Anti Skid Surfacing laid in Raymond Road

Just noticed on my way home from work that the Council has put down the anti skid surfacing on the bend in Raymond Road. It looks pretty good and its just in time for the snow!

Government plans to reinvigorate local democracy are a sham

The front page of today's Guardian carries a story about Government plans to reinvigorate local government. http://politics.guardian.co.uk/localgovernment/story/0,9061,1674724,00.html

Reading between the lines and drawing on experience of this Government's attitude towards local councils, I am deeply sceptical of their motives.

David Miliband MP, the communities and local government minister talks about devolving power and giving more power to local people and neighbourhoods.

He talks of empowering "people through a national neighbourhoods framework, local neighbourhood charters, a rules of the road for local behaviour, and a range of options for neighbourhood action". I am not really sure what this means but I suspect it means more quangos, more pointless partnerships, more bureaucracy, more sidelining of locally elected politicians and more confusion amongst the electorate about who is in fact responsible for the delivery of local services.

What is needed is devolution of power from Westminster to local councils and less targets and less ring fenced funding. Also the Government needs to address the funding of local councils. Currently 3 quarters of funding comes from Government and only 1 quarter is raised locally. This balance needs reversing. This way local politicians can truly be accountable for local services and it will be seen as worthwhile for the majority of people to bother to vote.

Unfortunately I think what lies behind the Governments proposals is an agenda to further weaken and sideline local government. The Government aim is to break up the County Councils (most of which are Tory controlled). Hampshire and Kent (two excellent Conservative controlled Shires) are surely to be the first to be attacked.

I can't imagine that this Government that has gone more to micro manage from Whitehall every aspect of life in this country, that has done all it can to weaken the democratic role of Parliament, that has politicised the civil service and done all it can to castrate local democracy, is now having a change of heart.

New Eco-loo a waste of money

The Daily Echo carried an article on 28th December about the new £300,000 eco-loo that the Council has built on Weston Shore. It strikes me that £300,000 is rather a lot of money to spend on a toilet, however nice it might be. It does seem odd given all the other areas that need investment in the City, for example the poor state of some of our Council housing or the terrible state of our roads and pavements. I wonder if our Council has its priorities right.

Civil Service Sports Ground Update

I thought i'd post an update on this as i've received a few questions by email.

The land has been bought by Bovis who are a property developer. They will want to build houses/flats on the land.

The Council's position is that the land is 100% green space and should remain so. The Council has produced a document called the open space audit and it's local planning plan is due for publication in the next few weeks. These documents clearly set out the Council's planning position.

Various discussions are being had about the land by the local residents association, the City Council and St Marks school.

The Council has set aside £110,000 in its stratgic reserves to spend on the land. The Conservative budget proposals will include this money next year and I would be very suprised if it doesn't stay in next year's budget.

Residents Parking

Southampton Conservatives want to see more residents parking schemes around the City where they are requested by residents. Areas where there are particular problems are round the hospitals, ordanance survey, univeristy etc.

In Freemantle ward I am continuing to push for a scheme for Cawte Road and will be raising the matter again with the Council at a meeting on Monday. I am also looking at a number of other roads where people have contacted me about schemes being introduced.

Parking is a huge problem in Freemantle Ward and all 3 of your Councillors are really pushing for measures to improve things.

Various Updates...

I haven't had a chance to update the blog with anything meaningful for a while. Here are few things i've been up to:

2nd December - went to a dinner at the football club to celebrate the contributions that fosters carers make. Really interesting evening. Had a chance to talk to a few couples about their experiences.

5th December - Freemantle Community Centre AGM. This was the first time I have been to their AGM. Everyone there is really nice and very dedicated. The local community warden came along and talked about the work he was doing to improve they area. There was also an update from the Council about Social Service's plans to build onto the centre. I'll do a posting on this soon. It's rather complicated.

12th December - Resources Scrutiny Panel Meeting. We looked at various financial matters including plans for the Council to work in partnership with private sector firms to deliver improved customer services.

w/c 12th and w/c 19th - Budget meetings. The Council will set its annual budget in February next year. I have been working on the Conservative Group budget which we will present in February. This will include where we will spend money. Our priorities are improved social services, education, waste collection and recycling, and reducing crime. Our budget will include a variety of proposals to improve these things.

14th December (tonight) - Southampton Test constituency Christmas dinner. This is being held at the municpal golf club and should be excellent fun.

Free Bus Passes

Next year the Council will be introducing free bus passes for pensioners. This follows the Government's announcement at the last budget. Conservatives nationally backed the proposal at the General Election. Locally we have been calling for free bus passes in Southampton for years and are delighted it's now going to happen.

Conservatives had the free bus pass when we last ran the Council (which was back in the early 1980s). Since then the concessionary fares have been slowly eaten away.

