Let's Slow Down The Traffic In Freemantle

As local councillors for Freemantle Ward, speeding traffic is one of the top issues raised with me and my colleague Brian Parnell, by local people.

Being close to the city centre many of the roads are used as rat runs to get into town and to the station and they can get very busy indeed.

Also the local schools have grown enormously. When I first became a school governor at Freemantle school it was a small infant school. Today it is a primary with 500 children. Similarly St Marks School has expanded considerably and Banister has been completely rebuilt with both schools now all through primaries. This means a lot more cars and children walking, cycling or scooting to school. Speeding traffic and dangerous parking is a big concern from parents that I talk to. 

Brian Parnell and I have surveyed hundreds of residents over the past year and the overwhelming majority favour slowing down the traffic in residential roads. The view is not universal but from the feedback we have had, about 80 per cent are in favour. 

We have been talking about this issue with the council for years and people keeping asking us when will it happen. Introducing 20mph limits is a fairly simple and cheap process. Department of Transport rules changed a few years ago to make the process much easier for councils. All that is required are the signs, the introduction of a legal order - a traffic regulation order, and a formal survey to seek residents' views. We know council budgets are very tight these days but we also know the city council is making a huge amount of money from parking charges and fines, including the new 1st permit charges which hundreds of people in Freemantle Ward now pay. It is quite proper that some of this money is spent on improving the local roads and road safety measures like 20mph limits. 

We have been talking for years about the problem and it is now time for the council to act and with so many more children now at local schools this has to be made a priority.

Ranelagh Gardens' new Community Garden

Last week end I was very pleased to be at the opening of the new community garden in Ranelagh Gardens in Banister Park. An enormous amount of work has gone into turning an empty piece of land into a great space for the local community. The local residents' association has done an amazing job and have worked with the city council, Radio Solent and the local Probation Service over the past 2 years. As well as being enjoyed by local residents the garden will used by the children from Banister School. 

60th Birthday Celebrations for Banister School!

I was delighted to join Banister School on Wednesday for their 60th birthday celebrations. The school was first opened on 23rd April 1953. Built by a former aircraft manufacturer seeking to diversify their business after the war, the building was only intended to last 15 years. Wednesday's birthday celebrations were also an opportunity to mark the progress of the building of the new school which is due to open in September. The event was marked by the launching of Chinese lanterns from the outside learning space on the roof of the new building. 

New Banister School Agreed By City Planners

Today the Council's Planning and Rights of Way Panel considered the planning application for the new Banister School.

The new school will be open in September next year and will cater from a growing number of primary age pupils in area. The existing school is now very old and is long past its sell by date. It has for some time been the aspiration of many, including myself, to rebuild the school and extra government money secured last year by the City Council makes this possible. The new school is very good value for money and will be the quickest school build done in recent history in Southampton: just over 18 months from the decision to the school being open.

A large number of local residents were at the meeting and several spoke. It was good that everyone at the meeting was in favour of the new school although some valid local concerns were rightly raised.
A lot of work has gone on in recent weeks to try and get the best possible scheme, taking account of the views of neighbours.

As a result of local residents petitioning the City Council, several trees will be saved which were previously going to be lost. 3 lime trees will be protected. Also the planners asked that further consideration be given to saving the horse chestnut tree by Archers Road and if it is possible then the tree will also be kept.

The school has resolved to do everything possible to tackle concerns about congestion, with a 'Park and Stride' scheme planned, whereby parents who must drive drop their children away from Archers Road and walk them to school.

Maximum car parking has been secured on the site and the City Council agreed to make efforts to find temporary parking nearby during the construction phase so that teachers don't park in residential streets.

Also agreed today at the planning meeting was the application for the new Wordsworth School and a remodelled Moorlands School. Funding and sign off for the 3 schools was agreed at the end of last year by Conservative Councillors. It is great to see the schemes progressing.

Conservative Action All Year Round

Our Work This Year Alone...


April 2012
Freemantle Spring Clean underway. Attending local residents' association meetings promoting our new No Cold Calling Zones. Meeting with the police to discuss the problem of street drinking.


March 2012
Secretary of State for Education officially opens Freemantle Academy's new Junior School building. Funding secured for improvements to the Civil Service Sports Ground. Residents updated on Helius' latest Biomass plans. New planning rules for Houses in Multiple Occupation come into force.


