City’s Labour MPs Need To Stand Up For The Port

The City’s Labour MPs should be challenging government plans to impose massive new tax rises on the port of Southampton.

The port is fundamental to the economy of Southampton and the region and tax hikes that drive away shipping will destroy local jobs.

This comes on top of the bungled decision recently by the government to impose a back dated business rates bill of £3.75m on 25 businesses in and around the port.

Our MPs, who should be fighting the city’s corner, are saying and doing nothing. Alan Whitehead MP, as a former Under Secretary of state for Transport, should understand the importance of the port and should be standing up for the city.

Time after time our Labour MPs are letting Southampton down. In the last few weeks we have had millions of pounds of government funding pulled from the city. They have pulled the plug on the money to revamp Guildhall Square and the money to rebuild the city’s colleges seems to be slipping away. Our MPs should start fighting for our local interests and putting the city first.

Time To Shift power To Local People And Rein In Whitehall bureaucrats

Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party for Cities, Tariq Ahmad, meets local Conservatives to talk about revitalising Britain's cities.

Local residents will have the power to instigate local referendums, will know more about how town hall money is spent and Southampton City Council will have more powers and funding under a new Conservative blueprint for local democracy.

I was delighted at the proposals to revive local democracy which were recently unveiled by David Cameron in a major policy document. The new policies include:

· Abolishing all regional planning and housing powers in the hands of regional government, returning powers and discretion back to local communities.
· Creating bottom-up incentives for house building, by allowing Southampton to benefit from the increase in council tax revenues from new homes.
· Giving a real incentive for councils to promote local economic growth, by allowing them to keep the uplift in business rate revenues from businesses growing in size.
· Granting Southampton City Council a new discretionary power to give discounts on business rates, allowing them to help local shops and services, such as rural pubs or post offices, or even create new local enterprise zones.
· Making greater use of direct democracy, including allowing Southampton residents to veto high council tax rises, or instigate a council-wide referendum on local issues if 5% of local residents give their backing.

These radical plans will put local people in the driving seat, and cut back interference and meddling by Whitehall bureaucrats. The next election won’t just be about whether to transfer power from Labour to Conservatives. It will also be about whether to transfer power from the central state to local people.

Dan Hannan....Telling It As It Is

Gordon Brown has run out of our money.

Action for City Tenants

On Wednesday 17th March Conservatives on the City Council brought an emergency motion to lower the average rent increase from 6.2% to 3.1%. This move was made possible following a successful campaign by Southampton tenants and local Conservative councillors to get a fairer deal for tenants from the government. Year after year Labour having been forcing up local rents well above the rate of inflation.

In the next year the Labour government will take £4.1million out of the council tenants rents to spend elsewhere in the country. If it wasn't for the successful campaign by local tenants and Conservative councillors this figure would have been a staggering £5.8m! This is money which could be spent on home improvements for local people.

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.

Labour’s Backdated Port Tax Bombshell

Businesses in and around Southampton Docks are facing nearly £4m in extra business rates from the Labour Government.

Until recently these businesses had paid the business rates as port fees to the port which acted as an umbrella for collecting and paying over Non Domestic Business Rates.

The government has brought in changes to the ratings system for port businesses which will mean they face backdated tax bills to 2005. In effect they will be taxed twice for this period.

Extra taxes are being imposed at the worst possible time with businesses in the city reeling from the effects of the Gordon Brown’s recession. These extra taxes come on top of the 5% hike in business rates coming in this April. Rather than helping local firms in the tough economic climate Labour are hammering them and putting jobs at risk.

Initially firms were asked to pay the back dated taxes in 14 days!
Now Labour are being forced to rush through emergency legislation to allow payments to be spread over a number of years.

Conservatives nationally are fighting these extra taxes in Parliament. At a local level I have pledged that the city council, who are required to collect these taxes, will do all they can to help businesses through this difficult time.

Southampton Protest Against Labour's Tax on Tenants

A delegation of Southampton tenants is today heading to Westminster to protest against Labour taxing their rent money. This year 10% of the rents paid by city tenants will be taken from the city to be spent in other parts of the country. In all £5.8m will be taken by the government, money which otherwise could have been spent on improving our council homes and estates.

Southampton's housing stock is in desparate need of improvements and the city has some of the most deprevied areas in the South East. As well as directing tenants rents away from Southampton, locally the government is forcing up the rents by an 6% this year, double the rate of inflation.

Click HERE for more information on the lobby due to take place today.

Earlier this week the Prime Minster and his Cabinet visited the city. Rather than meeting with local groups like pensioners and tenants to hear their concerns, the visit consisted merely of a series of photo shoots. The Cabinet ducked critical issues like the chronic government under funding of the city and the appropriation of council tenants' rents.

David Cameron talks to Jon Snow about the state of the economy

No New Taxes on Southampton Businesses

Last week Conservatives in Southampton pledged not to introduce a new Government tax on local businesses. At a meeting of business leaders on Thursday we ruled out the new Supplementary Business Rate which would have meant more than 700 Southampton businesses, pubs, restaurants and even local schools and colleges paying anything up to £190,000 a year more in tax.

