By Lorelei Reddin

Bournemouth Echo - 3 September 2026

Andy Burnham was tackled in his first appearance as Parliament resumed after the summer by New Forest East MP Sir Julian Lewis who is urging the Government to 'think again' on plans to split the New Forest, Test Valley and others in a shake up of local councils. Mr Burnham promised to 'take on the challenge' after hearing Sir Julian's thoughts on the 'outrageous proposition' of local government reorganisation in the House of Commons on Tuesday (September 1).

Sir Julian said there was 'total outrage' in the area over the plans, which have seen 30,000 people sign opposition petitions. He told the House:

"I welcome what the Prime Minister said about wishing to work consensually and across party lines. In that spirit, will he look again at the shameless gerrymandering around the Local Government Reorganisation?

"At the beginning of the process, the honourable member for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton Jim McMahon promised us that there would be no unnecessary fragmentation or boundary changes without strong reason for them, yet my constituency is being torn apart, with the Waterside, which has looked towards the New Forest for centuries, being taken over by Southampton.

"The same is happening elsewhere. That was not in his party's manifesto. It is a good opportunity for the Prime Minister to show that he means what he says about consensus."

In response, Andy Burnham promised to take another look at the plans. He became Prime Minister in July, sometime after the local government reorganisation was announced. Mr Burnham said:

"I will take on that challenge and ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to consider what the right honourable gentleman has said this afternoon. These changes do benefit from having the maximum consensus."

Thousands of New Forest and Test Valley residents are fighting against plans to carve up the district under major local government reforms. Campaigners have warned that the shake-up will fracture communities and strip residents of their identity. A lifelong New Forest resident who launched a thousands strong petition said that pairing Southampton and the Waterside is like pairing “chalk and cheese”. From April 2028, those living in the Waterside area of the district will come under the new South West Hampshire council, alongside Southampton and Eastleigh. The changes have come under fire by politicians and residents of the New Forest alike.