New Milton Advertiser 4th Dec 2020

Friday 4th December 2020

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Christmas in New Milton

What’s On Find the festive fun as theatres unlock doors Page 18

Sport Wilson’s last day heartache at championship Pages 23-24

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Mum loses bid to hush play park

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INSIDE

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Index Obituaries Business What’s On 18 Christian Comment 22 Letters 22 From Our Files 25 Puzzle Corner 25 Food and Drink 26 Planning 28 New Forest Notes 29 Classifieds 32-35 Motoring 36-40 Family Announcements back page 9 771353 222036 9 771353 222036 47 9 771353 222036 48 Demand for action over ‘out of control’ off-track cyclists Page 7 Thieves target town’s Christmas lights for second year running Page 11 9 771353 222036 9 771353 222036 45 46 Local MPs rebel against Covid tiers as Forest infection rate plummets Page 4 Commoners’ livestock cash to be halved in funding shake-up Page 5 9 771353 222036 9 771353 222036 43 44 15 17

‘Cloud has been lifted’ says village trust as judge rejects case

Continued on page 2 A COMPANY has been fined £150,000 over safety failings which led to a care home resi- dent contracting Legionnaires’ disease and suffering an “ago- nising” death. Andy Clegg (56) died in No- vember 2017, around two weeks after he was admitted to Salis- bury District Hospital. Doctors diagnosed him as suffering from pneumonia arising from expo- sure to the Legionella bacteria. An investigation found that Andy, described by family as a “loving and caring man”, picked up the bacteria from the bath- room taps and shower in the However, he added: “Whilst it is not for this court to advise the complainant on any future action she may wish or be ad- vised to take, it seems to me that the manner in which the muga is currently operated may potentially be in breach of the terms of the planning grant when judged as a whole. “Naturally this ground re- lates to the position, pre-Covid, recognising that the area is now subject to closure. However, it is a ground that will reopen, and it is an open question as to whether the area will continue to operate in its former man- ner.” Brockenhurst Village Trust chair Kevin Plummer said it had been a “prolonged and dif- ficult time”, adding: “A cloud has been lifted, but we can’t rejoice because inevitably there are not just winners, but losers. “That would never be our in- tention, but it was inevitable after the court case began. The

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165-home plans unveiled

A MOTHER has lost her bid for a noise order to stop alleged unruly behaviour of youngsters using a popular Brockenhurst games area. This week District Judge Anthony Callaway threw out a case against Brockenhurst Vil- lage Trust by Marie Sampson relating to the multi-use games area (muga) in Highwood Lane. She was told to pay the trust’s court costs amounting to around £2,500. However, it is unlikely to end the saga, as New Forest District Council’s environmental health department has launched an investigation after a complaint was made over the facility. The judge also suggested the muga – overseen by the village trust – may have breached plan- ning rules and may have to op- erate differently. Mrs Sampson, who has two children, had claimed her near- by family home was regularly disturbed by nuisance noise and went to court seeking a

en suite of his room at Fording- bridge Care Home. A subsequent investigation found the bacteria in a “number of rooms”. The company which runs it, Sentinel Health Care Ltd, based at Fritham, near Lyndhurst, was prosecuted by national care watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC). At Southampton Magis- trates’ Court, Sentinel admit- ted two charges of failing to provide care and treatment in a safe way that resulted in harm or loss. In addition to the fine, it was ordered to pay £17,500 court costs. DEVELOPER Pennyfarthing Homes will unveil plans for up to 165 houses on the edge of New Milton at an online public consultation event. An exhibition showing draft proposals for the site, on green- belt land off Brockhills Lane, was due to be held at New Mil- ton Community Centre back in March, but in light of Cov- id-19 restrictions the public will now be consulted via Zoom on Thursday 10th December. The project team will present the plans, which include a 50% affordable housing provision,

