Local elections: who’s standing in the New Forest and what candidates say matters most

Voters across Hampshire will head to the polls on Thursday 7 May to elect councillors to Hampshire County Council, with 10 councillor seats covering for the New Forest.

New Forest Dispatch has pulled together a full list of candidates standing locally, along with what they say matters most in their area.

Hampshire County Council is responsible for major local services including roads, education and social care. This is separate from New Forest District Council, which covers services like household waste, planning and housing and has its own election cycle.

Each New Forest division elects one councillor to represent the area at county level, with 10 of the council’s 78 seats covering the New Forest.

These elections were originally due to take place in 2025 but were delayed as part of wider plans to reorganise local councils. The changes will not affect this vote, with any reorganisation expected to happen in the coming years.

For more on proposed changes to local councils, you can read our previous coverage here.

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Candidates standing across the New Forest

These are the candidates standing across the New Forest in this week’s Hampshire County Council elections, where voters will elect one councillor in each division.

Brockenhurst

• Barbara Czoch (Green Party)

• Peter F Dance (Labour Party)

• Hannah Phillips (Liberal Democrats)

• Dan Poole (Local Conservatives)

• Simon Smith (Reform UK)

Dibden & Hythe

• Ruth Margaret Arundell (Green Party)

• Peter Carroll (Labour Party)

• Kate Crisell (Local Conservatives)

• Jon Golding (Reform UK)

• Doug Holloway (Your Party)

• Malcolm Spencer Wade (Liberal Democrats)

Lymington and Boldre

• Jack Davies (Liberal Democrats)

• Barry Frank Dunning (Reform UK)

• Jacqui England (Independent)

• Sally Johnston (Labour Party)

• Ian Mark Loveless (Local Conservatives)

• Nizam Mamode (Green Party)

Lyndhurst and Fordingbridge

• Jason Lewis (Reform UK)

• David Jonathan Millar (Liberal Democrats)

• Janet Elizabeth Richards (Green Party)

• Brice Stratford (Local Conservatives)

• Chris Willsher (Labour Party)

New Milton

• Wynford Bevan Davies (Liberal Democrats)

• Kirsty Elizabeth Gray (Green Party)

• Alan Dennis O’Sullivan (Conservative)

• Julie Vigor (Reform UK)

• Jerry Weber (Labour Party)

Image from Unsplash

New Milton North, Milford & Hordle

• Fran Carpenter (Conservative)

• Lindsey Cooper (Reform UK)

• Sherri Johnstone (Labour Party)

• Clare Jessica Muir (Green Party)

• Aidan John Reed (Liberal Democrats)

Ringwood

• Janet Cox (Green Party)

• Luke Andrew Thomas Dadford (Liberal Democrats)

• Martin John Eyre (Reform UK)

• Peter Kelleher (Labour Party)

• Steve Rippon-Swaine (Conservative)

• Michael Hamilton Thierry (Independent)

South Waterside

• Peter James Armstrong (Independent)

• Paul Stephen Barrett (Reform UK)

• Pauline Brown (Labour Party)

• Chris Jones (Green Party)

• Laura Kim O’Halloran (Local Conservatives)

• Angela Louise Pearson (Liberal Democrats)

Totton North & Netley Marsh

• Ian Charles Coombes (Reform UK)

• Jasper Francis Arthur Dalby (Green Party)

• Adrian Johnstone (Labour Party)

• Neville Stuart Penman (Local Conservatives)

• Caroline Louise Rackham (Liberal Democrats)

Totton South & Marchwood

• Oliver William Alford-Evans (Green Party)

• Len Harris (Local Conservatives)

• David Harrison (Liberal Democrats)

• Ken Kershaw (Labour Party)

• Kevin Smith (Reform UK)

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What candidates say matters locally

New Forest Dispatch contacted a range of candidates across the main parties standing in New Forest divisions.

Candidates were contacted with a set of standard questions about local priorities. Responses have been published as received.

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David Harrison
Totton South & Marchwood, Liberal Democrats

“The most important issue is the rising cost of Adult Social Care and Children’s Services (including Special Educational Needs), which now takes up 75% of all expenditure.

“Government have failed to address the issue, driving most upper tier authorities towards financial collapse. Finding a proper means of funding these will allow more resources to be spent on other items that badly need it, including maintenance of our roads and pavements.”

