Tory Defence Chief Backs Spitfire Campaign

Dr Fox at the Solent Sky Museum with an original Spitfire

Shadow Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, has given his backing and that of the national Conservative Party to Southampton's Spitfire Tribute Foundation, the organisation set up to raise funds for a permanent and fitting tribute in the city to the WW2 fighter plane.

Southampton was the first stop for Dr Fox last week where he met myself and Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Southampton Itchen, Royston Smith ahead of a tour of Hampshire.

Dr Fox visited the Solent Sky Museum which houses an original Spitfire and the University of Southampton where he talked to students about the security challenges facing Britain. Dr Fox then went on to other parts of the county to meet with members of the armed forces, retired service personnel and those in voluntary and commercial sector who support our forces.

Spitfire Tribute Wins Support From No. 10!

On the steps of 10 Downing St, with Cllr John Hannides.

On Thursday the Prime Minister gave his backing to the Spitfire Tribute Foundation.

Southampton's fund rasing campaign to build a fitting and permanent memorial to the famous WW2 fighter plane has received a welcome boost. Prime Minister Gordon Brown met a delegation of business leaders, heritage experts and city councillors at a reception at Number 10 Downing Street, helping to elevate the campaign to a national and international level.

The campaign aims to raise £1.5m to fund structure which would be 100ft long.

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!