In the wake of the sentenc- ing, Andy’s family issued a safe- ty warning amid their campaign to raise awareness of the dan- gers of Legionella. His brother Matt (50) said: “While three years has passed since Andy’s death, the hurt and pain we continue to feel is as strong now as when he died. “His death was hard enough to take but we feel our pain was only added to by the position the company and its managing director Al Donnelly have ad- opted. and host a question-and-an- swer session. Attendees will also have the chance to give feedback. The number of homes had been reduced from an earlier proposal for 173 to “improve” the scheme, the developer said. A spokesperson for New Mil- ton-based Pennyfarthing said the site is an adopted strategic allocation in the new Local Plan formally approved by New For- est District Council in July. This sets out locations and policies for the construction of nearly 10,500 new homes out-

side the national park by 2036. But Cllr Steve Clarke, chair of New Milton Town Coun- cil’s planning committee, said despite being in line with the Local Plan, the level of devel- opment proposed would un- doubtedly prove controversial. “Plans are in the early stages, but we’ve already seen com- ments on social media about the number of homes and the fact the site is greenbelt,” he said. “From a town council per- spective, we want to see an ef- fective traffic management sys- tem in place around the Sway Road/Brockhills junction. “And we have concerns around the safety of the pedes- trian access to Sway Road.” Cllr Clarke said the plans rep- resented the largest develop-

The Brockenhurst games area

noise abatement order under section 82 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. She insisted she did not want it shut down, suggesting the trust instead erect a new fence to curb the noise and lock it at night. The trust denied the level of disruption claimed and said the new fence could cost £30,000. It said it had offered to install a new barrier on the Sampsons’ boundary, provided the com- plainant fund half the cost, but that had not been taken up. Both parties gave evidence earlier this year and, announc- ing his decision at Southamp- ton Magistrates’ Court, Judge Callaway rejected the noise or- der request.

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Care firm fined £150k over death

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‘Serious weaknesses’ in BCP children’s services

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VULNERABLE children have been put at risk by “serious and widespread weaknesses” in the BCP Council children’s services department, a scathing report has warned. Ofsted inspectors said work to identify youngsters at risk of harm was “not fit for purpose” and that they had to personally ask for 50 children’s cases to be Ofsted inspectors raised fears for kids’ safety during visit BY JOSH WRIGHT

reviewed during their visit due to fears for their safety, writes Josh Wright of the Local Democ- racy Reporting Service . The council said it “accepts and regrets” the watchdog’s criticisms and its chief execu- tive said addressing them had been made its “top corporate priority”.

was “no evidence” it was chal- lenging schools on the issue, amid fears schools could be “off-rolling” pupils by encour- aging children to leave without excluding them to benefit the school. The council was also crit- icised for an “over-reliance” on short-term staff with 55 agency workers employed at the time of the visit, while many of the others lacked expe- rience. Responding to Ofsted’s find - ings, BCP Council said it had been “working hard” since its formation to improve its work but said it still had “a long way to go”. “This visit from Ofsted was not an inspection, but we are responding to their recommen- dations with the same serious- ness and gravity as if it were,” it said in a statement. “We know we have to improve rapidly if our services to local children and families are to meet the standards expected of us.” Cllr Mike White, cabinet member for children’s services, said improving the department was the council’s “top immedi- ate priority”. He added: “It will stay that way until we have made the improvements we need to make. “We have confidence in the new top team to deliver those improvements and as well as supporting them to the hilt, we will be holding them to account to do just that.” Cllr White’s predecessor, Cllr Sandra Moore, who held the role from the formation of the council until October, said she would continue to support the council to make “critical im- provements”. of management and control is ongoing. “Despite the facility being closed due to lockdown 2, there have been 16 instances that I am aware of where users have scaled the fence, trespassed and used it, in any event.” She called on the trust to “do the right thing” and suggested a good starting point would be a meeting with residents. She said the further complaint to NFDC had been made by some- one else. Opened around two years ago, the muga is used by chil- dren’s groups, sports teams and for charity events. It was built after the community raised £63,000. Depending on the sea- son, it closes at either 8pm or 5pm, and there is a code of con- duct banning swearing. fered a fall at the home and was taken to Salisbury hospital that medics found he had contract- ed Legionnaires’ disease. Public Health England and the CQC found the presence of Legionnaires’ in “a number” of rooms at Fordingbridge Care Home that had placed staff and other residents at risk. The court heard the Station Road building was newly con- structed and opened in 2012, but it had run into a host of problems, including with the plumbing. Defence barrister JasonLeon- ard said Sentinel offered Andy’s family an apology. He added it had policies in place and had worked with Totton-based Freeston Water Treatment Ltd to try to address some of the issues. The care home building suf- fered problems because “infe- rior pipework” was installed when it was built, Mr Leonard claimed, which contributed to “poor flow” through its water systems. Mr Leonard highlighted Sen- tinel had no previous convic- tions, co-operated with investi- gators and had received ‘good’ CQC inspection ratings since Andy’s death. our plans with the local com- munity and are keen to hear what people think.” The online meeting will take place between 5.30pm and 7pm. Visit www.brockhillslane.co.uk and click on the event link.

