Town council's £18,000 bus plan could be just the ticket to boost Lymington market
A NEW bus service to bring local shoppers to Lymington’s Saturday market is being considered by the town council.
An £18,000 sum has been added to next year’s draft budget to support the plan which comes as Hampshire County Council recently stripped £71,000 of subsidies from New Forest routes.
The idea was revealed at a meeting of the town council’s policy and resources committee on Tuesday night when chair Cllr Alan Penson cautioned that nothing had yet been decided.
He said: “This is in its early days and just a provision, but the thought is that perhaps we should provide a better service to get people to the market on Saturdays, such as from Pennington and the wider area of the town.
“The suggestion at the moment is that we leave it open as to how we achieve it. But we want to find a way to get people from Pennington to the market.
“There is a lot of work to do yet, and it is early days. It’s a progressive idea. Some people might say it’s not our remit but I guess if we do not do it, no one else will.”
The popular market, which dates back to the 1250s, is projected to add £18,000 extra income to the town council in 2019/20.
Town clerk Caroline Godfrey credited better management and more visiting coaches packed with shoppers for reducing the number of vacant pitches.
Mrs Godfrey said: “We know the market is vibrant. Our income has proved that. We have had a good summer which helped, but our budget for marketing is also providing dividends.”
Cllr Andrew Sutherland added: “The market is one of the most vibrant and varied markets I have seen.”
Pennington Cllr Jack Davies commented: “When this [bus scheme] does come about, I think the Pennington councillors, including Cllr Andrew Gossage, would like to have an input. We know the ward and the people there.”
As reported in the A&T, in October HCC reduced £1.1m of transport subsidies overall as it seeks to close a £140m gap in its finances by April next year.
It included ending Hythe ferry’s two-year deal for an annual £77,250 and rescheduling and reducing services by the H1/H2 Netley View-Applemore, T3/T4 Totton-Cadnam, Bluestar 6 Lymington-Southampton, and 112 Hythe-Lymington.
The town council’s bus funding proposal is part of spending plans for 2019/20 which, if approved by full authority, will raise its portion of the council tax by 1.98% to reach £105.48 for a Band D household.
Further spending plans include £12,000 for extra maintenance to St Thomas’s Churchyard, £11,500 for the local elections in May, and £17,000 for wage rises and a new part-time office position.
The levy is just a small slice of the overall charge of the district’s local authorities which for 2018/19 comes to £1,693.78 for an average New Forest Band D home.