Extra Government money will mean their reintroduction. On the face of it the extra funding the City Council receives may be enough, however it will all depend on what the take up is by bus users as to whether it impacts the Council Tax payer.

Spectator Blog

The Spectator has just launched a new blog which is worth a look:

http://www.spectator.co.uk/blog/

Primary School Results Announced

Tories Should Leave the EPP

David Cameron is right to say that the Conservative Party MEPs should leave the European Peoples Party grouping in the European Parliament. The EPP is a centralist, federalist grouping of European political parties which support the European Constitution. A Conservative party believing in a Europe of nation states controlling our own destiny and taking back powers to Westminister can't remain associated with a group like the EPP.

The Future is Cameron

I've cast my vote for David Cameron in the leadership election for the new leader of the Conservative Party.

I have really enjoyed the leadership campaign, from the beauty parade at conference through to the last few days. It has been like a political version of Big Brother. The involvement of all the members has meant that it has been a public debate and we've had a chance to get to know all the candidates.

Cameron has got better by the day. He was excellent at the SE Hustings in Frimley last week and came across really well on radio 4 the other day. He is talking about the sorts of issues that concern people, especially younger people who can't stand Blair and are looking for an in touch and effective opposition. He has talked a lot about the environment and climate change and also action on poverty in the third world.

I think he is going to make an excellent leader and the next few years are going to be really exciting.

I hope he uses all the talents on the Conservative benches when forming a Shadow Cabinet. It would fatastic to have William Hague back and hopefully Clarke will agree to serve in a senior role.

Keeping warm this Christmas

The Echo are running a campaign on keeping warm over the winter period.

This winter is expected to be one of the coldest since 1987.

Anyone worried about their winter fuel bill is urged to call the Keep Warm Keep Well helpline on 0800 085 7000 for information and advice about benefits and energy efficiency grants.

Age Concern Hampshire also runs a free helpline on 0800 328 7154.


http://www.thisissouthampton.co.uk/hampshire/southampton/campaigns/freeze.html

Conservativehome.com

This is an excellent political blog:

www.conservativehome.com

Conference Pics on Conservatives Website

Pictures from Conservative Party conference at Blackpool are finally on the Southampton Conservatives website.

http://www.southamptonconservatives.com

Its only taken six weeks and most of them seem to be at the pleasure beach.

Full Council Meeting

Yesterday the Council held is bi-monthly full Council meeting.

Parking Problems

A lengthy debate took place on parking in the City following a deputation from residents of Ocean Village.

The broad view amongst Councillors of all parties was that John Prescott's restrictive planning rules were causing huge parking problems in City. The Government sets maximum limits on numbers of car parking spaces that can be provided for new developments. The Council's local planning plan then gold plates these rules by restricting the numbers of places even further where developments are close to the City centre or on major bus routes.

This is why developments such as the new flats in Shirley Road provide about 10 spaces for fifty or sixty flats.

The objective is to try to drive people out of their cars. The reality however is that people will not give up their cars and park on the roads. It is now a major battle in parts of the City to park outside your own house.

Over the next 20 years over 16,000 new properties are planned to be built in the City and the problem will get worse and worse.

The Council has decided to have a enquiry (an enquiry was held last year, 50 people turned up and none of the actions have been taken up by the Administration!) This enquiry will I hope have more success. I made the point that Council needs to review it's planning plan to ensure that we require the maximum numbers of spaces for new developments.


Safety in the City Parks

I asked that the Council do more to improve safety in the City Centre parks. Lighting is terrible in the parks and needs improving. We could also install CCTV and have security patrols.

Unfortuately the Administration wouldn't agree to these things on grounds of cost. My own view from researching the costs is that big improvements could be made for relatively small sums of money.

We should be doing everything we can to keep people safe at night and I will come back to the matter when the Council sets its budget for next year.

Anti Skid Surfacing in Raymond Road

Anti skid surfacing will be put in along Raymond Road before the end of the year. The plan is to do it as soon after 21st November as possible, weather conditions permitting.

Freemantle Community Centre AGM cancelled

I only just discovered that this has been rescheduled (15 mins before it started). The new date is 5th December, at 7:30, at Freemantle Community Centre, Randolph Street. Apologies if anyone has been inconveienced. Cllr Brian Parnell has agreed to Chair the meeting.

Christmas is coming

As mentioned in a previous post the Council has approved £50,000 for Christmas Lights.
This year's display will be much better with the new pedestrian area on the upper High Street included in the Christmas Lighting Scheme.
Also The Southampton Youth Brass band will be playing carols at the Bargate on Thursday evenings, and the Saint Radio Station will put together a weekend of festive entertainment, featuring live bands in December.

Freemantle Community Centre AGM

The Freemantle Community Centre in Randoph Street is having its AGM at 7pm tomorrow (7th November). Brian Parnell and I will be going along.