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Elaine Redding was appoint- ed as its interim director of chil- dren’s services at the council in September following the depar- ture of Judith Ramsden in July. At the same time, prompted by government concerns, an improvement advisor was ap- pointed in a bid to address is- sues within the department.

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BCP Council said it ‘accepts and regrets’ the findings

Inspectors were particularly critical of management within the department with assess- ments with blank sections and unchecked details being signed off as acceptable. “There are serious concerns about the quality of manage- ment oversight,” the letter said, before adding inspectors had personally had to ask for 50 cas- es to be reviewed over “serious concerns” for children’s safety. Mr Penswick added that chil- dren in care, and those who had recently left the system, felt “let down” by the council and had had “minimal” contact leaving them feeling “alone, isolated and unsupported”. Education plans written by social workers were said to “in- clude little of any substance” and there was also concern about the number of children being excluded from school. Concerns were also raised about the almost 25% rise in the number of youngsters be- ing home-schooled in the past year and that there was not the capacity within the council to carry out the correct checks on them. The letter added that there

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Care firm fined Continued from front page village hall and other facilities on site not only serve the com- munity, but continually seek to work in harmony with that community and particularly its neighbours.” The trust was unhappy to be criticised by Judge Callaway over potential planning breach- es. It said the application cited during the case had been su- perseded by a new one which had been approved by the na- tional park authority, including removing fencing. A booking system and CCTV had also been installed, it point- ed out. “We tried to raise concerns with the company but felt that there was reluctance for them to accept any responsibil- ity.” After his death the family en- listed law firm Irwin Mitchell to represent them at an inquest and make a civil claim against Sentinel. The inquest jury at Salisbury Coroners’ Court con- cluded Andy died from Legion- naires’ bacteria contracted at the Fordingbridge home. Nicholas Rheinberg, Salis- bury assistant coroner, asked the CQC to investigate and re- view the training it gives to wa- ter safety inspectors. Matt added: “While we’re pleased to have secured justice for Andy, we would rather he still be part of our family. Our only hope now is that Andy’s death reminds Sentinel and other companies of the need to uphold safety standards at all times so others don’t have to suffer like he did.” Andy was a former hunt sab- oteur and had once been drum- mer in a psychedelic rock band NewMilton housing Continued from front page BCP Council has yet to have a full inspection by Ofsted since its formation last year but all three of its preceding councils had been rated as ‘requires im- provement’. The visit by a team of five inspectors last month was a shorter “focused inspection” with a letter sent to the council on Friday addressing its find - ings. “There are serious and wide- spread weaknesses in the quality of children’s services,” inspector Neil Penswick said. “This leaves vulnerable children at risk of harm.” A raft of concerns are raised in the letter, with children hav- ing their needs addressed nei- ther “fully or in a timely man- ner” despite repeated referrals to the department. The letter said the “vast ma- jority” of assessments made by social workers were “unfit for purpose” and that they “lack sufficient evidence, analysis and challenge”. The council was also criti- cised for putting too little fo- cus on the longer term needs of children. ment New Milton had seen in the last 20 years. He said the council welcomed the level of affordable hous- ing, a pledge which he stressed must be honoured. “There is also a number of ecological issues,” Cllr Clarke continued. “The Danestream is located to the right of the site just beyond the boundary and, as I understand it, is protect- ed. We will be looking closely at how that’s managed.” A Pennyfarthing spokesper- son said the site would com- prise an “appropriate mix of house sizes and tenures”, and public open space with “excel- lent leisure and biodiversity en- hancement opportunities”. They continued: “Over the last few months we have been working hard to further im- prove our plans for land off Play park decision Continued from front page

