OPPONENTS of National Park status have been accused of not representing their parishes' views.

Marchwood Parish Council representative Alan Shotter and Denny Lodge Parish Council chairman Ralph Hayward both criticised delegates of the government's Country-side Agency after a meeting of the New Forest Consultative Panel last week.

As previously reported in the Daily Echo, Mr Shotter expressed his concern that agency officers who spoke to the panel were unable to answer questions on the need for and potential cost of a National Park.

Mr Hayward, who walked out of the meeting, also complained of a lack of understanding of the Forest as an area.

But New Forest East Labour Party chairman Peter Sopowski and secretary Alan Goodfellow have asked whether the two men are representing the views of their parishes.

Mr Sopowski is Ashurst and Colbury's delegate to the panel and Mr Goodfellow is a member of Marchwood Parish Council.

In a joint statement from their constituency Labour Party, they said: "We know that Marchwood Parish Council has yet to debate its position towards the recently announced National Park, but councillor Shotter has declared opposition to it. And we cannot believe that Ralph Hayward is 'representing' Denny Lodge Parish Council by walking out and refusing to listen.

"We fear that some representatives are weakening the credibility of the panel with the Countryside Agency and the government. No one should be surprised if the panel is side-lined in forthcoming consultations because of the actions of a few who push their personal or political agendas with no reference to the groups they represent."

But Mr Hayward insisted: "Denny Lodge has discussed this issue three years running and has come out against it each time - and I would rather listen to people from Denny Lodge who know what they're talking about than I would to the people from outside who are telling us what to do."

And Mr Shotter, a Conservative who is Marchwood Parish Council's planning chairman, said: "During 35 years in local government, this is not the first time I have been attacked by another party.

"But I don't take orders from the Labour Party on what I say and at Marchwood Parish Council I will be endeavouring to persuade members to go along the path I have suggested."

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