More information is on the Council website:

http://www.southampton.gov.uk/community/community-services/community-centres/freemantle-community-centre.asp

Flooding in Archers Road

There was serious flooding at the junction of Archers Road and Silverdale Road today, causing traffic chaos. Evetually the stretch of road was closed off and a vehicle was brought down from Poole to pump out the water. Although it is all sorted now, many drivers and residents were seriously inconvenienced and some stuck in rush hour traffic for an hour.

The problem is largely caused by the dip in the road at the junction.

I have written to the Council to see if there is anything that can be done about it, as this stretch of road is regularly prone to flooding problems.

Money from the flat developments on old Dell site is being used to resurface Howard Road and the Hill Lane end of Archers Road. I wonder if the Council could flatten road or widen the drains as part of this work.

I have also asked the Council to be more vigilant in clearing the leaves in the area. The area is covered with fallen leaves which no doubt block the drains to some extent and make any flooding worse.

The Council also needs to respond to situations like this much quicker. Local police were on the scene to direct traffic but the Council wasn't able to act for many hours.

Action needed to stop city centre attacks

Southampton has a vibrant city centre nightlife enjoyed by local people. In addition it has two very popular universities, attracting thousands of young people to the city every year, many of whom will be living away from home for the first time.The city has a duty to ensure that people are safe at night. Reports of attacks in city centre parks require immediate action from the police and the city council. Better lighting in the parks, cctv and the need for a bigger uniformed presence (police or city patrol or both); these are things being talked about but what is needed is urgent action.

Farmers' market comes to Southampton

Hampshire Farmers’ Market will hold the first farmers’ market in Southampton on Saturday (15 October) from 10am until 2pm in Western Esplanade outside the West Quay shopping centre.

The Mayor of Southampton, Edwina Cooke, will be there to open the market.

All the produce at the market comes from Hampshire or within ten miles of the border. The range of produce on offer will include free-range meat and eggs, oven ready game, preserves and relishes, sauces and soups, a huge variety of cheeses, fresh and smoked fish, wines and ales, cider, fruit juice, freshly baked bread and cakes, seasonal fruit, vegetables and salads, lavender products, Hampshire honey, fudge, plants, and a variety of organic produce.

The next Hampshire Farmers’ Market in Southampton will take place on Saturday 17 December 2005.

Bureaucracy gone mad

The panel planning and rights of way panel at the City Council agreed last week to enforce the removal of the ramp outside the local shop in Park Road. The Council has given 6 months for it's removal. The Conservative on the panel spoke and voted against but the decision was reached my majority.

Bureaucracy gone mad.

Conservative Party Conference

I have recently got back from Party Conference in Blackpool. A big team of us from Southampton went up there and had a fantastic time.

We spent a day at Blackpool pleasure beach which was excellent. It has some excellent roller coasters if you like that sort of thing.

The atmosphere at the Conference was really positive and everyone felt that it was the best conference for years.

The backdrop of a leadership campaign for leader of the party made it very interesting as the party members will end up voting on the final two candidates in the next month or so.

All the leadership candidates were good and talked about working together whoever the eventual winner ends up being.

William Hague was brilliant. Michael Howard's final conference speech was very passionate and moving.

It really felt like the party was at a crucial turning point.

I managed to attend an interesting debates on the pensions crisis, the idea of a flat tax and on localism (devolving powers from the centre to local areas).

Went to an fun quiz night (MPs vs. journalists) with Boris Johnson. Saw Derek from big Brother.

I will put some photos on our local party website went I get a chance. www.southamptonconservatives.com

Park Road

I was very angry to discover that the Council are proceeding to try and get an enforcement notice against the owner of the local shop in Park Road, trying to get him to remove his ramp. It is a slap in the face for a local businessman and the community.

This was the subject of a planning application back in January. I spoke in favour of the shop's planning application but the Planning panel rejected it. I should say some of the panel. Cllr Alec Samuels quite properly supported the application.

The ramp provides access to the shop for parents with pushchairs. It is impossible to reduce the gradient of the ramp as there is insufficient space at the front of the shop. Reducing the gradient would take the ramp into the road. Removing the ramp will worsen access to the shop. The ramp is used and appreciated by the local community who signed a petition in support of the planning application back in January.

I have formally objected to the enforcement notice as has Brian Parnell.

I hope the planning panel have the sense to throw this out.

The matter will be considered at the Civic Centre on Tuesday 4th October.

Conservatives push up City Recycling

At yesterday's Environment and Transport Scrutiny Panel meeting latest recycling figures and projected future recycling figures were reported on.

Last year the Council's Liberal Democract Administration suspended the roll out of the recycling bin in the City. This mean that Freemantle didn't receive its blue lidded bins until July this year.