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It also stressed prior to the case reaching the courts it made “several unsuccessful at- tempts” to reach an “amicable settlement” with Mrs Sampson and took a number of meas- ures to address issues she had raised. The trust added it would take seriously any complaint about alleged noise to New Forest District Council’s environmen- tal health department. Mrs Sampson told the A&T she was “very disap- pointed” with the judgement, but pleased it highlight- ed “shortcomings” in the trust’s obligations under the planning process for the facility. She added: “The judge states that currently the muga is not properly managed. This failure Brockhills Lane. We believe we can bring forward an attractive, high quality development in this location that will provide much-needed housing for local people. “We look forward to sharing

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Andy Clegg died aged 56

that played a Stonehenge festi- val. Andy’s sister Joanne Denyer said his family witnessed him die an “agonising death” at hos- pital. When the matter went be- fore Southampton magistrates, Ryan Donoghue, representing the CQC, explained Andy’s family put him into a care home because he had a number of underlying health problems – including a degenerative brain disease. It was only after Andy suf-

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Meet the mask crusaders cleaning up town streets

Man jailed for spitting at two police o cers

TWO instances of spitting at a police officer landed an Ash- ley man with an 84-day spell in prison. Kyran Hambling (26), of An- drew Lane, spat at PC Bartosz Tluchowski at Southampton General Hospital in September last year, the city’s magistrates’ court heard. He initially denied the charge but changed his plea and was ordered to pay the officer £100 compensation. Hambling had also been con- victed at Dorset Magistrates’ Court for spitting at an officer who intervened when the de-

fendant abused a bystander at Bournemouth police station in October. The following day Hambling damaged a police cell. Hambling also admitted us- ing threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour towards a Hythe man and dam- aging windows and doors in March. He was told to pay that vic- tim £100 compensation over those matters which had put him in breach of a condition- al discharge he was given for doing £80 damage to a Fawley house.

Animal-loving pair pick up 147 facemasks in week’s litter-pick

discarded personal protective equip- ment accounted for 88% of rub- bish collected in litter picks na- tionwide since March. Describing the

BY CHRIS MARCH

AMOTHER and daughter from New Milton are on a mission to protect animals by cleaning up facemasks scattered around their town. Tammie Jones (41) and Rhia (14), of Greenwood Close, were inspired to take action after becoming frustrated by the number of masks they saw lit- tering streets and parks while walking their two dogs, Hunter and Tinchy. Tammie told the A&T: “It was mostly Rhia, but we were really concerned by all the masks that were about, and we just thought that rather than worry about it, we would do something. “It’s not just that it looks dis- gusting having all these masks lying around, but there is also the danger to wildlife. “People should be aware of where their masks go. I’ve seen pictures of birds with masks stuck in their beaks, and that’s heartbreaking to see.” THE consultation on a new waste collection system for the New Forest, which could in- clude introducing wheelie bins, is flawed, members of Hythe and Dibden Parish Council have claimed. The Conservative-run dis- trict council recently launched a survey on plans to move away from weekly collections of rub- bish and recycling sacks. There is currently no service for food waste, and glass is collected ev- ery four weeks. If given the go-ahead, the new scheme would see collections on alternate weeks for rubbish and recycling, and a separate weekly food waste pick-up. The plans were blasted by members of the Liberal Demo- crat-controlled parish council as they discussed it at a meet- ing on Wednesday last week. Cllr Mark Clark said he was not happy with the way the questionnaire had been put to- gether. He said: “It’s a loaded consultation. It leads you to one single conclusion, which is what the council wants in place, which is the wheelie bins. I take issue with the questionnaire and the consultation.” Council chair Cllr Malcolm Wade said: “Having been a councillor for many years, that is what local government con- sultation seems to be like. They want a result; they send out a POLICE are hunting a mo- torist who racially abused an- other man after speeding into a Christchurch car park and nearly colliding with him. Officers have asked for wit- nesses and dash cam footage after the local victim, who is in his 40s and originally from Po- land, was targeted in what they called a “hate crime” outside Wickes in Somerford Road be- tween midday and 12.30pm on Saturday 21st November. The victim became involved in a verbal exchange with the suspect, who reportedly en- tered the car park at speed be-