The new Conservative run city council rejected the tax, calling in a stealth tax on business at the worst possible time. Our focus is on supporting local businesses, protecting and jobs and not unduly burdening companies who are struggling with the recession and who already are facing the Government's inflation busting 5% increase in business rates this year.

Click HERE for details of the story on the Daily Echo website.

Rose Road Charity Skydive

Thank you to everyone one who sponsored me last weekend for the Valentine's charity skydive for Rose Road.

It was a fantastic day and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn't done it before. Once you are out of the plane it is not that scary! It is the bit leading up to jumping that's the worst!

I am well on the way to raising £500 for Rose Road, but any last minute sponsorship would be very welcome. I am on about £450 at the moment. HERE is a link to my justgiving page.

Rose Road is a charity in Southampton that provides vital services including education and respite for children and young people with severe, profound and multiple disabilities. It provides care and support for children in Southampton, Hampshire and across the South East.

Southampton Launches Special Constable Drive

Conservative Councillors in Southampton have launched a groundbreaking new initiative. On Wednesday approval was given for a scheme which will see council tax scrapped for local people who sign up as volunteer police, to help police Southampton's streets. The drive to recruit a further 25 special constables in Southampton comes the same week that Hampshire Police Authority, facing financial pressures from government, has moved to axe 81 uniformed police in Hampshire.

This is a great initiative. We are hopeful that we can help recruit more specials in Southampton and support existing volunteers who do a tremendous job, currently with no reward. Specials have full police powers and make a huge difference, supporting the police and keeping our streets safe.

Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Royston Smith holds the the Council's portfolio with responsibility for community safety and he talks HERE about the new scheme:

Conservatives Keep Council Tax Pledge

Conservatives are sticking to an election pledge to keep council tax under the rate of inflaion. This year’s council tax rise will be the lowest in the history of the council at 2.94%.

It has been a challenging year for Southampton. We are faced with the backdrop of worst recession in recent times, a miserly funding settlement from the government and falling income revenue and investment revenues.

Chronic underfunding from the Government means that the city council faces huge budgetary pressures each year. We face cuts in real terms to the funding received from central government. The dismal financial settlement means added pressure on the council tax and on local residents.

When the Southampton Conservatives took office in May we were faced a budget blackhole of over 13m. We have been working harder to deliver more for less. In the last year we identified over £11m of efficiencies and savings.

As well as balancing the books, by prioritising and redirecting spending we will also invest millions of pounds more in front line services, such as schools, road repairs and the city’s infrastructure, improving street lighting and safety, safeguarding vulnerable children and reducing the financial burden on pensioners.

Free Swimming for Under 16s

With Cllr John Hannides at the Quays

Last week Southampton City Council announced that it was pushing ahead with a two year scheme for free under 16s swimming. A deal was struck with local schools (including our two new city academies) and the Primary Care Trust to find the extra money needed to meet the shortfall in government funding for the scheme. Funds from the government will meet less than a third of the cost, meaning that locally we have to pick the rest of the bill.

I am delighted that working with other partners in city we have managed deliver the scheme. Sport is high on the agenda with the Olympics fast approaching. Locally we are doing all we can to meet the challenge. The under 16s scheme comes on top of a similar scheme announced last year for over 60s and our schools sports partnership with Southampton Solent University which is already proving a tremendous success.

Dan Hannan talks about Localism

On Friday Southampton University was host to Dan Hannan MEP. Over 40 people came along to hear Dan speak about 'The Plan', his new book which he co-authored with Douglas Carswell MP.

The Plan is a radical and thought provoking read which sets out a vision of a more democratic Britain. It builds upon an earlier book, Direct Democracy where Dan and colleagues from the 2005 intake of Conservative MPs present their localist agenda.

As a local councillor and a prospective member of Parliament I am fully behind a more local decentralised approach to politics. This means more decisions being taken by Parliament and indeed by local councils. Over the past 10 years more and more decisions have been taken away from our directly accountable institutions and passed to an ever growing list of quangos.

It also frustrates me that in Southampton we get such a rough deal from the government. Southampton pays more into the government pot than we get back and we receive far less in funding than similar cities in the north of England. As I mentioned in a posting just recently, our council tenants also receive a raw deal. You would imagine that the rents they pay would all be kept locally but in fact about 10% of the rents for the whole city is appropriated by the government. This works out at over £300 a property next year. I think a more local system of financing for local services would be a much fairer and more accountable approach.

Also speaking at the event was Tim Aker of the Tax Payers Alliance. I had a chance to speak with Tim earlier in the day in my capacity as the council cabinet member for finance and explained how underfunding from the government effects Southampton. I went into more detail last week in an interview with the Daily Echo. It was also interesting to hear Tim's views on what local councils can do to save money and become more efficient.

