New Milton Advertiser 6th Nov 2020

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News ‘Property tax’ access row

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“As to the scale of increase – it sounds outrageous.” In response, an FE spokes- woman denied the rises were “unscrupulous”, adding: “In an era when public funds are being severely squeezed this ability to generate funds to support our work is vital. “Some of the work we do is visible and includes provid- ing hundreds of car parks and miles of footpaths and trails, while other projects may seem less visible but are equally as important, such as monitoring tree health and enhancing hab- itats for wildlife.” She added that many UK land managers and local coun- cils also issued property owners with access licence agreements. “Historically, licence fees were related to the rateable val- ue of properties. However, the current licence fee represents a small proportion of the value of a property and spread over 60 years equates to £83.33 per year,” she said. “The licence can be trans- ferred for the remaining period of any licence to the new own- er, however short or long that period may be. This is not a property tax, householders are merely paying for the privilege of making use of their neigh- bour’s land. “Arranging for a new licence before selling is just one of the many things a vendor might have to do in preparation for a sale, such as obtaining retro- spective planning consent for alterations, or getting an Ener- gy Performance Certificate.” “Given the disastrous start for local tourism this year, a brilliant summer and early au- tumn have helped stabilise the local tourism industry,” he said. “From a tourism perspective, if there was a ‘best’ time for a month-long closure it would be now. Plus, in a normal year it’s also one of our quietest months.” Many Go New Forest mem- bers were “grateful” for fi - nancial support from central government via the extended furlough scheme, he added. could be the lifeline many of them so desperately need. Last week Sir Chris added his objections in the Com- mons, saying lockdown was the “wrong strategy”. New Forest East MP Julian Lewis, currently an Independ- ent, also voted against the lockdown measures. He told the A&T: “It is a very indiscriminate reaction to a disease which varies hugely between different ar- eas and age groups. The fact that the ‘4,000 deaths a day’ prediction was based on out- dated information has been the final straw. “The government seems determined to listen only to one group of scientists whilst ignoring others – equally qual- ified who offer alternative points of view.” The coroner said it appeared as though Mr Lindeman had chosen to “self-isolate” for a few days in March, possibly as he was ill, and the sound heard by his neighbours was likely his collapse. “The 12-hour period is very likely, in the circumstances he was found, to have caused the hypothermia from which we now know is his clinical and medical cause of death,” Mr Wilkinson said. How he came to fall was most likely because of the seizure re- lated to his past abuse of alco- hol, he said, ruling out a heart attack, stroke or self-harm. He ruled Mr Lindeman’s death was due to natural caus- es, adding they arose because of unexpected circumstances. Had he been discovered be- fore, there may have been a chance to save him, Mr Wilkin- son said, adding: “Sadly on this occasion that was not to be the case.” high quality products.” The A&T understands Mrs Clabburn’s father was a peer, Major the Honourable Peter Charles Baillie, who died in 2017. He attended Eton as a young man and was well known throughout the New Forest, having been instrumental in setting up the Fortune Centre for Riding Therapy. He also owned Wootton Hall, near New Milton, was a Forest- ry Commission verderer, British Deer Society member and local magistrate. He was also a mainstay of the New Forest Show, hosting its offices at Wootton Hall for many years and acting as joint show president with his wife, Jenny, in 1988.

Forestry England criticised for £5,000 ransom strip fees

BY JON WALLER

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FORESTRY England has re- jected accusations of levying a “property tax” on New Forest homeowners after the price of licences for access over verges soared more than 80-fold. The agency defended the ris- ing costs by arguing the £5,000 fees for the so-called ransom strips enabled “vital” mainte- nance work to continue amid squeezes on central govern- ment funding. Forestry England (FE) re- sponded after Burley man Maurice Jackman complained about the scale of the rises to New Forest West MP Sir Des-

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The Queen’s House base of Forestry England, which says the funding generated from ransom strips is vital

mond Swayne – who described them as “outrageous”. The row concerns homeown- ers having to pay for a 60-year

