Hamble & Netley by-election on 6 March sees Lib Dems defend a stronghold against Tory and Labour candidates in a key local contest Russ Kitching (Front kneeling) campaigning in Hamble for Reform UK along with a cardboard Nigel Farage pic: supplied A by-election will take place in Hamble & Netley on Thursday following the resignation of Eastleigh MP Liz Jarvis from her borough council seat who was elected as a councillor in 2022 with 62.8% of the vote stepped down after winning the parliamentary seat for Eastleigh in July The MP told residents she would concentrate on serving them at Westminster where she is now based Hamble & Netley is represented by three borough councillors all of whom were elected as Liberal Democrats the remaining councillors for the ward are Alison Holland and Malcolm Cross Eastleigh Borough Council has confirmed the candidates standing in the by-election: There is no Green Party candidate contesting the seat Political background of Hamble & Netley Although Hamble & Netley is governed by Eastleigh Borough Council it is part of the Hamble Valley parliamentary constituency which elected Conservative Paul Holmes as MP in last July’s general election While Reform UK has gained ground nationally recent Electoral Calculus projections indicate that the Conservatives maintain a strong lead in Hamble Valley holding a margin of more than 10 percentage points over Reform UK ward-level data from the same set of projections shows that Hamble & Netley ward is expected to vote Liberal Democrat in line with its previous borough election results The ward has consistently backed the Liberal Democrats in local elections with the party securing comfortable victories in 2021 the Liberal Democrats dominate Eastleigh Borough Council with just one Conservative and three independents Prad Bains currently represents Cowplain and Hart Plain on Hampshire County Council He was originally elected as a Conservative in 2021 but resigned later that year to sit as an independent before joining the Liberal Democrats in September 2021 As a conservative, Bains previously served as a Havant borough councillor, where he became the borough’s youngest-ever mayor in 2020 before resigning from the conservatives amid claims of ‘bullying’ and a row over a christmas elf costume he set up a community response group to help vulnerable residents with shopping and medical collections he stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner he was the party’s candidate for Hamble Valley He also pledged to work with residents to oppose plans for a quarry at Hamble Airfield and finished second Marley Guthrie’s Hound Paris Council profile pic Marley Guthrie is currently a parish councillor on neighbouring Hound Parish Council and lives in Netley His partner teaches in a school in the borough He previously served as a Southampton city councillor from 2018 to 2023 and was leader of the Conservative opposition group from May to October 2022, before stepping down, saying he could not dedicate the necessary time to the role Guthrie was also previously a trustee of Eastleigh-based charity Solent Youth Action he has served as a Royal Naval Reserve Leading Hand since 2016 and currently works as a consultant at Roke a Romsey-based technology and engineering firm philosophy and economics from The Open University Russ Kitching, a business owner and landlord of The Lapstone pub in Horton Heath, previously stood as an independent candidate in the 2024 general election for Eastleigh. During his campaign, he pledged to donate half his MP salary to charity if elected but ultimately finished last he stood for UKIP in the 2014 North Westminster local election where he also finished at the bottom of the poll Kitching described Eastleigh Borough Council as bankrupt and criticised its £600 million debt pointing to the One Horton Heath development as an example of financial mismanagement He has pledged to oppose the Cemex gravel extraction application and push for stronger action against anti-social behaviour and crime Positioning himself as an anti-establishment candidate he says he wants to hold those managing public funds accountable and challenge what he sees as excessive bureaucracy within the council Rogers has previously contested local elections for Labour which has traditionally struggled in Eastleigh Borough elections Since Labour’s landslide general election result in July support for the party has declined nationally as it seeks to reframe the country’s finances Applications to register to vote must be submitted by midnight on Tuesday Polling suggests the Liberal Democrats are most likely to retain the seat as Hamble & Netley has consistently backed the party in local elections despite being part of the strongly Conservative Hamble Valley constituency the Conservatives are fielding an experienced local candidate and with no other local elections taking place this year Reform UK could attract enough protest votes to deliver a surprise result or at least one that is a lot closer than in previous years I'm the News Editor and admin for this site and a life-long Eastleigh resident. Email me at s.slominski@eastleighnews.co.uk.  Enter your email address to subscribe to Eastleigh News and receive notifications of new posts by email Southern Support & Police Training Headquarters entrance at Albert Avenue from Hound Road Approval has been granted to install a three-metre-high fence to make police headquarters more secure despite residents’ opposition According to the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) the fence is needed to improve security at the site after a report said that critical operational assets such as the HQ could be seen as a “key target to criminal and terrorist organisations” Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC) has approved the OPCC application to install a three-metre-high fence with a spiked topper to protect against climb-over attempts along the perimeter of the Southern support and police training headquarters near Netley The application also included the replacement of vehicle and pedestrian gates at the main access through Hamble Lane and secondary access at Hound Road with new controlled and monitored gates for site security purposes all objecting to or raising concerns about the proposal Hamble-le-Rice and Hound local