Suspending the programme seriously put at risk Southampton achieving its recylcing targets.

However by adopting Conservative proposals back in February to collect green waste from homes for free, we are now back on track to reach these targets.

60,000 sacks were delivered to householders and collections began on 4th July. Current tonnages being collected average 100 a week whereas as under the previous chargeable scheme 30 tonnes a week was achieved.

The Council must reach a target of 26.4% (recycling and composting) by 2006. We are now on track to achieve 26.5%. If we make the target the Council is given a Reward Grant of £400k which we might want to spend on introducing doorstep glass collection. This will help us recycle even more.

Christmas Lights

I was really pleased to hear that the Council is now planning to have a proper Christmas lights display this year. The last few years have been disappointing despite the best efforts of local traders to do their bit.

I proposed back in February that the Council should do something with the Christmas lights and the Conservative opposition budget had an allocation of £30,000.

The Council is going to spent £50,000 on lights and that should enure that we outshine neighbouring Portsmouth. I am sure that the extra shoppers brought in will more than make up the cost and it will give us something to be proud of.

Tories win Bitterne Park By Election

There was a by election in Southampton in Bitterne Park Ward on Thursday (15th September).

The results were as follows:

Conservative 984

Labour 791
Lib Dem 785
Green 89
Turnout 25.8%

Conservative Clifford Coombes

This gives the Conservatives 16 Councillors, 1 behind the ruling Lib Dems and pushes Labour into 3rd place on the Council.

This a excellent result for Bitterne Park and for the Conservatives. It shows we have a real chance of being the largest party on the Council after the May elections year. Conservatives have been out of power in Southampton since 1984 and the opportunities to improve things in the City are huge.

Raymond Road Update

The Council are currently in the process of determining which traffic schemes will be put in in 2006/7 and are considering the inclusion of a traffic signal scheme at Hill Lane / Raymond Road, with the primary objective of providing better crossing facilties for pedestrians and cyclists.

My own view is that a crossing is welcome but traffic lights are not. No doubt if the Council decides that it wants to look at this scheme for next year then a set of plans will be drawn up and circulated. Please get in touch if you have views on this.

Surgery on 22nd September

Freemantle's councillors, Michael Ball, Brian Parnell and I will be holding a ward surgery on 22nd of September at the Elim Christian Centre in Park Road from 7pm to 8:30pm.

If you have any issues that you would like to discuss in person please come along.

The sorts of issues that we have helped residents with in the past are; planning applications, parking issues, waste collection/recycling, council house issues, housing benefit or council tax benefit and anti social behaviour.

Alternatively please get in touch with us by post, email or telephone:

Cllr Michael Ball
Address: c/o The Members Room, Civic Centre, Southampton, SO14 YLY
Telephone: (023) 8027 1788
Email: councilor.m.ball@southampton.gov.uk

Cllr Brian Parnell
Address: c/o The Members Room, Civic Centre, Southampton, SO14 YLY
Telephone: (023) 8079 0094
Email: councilor.b.parnell@southampton.gov.uk

Cllr Jeremy Moulton
Address: c/o The Members Room, Civic Centre, Southampton, SO14 YLY
Telephone: (023) 8032 4683
Email: councilor.j.moulton@southampton.gov.uk

Shirley Road Safety Measures - Update

In March 2005 the Council delivered 120 letters to local residents and shops in the area and 10 street notices were also put up at the same time.
There were 15 responses by the close of the consultation period, of which, 60% were in agreement to the proposals, 33% disagreed.

Having considered these responses, the Council has decided not to proceed with the proposed pedestrian refuge by the Co-Op but will push forward with the other one adjacent to property numbers 97 and 102 Shirley Road.

In addition, they will also be constructing 7 build-outs on the west-side of Shirley Road. Anti skid surfacing will also be put on Shirley Road.

It is anticipated that these proposals will be implemented in the early part of 2006.

Please let me know if you want me to email you a pdf of the plans.

VJ Celebrations

I went to Sunday's VJ Day celebrations at the Civic Centre forecourt.

The Burma Star Association and the Normandy Veterans were presented with the Freedom of the City.

I thought the choice of hymns was great and the Mayor, Edwina Cooke spoke excellently.

Poltical Party responses to Civil Service Ground questions

Below are the responses from Labour and Liberal Democrats on their party policies towards the Civil Service Sports Ground.

Liberal Democrat (Cllr Adrian Vinson)

I can assure you that our group has no policy to change the local plan allocation for this land from open space. However as you know the land as been acquired by a developer who (presumably) hopes to be able to get permission at some point to develop at least part of the land (perhaps - and I am only guessing here - offering to trade some form of conveyance of part either to the Council or the school as accessible public space in return for development rigts on the rest). The point Cllr Russell was I think making is that we may need at some stage to consider whether we (the Council) are prepared to negotiate with the land owner if we wish to ensure that 'open space' is available for use by the school as I believe it has been in the past, but on a 'grace and favour' basis. You will recall we had a less than satisfactory attitude to access to this land on the part of the CSSA. What I believe we have at present is open space but not space with rights of public access and use.