issue as “endemic”, she said: “Our plea to the public is where they are wearing masks to protect the community, they similarly need to dispose of them cor- rectly to protect the environ- ment. “There is anecdotal evidence that discarded PPE is pos- ing a hazard to wildlife. The disposable masks are lined in plastic – they are non-biode- gradable. “We’ve been campaigning quite widely for months now for people to do the right thing. Put it in the bin – it’s not hard, really.” The RSPCA urged people to snip the straps from their used masks before disposing of them after it was revealed in September that these ac- counted for a portion of 900 nationwide cases of animals tangled in litter since March’s first lockdown. them through their paces, and sadly it seems these modern ve- hicles are just not as robust as they once were. “One vehicle in particular has spent many months being repaired which really isn’t con- venient at all.” A sub-committee of verder- ers has been set up to look into the costs of ending the lease hire agreement early. Ms Westwood added: “We have been watching with in- terest the development of Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineo Grenadier 4x4 vehicles which could be a better alternative for us.”

Rhia Jones and her mum Tammie picked up 147 discarded masks in one week, and (inset) a gull entangled in a mask

find a mask, she says ‘That’s one animal saved, mum’,” she explained. On Monday they had col- lected a total of 147 discarded masks in the space of a week, and they are expanding their campaign to cover surround- ing areas including Barton and Highcliffe. “We like to be proactive and do something, and this is the perfect way to do it,” Tammie

continued. “This pandemic is not going to go away any time soon, with people needing to continue wearing facemasks. “If more people out there are more aware of what they are doing with their masks, that’s the important thing.” Keep Britain Tidy chief executive officer Alison Ogden-Newton told the A&T

The pair initially used their dog poo bags to pick up the masks, but have now secured grabbers and biodegradable bags. Tammie, who also acts as a carer for Rhia, who has autism and attention deficit hyperac- tivity disorder, explained the collections helped keep her mind occupied. “This is something Rhia gets a real buzz from. Every time we

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Forest waste consultation ‘flawed’

Agisters’ ailing 4x4 fleet

THE contract hire agreement on a fleet of 4x4 vehicles used by the agisters could be termi- nated a year early after a series of breakdowns. The vehicles are often used off-road and for tow- ing trailers with heavy loads, but are now five years old and have been plagued with prob- lems. Verderers clerk Sue West- wood said: “It has become a real headache – three out of the five vehicles have needed signif- icant repairs, and the problems seem to be ongoing. “The agisters certainly do put

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The district could be set for wheelie bins

sultation and the lack of ability to comment.” Cllr Phillip Dowd added: “I do think we need to make a strong case for reduction, and that is the main focus. That has to be the forefront in any waste strat- egy. “I also think we need to put pressure on comments about the county giving a new con- tract to Veolia before this exer- cise was done, which is going to restrict what can be collected in terms of waste, so there are bigger issues there.” As reported in the A&T, the proposals have also came un- der fire from Copythorne Parish Council, with its members also attacking “misleading” infor- mation about the costs of the scheme. “I am appealing to any wit- nesses or motorists who were in the car park at the time and may have captured something relevant on dash cam to please contact us. “I understand a number of people approached the victim after the altercation to check he was alright, and I would be keen to hear from these individ- uals as they may be potential witnesses.” Contact Dorset Police on 101, quoting crime reference num- ber 55200175485, or call Crime- stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

consultation to meet that.” Cllr Alex Wade told the meet- ing it was important the council represented the feedback it had received from residents. He said: “We all know the community has different hous- es, different roads, different is- sues. A wheelie bin works per- fectly in one area and it really doesn’t in another. People have different views, very strong views on all sides.” He added: “I think we should emphasise that we welcome food waste being dealt with but have concerns about the cur- rent survey and the accessibil- ity of it for those who cannot go online. “As a council we should rep- resent the frustration of the timescale and the type of con- fore parking in a disabled bay, nearly hitting him. After hurling racist abuse, the man approached him “with his arms raised and fists clenched” and started swinging punches. The victim dodged the blows and returned to his own vehicle. The offender is described as white, in his 50s, around 5ft 9in tall, of slim build, and driving a blue car, believed to have been a Ford C-Max. PC James Prowse said: “We take hate crime very seriously and are carrying out a number of enquiries to identify the man responsible for this offence.

