Gosport Conservatives

03/11/2026

The inquiry will be held on Tuesday 17 November 2026.

Interested parties may attend the Inquiry and, at the Inspector’s discretion, express their views. If you have not done so already, you should register to speak before midday Friday 13 November 2026 by contacting the Planning Inspectorate at: [email protected] or if you are unable to email, please call us at 0303 444 5000.

02/11/2026

📢 GRANTS OF UP TO £5,000 FOR GOSPORT BUSINESSES!

Good news for eligible small businesses in Gosport!

The Solent Freeport Business Growth & Skills Grant offers funding of £500 to £5,000to help businesses invest in staff training, develop new skills and improve productivity.

Funding can support areas including:
🔹 Digital skills, AI and new technologies
🔹 Engineering and technical training
🔹 Leadership and management
🔹 Project management and specialist skills
🔹 Innovation and business growth

Businesses must generally have fewer than 50 employees, have been trading for at least 12 months and operate in an eligible sector, including maritime, defence, advanced manufacturing, aerospace or digital technologies.

This is a great opportunity for eligible Gosport businesses to invest in their people and build for the future.

👉 Find out more and check eligibility:
[https://solentfreeport.com/business-growth-skills-grant/](https://solentfreeport.com/business-growth-skills-grant/)

Please share with local businesses who might benefit!

The Solent Freeport Business Growth Skills Grant is designed to help ambitious small businesses overcome skills barriers and seize new growth opportunities.

02/11/2026

“Employers aren’t working people, they are companies.” Really?

Has Labour forgotten the thousands of small business owners who work long hours, take financial risks and often put their own wages last to keep their businesses going?

Gosport's independent pubs, shops, cafés, tradespeople and family businesses create jobs, support families and keep our local economy moving.

But rising National Insurance costs, increasing wages and higher operating costs are putting businesses under enormous pressure. These are not costs that simply disappear – they have to be absorbed, passed on or result in fewer jobs and reduced investment.

Employers and employees are both working people. We need businesses to succeed if we want jobs, growth and thriving high streets.

It's time the Government recognised that.

31/10/2026

Team work. Cllr Zoe Huggins BEM & Councillor Stevyn Ricketts attended important local community and employer sites this week along our MP Caroline Dinenage MP

31/10/2026

Fantastic turnout in Hardway this morning! 🌳

Out knocking doors and saying hello to residents. Thank you to everyone who came out to help, and to everyone who stopped for a chat.

We'll be out every day until the by-election on 3 December. Got a problem? Get in touch and we'll do our best to help.

30/10/2026

30/10/2026

Remembrance means a great deal to Gosport.

Ours is a town with a proud military history, deep connections to the Armed Forces and a community that understands the importance of remembering those who have served and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

A poppy is a symbol of remembrance, respect and gratitude. It is about remembering the fallen and honouring the sacrifices made by generations before us and those that serve our country. It should not be treated as a political statement.

We recognise that local pubs and businesses faced difficult decisions in managing the circumstances surrounding Sunday's demonstrations. Those responsible for licensed premises have important responsibilities, and decisions about security and public safety are not always straightforward.

The management of the situation on Sunday was ill- judged, however, the arrangements and instructions in this instance should have been better considered and prepared. Businesses need to be able to manage difficult situations without inadvertently creating other difficult situations through the way those arrangements are implemented.

However no individual or individual member of staff should be subject to personal abuse. Accountability should sit with the decisions and arrangements made, rather than becoming a personal campaign against an employee. Wetherspoons have made a statement confirming those wearing poppies are not banned from entering.

We as a Conservative group have also written to the Star.

Above all, we should not lose sight of what matters. We owe it to our veterans, our serving personnel and those who never came home to ensure that remembrance remains at the heart of our community and unite us.

Gosport will always remember.

30/10/2026

29/10/2026

👉 The Home Office has confirmed that it does not intend to establish Portsmouth as a routine or designated location for small-boat disembarkations and that revised contingency arrangements have been introduced.
However!