Ready for lockdown Continued from front page licence to get access to their properties from the road over parcels of ground which are part of the New Forest Crown Lands, managed by FE. The charge dates back to the 1949 New Forest Act. The issue has been highlight- ed by Mr Jackman, who wants to develop three properties which for each he must pay the licence fee of £5,000 – which is 83 times higher than the cost of just £60 in 1988. Speaking to the A&T, Mr Jackman reported instances where homeowners agreed a sale of their home only to have to reduce it by £5,000 to take into account the purchase of a new licence. Buyers had also found their bank unwilling to advance money on homes where the ex- ecutive of tourism group Go New Forest, described lock- down as a “major problem”. He said many of the group’s 200-plus members stressed they would avert disaster this winter only if the clampdown ends as planned on 2nd December. James Hiley-Jones, manag- ing director of Greenclose Ho- tels which owns Careys Manor in Brockenhurst and The Mon- tagu Arms in Beaulieu, said: “In areas such as weddings and business tourism, the impact will be significant, particular - ly if restrictions are not lifted quickly. “Whilst the pandemic has cre- ated a deep and lasting impact on cash flows, if we can enjoy trading throughout December and beyond then the damage should not be permanent.” He added that second-wave restrictions were “frustrating” as the group was reaping the benefits of a “best ever Octo - ber”. Steve Lorton, commercial director at Paultons Park in Ower, said the new rules were “far from ideal”. “We learned a tremendous amount during the first lock - down so the hope is we can minimise the impact this time round,” he said. “But it will be crucial we are able to reopen for Christmas.” Michael Clitheroe, manager of Balmer Lawn Hotel in Brock- enhurst, said he was hopeful the next four weeks would be a “large bump in the road to re- covery” rather than a total dis- aster. “But this will only be the case Todd’s paresis which renders the sufferer incapable of mov- ing, which indicated why Mr Lindeman had remained on the floor. Mr Lindeman took a number of medications daily, including anti-depressants and anti-con- vulsing medication, but they were at therapeutic levels. The coroner noted a GP re- port said Mr Lindeman suffered historical episodes of self-harm, took an overdose in the late 1990s, and had conditions in- cluding hypertension and high blood pressure. He had also suffered several mini-heart at- tacks and strokes over the past 15 years. Mr Lindeman spent time in Southampton General Hospital in November last year for con- ditions consistent with alco- (36) and her mother, Elizabeth Clabburn (61). The company address is giv- en as Lynwood Court, but on its LinkedIn page Brandology said it was based at South Barn, Ef- ford Park. Published accounts for the year ending 30th September 2019 show Brandology had £46,000 in the bank while its net assets were just under £450,000. It had earned £2m from debtors in the period, and paid out roughly £1.8m to cred- itors. Neither of the two directors has commented publicly on £100m PPE deal Continued from front page ‘Froze to death’ Continued from front page

isting licence did not have long enough to run to cover the peri- od of the mortgage. Mr Jackman added: “Sever- al people I have spoken to are not aware of the current licence fee. It is possible that a family may have bought their proper- ty when the fee was much low- er and are not financially able to pay £5,000 when it becomes due, not anticipating the in- creases that FE have imple- mented.” Sir Desmond told the A&T he would explore making “en- quiries and representations” with Forestry England. He added: “So-called ‘ransom strips’ are a complex area of law. The liability ought to have been drawn to their attention when their solicitor dealt with the purchase on their behalf. if we can actually reopen in ear- ly December,” he warned. “The things we’re worrying about most are refinancing our debts and whether the buoyant con- sumer confidence of the early autumn will return for the fol- lowing few critical months after reopening.” However, Mr Climpson in- sisted the situation was not all doom and gloom, saying a post-lockdown surge in trade had provided a vital shot in the arm for businesses. Companies have reported record trading levels during a very busy sum- mer, Mr Climpson said, which

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MPs rebel against PM’s new rules THE new lockdown laws were voted through the House of Commons on Wednesday despite rebellions by Con- servative MPs Sir Desmond Swayne of New Forest West and Sir Chris Chope of Christchurch. His Liberal Democrat chal- lenger at the 2019 general election, Cllr Jack Davies, called the MP a “dangerous buffoon” and accused him of “putting lives at risk” with “false information”.

Sir Desmond, who on Twit- ter has attacked the latest Covid-19 restrictions as a “dis- aster”, declined to comment to the A&T before the vote. Instead, he pointed to his website on which he claimed: “I conclude that the pandem- ic ended in the summer and that the increase in cases aris- es from the testing of healthy people on an industrial scale, using a methodology that throws-up false positives. “I will not be persuaded that a deadly pandemic is again in progress until it re- veals itself in excess deaths (and that those excess deaths genuinely arise from the virus and not from other untreated conditions).”

hol misuse and influenza-type symptoms, the inquest heard. Mr Wilkinson said he had been told the deceased was a divorced man who lived alone and was known to be a “chronic alcoholic”. He had sought help from the local Inclusion Service for his alcohol intake, but chose to disengage with it for good in 2015. their company being awarded the contracts, and the pair de- clined to comment to the A&T. Little is known about Bran- dology, which was founded five years ago. Its website is currently under construction, although on its LinkedIn webpage it says it has 11-50 employees. The LinkedIn profile adds: “We design, source and manu- facture market-leading, luxury packaging solutions and pro- motional items in a range of industries such as health and beauty, charities, alcohol and gifting. “Everything we create is be- spoke and designed to meet your requirements and reflect your brand values, while main- taining competitive pricing and The inquest was heard at Winchester Coroner’s Court

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