CONSERVATIVES keeping our community InTouch WARSASH – Spring 2017 Wise Tory budgeting braces for end of Whitehall support IT’S BEEN a financially challenging year for councils laid plans to generate income from property investment. across Britain and there are rough seas ahead. He said: “Only £6.3m of our £48m annual budget comes In Fareham, it’s brought out the best of Conservative bud- from council tax, so the Borough Council relies heavily on geting and wisest spending of your money. income from fees, charges and commercial investments. Against the odds, we kept Fareham’s council tax to almost “Days of living off income from cash investments are past the lowest in England for many years with zero rises, while with interest rates at record lows, so we began buying com- maintaining services with declining government support. mercial property with good solid tenants (Tesco, Sains- In his 2017-18 budget speech, Council Leader Seán bury’s, Specsavers etc) providing a much better income. Woodward said another low rate had been achieved with a “The commercial portfolio generates a 6% return and the modest £5 a year rise for Band D properties. buildings remain an asset to sell if the capital is needed. The average home in Fareham is band C, so Borough “75% of the portfolio value is in Fareham. Recent acqui- Council services will cost them just 1p extra per day. sitions include Halfords, PC World, Argos and Dunelm at But in 2019, all government Park Gate and a commercial revenue support will cease WHAT BAND D PROPERTIES WILL PAY building for Universal Tool and and we’ll be left on our own to Fareham Borough Council £150.22 (+£5) Production at Daedalus. generate sources of income, Hampshire County Council £1,133.10 (+£53.82) “Millions of pounds annually plus what we can get from Hampshire Fire and Rescue £63.84 (+£1.24) are now being generated and business rates. Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner £165.46 (+£5) every £60,000 is equivalent to Your prudent Conservative TOTAL £1,512.62 (+£65.06) around 1% off the council tax Council anticipated this and bill.” Fareham has lots to look forward to during the year ahead Modest savings will come We welcome a well-known A splendid new play area This year marks the 100th from moving Fareham To- hotel chain that will bring a will open in the summer at anniversary of flying at day magazine online. long overdue hotel to the Holly Hill, Sarisbury. Daedalus, the former Fleet We will now be publishing town centre. School children are col- Air Arm HQ. more frequent, shorter edi- We have exciting ideas for lecting items to put into a We’ve looked at its history tions on our website. making the centre a vibrant time capsule which will be and will be holding an event If you’d still like a copy place and have put together buried there for 25 years. in the summer for the com- posted through your door or some draft plans. It will add to the highly munity to mark this historic to receive email alerts you But we’d like your ideas successful £9m Leisure milestone. can sign up. on how we can improve it. Centre. More details later. Major autumn relaunch for refurbished Warsash Victory Hall A PROJECT costing £200,000 to lation of the building. secure the long-term future of Vic- “Work will commence in late March tory Hall, Warsash is making good and continue for up to 12 weeks, dur- progress. ing which it is hoped to keep disruption Councillor Mike Ford, a member of the to a minimum. management committee, said contracts “Following this, it is hoped that some had been let for substantial works to decorative enhancements can be un- the roof and also for general works dertaken which will culminate in a ma- including to the walls and doors of the jor hall re-launch event in the autumn.” Hall. PHOTO: Mike Ford (left) discusses the refurbishment “These will additionally significantly improve the insu- with hall manager Mark Appleby. Almost England’s lowest district council tax – thanks to CONSERVATIVES 2 InTouch 35,000 people use Holly Hill Leisure Centre every week. CONSERVATIVES promised it. We delivered. InTouch 3 NEWS ROUND Good news for Warsash Sea Cadets Jetty connections are completed Got him! Wanton UNIVERSITY representatives will attend the April meeting of Warsash Resi- WORK to connect the existing rubbish dumper dents’ Association to discuss plans to move most of the Maritime Academy harbour master’s and fisher- to Southampton. men’s jetties is now complete. sent to prison The upper part of the site will go for development, but the waterside facility will County Councillor Keith Evans, be retained and updated, as we reported in the autumn edition. chairman of the River Hamble Councillor Trevor Cartwright said that at a recent meeting with