Local elections kick off as candidates revealed for New Forest District Council and BCP Council

THE starting gun has fired on the local elections to decide who controls New Forest District Council and BCP Council.

Candidates were officially announced on Tuesday for the authorities, which are both currently run by the Conservatives.

Some town and parish councils are also being contested across the two patches, where enough people are standing to trigger elections.

In the New Forest, the district council results will create a new-look body as it is shrinking from 60 seats to 48 in the vote on Thursday 4th May.

It has meant a swathe of councillors losing their places and some internal party battles to be candidates.

An eye-catching challenge has been launched in the Milford & Hordle ward by Independent Ivor Spreadbury, who resigned from Hordle Parish Council in protest against 97 homes being approved in the village.

He is up against Cllr Christine Ward, the Tory chair of NFDC's planning committee, as well as other runners from the Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Tory parties.

In Sway, former Tory leader Cllr Barry Rickman, who is currently an Independent, could return to the fold as he is standing again for the party.

He lost the whip in 2021 after admitting flouting environmental regulations at a site he part-owned with his brother Robert.

In the Ballard ward in New Milton, there is a candidate for Britain First, a party whose campaigning has been accused of racism.

The Lib Dems were the first to publicly announce their campaign platform, promising policies on the cost of living, community safety, wellbeing, the environment and public transport.

Leader Cllr Malcom Wade said: “They are fully costed and will have no impact on council tax."

He claimed residents felt they currently had "no impact on the key decisions taken by the council on their behalf".

He added: “For example, as we pointed out at the time, privatising our five leisure centres during a pandemic has been a disaster, and the company has come back to the council with a begging bowl to be bailed out.

"Planning decisions that have gone awry or been cancelled at short notice; the pathetic mess of waste disposal and three different leaders inside four years. What a horlicks of an administration.”

No other parties have yet released their platform to the media.

On BCP Council, the minority Tory administration will be fighting to keep power, having wrested control in 2020 from the Unity Alliance coalition that won in 2019.

In the five Christchurch wards of BCP Council, the Christchurch Independents group will be campaigning to retain their seven seats. The other three are held by the Tories and Lib Dems.

These are the first elections under new laws introduced by the government requiring residents to show photo ID to be able to vote.

People without an accepted form of identification can apply for a free voter authority certificate before 5pm on Tuesday 25th April.

For full information on candidates and voter ID in the New Forest, visit newforest.gov.uk/2023localelections

For details in the BCP Council area, visit bit.ly/3GkwP5L

The A&T will publish a full list of candidates on its New Forest and Christchurch patch ahead of the elections.