committee meeting (March 27) said they had received several complaints in the last seven days from residents of Hound Road that couldn’t park in their drives because recently there were several hundred vehicles coming out of the gate at Hound Road Mr Guillan said: “The residents of Hound Road were completely unaware of this use The increased traffic about the changes at the gate is a lie It’s self-designated for emergency use only; however In relation to the installation of the fence he said it’s “ridiculous” and will impact wildlife and they will bash themselves crazy in those fences A fence which prevents people from coming in is fine but it doesn’t have to be a ten-foot fence It’s a ten-foot fence; you can not hide it “I think they [police] have been a welcome part of the community but they are isolating themselves by doing this,” he added said that if Hound Road would not receive more traffic The council officer said that after reviewing the concerns received by the council he analysed over 40 planning applications related to the site and the wider country park from 1980 which is when permission was granted to use Victoria House for police constabulary and found “nothing” that places any restrictions on the Hound Road He said: “Hound Road was the original access for the wider hospital site There is nothing from a planning perspective that says this access can’t be used for any purpose “But I have been assured that they have no intentions to alter how that access has been used the proposal is to improve the Hamble Lane access driveway to encourage use.” who has been working at the site for around 28 years said he has been “always very surprised” to see the site as open as it is there have been increased problems with people coming into the site to video the activity and then post it on the internet one of the main concerns is that if we are practising and training for arms tactics to how to deal with terrorism and organised crime groups the fact that we have people entering to the site with the express interest to film training and posting it online I would suggest is a significant risk to security not only to the officers but to the wider public We need to make sure that our officers are trained to be suitable to do so.” The application was granted with the support of the members did not support it due to safety concerns over the spiked topper of the fence natalia.forero@jpress.co.uk  Tags: The Liberal Democrats have retained the Hamble & Netley seat in a closely contested by-election triggered by the resignation of Eastleigh MP Liz Jarvis from Eastleigh Borough Council the result saw Reform UK make significant gains with candidate Russ Kitching finishing in second place and saw Prad Bains secure victory for the Liberal Democrats with 52.1% of the vote (1,224 votes) Hamble & Netley has long been considered a Liberal Democrat stronghold and the party previously held all three borough council seats in the ward Reform UK’s strong showing marks a shift in the borough’s political landscape and its best performance to date in Eastleigh Russ Kitching of Reform UK finished second with 23.1% (542 votes) while Conservative candidate Marley Guthrie came third with 17.9% (421 votes) Labour’s Chris Rogers finished last with 7.0% (164 votes) reflecting the party’s ongoing struggle to gain traction in Eastleigh Borough Council elections This was down from the 36.2% recorded in 2022 when Jarvis won the seat with 62.8% of the vote The decline in turnout may have contributed to the more competitive race with Reform benefiting from voter dissatisfaction with the main parties who previously stood as an independent in last year’s general election before joining Reform UK criticising the council’s finances and pledging to oppose the Cemex gravel extraction application His second-place finish suggests a growing appetite for an alternative to the traditional party dominance in the borough The result will be seen as a warning sign for both the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives ahead of future elections the significant reduction in their majority indicates a shifting political dynamic in the borough Reform UK’s strong performance suggests that the party is establishing itself as a viable challenger in Eastleigh a borough where they have previously struggled to gain traction Eastleigh Borough Council remains overwhelmingly controlled by the Liberal Democrats with growing discontent over issues such as local development and council spending Reform UK’s showing in Hamble & Netley could signal further challenges ahead for the ruling party Tags: Hampshire Police have confirmed the arrest of two individuals following a fatal stabbing incident on Station Road An 18-year-old man from Southampton and a 15-year-old boy from Netley were taken into custody on the morning of Thursday The arrests were made following a report of an injured man on Station Road at approximately 6:26 pm on Wednesday Inspector Steve Goodall of the Hedge End Neighbourhood Policing Team stated “Our teams and officers have been working tirelessly around the clock since this report was first made to us yesterday evening and we have this morning made two arrests.” Inspector Goodall expressed his understanding of the significant concern this incident has caused in the community and beyond “I hope the rapid developments in our investigation will offer you all reassurance that we are extremely determined in our investigation and are working very hard to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident,” he added The police are continuing their enquiries in the local area and carrying out reassurance patrols near the site of the incident They are appealing to anyone who was in the vicinity of Station Road Recreation Ground at the time of the incident to come forward They are particularly interested in speaking to witnesses or anyone who may have captured relevant footage on dash cams Members of the public with information are urged to contact Hampshire Police on 101 or via the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary website Information can also be provided anonymously through Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111 or by visiting their website Tags: Hampshire Police have identified the victim of Wednesday’s fatal stabbing on Station