In all it was a hugely successful event and I am grateful for all the hard work by the Southampton University Conservative Association in organising the talk. Dan said a few some kind words about the work we are doing locally in Southampton and we are looking forward to helping with the campaign for the Euro Elections in June.

A Fair Deal For Council Tenants

It is widely accepted across the political spectrum that Southampton gets a rotten deal from the government. Each year the government in real terms cuts a large chunk out of the council's budget. The net effect of this after ten years of Labour is a council tax that has more than doubled.

The new Conservative council in Southampton is working hard to improve the city and to get a fair deal from the government. As well as investment in our roads, in our local schools and in making our streets safer we need greater investment in housing. We also need a to get a fair deal from government for our council tenants. You would imagine that the rents tenants pay would all be reinvested back into improvements to housing and related services. Sadly this is not the case and next year the government will take £5.8m out of the rents that our tenants in the city pay.

In effect the Labour government is making a profit out of our council tenants and they are denying the city the investment it needs to improve housing standards to the level that we would like. To add insult to injury, every year the government forces up the rents way above the rate of inflation. As I candidate for Parliament I am fighting for a fair deal for tenants and lobbying to get this money back. The new Conservative council is taking bold steps to improve housing in the city. For instance the extra £1.5m of investment into the Maybush and Millbrook Park estates and in the private rented sector, the extra £1.8m for free home insulation.

We could do so much more if we also got back that £5.8m of tenants' money. Southampton has 18,000 council homes. That's over £300 extra investment per property in just one year! This is money that could be spent on cleaning, painting and decorating, new kitchens, bathrooms, improved heating and security.

As well as more investment for council homes it would also mean more work locally. The city council is working hard to be more supportive of local firms who wish to bid for such work. This would mean more local jobs at a time when families and businesses are struggling with the backdrop of the recession.

At the moment Southampton is losing out and I will fight in Parliament to redress the balance and to get a fair deal for the city.

Now For Change

Conservative Action to Get Britain Working

Jeremy with Conservative Party Chairman, Caroline Spelman MP

A comprehensive programme to help get Britain's economy back on track was launched yetserday at Southampton Rose Bowl.

Conservative Party Chairman, Caroline Spelman MP and Southampton Parliamentary Candidate, Jeremy Moulton, were at the event to talk about the Conservative action plan to help businesses and families through the economic downturn and to listen to the views of Hampshire businesses.

£1.8m Package to Insulate Local Homes

In December I launched a new scheme with the Southampton City Council and the energy company E-ON to provide free insulation for all private rented homes in the city. The £1.8 million scheme will help insulate over 3,000 homes.

This is a huge investment that will make a real difference to thousands of residents, many of whom are vulnerable people struggling to heat their homes.

By insulating homes for free we will ensure that fuels bills are cut. As well as keeping people warm, it is great news for the environment.

Valetine's Day Skydive

I am taking part in the Valentine's Day Skydive to raise money for Rose Road.

The charity is based in Lordswood and works with over 200 children and young people with complex disabilities.

I am taking part in the 10,000 ft jump along with Cllrs Paul Holmes and Ben Walker and I hope to raise £1,000 for the charity.

Visit my Justgiving page to sponsor me.

Happy New Year!

I have been working hard as your Parliamentary Candidate for Southampton Test since being selected 12 months ago.

It's been a fantastic year, and I am proud to have made several changes in Southampton as a member of the new Conservative Cabinet on Southampton City Council.

- Doubling spending on repairing our roads.

- Securing £35m of funding for two new city academies.

- Boosting investment in our estates with an extra £1.5m for Millbrook and Maybush.

- Launching a new £1.8m package to insulate 3,000 rented homes.

I have also put a stop to the unpopular policies of the last administration, such as their plans to scrap the weekly bin collection and their plan to introduce extra charges for residents parking zones.

During 2009 I will be working with my council colleagues to do everything I can to support Southampton people through the tough economic times and get our city through the crisis.

- We are investing in key infrastructure projects in the city with our programme of works amounting to £80m over the coming 12 months.

- We will see continued investment in the city with IKEA opening in February, the redevelopment of Northern Above Bar, the opening of the new Carnival HQ and the planning application for Watermark West Quay, one of the biggest retail developments in the south.

- We will ensure council tax is kept as low as possible and will deliver on our commitment for a 10% discount for pensioners.

- We will help recruit more Special Constables by giving them a 100% discount on their council tax. We will also support the police in limiting the number of new pub and club licences in the city centre and Bevois Valley. Thousands of worn out street lights will be replaced.

- We will expand our new schools sports partnership with Solent University. 20 schools will be taking part in this hugely successful scheme in 2009.

I will keep local people updated throughout the year on what I’m doing. Last year I worked closely with many resident and tenant groups and met with representatives from a number of faith and voluntary groups in the city. I am keen to meet with and support many more local groups in 2009.

A happy and prosperous New Year to everyone!

Best Wishes


Cllr Jeremy Moulton

Parliamentary Candidate for Southampton Test