A Waste of Public Money

I have just read the front page of Today's Daily Echo. I have to say I am quite annoyed.

The Southampton Partnership is planning to £120k of tax payers' money on a replica foam model of Southampton which it would like stored underneath the stairs in the civic centre art gallery. They also plan to spend £25,000 on 13 roads signs around the city.

The first I heard about this plan was just now when I read it in the paper. From the sounds of it the city council wasn't consulted either. Given that the Southampton Partnership is supposed to be a "partnership" I am surprised by that.

Reading the comments on Echo's website the majority of people are scathing in their criticism and quite understandably think that the decision is the council's. It isn't. The Southampton Partnership is body which is unelected and unaccountable to the public.

I blame the Government largely. When they talk about improving local democracy and local decision making, its precisely this sort of thing that they have in mind - bodies which bypass locally elected representatives, making public expenditure decisions.

The money itself to pay for this comes from SEEDA, another unelected body.

The only hand the Council has had in this sorry saga has been to propose its own idea. The new Conservative Council argued that the money should be spent on a bronze replica of a spitfire plane on the roundabout by the DeVere. This suggestion as rejected by the Southampton Partnership as not being sufficiently exciting. Well, it received almost overwhelming public support and in my view would have become a symbol of the city.

When the spitfire proposal was rejected, I didn't really expect any alternatives to be proposed instead. The SEEDA money I expected would be lost, as it needs to spent next year. No, in a last minute, desperate attempt, a new proposal has come forward. In my view its an abuse of public money!

£26m Boost for Council Services

On Monday over 550 Southampton City Council staff will take up employment with Capita to help transform the level of service that the Council offers its customers.

A ten year contract was signed a few weeks ago with Capita to deliver a range of services including, customer services, HR, IT and property services, over the next ten years.

The new Conservative Council has set a joint goal with Capita to make a saving of at least £48m; £26 million of which is being invested in the services. £33m of this total has been guaranteed by Capita.

Lottery Grant for Tudor House

Southampton has been awarded over £334,000 for Tudor House. The award comes after the decision by the new Conservative Council to allocate £540,000 to support a project to reopen the building as a museum and herritage attraction. There is also a chance for Southampton City Council to be awarded with £3.5million.

Work is estimated to take two years to complete, opening its doors to the public in April 2011. It is aimed that Tudor House becomes an accessible and enjoyable experience for local people and visitors to the city. Lifts will be installed, along with a new café and displays will tell the fascinating stories of the building those who lived and worked there.

Alongside Tudor House, plans will be developed for King John’s Palace and the Tudor Merchants’ Hall to bring the full heritage of the old town back to life.

Click HERE for more news on Tudor House.

Greenpeace Welcomes the Conservative Energy Vision for Southampton

A week after Southampton's new Conservative Council Administration launched its green energy for the city, Greenpeace is teaming up with the City Council and energy company Utilicom to promote sustainable power and energy.

Tomorrow night the DeVere Grand Harbour will play host to over a hundred councillors, MPs and environmental experts who will be meeting to discuss how combined heat and power (CHP)schemes such as one in Southampton can be used to cut carbon emissions.

Councillor Gavin Dick (pictured above), Conservative Environment Cabinet Member said Councillor will be speaking at the event, promoting the work of Southampton City Council and encouraging others to back Southampton's green energy vision. He said: "Southampton is leading the way on sustainable energy thanks to the city`s CHP network, and we are delighted to be able to promote this success in the hope that other local authorities and businesses will learn from our own experiences."

Click HERE for Southampton City Council's press release on the subject.

Click HERE for coverage on environmental website Tenbees.

Celebrating Southampton's Heritage

RMS Titanic

Later this month Southampton's new Conservative led Council will push ahead with plans for a heritage centre in the West Wing of the Civic Centre, to celebrate and displaythe city's colourful history.


Southampton has a heritage offer of international standing. The Titanic, the Spitfire, Jane Austen, King Canute, Henry V and the departure to the battle of Agincourt, D-Day, and cruise liners such as the Queen Mary II are of worldwide interest. Of more local interest the Roman, Anglo-Saxon andmedieval history shapes the city of Southampton today.


On 17th September the council will agree to apply for lottery funding to renovate the Civic Centre's Wing Wing, a grade 2 listed building, which includes the old magistrates courts and the police headquarters. The police are due to vacant the building 2010.

The new heritage centre will be open by 2012, the 100th anniversary of the fateful sailing of RMS Titanic from Southampton.

Full details of the council report being considered on 17th September can be found by clicking HERE.

Plans Unveiled To Make Southampton Britain's Greenest City

At Springhill School, the new Conservative Council Administration today launched its integrated energy vision for Southampton.

The vision will see the expansion of energy efficient combined heat and power (CHP) technology throughout the city and better use of renewable energy such as biomass.

The biggest change will be to require as part of the planning process, large-scale developments in the city (such as new schools and colleges and large scale residential developments) to incorporate district energy such as CHP . These large developments will then act as hubs to link in smaller developments and existing dwellings.

At the moment, the city's CHP network already supplies around 40 businesses including the West Quay shopping centre, The Quays Swimming Complex and Southampton Solent University, while similar small-scale CHP plants are in use at Southampton General Hospital and Southampton University.

Planning development costs for households wanting to put up solar panels or install small-scale wind turbine generators will also be abolished.

Action Taken to Protect Family Housing

On Monday the new Conservative Cabinet approved an initial draft for new planning rules for the city.

Included are the following measures to protect and promote family housing in the city:

• Developments should seek to complement the character of the local area.
• There should be no net loss of family housing resulting from redeveloping a site. This is aimed a preventing a family house being replaced by tiny one bed room flats. If a family home is removed it needs to be replaced as part as part of the redevelopment.
• New developments should include at least 30% family housing.

These principles will also be enshrined in local supplementary planning guidance.

The document called the Core Strategy can be found on the city council website by clicking HERE.

Sign the Petition for a Refurendum on the EU Constitution

The government promised us before the last election that we would be given a vote on the EU Constitution. Gordon Brown now looks set to go back on his promise.

Click HERE to sign the Telegraph's online petition calling for the Prime Minister to keep to his word. I have just signed up and its on 76,586 signatures so far.