It has been a busy year at town council level. We continue to protect and manage valued green spaces under town council control, including Bordon Inclosure and Deadwater Valley Nature Reserve. I am very pleased with the positive results from the new drainage system at Mill Chase Recreation Ground, which is allowing more youth football to be played.

We have agreed longer-term funding arrangements with Phoenix Theatre & Arts Centre and Citizens Advice East Hampshire, on the condition that they keep an office in Whitehill & Bordon. We plan ahead.

We seek to spend our small share of the overall council tax wisely, which is why we apply for funding from other sources where we can, for example developer contributions used at Mill Chase Recreation Ground.

Sainsbury’s is finally being built. I have been advised that the main steelwork is likely to go up in early 2026, which will be the most visible part of the build and something I look forward to seeing.

I will be keeping in regular contact with the landowner, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, and its developer, Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company, as work continues. The hoarding is now down, allowing progress on the site to be seen.

In my separate East Hampshire District Council role as cabinet member for Whitehill & Bordon, I am pleased that the former fire station has been reopened for community use. I have also been instrumental in the policy decision to approve almost £4 million of funding to extend the EHDC-owned Whitehill & Bordon Leisure Centre.

This will create an indoor wet-side area with slides and activities, with work expected to begin in early 2026. Nothing like this exists in Alton, Petersfield or other nearby towns, and I am proud that Whitehill & Bordon will have a facility that is unique in the wider area.

We have a big challenge ahead. The Government has made it clear that housing allocations in East Hampshire need to increase, and this will inevitably affect Whitehill & Bordon. I understand that residents need housing, including young people, but it is unfair to build homes without the required infrastructure, particularly health services, which are a number one priority and where, frustratingly, we have no control over NHS decisions locally.

The Government plans to abolish Hampshire County Council and East Hampshire District Council in 2028, replacing them with a single unitary authority. This makes it even more important for the town council to serve residents by owning and managing local assets and being a strong, loud voice.

I was proud of the town council-hosted Armistice Day service, which again saw soldiers from REME march through the town. It is vitally important to remember the sacrifices made, and the reading of the roll of honour is always a reflective moment.

A number of us, including the town mayor, Catherine Clark, fit unpaid town council work around our other commitments, and I thank them for their time. I also thank all town councillors who have served in 2025 and all council employees, who are the backbone of what we do by implementing council policies on a day-to-day basis.

Being a councillor and working for the local community is a never-ending job, as there will always be something that needs fixing or a new project to deliver. It can be frustrating at times not to be able to resolve every issue we face as a community, but we are achieving wins along the way and, crucially, delivering results at a local level.

Best wishes for 2026.