New Milton Advertiser 25th December 2020

2 · Friday 25th December 2020

news@adt.press · advertising@adt.press · 01425 613384

News

FOREST MINI SKIPS LYMINGTON SKIP HIRE 07787 153873 12 Fairlea Road, Lymington

Children’s services face inspection over failings

Forest fences Continued from front page

could ensue, so good fencing is imperative.” He said the correct stand- ard of stock fencing was of the wooden post-and-rail type with wire stock-netting. Mr Vanderhoek praised HCC for using it to replace the dilapi- dated barrier opposite Cadnam cricket ground on the A337, which he said was “excellent news”. But he added: “Unfortunately, in other areas replacement fenc- ing I have recently viewed and been made aware of is still just wooden post-and-wire, which is not of a good enough stand- ard to be effective stock-proof- ing.” He urged HCC to regularly check the fences to ensure they were up to the job. The verderers noted that post-and-rail fencing was “con- siderably more expensive” than the post-and-wire alternative. The A&T asked HCC for com- ment but did not receive a re- sponse.

Neil Penswick, who was among them, said the vulnera- ble children were being left “at risk of harm”, in his letter to the council sent last month. He raised concerns that the “vast majority” of assessments by social workers were “unfit for purpose”, and particularly about the quality of manage- ment. A spokesman for the Depart- ment for Education said it was now “closely monitoring” the council and that it would “not hesitate” to take action where children are being put at risk. Alongside the department’s appointment of an improve- ment supervisor, Anthony Douglas, to monitor work, it has also made North Tyneside Council, itself rated as ‘out- standing’, the council’s mentor. Speaking at last Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, Ms Redding said the council had now pro- was “not a well man”. On remand in prison he had collapsed three times and lumps had been discovered in his chest by doctors, although the diagnosis of those was not clear. Mr Ashley also pointed out that Boyt had not offended for 28 years until these allegations came to light. Because of Boyt’s age and the likelihood he will spend most of the rest of his life – if not all of it – in prison, the judge declined to determine that the defend-

duced an action plan “to ad- dress every single point” raised by Ofsted. “It was a really difficult and uncomfortable read,” she said. “We would expect it to be, given the challenges we face. “This is not unsurmountable, it’s not systemic. It was a failure of leadership and management which we have taken swift ac- tion to address. “It’s going to be a marathon, not a sprint, although we will be required to sprint at points because we will be having a full Ofsted inspection next year.” Cllr Mike White, cabinet member for children, said he “fully accepted” Ofsted’s criticisms and thanked the “cross-party support” given by councillors since the letter was published. Council leader Cllr Drew Mel- lor added that he was “obsessed about getting it right”. ant was a dangerous offender. Judge Parker made it clear that because the offences were historical, they had been charged under a 1956 act, which limited the length of sentence he could impose. He gave Boyt nine years in jail for the indecent assault offenc- es and added 12 more for the rape. Boyt will serve at least 12 years of that term in prison but could end up doing as much as 20 years – should he survive that long, the judge added.

Ofsted visit found BCP department had ‘serious weaknesses’

07733 318619 oceancars@icloud.com Long Distance Specialist Airports / Docks Stations / Hospitals Lady driver on request Hampshire vouchers accepted Lhotse, Forward Drive, Pennington

BY JOSH WRIGHT

A FULL inspection of BCP Council’s troubled children’s services department will be car- ried out next year, it has been confirmed. Ofsted will carry out its first thorough review of the council’s work after its inspectors found “serious and widespread weak- nesses” during a “focused” visit in October, writes Josh Wright of the Local Democracy Report- ing Service . It was confirmed during last week’s cabinet meeting by the council’s director of children’s services, Elaine Redding, who said the failings in the depart-

ment were “not unsurmounta- ble”. A team of Ofsted inspectors made a day-long visit to the BCP Council’s HQ in Bournemouth

iRoberts Cars Affordable Luxury Private Hire Cars Mercedes Cars or 8 Passenger MPV www.irobertscars.co.uk ▪ iroberts.cars@btinternet.com ALL DESTINATIONS Tel: 01425 613989

council in October after con- cerns were raised by the De- partment for Education about the quality of its work.

Rapist jailed Continued from front page

SKIP HIRE SKIP HIRE

Low-cost Skip Hire Capacity 1.4, 2.2, 4.6 & 7.5 cu. m. Roll-on Roll-off 12 & 27 cu.m. G. FARWELL LTD 01590 682527 Est. 1952 Low-cost Skip Hire Capacity 1.4, 2.2, 4.6 & 7.5 cu. m. Roll-on Roll-off 12 & 27 cu. m. G. FARWELL LTD 01590 682527 Low-cost Skip Hire Capacity 1.4, 2.2, 4.6 & 7.5 cu. m. Roll-on Roll-off 12 & 27 cu.m. G. FARWE L 01590 682527 Est. 1952

Quality Removals — National and International Modern warehouse for containerised storage Free quotations Family-run company T. 01590 683616 • F. 01590 683830 29 Gordleton Park, Sway Road, Lymington

crimes. He told Boyt: “She was a psychological prisoner of your predation.” As for mitigation, there could be “none” in respect of the “cat- alogue” of crimes, the judge said. “The effect upon her has been devastation and a wasting of her life.” Defence barrister Mark Ash- ley revealed in court that Boyt

