New Milton Town Council New Milton Town Council
The principal task of the Town Council is the provision and maintenance of recreational and sports facilities within its area. The sports grounds currently managed by the Council are New Milton Recreation Ground, Fernhill Sports Ground, Ashley Sports Ground and Fawcetts Field Sports Ground.
The Town Council acts as Charity Trustee with regard to the New Milton Recreation Ground, under the direction of the Charity Commission. In addition to the formal facilities found on the Recreation Ground, the area is also utilised by members of the public for various forms of informal recreation. The Council operates five allotment sites, with a total of 73 plots. Gardening is popular locally, and there is usually a waiting list for allotment plots.
Maintenance of public open space is another of the Council's responsibilities, and this includes the much praised flower beds and containers in the town centre. The principal open spaces under its control are Barton Common and the adjacent Long Meadow; Ballard Lake and its surrounds, together with the adjoining area at Brook Avenue, just north of the town centre and the Recreation Ground mentioned above.
| Fernhill Sports Ground (pictured below) was opened as the new home of New Milton Cricket Club, during 2002. |
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The local planning authority is the New Forest District Council (NFDC). The Town Council's Planning Committee makes observations to NFDC on each application. The NFDC Planning Committee will consider any application where the views of the Town Council conflict with the Director of Planning's recommendation. The Town Council also alerts local residents who may be affected by planning proposals by way of its 'Neighbour Notification', a purely voluntary, non statutory notification scheme. It also acts as a consultative body on many topics; for example the provision of street lighting, footpaths and road schemes.
The Town Council has a total of 18 Councillors serving in any one period of office (4 years). Below is a table showing the wards of the town, district and county councils. The number of councillors serving each ward is shown. This data is correct as of the 1st May 2003.
New Milton Town Council Wards |
New Forest District Council Wards |
Hampshire County Council Wards |
|---|---|---|
| Milton (4) | Milton (2) | |
| Becton (4) | Becton (2) | New Milton (1) |
| Barton (4) | Barton (2) | |
| Fernhill (4) | Fernhill (2) | |
| Bashley (2) | Bashley (1) | Milford & Hordle (1) |
The first 'local' council for the New Milton area was the New Milton Urban District Council, which came into being in 1926 and was dissolved when New Milton was absorbed into the Borough of Lymington in 1932. It was part of Lymington Borough until the 1973 Local Government Reorganisation, when the Borough became part of the New Forest District Council area, along with Totton, Ringwood and the old New Forest Rural District. In many parts of the new NFDC area, Parish and Town Councils were already in existence and these were retained. The old Lymington Borough did not have Parishes but the former Lymington Borough Councillors who subsequently became New Forest District councillors were appointed as 'Charter Trustees' to safeguard the artifacts and regalia of the former Borough. The NFDC set up 'Neighbourhood Councils' as a temporary measure for the four principal areas of the former Borough. At the same time they began the promotion in Parliament of the 'New Forest Parishes Order', which in 1979 established the new Town/Parish Councils for the former Borough area.
For the past couple of years, New Milton Town Council has championed a Town Plan project. The project was carried out with assistance from the Countryside Agency Market Towns initiative. This project has been a partnership between the Council and many interested local bodies and individuals, and has identified many individual projects that will enhance life within our town. It is also hoped that the main output document from the initial phase will be adopted by New Forest District Council as planning guidance. In order to move forward and gain funding for these projects, a Town Partnership charity has recently been formed.
The project has now spawned a charitable organisation to carry project ideas forward - the New Milton Town Partnership.
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Copyright © 2004 Neil Tungate