Labour (Cllr June Bridle)

There should be absolutely no doubt whatsoever that the Labour group want to see the space retained as open and not developed for housing or anything else. There is little enough green space in the area and to lose this would only make matters worse.

I think what Matt had got into is mind was, should there be any doubt in the revised Local Plan about the WHOLE site, then any housing that should arise from say an appeal on a planning application to the Planning Inspectorate, must be affordable. But please be in no doubt about our view - it should remain as open space for use by local residents, schools etc. and we will do all in our power to fight any plans that may come forward to attempt to alter its current status. After all is said and done that is why we insisted the funding for a possible purchase had to be included in last year's budget reserve.

Future of Council Housing Stock

The Council has decided that its Council houses should continue to be managed in house by the Council. Other options included an Arms Length Management Company (ALMO), Stock Transfer to a Housing Association and a Private Finance Initiatives (a mixture of the 4 options).

A review had been insisted upon by the Government and it was a very important decision for the Council to make.

Tenants quite rightly have an expectation that their houses should be of decent standards. The Government has set us a minimum standard which we must meet and the Council has decided that it wants to go further and meet the full expectations of tenants.

Unfortunately in order to achieve this huge investment is needed.

Government policy is putting up rents year on year but it is not providing adequate funding to match. Tenants understandably fear that moving away from Council management will increase their rents further still.

The two options that really stood out were stock retention and transfer to a Housing Association.
Tenants and leaseholders were consulted widely with over 5,000 responding. 97% wanted to stay with the Council.

It would be quite wrong to go against such a clear signal from Council tenants.

However the decision to retain the stock will mean serious financial challenges for the Council over the years to come. The capital shortfall by 2035 will be close to a quarter of a billion pounds if we are to continue to invest money in order to meet tenant expectations. The current administration has no answer as to where this money is going to come from.

Plans for the former Civil Service Ground

The following question was asked by Cllr Matt Stevens (Labour) of the Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Russell (Lib Dem) at the Full Council meeting on Wednesday:

Question:- The Civil Service Sports Ground in Freemantle has now been sold to a developer can he tell us who and how much affordable housing the Council will be pushing for on the site?

This was the written answer:

The Civil Service Sports Ground was recently purchased by Bovis Homes.

The site is allocated in the Local Plan Review as protected open space. Development would only be permitted in exceptional circumstances which are defined in the Local Plan Review policy for the Protection of Open Spaces (CLT3). The recent city wide open space audit, to be published shortly, will provide an objective assessment of the adequacy of open space in this location. Provision would need to be made to replace any open space lost with new space of equal benefit (or better) to the community. Loss of playing pitches will be strongly resisted and relocation of pitches to the fringes of the city will not be acceptable.

As a general principle for potential levels of affordable housing, the Local Plan policy states ‘On housing sites where 15 or more dwellings are proposed or which exceed 0.5 hectares in size (irrespective of the number of dwellings), the City Council will seek, through negotiation, up to 25% of affordable housing’.

I was slightly concerned by the question as I thought there was a definite political consensus not to allow housing on the site (affordable or otherwise). I was even more worried by the supplementary questions and answers.

I will be writing to the Labour Party and the Lib Dems seeking their assurances that they will continue to support the Council's local plan which designates the land as 100% open space.

Raymond Road

I have asked Council officers for an update on the planned traffic lights at the junction of Raymond Rd and Hill Lane. I have expressed concern about this in the past as I think it may increase traffic doing the rat run down Greville Road and other roads. I will post an update when I hear back.

Bristish Amercian Tobacco

Had brief meeting with BAT last week to discuss the closure of their manufacturing unit. We are obviously very concerned to learn about the loss of jobs at the site (and the subsquent knock on effect to the supply chain) however it was reassuring to hear about their plans to continue research in Southampton.

Apologies for lack of posts

I am sorry that I haven't had the chance to update the blog for a while. This isn't through lack of things going on in the ward!

Parking in Cawte Road

Council officers have now responded to concerns that I raised about parking in Cawte Road.

Below is an extract of letters sent to residents who have written to me or the Council in recent weeks.

A few years ago a survey was carried out with a view to introducing a Residents’ Parking Scheme in the side roads off Shirley Road. At that time, as a result of residents' responses to the survey and the discussions with Ward Councillors, the proposals for the Cawte Road area were withdrawn. However, there now appears to be quite a lot of support in Cawte Road for a Residents’ Parking Scheme, and it may be possible to add Cawte Road to the existing Freemantle residents parking scheme. However, we would need to carry out further investigation, and there are still issues to be resolved, including funding.