Good, Friendly and Prompt Service OPENING HOURS: Mon. - Fri. 7.00 am - 5 pm Good, Friendly and Prompt Service NEXT DAY DELIVERY OPENIN O : Mo . - Fri. 7.00 am - 5 pm Good, Friendly a d P ompt Service OPENING HOURS: Mon. - Fri. 7.00 am - 5 pm

‘Heartwarming’ response to firm’s food bank plea

F ireplaces, stoves, flues and chimneys Fully Quali fi ed & Insured Professional & Experienced Competitive Rates 07828 448914 Viner fi res@yahoo.com There’s nothing finer than a Viner fire www.viner fi res.co .uk

THE head of a care home group which joined forces with local food banks has said the re- sponse to an appeal for dona- tions was “heart-warming”. As reported in the A&T, Col- ten Care asked the public to drop off goods at its head office in Ringwood or at collection boxes in its 21 homes across the UK. Locally, the family-run care group has homes at Brocken- hurst, Christchurch, Lymington and New Milton. Colten Care chief executive Mark Aitchison said: “It has been truly heart-warming to see the response of our team, our residents and their families, our friends and contacts in the communities we serve, and our suppliers. “Everyone is on board with our goal of supporting vulnera- ble people at this time of rising demand for food banks.” Lorraine Bell who is the man- ager of Colten Care’s Linden House in Lymington said she was left “humbled and in awe” by her visit to the town’s New Forest Basics Bank. A CONTROVERSIAL plan to build 14 flats in Walkford has been given the go-ahead by BCP Council. Property developer Richard Carr, of Fortitudo Ltd, wanted to demolish a chalet bungalow in Chewton Farm Road to erect the apartments which he pre- viously told the A&T would be aimed at “downsizing retirees who do not want to leave the area”. The flats will consist of a three-storey building to accom- modate 14 one and two-bed apartments with underground parking for 15 vehicles. Mr Carr had made two pre- vious applications – one was withdrawn and the other was not considered in time by BCP Council and is now with a plan- ning inspector. His third, which had moved the surface parking under- ground, was discussed at a re- cent meeting of the council’s planning committee which heard there had been more than 20 letters of objection to it. Nearby residents claimed it was a “complete overdevelop- ment of the site” which would harm the surrounding area. Councillors heard objections that the building would be “intrusive and incompatible”,

Member P001

TEL: 01425 274483 / 01202 499390 www.pardyremovals.com

No Obligation Free Quotations

Colten Care’s Kingfishers home in New Milton to ok donations

She added: “The volunteers who give their time for free are incredible. It was a privilege see what they do. This is humanity at its best.” Chair of the basics bank Ol- iver Stanley said the organisa- tion was “so grateful” to Colten Care for its support. He added: “Their contri - bution has been absolutely outstanding. Over this fes - tive season we are filling and delivering hundreds more parcels and boxes than nor- mal and we really couldn’t be

doing this without such sup- port.” As well as collecting items for Lyndhurst Food Bank, staff at Woodpeckers care home in Brockenhurst even supplied a spare Christmas tree for a fam- ily who would otherwise have gone without. Contributions worth hun- dreds of pounds have also been received from local wholesalers Bidfood and Comax as well as Wrights Dairies, with Colten itself donating financially and from its food stocks too.

Wish all our customers old and

new a lovely Christmas and good wishes for the New Year. Thankyou for all your continued support & encouragement.

Controversial flats approved

A design of the 14 flats allowed in Walkford (Picture: Arc Architects)

create road safety issues and cause a decline in wildlife in the area. One local resident told the A&T there were also concerns about how waste disposal from the apartment block would be dealt with, and accused the council of having a “cavalier attitude to the concerns of res- idents”. Highcliffe and Walkford Par- ish Council also urged BCP Council to reject the plan, say- ing it was “totally out of char- acter” in a residential road comprising single, detached properties. But in a report to the com-

mittee, a planning officer rec - ommended approving the ap- plication. It said officers did not believe it would impact on the local highway network and that al- though the proposed building was bigger than the existing bungalow, the design and scale of the block was “appropriate” for the road. Further, the officer said that the flats would “not result in adverse impact on the residen- tial amenities of neighbouring occupiers”. Councillors voted eight to one to approve the application, with one abstention.

SALE NOW ON

don’t forget...

The Potting Shed Tearoom will be CLOSED FROM 25 DEC - 1 JAN

Helicopter hunt for motorist

We look forward to welcoming you back safely at 9AM, SATURDAY 2 JANUARY Bashley Road, New Milton · 01425 619691

A POLICE helicopter hovered over the Lymington area as of- ficers hunted for a motorist who fled from a vehicle they had pur - sued. The car, which had failed to stop when asked by a patrol vehicle, was eventually pulled

over in Pennington Oval, Pen- nington, at around 11.15am on Saturday. Officers said the suspect got out of the vehicle and escaped on foot, evading a search by police. Members of the public reported sightings of the Na-

tional Police Air Service helicop- ter overhead as it joined in the search, which ultimately failed to track down the man. Officers seized a quantity of class B drugs from the aban- doned car, according to a Hamp- shire police spokesperson.