The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of two former districts and most of a third, which were all abolished at the same time:[1]
The new district was named New Forest after the forest which covers much of the area.[3]
New Forest is one of most populous districts in England not to be a unitary authority; at the 2021 census only four non-unitary districts had more people. The Banham Commission had recommended that New Forest should become a unitary authority in 1995, but this was rejected by the government.[4]
In the parts of the district within the New Forest National Park, town planning is the responsibility of the New Forest National Park Authority. The district council appoints four of its councillors to serve on the 22-person National Park Authority.[8]
Political control
The council has been under Conservative majority control since 1999.
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially acting as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control since 1974 has been as follows:[9][10]
Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 26 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[14]
The council is based at Appletree Court on Beaulieu Road in Lyndhurst. The oldest part of the building was originally a large house, which was purchased in 1954 to become the offices of the New Forest Rural District Council. The building has been substantially extended since becoming council offices.[16][17]
Towns and parishes
The whole district is covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Fordingbridge, Lymington and Pennington, New Milton, Ringwood, and Totton and Eling have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". Whilst Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst are both post towns they have parish councils rather than town councils. The parishes are:[18][15]
^"Will new R.D.C. offices cost £50,000?". New Milton Advertiser. 2 October 1954. p. 6. Retrieved 21 July 2022. The R.D.C. bought Appletree Court during the early part of this year for offices and a Council chamber, at a cost of £12,000.
^"Information offices". New Forest District Council. Retrieved 21 July 2022. Lyndhurst (main office): Appletree Court, Beaulieu Road, Lyndhurst, SO43 7PA