If a residents parking scheme is introduced in Cawte Road, this would entail marking out parking bays. Yellow lines would be marked where we deem it unsafe or obstructive to park, even though vehicles may have parked there in the past. I would also point out that a residents permit does not guarantee a parking space, and a permit holder may park in any permit bay in their zone. Currently permits are limited to one per person, with a maximum of two per household, the first permit is free of charge, and a second costs £50 per year. The Freemantle residents parking scheme currently operates 8am-6pm Monday to Saturday.

More Car Parking Spaces Needed

Some sensible suggestions have come out of the recent Council enquiry into parking in the City. The enquiry panel has recommended that transport officers in the Council write to John Prescott concerning the restrictive planning laws which prevent the Council from requiring adequate numbers of car parking spaces for new developments.

At the moment the rules state that a maximum of half a car parking space can be provided for each bedroom in a new property. Given that many couples will have two cars this is causing real problems. Inadequate parking means more and more cars on the street.

Getting the Council to even provide this maximum of half a space per bedroom is a real challenge. Hopefully some common sense will come out of this recommendation.

Free Green Waste Bags Arrive

My free green waste bag arrived yesterday. If you havent got yours yet it should arrive very soon. If you want a second free bag you can get one by calling Actionline on 0800 5 19 19 19.

Previously, the council charged for the green garden waste collection scheme. Customers who have already signed up for this year will have their money refunded. Call Actionline for more details.

Civil Service Ground Sold to Bovis Homes

My understanding is that Bovis Homes will want to try and produce a Housing Scheme, with public space.

They will be trying to fix up a meeting with Council officers in the near future, with a view to starting a Public Consultation exercise.

I am planning to meet with Bovis homes very soon to find out their exact intentions.

As always I will keep you abreast of anything I hear.

Road improvement works in Howard Road / Archers Road

A note from the Council which is being posted to people in the area and put on signs.

Work is scheduled to start during the week commencing 11 July 2005 and be completed by 23 December 2005. It will involve:

1. Renew street lighting in Howard Road and Archers Road.

2. Renew kerbs and resurface footway north side of Howard Road from Stafford Road to Hill Lane.

3. Renew kerbs and resurface footway south side of Howard Road as above.

4. Plane off and resurface carriageway in Howard Road as above.

5. Install ducts etc for new traffic lights, inclusive of pedestrian phase, at Hill Lane junction.

6. Renew kerbs and resurface footway north side of Archers Rd from Hill Lane to Westrow Rd.

7. Renew kerbs and resurface footway south side of Archers Road as above.

8. Install Toucan crossing just to west of Northlands Road.

9. Plane off and resurface carriageway at Hill Lane Junction.

10. Plane off and resurface carriageway in Archers Rd from Hill Lane to Westrow Rd.

11. Install traffic lights at Howard Road Hill Lane junction.

Items 1 to 4 and 5 to 10 will each take approx 11 wks and Item 11 approx 4 wks.

The street light replacement will start on 11 July 2005 at the western end of the site and work east in advance of the footway works.
The civil engineering work will commence on 18 July 2005 at the western end of Howard Road and again progress east.

During the construction we will operate a one-way system, the westbound traffic will use Howard Road and Archers Road, the eastbound traffic will follow a signed diversion.

The road will be closed for the carriageway resurfacing with access for residents only.

For the duration of the works the bus routes and stops will probably change. All alterations to the routes or stops will be advertised by the bus companies at their original stops.

In order to comply with the requirements for signing and guarding roadworks and Health and Safety Legislation we would ask that you park your car away from the works to allow the contractor to continue without hindrance.

Cars parked off the carriageway can stay in position, but there may be times when it will not be possible to get out of or return to the parking space.

No waiting cones will be placed along the road, this will be done in conjunction with the police. Any cars parking within the cones will be removed.

Access for pedestrians will not generally be affected but at certain times various lengths of footway may be closed. Please for your own safety obey all the signs.

Whilst every effort will be made to keep disruption and inconvenience to a minimum you are requested to exercise extra caution during the construction works. We hope that the long-term improvement will justify the short-term inconvenience.

Should any further information be required, please contact Mr Steve White (Resident Engineer) on 07734 070760

Civil Service Sports Ground Sold

The Civil Service Sports ground has been sold by the Civil Service Sports Association. As yet the buyers are unknown. The Council has designated the land as "green space" and I have been fighting to stop housing being built on the land.

I am looking forward to hearing who the new buyers are and what their intentions are.

Recycling Bins Arrive

The new blue-lidded recyling bins have started to be delivered in Freemantle Ward this week.

