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| Labour Or Tory, Same Old Story |
Residents agreed with us back in 2017 when we formed Southampton Independents and said:
"Labour or Tory, same old story".
Southampton Independents was formed because residents had got tired of the lack of progress at the City Council and that the Council was not working on the issues that mattered to local residents.
And they still agree with us when we say it now. They laugh, because it is true.
Southampton Labour and Southampton Conservatives do not like it when we say it - in fact they get very rattled. Because it is true.
Labour councillors or Tory councillors say one thing when in opposition and then do exactly what they had criticised the other for doing, when they take control of the Council.
Sadly, there are no longer any Independent councillors on the Council to keep them honest. Southampton Independents is trying to keep them honest.
These Westminster parties will act desperately to cling on to power - not to help residents, but to help themselves and keep power for its own sake.
For example, Labour Councillor Satvir Kaur criticised 20mph when in Opposition. She said that the evidence shows that it doesn't work. But when Labour were in control of the Council, they brought in 20mph. From the Daily Echo:
"Leader for the opposition, Cllr Satvir Kaur said: 'We all are fed up with our streets being used as rat-runs. It’s why Labour introduced 20mph zones around the city in the first place.
But what matters is what actually works. And without the ability to enforce this properly, evidence shows this doesn’t work on its own."
Southampton Independents campaigner Andrew Pope - who was a councillor in the Redbridge, Maybush and Millbrook areas for eight years and stepped down in 2019 - agreed for the first trial to go ahead in his council area (ward) in 2012. Andrew says:
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| Andrew Pope |
"I was unsure. So I agreed to the trial on the condition that there would be enforcement. Speed data was collected.
As I reported back to residents after the trial, the evidence did not show much difference in average speeds - only a few miles per hour, and certainly not ten miles per hour from 30 to 20mph.
I agreed for the signage to continue to be up, as it would have cost more for it to come down. But it is a false "limit". The trial was disappointing and a failure.
At a residents meeting in the Channel Islands Estate in the North West of the City, I mentioned the 20mph to the Police who were there. The Police said they had not even been told about the Council's policy of 20mph!
Now we learn from the Daily Echo that the "new" Labour-run Council is reducing speeds on Southampton roads, despite the Police objecting to it. Earlier in 2022, the Tory-run Council did a "consultation" but carried on anyway - no matter what the public or Police said!
Is this how public money should be spent - on things that don't work or won't work if the Police don't agree or the Council doesn't do what works?
No, the Council have to have effective measures, not wasting our money.
And how can the Police enforce any limit - 20 or 30 or 40 - if they were not told about it or don't agree or even object to it? They asked us residents to volunteer to do the job for them.
There were not many volunteers, which is unsurprising when you hear about the abuse people get when they volunteer under Community Speed Watch schemes elsewhere.
When word got out about the lack of enforcement on the 20mph, it is perhaps no surprise that speeds were not reduced sufficiently.
Despite this, the Labour-run Council or the Tory-run Council have repeated the same 20mph fake "limits" in other parts of Southampton. Labour or Tory, same old story.
When in opposition, they've criticised it. But when in power, they've carried it on. Why?
Are they really dealing with the issue of road safety or of parking in Southampton, or just pretending to?
Residents have realised that the Council - whether Labour or Tory - have not listened to all residents in their sham consultations. Now we see that the Labour or Tory councillors do not listen to the Police either.
And it is just another example of Labour or Tory, same old story.
Southampton Independents will keep on trying to keep Labour and Tory honest.
We put Southampton residents first, not Westminster."