Road as 19-year-old Tawana Choruma authorities are urging Netley residents to check their bins for any items that could assist the investigation particularly focusing on the search for a discarded mobile phone led to the death of Choruma despite extensive efforts from paramedics and officers The police’s Major Crime Unit is especially interested in doorbell or dash-cam footage from the area two 18-year-old men from Southampton have been arrested on suspicion of murder with one also suspected of handling stolen property a 36-year-old woman from Southampton has been arrested and released on conditional bail for charges related to drug offenses and possessing an imitation firearm Police are encouraging anyone who was in the vicinity of Station Road Recreation Ground during the time of the incident They are seeking witnesses or anyone who may have seen or heard something suspicious at that time Residents with information are urged to contact Hampshire Police at 101 or provide details through the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary website Information can also be submitted anonymously via Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111 or their website Tags: Enter your email address to subscribe to Eastleigh News and receive notifications of new posts by email. 19-year-old Tawana Choruma was found injured on Station Road at 6.30pm on Wednesday 18 December Hampshire Police said today that his family had been told and were being supported by specialist officers It comes as residents in Netley are being urged to check their bins as part of the investigation Police are particularly keen to trace a mobile phone which may have been dumped following the attack Police said an 18-year-old man from Netley and an 18-year-old man from Eastleigh had been arrested on suspicion of murder A 36-year-old woman from Southampton was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class B and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence It follows the arrests of an 18-year-old man from Southampton on Thursday 19 December) who was previously arrested in connection with the incident has since been released from custody and no further action taken against him Police say they want to hear from any witnesses ”We would still like to hear from anyone who was in the area of Station Road Recreation Ground at the time of the incident or recall seeing or hearing anything suspicious in the area at the time please contact us and quote incident number 44240550396 Many parkrun tourist decide weeks or months ahead where they’ll go each week My decision to go to Netley Abbey today was taken late on Friday night I live in the top right hand-corner of Hampshire (Rushmoor is my local) so all the parkruns I’ve left to do in the county are on the south coast so I needed somewhere easy to get to that promised breakfast afterwards in the sunshine We arrived and found a space in the car park (a fiver for two hours or £8 for three – ouch!) and I trundled over to the start I’m normally a mid-field around 30-minute runner I’d checked the route on the website (3 laps compacted gravel paths and grass”) and had worn road shows so was a little surprised to hear talk of 5¾ laps around a field… It turns out the Big Eat Festival was using the area of Royal Victoria Country Park that both the summer and the winter courses are on normally so we drove out to Netley village and had coffee and brownies from the amazing selection (including Wispa Gold and Curly Wurly) at Wonderberry’s café apparently the most complete surviving abbey built by the Cistercian monks in southern England The ruins are free to enter and there’s a small (free) car park or you can park in the village at the Abbey Hall Recreation Ground which is also an alternative (free) car park for parkrun © parkrun Limited (Company Number: 07289574) No part of this site may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of the copyright owner If you believe you should have access to this site, you can email [email protected] or call 0300 555 1375. So that this matter can be investigated further please supply the Error details shown at the bottom of this screen Credit: Google MapsTwo people have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a man in Netley in Hampshire Police were called to a report of an injured man on Station Road at 6.26pm yesterday (Wednesday 18 December).On arrival An 18-year-old man from Southampton and a 15-year-old boy from Netley have both been arrested this morning (Thursday 19 December) on suspicion of murder They remain in police custody at this time Hedge End Neighbourhood Policing Team Inspector said: “Our teams and officers have been working tirelessly since this report was first made to us yesterday evening the investigation has progressed at a pace “I fully understand the significant concern that an incident such as this one will have caused within the wider community I hope the rapid developments in our investigation will offer you all reassurance that we are extremely determined in our investigation and are working very hard to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident.” said: “Our enquiries will continue in the local area today and officers will also be carrying out reassurance patrols in the vicinity of the incident please speak to the officers when you see them “We will be sure to keep you all updated on our investigation into this incident as much as we are able to "If you witnessed the incident itself Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know... A Hampshire pensioner has been describing how he crawled home on his hands and knees after part of his bus route was axed Royston Pressley from Netley says he relies on the number 15 service to Southampton which was re-routed by Bluestar earlier this month as he doesn't drive or have family nearby But as part of changes which the company say will improve it overall the route now misses out Ingleside and Woolston Road which for Royston meant he has no choice but to walk up the steep hill He was found on his hands and knees by a neighbour and helped home Speaking to ITV Meridian about what happened Royston said: "I used to be a pretty independent bloke you know "I ended up being swung down on the floor -and once I was down there was no getting up again." Royston Pressley was