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Local MPs rebel against newCovid tier system

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l Disappointment over area’s new Tier 2 level l ‘Stay local’ plea as shops and services reopen l Retailers allowed to trade 24 hours a day

always work safely, the Tier 2 restrictions will have a serious- ly damaging effect on the New Forest economy and our ability to recover into 2021,” he told the A&T. The area’s theatres and mu- seums have reopened, includ- ing St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery in Lymington. The newly refurbishedRegent was due to open today (Friday), promising a big-screen line- up of dazzling Christmas pro- ductions, including a magical Christmas Spectacular filmed especially for cinemas from the Royal Albert Hall in London. At Ringwood’s Forest Forge, the youth theatre will be re- turning to sessions within the building. However, there will be no Christmas show. Earlier this week, communi- ties secretary Robert Jenrick announced shops in England will be allowed to trade 24 hours a day in the run-up to Christ- mas and throughout January. Local authorities will tempo- rarily be able to waive rules re- stricting retail opening hours to enable high streets to recover. A spokesperson from New Forest District Council said it would support any retailers wanting to amend their opening hours “where circumstances and leg- islation allow”. Ferry operator Wightlink will resume its weekend sailings be- tween Lymington and Yarmouth from tomorrow (Saturday).

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Before the debate Sir Des- mond, of New Forest West, told the A&T that while some sectors, including retail, could breathe a sigh of relief, the rules spelt disaster for hospitality. “This is an industry which has gone to enormous and ex- pensive lengths to make itself secure,” he said. “I was one of those who de- manded the evidence that these venues are a source of infection and the estimate of lives saved consequent upon the restric- tions imposed on them. No such data has been forthcoming.” There was also disappoint- ment at being in Tier 2 from Cllr Nicola Greene, BCP Coun- cil’s cabinet member for Covid resilience and public health – but she urged people to follow the rules. They are due to be reviewed by the government on 16th December. Cllr Greene said: “We are dis- appointed to be placed in Tier 2, given the continuing fall in infection rates in our area, thanks to the positive behav- iours of local people who have been diligently following the rules and helping to control the virus.” Hospitality venues would normally be gearing up for their busiest time of the year. In- stead, they are being forced to stop serving at 10pm and can only serve alcohol with a “sub- stantial meal”. Anthony Climpson, from tourism group Go New Forest, TWO people died with Covid-19 in the New Forest, according to the latest weekly report, as the district infection rate plummeted to one of the lowest in England. Both fatalities were in hos- pital, revealed the latest data published on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Last week six people were reported to have died. It puts the coronavirus death toll in the district at 148. However, the number of new weekly coronavirus cases in the New Forest on Tuesday fell by more than half from 184 to 77, according to separate govern- ment figures. It brought the to - tal cases so far to 1,849. The infection rate per 100,000 people also dropped – from 102.2 last Tuesday to 42.8 this week, one of the lowest in the country. By comparison, the England average was 162.3.

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ALL three local MPs voted against the government’s new tier regulations which came into force on Wednesday as the New Forest’s infection rate fell to one of the lowest in England. The people of Dorset and Hampshire are in the midpoint Tier 2 – the high alert level. Shops, restaurants, hotels, hairdressers, leisure centres, churches, community centres, museums and libraries have re- opened, but rules around social distancing and household mix- ing are as strict as before. Both local Conservatives, Sir Desmond Swayne and Sir Chris Chope, rebelled against Prime Minister Boris Johnson to vote against the new region-based rules to replace the lockdown across England. Independent Julian Lewis also opposed them. 19 Fir Avenue, New Milton • Double glaze your whole house

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slammed the measures as “dra- conian”, telling the A&T: “This is an industry with an almost spotless Covid-19 track record. “The New Forest itself has a much lower transmission rate than the rest of Tier 2, and the UK’s hospitality sector the low- est of all commercial sectors at just 2%.” Many businesses do not have the space to make re-opening financially viable, Mr Climp - son continued, and if they do choose to re-open they are “in effect being forced to gamble with their future”. In the BCP Council area, which includes Christchurch, there were 13 deaths of which 11 were in hospital, compared to nine in total last week. It brought the death toll across the conurbation to 261. The provisional figures from the ONS relate to fatalities where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate up to 20th November but which were registered up to 28th November. The BCP area also saw a fall in new weekly Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, from 691 to 379. It means the infection rate per 100,000 stands at 95.9, down from 174.8 the week before. The total number of cases so far amounts to 7,224. The infection figures are for the numbers of people with at least one lab-confirmed posi - tive Covid-19 test result in the preceding seven-day period.