Recycling Scheme To Be Introduced In July

In July Freemantle Ward residents will get their new blue lidded recycling bins for recycling tins, paper and some plastics.

The recycling bin will be collected every two weeks. The regular green lidded bin for residual waste will continue to be collected every week.

Also residents will get their free garden waste bags in July. The scheme garden waste collection will be a free service.

Residents should be receiving an information pack from the Council about how the scheme works and what can and cannot be recycled.

Hopefully we will soon get doorstep collection collection of glass as well.

Civil Service Ground Meeting

There was a meeting tonight of the Shirley and Freemantle Community Association. Unfortunately I couldn't attend but my colleague Brian Parnell went. The latest is that the land is still up for sale by its owners the Civil Service Sports Association. They are still in negotiations with a potential buyer.

Gyspy Grove Tidy Up

The Council tidied up and painted the Gyspy Grove Alleyway last year however since then it been graffitied and has one again become an eysore.

In April I asked whether the Council was interested in having a graffiti mural to discourage more vandalism. Clearly anything like this would have to be tasteful and supported by the community.

The Council's Central Neighbourhoods Partnership is now planning to do an art project, in consultation with local people, in Gypsy Grove. It is in the very early stages as yet but I would be interested in your views. The contact at the Council is Kirsten Killander (kirsten.killander@southampton.gov.uk).

Parking Problems in Cawte Road

A number of people have contacted me asking for a Residents Parking Scheme for Cawte Road.

A little over 3 years ago a survey was done of the area and the majority of people were against the introduction of permit parking. The reason was concern about loss of parking spaces on the road.

I have written to the Council's Highways department asking that they carry out another survey to ascertain peoples' views. A lot has changed in the area in the last 3 years with a lot of new development taking place.

If the majority of people favour a residents' parking scheme I will push for the Council to introduce one as soon as possible.

Waterloo Road Flats Given Go Ahead

On Tuesday I went to the Council's Planning and Rights of Way Panel to speak against a development in Waterloo Road.

The application was for an extra storey on Napoleon House and Hougoumont House.

Unfortunately the application was passed despite objections by local residents and local residents' association.

I objected on the grounds that there would be no additional parking and the the development would cause disruptions to those living in the two blocks of flats.

In 2002 planning permission was in intially refused for a 4th floor extension to Wellington Court. There was however an appeal and planning permission was granted.

The panel felt that there was no way that the application could be refused on planning grounds and reluctantly approved it.

Conditions were put on the developers. Building work will only be able to take place between 8am and 6pm on Monday - Friday and 9am - 1pm on Saturdays and at no time on Sundays or Bank Holidays. The panel specified that this should also include works confined to the inside of the buildings.

No to building plans in Waterloo Road

Plans to build a 4th storey on Hougoumont House in Waterloo Road have raised concerns amongst local residents.

Under the proposal parking provision will remain unchanged and new flats will mean more cars parking on the roadside. This may also have an affect on road safety; the current level of parking on the north side of Waterloo Road exiting the site is already hazardous.

I have asked that the decision be made by the Council's planning committee. The application will be heard by the Planning Panel on Tuesday 7th June between 11:30am and 12:30pm. This is a public meeting and all are welcome to attend and speak.

The Council officer recommendation is to approve the application with conditions. It is my intention to speak against the application at the meeting.

Refit for Care Unit in Kentish Road

After being closed for four months the Respite Care Unit in Kentish Road has been re-opened. It has had a refit and is now ready to take short break adult residences who have Learning Disabilities. Users have to opportunity of meeting new people, relax and have fun. My Colleague Cllr Brian Parnell was invited to the re-opening of the Unit and was given a guided tour. For more information contact Health & Community Care 023 8083 4567.

VE Day Celebrations

Went to the VE Day Celebrations at the Civic Centre yesterday which were very good. There was a good turn out and the service was excellent.

Make Poverty History

Attended a General Election debate last night at the Central Baptist Church organised by the group, Make Poverty History. The debate was broadcast on Unity 24 Community Radio. The Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Southampton Test, Stephen MacLoughlin talked with passion about what he would do to reduce poverty in this Country and in the third world if he were elected. Stephen talked about how the Conservatives would increase the overseas aid budgets and ensure that money was better spent and directed more through our government departments rather than international agencies.
It was a very thought provoking and well informed debate.

More Flats in Hill Lane

A new application for dozens of new flats has been submitted to the Council. The proposed development near the junction of Howard Road. A previous application was recently turned down by the Council's Planning and Rights of Way Panel. I have asked that this new application also goes before the Panel for consideration. This way residents can come along and voice any concerns that they have. Any new developments should have adequate parking and should provide proper safe access onto Hill Lane. New developments should also be in keeping with the Edwardian architechure of the surrounding area. I will be opposing the application if it doesn't meet these conditions.