We would have expected the Government to do its homework before responding. Gosport has its own distinct location, geography and operational constraints, and these cannot simply be overlooked by referring to Portsmouth. This response demonstrates a worrying lack of understanding of Gosport and is completely disrespectful to our town and its residents.

Frustration is growing after the Government failed to clarify whether a former military site could still be used for future small-boat operations.

Gosport Borough Council said the Home Office has not specifically clarified its position on Gosport or Fort Blockhouse, despite assurances about Portsmouth.

The Home Office has confirmed it does not intend to establish Portsmouth as a routine or designated location for small-boat disembarkations following disruption at Eastney.

But the council said this response does not provide the same clarity over whether Gosport or Fort Blockhouse remains under consideration.

Council leader Cllr Zoe Huggins BEM has described the response as “disappointing” and has written again to the Minister for Border Security and Asylum.

She said: “We have asked the Government to provide clear answers about whether Gosport or Fort Blockhouse remains under consideration, how potential sites are assessed, and how local authorities and emergency services will be kept informed.

“The response was disappointing, as it appears that in the Minister’s statement, she only refers to Portsmouth.

“I believe this shows a lack of understanding of where Gosport is located and its constraints.”

The row follows concerns about small-boat arrivals in the area in recent weeks.

Migrants were brought ashore at Fort Blockhouse on October 4, while a separate operation took place on September 22.

The issue has prompted protests and concern among residents, while councillors have also pushed the Government for greater clarity over its plans.

Dame Caroline Dinenage, MP for Gosport, said the borough must be ruled out as a landing site “today”.

She said: “The Government’s actions to date have done little more than send a signal to the people smuggling gangs that this is a viable new route.

“Communication by Home Office with local stakeholders to date has been nothing short of appalling. I hope they put this right.

“I will continue to campaign for Gosport’s views to be heard and this area to be discounted from future small boat plans.”

Earlier this month, councillors unanimously backed a motion calling for answers from the Government over the borough’s potential future use for small-boat operations.

Speaking at the time, Cllr Huggins said: “I’ve always been clear that this is about facts and evidence of why Gosport is not a safe and suitable site for illegal migrant landings and dockings.

“This is because of our infrastructure. It is not safe or suitable for anyone.”

Fort Blockhouse, on the western side of Gosport, was formerly used by the military and sits close to Portsmouth Harbour.

The council is now awaiting further clarification from the Government over what, if any, role the site could have in the future.

✍Original copy by Maya George, Local Democracy Reporter

29/10/2026

More jobs, better transport and affordable homes are at the heart of ambitions to strengthen the economy in Gosport over the next few years.

Gosport Borough Council leader Cllr Zoe Huggins BEM said increasing employment opportunities is one of the changes she wants to see as the authority puts its new corporate plan into action.

She said Gosport has one of the lowest levels of job opportunities in Hampshire and believes better connections will be crucial to attracting and keeping employers.

Cllr Huggins said: “It is really important to understand that Gosport is made up of quite a lot of small to medium enterprises, so we have to think: how do we support them, and how do we support the larger employers?”

She said improving transport would be key to strengthening the economy and making it easier for businesses to establish themselves and stay in the borough.

Cllr Huggins added: “We don’t have that infrastructure here in Gosport, so we need to look at how to improve our walking and cycling, our rapid bus transport, and our road structures.”

She said the council also needed to consider water transport, including the possibility of a water taxi and working with the existing ferry service to provide alternative forms of travel.

Affordable housing would also have a role to play in ensuring businesses can find and keep workers in the area.

Cllr Huggins added: “We need to have good and affordable houses and good transport to make sure we have a workforce and businesses that want to start and stay here.

“We need to talk about how we connect and move people.”

The ambitions form part of the council’s new corporate strategy, which is intended to make Gosport a place where people and businesses want to live, work and invest.

The six priorities include growing the economy, regenerating the town centre and waterfront, improving council services, protecting the environment and heritage, and supporting healthier communities.

The strategy also includes improving connections between neighbourhoods and opportunities through walking, cycling and public transport.

✍Original copy by Maya George, Local Democracy Reporter