Matthew Lawson, chair of New Forest Business Partner- ship, urged residents to sup- port hospitality venues and lo- cal retailers. “As the owner of two New Forest hospitality businesses, I know that even though we

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enforce any rare breaches, but if required, they will collaborate with other agencies on that. They are there to offer advice and reassurance to the public.” Jordan Saint, who usually works in leisure services, has been redeployed to become a CSA. They will have ID badges and will be wearing orange and black branded hi-vis jackets. He said: “I see my role as be- ing able to give a friendly re- minder and as someone to seek advice from.” Meanwhile, Dorset Police promised “swift and decisive” action, as it is running dedicat- ed Covid-19 patrols. Operation Tattoo started last month with a specially assigned force car patrolling the coun- ty seven days a week during the pandemic to deal with any virus-related issues. There is extended cover from a second unit between 4pm and mid- night every day. The announcement followed Covid-19-related calls to the force’s command centre rising to 164 during the second week of the last lockdown. More than 20 fixed penalty notices were is - sued for breaches. In Christchurch police re- sponded to reports at least 10 people were seen on a mul- timedia messaging app hav- ing a house party in breach of Covid-19 regulations. Amember of the public raised the alarm last Friday evening, saying the revellers had been pictured on Snapchat, but nothing was found when offi - cers attended the scene. Posting on the Dorset Po- lice Twitter account, a force spokesperson said officers would be returning to the area later in their shift. Four ambassadors, including Jordan Saint, will patrol areas of the New Forest

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Funding shake-up set to halve commoners’ cash

Men’s Shed has goal of home near football club

PLANS for NewMilton’s branch of the international Men’s Shed project to have a permanent base near the town’s football club were welcomed by coun- cillors. The social hub to share skills and undertake projects for the community has been tempo- rarily housed in a workshop at Fernhill Sports Ground since its launch in September 2019. An online meeting of the town council’s amenities committee heard a search for its new home, before the current lease expires at the end of September 2021, had settled on Fawcett’s Field. It would involve a new

steel frame building on the north-eastern edge of the car park, off the A337 Christchurch Road. Amenities chair Cllr Geoffrey Blunden said: “The Men’s Shed are applying for funding from various bodies. The estimated cost of the project for them is about £65,000. “We could provide the land for it to go on at a peppercorn rent.” Members gave their blessing to enable the group to press on with seeking funding. Cllr Rob- ert Murrow said: “I think it’s a brilliant plan and I hope we go ahead with it.”

ing the cars without consent, and driving without a licence or insurance on both occasions. Southampton magistrates handed Horgan a 26-week pris- on term but suspended it for 18 months. There was a more “positive outlook”, the Bench said, as the defendant now had family support. Horgan was ordered to pay £85 court costs and £125 compensation to the female vic- tim. Charlotte Lines, chair of the Commoners Defence Associ- ation, welcomed the consul- tation, saying: “We hope it will result in a system which is more suited to supporting common- ing in the New Forest for the remainder of the BPS. “BPS is being phased out over the next few years and we are currently working with our partners to design a new sys- tem, through the Environmen- tal Land Management Scheme which will replace BPS and will continue to support common- ing in the New Forest.” New Forest West MP Sir Des- mond Swayne told the A&T he would follow up any rep- resentations from commoners with Defra ministers. The consultation has been fuelled by concerns that the current method for making BPS payments has encouraged com- moners to keep more animals in order to be paid more subsidies, harming the environment. The Defra spokesperson add- ed: “The Rural Payments Agen- cy is now seeking views on ways to replace or amend the pres- ent allocation method for BPS 2021 and the remainder of the life of the scheme. “It does not intend to con- tinue with the present method after this year.” The consultation will run un- til 3rd February 2021. Visit bit. ly/2HW03Nk