Theresa May MP adresses Hampshire Conservative Future

Spent an excellent evening in Winchester at a Conservative Future ball where the Guest Speaker wass Theresa May MP. There were dozens of young people there, disproving the conventional wisdom that young people aren't interested in politics.

David Willetts Breakfast Meeting

Southampton Conservatives had a very successful breakfast meeting with David Willetts MP this morning. David is the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and MP for Havant. He spoke to a mixture of business people about the forthcoming General Election and Conservative policy. He answered questions on a range of issues such as Private Pensions, the Health Service and Housing.

Free Green Waste Recycling

The Lib Dems have finally agreed to implement Conservative Green Waste Recycling proposals. Excellent news!

Pensioners Foum Debate

Interesting Debate. Cllr Harris was there from Labour and Cllr Vinson from the Liberals. We discussed the possible introduction of free green waste (which seemed popular), the level of Council Tax (which is of course far too high) and whether students should pay, nursing care, housing, council rents, litter and the appalling state of the roads and pavements. I seemed to be the only one sticking up for students (which made me a bit unpopular).

I made the point that the Conservatives want low Council Tax and in our Council budget proposals called for a 0% increase this year and last year. I also talked about Conservative tax cuts for pensioners. We would introduce a new 50% Council Tax discount for pensioners over 65. This seemed popular too. It avoids all the difficulties associated with the Liberal's idea of a local income tax and is actually a TAX CUT rather than simply shifting the tax burden around.

Pensioners Forum Debate

I will be speaking at a debate arranged by the Pensioners Foum at 2pm tomorrow at the Civic Centre. There will be a Liberal and a Labour Councillor there too.

Free Garden Waste

On Wednesday morning at 8:30am the Council’s Environment Scrutiny Panel will be looking at recycling issues and considering the Conservative proposal to introduce free bi-weekly garden waste collections across the city. For the past two years the Conservatives have been calling for the Council to scrap the £15 charge to residents for the collection of garden waste.

The proposal is very cost effective as currently the taxpayer is paying more and more for green waste to be land filled as the government’s land fill tax charge increases year on year.

It would mean more composting of green waste and thousands of tonnes less going to landfill. This also helps us achieve government recycling targets.

The policy is good for the environment as will help reduce the amount of greenhouses gases that we put into the air.

Hopefully the Lib Dems who run the Council will take up our policy after they hear the detail of the proposal.

End Means Testing for Home Care for the Disabled

Writing a letter to a resident who is interested in Conservative policy towards the disabled.

The Southampton City Council should be aiming to hold, or reduce, or even abolish the charges for home care for the disabled. As has been pointed out, the able-bodied do not need help, or to pay for help, to get up in the morning, to go to the toilet, to take a bath, to prepare a meal, to get to bed. They take it for granted. A free service would be legal and fair, everybody would benefit, and the service would be efficient, based only on clinical need, no cost of assessment and collection of money.
The council raises some £1m a year in charges. It intends to raise another £175,000 a year, 17½ per cent more. Yet in the recent budget the administration resolved to spend an extra £750,000 on converting grass verges to hard standings for vehicles, and abandoned a proposal to save £500,000 on staffing. Has the Council got the priorities right? Should not the disabled be given a higher priority, and more generous benefits?

Annual General Meeting of Retired Civil Servants

Went to the AGM of Retired Civil Servants today. The meeting was held at the New Forest Hotel in Ashurst. Spoke about our campaign to protect the Civil Service Sports Ground in Freemantle from housing development.

The Civil Service Sports Ground is up for sale by its owners the Civil Service Sports Association (CSSA). The fear is that the land will be sold for housing or maybe sold and land banked in the hope that flats can be built there at a future date.

Freemantle is desparately short of green space there is huge local support for saving the land and using it as an asset for the community.

The audience seemed sympathetic to our cause. Hopefully by raising this issue with ex service members we can put more pressure on the CSSA to talk with the local community group set up to try to save the land, the Freemantle and Shirley Community Trust. The trust is looking to buy the land so that it can be used for sports and social activities by local people and community groups.

Shirley Road - Safety improvements

The Council are investigating safety improvement proposals along Shirley Road between Languard Road/Andover Road and Roberts Road/Waterloo Road, following a number of serious injury accidents which have occurred over the past 3 years. The aim is to reduce traffic speeds and allow safer crossing facilities for pedestrians. The proposal is to construct a pedestrian refuge island by the Co-Op and 97 and 102 Shirley Road. If you have a view or want to see the plans please let me know. I will put a copy on the notice board in the Park Hotel for reference.

Welcome to my Web Log

Hello and welcome to my web log. I am a Councillor for Freemantle Ward in Southampton. I have set up this log to help communicate local issues to people living in Freemantle. I would welcome any comments you have.