found crawling up the hill after his bus route was changed The company says it's made the changes to improve efficiency but Royston says it means dozens of pensioners like him now face climbing a very steep hill Bluestar have said having looked at customer demand they've adapted the number 15 route to improve efficiency speed up journey times and extend it to Southampton central station Bluestar general manager said: “We are continuing to operate Bluestar 15 "It now features an improved timetable “We do appreciate the inconvenience the change of route in Butlocks Heath may have on some customers "Bluestar 15 still operates locally though with existing and new bus stops being located within a short distance “For a small number of our customers there is a slightly longer walk following the omission of Ingleside and Woolston Road but we have looked very closely at this and made the decision in order to improve the overall route ”Bluestar 15 was introduced around 18-months ago when the previous operator cancelled its routes because they were not sustainable We immediately announced the launch of an extension of our network in Southampton we have been closely reviewing customer demand as well as overall performance of the route we have an excellent track record of developing our routes with a view to making them successful “Our review of Bluestar 15 led us to conclude that journey times were too slow and punctuality was not as good as we expect some key connections in the city were not available “Bluestar 15 previously operated a spur up from Hound Way almost back to where the bus already passed Grange Road we decided to omit this spur and to introduce new bus stops nearby “We strongly believe that these improvements will develop demand for the route - directly ensuring that we are able to continue operating it well into the future.” Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.. The MP (R) recently came out in support of Russell’s Stables who have been evicted from their summer grazing by Eastleigh Borough Council has resigned from her seat on Eastleigh Borough Council triggering a by-election in the Netley and Hamble ward who was elected as a councillor in May 2022 with 62% of the vote has stepped down after winning the Eastleigh parliamentary seat in July Jarvis has only attended one of three council meetings According to her parliamentary register of interests she has been donating her monthly councillor’s allowance of £695.71 to an unnamed charity She also claimed to have spent 22 hours a week on her council duties The upcoming by-election follows the redrawing of parliamentary boundaries which placed the Netley and Hamble ward in the new Hamble Valley constituency their candidate for Hamble Valley in the general election Jarvis won her council seat convincingly in 2022 and the Lib Dems will be aiming to retain control Eastleigh Borough Council has published notice of the by-election stating that nomination papers must be submitted by 4pm on Friday to the Returning Officer at Eastleigh House Applications to register to vote must be completed by midnight on Tuesday not made any statements about her resignation on social media Tags: Two 18-year-olds have been charged in connection with the murder of 19-year-old Tawana Choruma in Netley following a stabbing on the morning of December 18 They were remanded in custody and are scheduled to appear before Southampton Magistrates’ Court today a 51-year-old man from Southampton was arrested on Sunday He has since been released on conditional bail previously arrested on suspicion of murder and possessing stolen property arrested earlier for assisting an offender and other charges will face no further action for the assisting offence She remains on conditional bail for her remaining charges which include possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class B and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary has since confirmed (17/01//2025)  that Jack Hibberd who was previously charged with murder and remanded in custody was released without charge and the case against him has been “discontinued” A sex offender has been jailed after being convicted of the sexual abuse of a child in Ivybridge. Samuel Netley, 32, was sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court after pleading guilty mid-trial to four counts of sexual activity with a child, and breach of a sexual harm prevention order. Netley, who has resided at numerous addresses across Devon and Cornwall and previously been convicted of child sex offences, was sentenced to an extended jail term of 10 years and eight months, of which five years will be on an extended licence. He must also serve the sex offenders’ register for life. In addition, a restraining order was put in place to protect the victim. The court heard how in 2019, police received a call from the victim’s mother, stating that her daughter, who at the time was under the age of 16, had been abused by an older man after he befriended her on Snapchat. Netley, who lied about his age, sent inappropriate pictures to the victim and went on to meet her in woods, where he physically abused her after pressuring her. Netley’s offending and grooming of the victim was uncovered following extensive examination of mobile phones. Investigating officer DC Simon Cooper said: “We feel so proud of the victim in this case, a victim Samuel Netley targeted because she was a vulnerable child. “It took tremendous courage for her to come forward and report these offences and to help us find a predator hidden behind lies and mobile phones. “The sentence delivered shows how seriously we deal with sexual offences against children, and I am certain that the lives of many young girls have been protected for years to come. “I hope with this positive outcome, more victims of crime will feel able to come forward and work with the police, together we can ensure dangerous offenders like Netley are brought to justice.” Victims of sexual abuse can visit victimcare-dc.org for support, or call Victim Support on 0808 1689 111 or Devon and Cornwall Police’s Victim Care Unit on 01392 475900. Comments Tel: 01548 853101[email protected]Follow us Further Links Owned or licensed to Tindle Newspapers Ltd | Independent Family-Owned Newspapers | Copyright & Trade Mark Notice & 2013 - 2025