Steve Rippon-Swaine
Ringwood, Conservative

“The most important issue at the moment is the Local Government Reorganisation and the division of the New Forest.

“I endorse the work of the New Forest Together Campaign in their efforts to get a Judicial Review of this total disregard of extensive local feeling to remain a single entity.”

Nizam Mamode
Lymington and Boldre, Green Party

“The key issues in Lymington are the cost of living, housing, social care provision (including mental health), river pollution, public transport and parking.

“Young people can’t access affordable housing and literally wait for years for access to mental health services.

“Also, pollution of Lymington River continues while Southern Water profits. Car parking charges are extended and increased, meaning it is difficult to access the town; this is especially important for the elderly, who cannot wait hours for a bus which never arrives.”

Sally Johnston
Lymington and Boldre, Labour Party

“The lack of genuinely affordable housing needs addressing urgently. It is a critical factor driving our ‘Relative Poverty Gap’ (one of the largest in the country!). Key lower paid workers, young local people and families are unable to afford to live here.

“The council should also focus spending on reversing the decline of our High Street and on encouraging small and medium enterprises (SMEs), because our prosperity depends on their sustainability!

“I believe the council should decrease business rates, extend free parking, actively promote support and use of our local shops and businesses, improve our roads and invest in public and greener forms of transport.”

Kirsty Elizabeth Gray
New Milton, Green Party

“The cost-of-living crisis is hitting hard, the lack of affordable housing and public transport, combined with rising costs in all areas of life is taking its toll.

“Sustainable transport, there’s been some great work being done in the New Forest on this issue already and one I believe I could build consensus on and effect positive change. A small rural mini bus allocated to routes people need would have a significant impact.”

Adrian Johnstone
Totton North and Netley Marsh, Labour Party

“The most important issues facing my area right now are the rising cost of living, environmental concerns, and the need for more reliable infrastructure. By investing in renewables through Great British Energy, we can create local jobs, lower energy bills, and improve long-term energy security.

“At the same time, tougher oversight of water companies is essential to tackle sewage discharges and protect our rivers and green spaces, which are vital to the health and wellbeing of our community.”

Malcolm Spencer Wade
Dibden and Hythe, Liberal Democrats

“Local Government Reorganisation is the most important issue. I am against splitting the New Forest and support NFDC in looking into the legal aspects of the proposal to join a unitary with Southampton to see if there is a case for a judicial review.

“Also important, getting the Hythe Ferry service back and the impact of the parking charges in the New Forest on our local residents.”

Fran Carpenter
New Milton North, Milford, Hordle, Conservative
“The biggest issue for many residents in my division is the threat of around 4,800 new homes being built on land currently protected as Green Belt - losing swathes of valuable farmland and would fundamentally change the rural character of this beautiful part of the New Forest. I will strongly oppose this scale of development if these proposals progress.”

Peter Carroll
Dibden & Hythe, Labour Party

“Residents need transport that reduces pollution and carbon emissions while also cutting travel times. Better integration between buses, trains, cycling routes, walking paths, and reopening the Hythe Ferry would help link communities more effectively. Access to hospitals and major workplaces remains a concern, particularly for those without cars.”

Barbara Czoch
Brockenhurst, Green Party

“So, we’ve had the winter flooding, and it seems we’re already into the summer droughts: this is why it’s called the Climate Crisis. Locally, we are all too well aware that it causes horrendous flooding and devastating wildfires. The impact on our day-to-day life is enormous, and the long-term risks to the environment and our precious New Forest Heritage are catastrophic.”

Ian Mark Loveless
Lymington and Bolder, Local Conservatives

“It must be to first address the inherent flaws in the funding formula that seems to work against well run county councils - we need a just settlement from central government funding. This has to be the #1 priority.

“Other priorities will flow from this to improve community facilities - hubs for families, sports and youth in the Pennington and Buckland wards.”

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Fun election fact
(Thanks to Kirsty Elizabeth Gray, New Milton, Green Party)

What happens if there’s a tie?

If candidates receive similar or exactly the same number of votes, a recount can be requested.

Should results remain tied, it is decided by a lot - a random draw carried out by the officer in charge of counting, often by something as simple as pulling a name out of a hat or tossing a coin.

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Polling day is Thursday 7 May, with results expected on Friday. New Forest Dispatch will publish a results breakdown and what it means for the New Forest.