simplifying how councils are organised and run.

◼ Postponement of May’s Election

Due to selection for the Devolution Priority Programme, the Government has also determined that the County Council's elections, originally scheduled for May this year, should be postponed for 12 months as an essential step to enable the Council to give necessary focus to preparing for devolution and local government reorganisation, and allow for a Mayor to be elected in 2026 so the benefits of devolution to local communities can be delivered as swiftly as possible. Any by-elections, if required during this period, would continue to go ahead as normal. Reorganisation would then be expected to be in place by either April 2027 or April 2028.

03/02/2025

What a disaster! It’s a shame a lot of Conservatives voters decided not to vote in the last General Election because they had no faith in the Conservative proposal (the sentiment is acknowledged and understood but look where we are now). Would it have been worse than this current government?

03/02/2025

AN EARLY START FOR THE FIRST OP MOUNTIE SESSION OF 2025.

Op Mountie is our multi agency proactive operation to reduce speed and animal deaths across the New Forest - with our partners and on the New Forest Roads Awareness Team we give drivers a mix of education and enforcement.

Today we held sessions at Crockford Clump and Hawkhill Inclosure which are the sites of the most recent animal accidents.

Three tickets were issued to drivers stopped for speeding at 50mph, 51mph and 61mph on those 40mph roads, the others were spoken to by our partners who explained why the roads across the Forest are so unique and need our extra care and attention.

Thanks as always to the vast majority of drivers who stuck to the limit and drove according to the conditions – we appreciate it.

#24091 #14495