February 2012
Civil Service Sports Ground saved from development. Council Tax frozen once again. New Play Park for Albany Road announced. Conservative action with a campaign to tackle Dog Mess on our streets.


January 2012
Banister School rebuild given the green light. Residents updated about Southern Water upgrade to Waste Water Treatment works in the docks.

Southampton Secures £3.9M from Government for local Schools

Great news for Southampton Schools! £3.89M of extra government funding is coming to Southampton to help meet the growing demand new primary school places in the city.


Southampton's Conservative Councillors already have a detailed plan to expand primary school provision, including rebuilding both Banister School and Wordsworth School in 2013 and remodelling Moorlands School. 


This extra money will help ensure we get the best possible outcomes for local primary children. 


We have published our manifesto for schools and young people as we approach the local elections on 3rd May. Click HERE for more details.

Banister School Rebuild Consultation Evening

A consultation meeting for the proposed redevelopment of Banister Infant School is taking place at the school in Archers Road between 18:00 and 19:30, on 12 March 2012.

At the event, you will be able to view plans for the new building as well as the projected programme of works for the entire scheme. You will also have a chance to discuss these with the school, the local authority, the scheme architects and the preferred bidder for the scheme and have the opportunity to provide us with feedback on what you think of the proposals.

Cllr Michael Ball will be at the event in case you wish to speak with one of your councillors.

Banister School Rebuild Given the Green Light

Freemantle Councillor, Michael Ball in Archers Road, outside Banister School

I am delighted to report that the City Council will be investing in a complete rebuild for Banister School. Conservative Councillors have been pushing for this for some time.  

A number of schools in the city are expanding to meet the growing demand for primary places. The greatest demand is in the central part of the city and in Freemantle Ward. All of the Junior and Infant schools in the ward are going to become 'all though' primary schools and this includes Banister School from September 2013.The current Banister buildings are very old and in need of replacement and now with the need to grow the school, a complete rebuild is the only sensible option to pursue.

At the end of last year the City Council was successful in winning additional capital money from the government to help deal us fund our ambitious local primary school expansion programme. The council was awarded £3.1M. As a result I am pleased to report that we are now in a position to commit to the Banister School rebuild.

We will be able to produce a fantastic, state of the art new building, which will not only be excellent quality but superb value for money. The new build will be completed for September 2013 and so this will be the fastest school build that the city council has ever done.

Boost to Pupil Premium will mean more funding for local schools

The government’s Pupil Premium to support disadvantaged children will mean a big boost to the funding of local schools. Next year the pupil premium is set to rise to £600 for each Free School Meals eligible pupil.

Taking pupil numbers for January 2011 this means that Freemantle schools will receive the following Pupil Premium next year, over and above their normal school budgets.

Regents Park Community College: £174,600
Banister Infant School: £21,000
Foundry Lane Primary School: £59,400
Freemantle Academy: £25,200
St Mark’s CofE Primary School: £77,400

The Pupil Premium is great news for Southampton Schools and the evidence is that many heads and governors are using this funding to support disadvantaged children, for instance by employing extra teachers.

Funding Boost for Local Children

The Coalition government is keeping its promise to spend more on schools and to target extra funding towards the most deprived parts of the country.

The details of the funding settlement for Southampton schools has now been announced. On average Southampton schools will receive an extra 3.4% in funding in this coming year and this includes more than £2.7m extra in the form of the new Pupil Premium.

The Pupil Premium means that extra funding is targeted to support children who receive Free School Meals and to children whose parents serve in the Armed Forces.

This is fantastic news for Freemantle Ward with many local schools set to benefit from the Pupil Premium:

Banister Infant School + £13,760
Foundry Lane Primary School + £32,650
Freemantle C Of E Infant School + £10,750
St Mark'S C Of E Junior School + £37,840
Regents Park Community College + £80,380

Locally Conservative Councillors are protecting funding for the city’s Sure Start Centres so that, despite the tough financial times we ensure that all these valuable facilities remain assessable for local families.

Well Done Banister Infant School!

Congratulations to Banister Infant School on the results of the recent Ofsted report.

The Inspector has rated the school as "good" and remarked “I think your school is good. All your staff, but especially your headteacher, deputy headteacher and governors work well to make things as good as they are.”

Congratulations again.