Proposals for a New Forest flag have been put forward by a district councillor to help preserve local identity.
Cllr Jack Davies, a Liberal Democrat councillor for Pennington, has called for a New Forest flag to be created. The move has been prompted by concerns that the identity of the region could be lost amid local government reorganisation (LGR) plans.
The restructure will see the New Forest’s Waterside area merge with Southampton and Eastleigh to form one local authority, with the other parts of the region planned to join with parts of East Hampshire, Test Valley and Winchester.
Commenting on the flag proposals, Cllr Davies told the BBC that ‘councils are temporary, the New Forest is eternal’.
Cllr Davies has also suggested that the flag design should be developed through a public competition, which will be discussed alongside his proposals in a full council meeting on Monday.
He said: ‘I have always had a feeling that my New Forest identity is stronger than my Hampshire identity, and this situation with local government reorganisation has simply enhanced that.
‘With the discussions going on now about whether the council can legally challenge the merger decision, I think it is important that we protect the New Forest identity going forward.’
To learn more about LGR, check out Local Government Reorganisation: What It Means and Why It Matters.
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