Defra looks to slash payments for livestock released onto Forest

BY ROZ WATERS

GOVERNMENT payments to commoners for turning out live- stock onto the New Forest look set to be halved by 2024 as part of a government strategy to shake up funding to farmers. The planned changes to the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) are the subject of a nine-week consultation which runs un- til 3rd February 2021 before changes are set to come in next spring. Currently commoners can ap- ply to the BPS and be allocat- ed a share of the subsidy based on the marking fees they paid to the verderers for animals turned out to graze in the pre- vious year. The fund for the New Forest is a fixed pot of around £3m a year so as animal numbers increase the payment per head is re- duced. As reported in the A&T, there have been claims that the number of animals is now dam- aging the environment. A New Forest commoner, who asked not to be named, ex- plained: “The difficulty is that in order to continue getting the same share of the pot, common- ers are paying marking fees for more and more animals.” Figures from the verderers revealed that in 2020 there were 13,628 cattle, ponies and don- DEVELOPMENT rights have been withdrawn by the nation- al park authority to stop fenc- ing “clutter” in a Cadnam field which is being auctioned off as multiple parcels of land. The four-hectare agricultur- al plot sits on the south side of Ringwood Road, within a con- servation area, and is currently on the market advertised as 16 plots. Under permitted develop- ment rights, a landowner could erect boundaries at the site without having to apply for planning permission. But when the matter went before the NPA’s latest plan- ning committee meeting, mem- bers agreed these rights should be removed, on the recommen- dation of enforcement manag- er David Williams. The committee report said:

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This year more than 13,000 cattle, ponies and donkeys were marked to graze on the New Forest

Under the first idea a “base” year would be selected, such as 2019, and commoners would re- ceive fixed payments based on marking fees paid during that year for the remaining duration of the subsidy scheme. A second suggestion is that payments are based on levan- cy and couchancy, an old sys- tem to calculate payments us- ing the “home-holding” land a commoner owns or leases for animals to overwinter. However, this system would have difficulties because some landowners already claim subsidies for land leased to commoners, and it could also be time-consuming to assess every commoner’s holding in the New Forest.

AN Ashley man who embarked on a two-day crime spree was spared an immediate spell in jail as magistrates believed he was “turning a corner”. David Horgan (37), of Holly Lane, admitted driving while disqualified on 9th and 10th February, as well as attacking a woman, obstructing a police officer and stealing bottles of wine and cider worth £24 over the 48-hour period. Horgan pleaded guilty to tak- A third option would base an element of payments on any conservation work commoners undertake, such as bracken clearance. However, this would also be problematic to quantify and throws up difficulties be - cause commoners are not the land owners of the Forest, and other conservation schemes are in place. A spokesperson for Defra said the Rural Payments Agen- cy, which administers the BPS, was open to other suggestions about how payments to com- moners could be calculated.

keys marked to graze on the New Forest and its commons. This is up from 8,880 animals in 2015, and is a 65% increase. A Defra spokesperson said: “Payments will reduce by around 50% by 2024 for the ma- jority of farmers and the money used to fund new grants and schemes to boost productivity and reward environmental im- provements. “Support and advice will be available to help those most affected by the phasing out of direct payments during the ag- ricultural transition period.” As part of the consulta- tion, Defra has put forward three suggestions for how cash could be allocated to commoners.

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NPA strips fencing rights to stop fields ‘clutter’

“If the land ownership were to be subdivided, it would be normal practice for individual landowners to fence their land and to create individual ac- cesses. “Any subdivision would ren- der the land unsuitable for ag- riculture and change the char- acter of the field. The clutter caused by separate and mixed types of boundary fencing of various sizes and designs would harm the wider charac- ter and visual amenity of the locality.” The field, which has been used for show events in the past, belongs to two joint land- owners from Winsor and is being sold by an organisation called Exclusive Estates and Auctioneers. The report stated that some “pre-application enquiries”

had been made by prospective purchasers. Mr Williams stressed he was not ruling out such develop- ment being undertaken. In- stead, he wanted planners to have control over particulars through the usual application process. Speaking to the A&T follow- ing the committee’s decision, he explained: “An article 4 no- tice has been agreed, served and takes immediate effect. “It seeks to ensure we can control the form, design and siting of new fences, gates and other means of enclosure which otherwise would not need plan- ning permission. “This action is considered necessary to help safeguard the special character and land- scape quality of the national park.”

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