Vice-Chancellor Harbour Board, says there are now Professor Graham Baldwin and staff it was agreed representatives should attend more free tender billets available to the meeting. mid-stream moorings holders. As a member of Warsash Sea Cadets’ Management Committee, Trevor Cart- There are also several improved wright met the Vice-Chancellor independently to discuss the unit’s plans and tender billets to enable easier em- Masked ball requirements. barkation fot the less able. There’s a different theme for this “I was heartened to hear that the cadets are part of the university’s plans for the PHOTO: Harbour Master Jason FLY-TIPPER Ashley Mooney, year’s Mayor’s Charity Ball – guests lower site,” he said. Scott shows Keith Evans a new formerly from Gosport, dumped will have to wear masks. Warsash Sea Cadets were named the best cadet unit in Britain in 2015. pontoon. this load of rubbish which It will be at Ferneham Hall on March blocked Spurlings Lane. 31 with music from Sounds Alive. He also off-loaded trash in Gos- Tickets cost £45 each or £40 if you port, Winchester and Eastleigh make up a table for 10 and can be Late summer review for new draft Borough Plan and was prosecuted by all four obtained from the Mayor’s Office on councils. 01329 824303 or from the Mayor, WORK on writing the new Fareham Planning Strategy quired infrastruc- “This was the position taken at the last He pleaded guilty to 14 charges Councillor Connie Hockley, on 01329 Borough Plan that will identify housing to be used in se- ture. Fareham Planning Committee meeting and was jailed for 12 months. 287365. and employment requirements to 2036 lecting new sites The new plan which considered two applications from Costs to landowners and councils is making good progress. and details of the should reach its Taylor Wimpey and Foreman Homes for to clear it, plus the prosecution, Calling all quizzers A draft is likely to be reviewed by the new sites that meet final stage of ap- 80 and 150 houses respectively on land totalled £25,618. Councillor Mike Ford reports that Fareham Executive in August/September. the deliverability proval before the north of Greenaway Lane. County Councillor Keith Evans, Warsash Conservative Association This will indicate the level of additional and planning strat- end of 2018. “Both were refused by the committee for was delighted with the outcome. is holding a quiz night at St Mary’s housing that can be provided from within egy guidelines. Meantime, the basic reason of being outside the ur- He denied the problem was Church Hall on Saturday, March 25 the existing urban area (brownfield sites) Welborne re- Fareham will ban area and in designated countryside, caused by HCC charging for com- at 7.30pm. and the level that will need new greenfield mains the core continue to judge and not required to meet housing needs in mercial waste at recycling centres. Please come along, everyone is sites. element to meet new planning ap- the present adopted Borough Plan. “This is completely untrue be- most welcome. This draft will then be subject to full public our housing needs plications against “These decisions can, of course, be ap- cause until October no sites would Tickets include a supper and cost consultation. It will include an assessment with around 6,000 the existing ad- pealed by the developer and it is worth accept commercial waste. A £10 (BYO drinks) and are available of all the greenfield/countryside sites that new houses pro- opted plan and noting that both have been submitted as chargeable service is now offered from either Mike (331076) or Trevor have been submitted to be considered posed for this location, with 270 acres of its objectives/policies. greenfield for consideration in the new for trade waste where previously (578519). for new development, a statement of the natural green space and the relevant re- County Councillor Keith Evans said: Borough Plan.” there was none.” Fly-tipping is a crime and offend- Tidier Strawberry Fields Francesca’s winning flag flies high Anti-social behaviour crackdown ers will be prosecuted to the full Following a recent review of the extent of the law. provision of litter/dog bins on the THIS IS Warsash’s striking new flag Francesca’s DRUNKENESS, drug dealing, begging and sleeping rough in Fareham •Maximum penalty for com- Strawberry Fields, Councillor Mike which flies proudly from the Clock flag was cho- town centre will no longer be tolerated. panies who fly-tip is £3m and Ford proposed changes to ensure Tower. sen because it Persistent complaints about anti-social behaviour forced the Council to act £95,000 for individuals. that this popular location has an It was designed by Francesca Nice, a included ev- and a Public Protection Order came into force in January.