Conservative Leader Refuses To Comment On Southampton's Near Bankruptcy - Who Represents The People of Southampton and Our Money?

Improving Representation in Southampton

... Labour Council Leader does not respond and Southampton Liberal Democrats also have nothing to say

by Andrew D Pope, 4th March 2023

Former Independent
Councillor Andrew Pope
on BBC South Today

Labour, Lib Dem or Tory, Same Old Story

The Leader of the Conservative Group of councillors on Southampton City Council, Daniel Fitzhenry, has declined to comment on the Council being warned by the departing Chief Financial Officer of the City's near bankruptcy.

Conservative Councillor Daniel Fitzhenry
Photo: Southampton City Council

Councillor Fitzhenry told me:

"I am comfortable with our position on the budget, our approach and the differences between us and Labour, but thank you for the offer of the “right of reply”, which I will decline."

It is perhaps no surprise that he does not want to comment on our revelations, but it is disappointing for the people of Southampton who have a right to representation and who expect a functioning opposition by councillors.

Councillor Fitzhenry was named in our article on the dire financial warnings by John Harrison, who warned councillors at the February 2023 Budget Full Council meeting of a "precarious" financial position with unsustainable spending and reliance on depleted Council reserves.

As reported here, the Chief Executive Officer Mike Harris has also declined to comment.

 

Who is Representing the People of Southampton?

There are currently forty-eight councillors on the City Council, three per ward in the sixteen wards of the Council. Labour has a majority of councillors, with the Conservatives in opposition.

The Leader of the Council, Labour Councillor Satvir Kaur, has not responded to the offer of a right of reply. 

Labour Council Leader Satvir Kaur
Photo: Southampton City Council

Perhaps Councillor Kaur cannot find the words to defend the indefensible of leading the Council to the financial precipice.

Neither have Southampton Liberal Democrats provided any comment, although they have been approached. They have one councillor on the Council. 

There are now no truly independent councillors on the Council. In 2018, there were four, including me. 

 

Councillor Quits Labour... Sort Of...

However, around the time of the February 2023 Budget Full Council, one councillor has resigned from the Labour Party, Councillor Professor Barrie Margetts. Southampton Independents had been in touch with Councillor Margetts months ago. He said that he was considering his position, after being de-selected by Southampton Labour.

Councillor Barrie Margetts
Photo: Southampton City Council

From Cllr Margetts' public comments, he seems unsure whether he is in Labour or not. I would not say his comments make him truly independent at all, especially when he is praising the leadership of the Council as the City faces a financial mess.

 

How Is Southampton City Council Run?

So the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats have nothing to say when approached by Southampton Independents to comment on the financial mess. 

No doubt councillors had plenty to say in the Council Chamber at the Budget meeting, but most of that "hot air" (as many residents view it) goes unreported, apart from a smattering of coverage. Indeed, there was more local and national (here and here) coverage of what the departed Chief Financial Officer wrote in the report to councillors, than reporting of what councillors had to say.

This shows what passes for democracy in Southampton these days, with the Council operating a "Strong Leader and Cabinet" (SLC) model of governance that excludes the vast majority of councillors. 

The SLC model has been retained, instead of bringing in a modern committee system that the people of Bristol voted for in 2022 and also the people of Sheffield in 2021. The MCS is no panacea, but allows local ward councillors more of say than "Strong Leader and Cabinet". 

 

A More Democratic Future For Southampton?

It is interesting that at the point of the Referenda in both Bristol and Sheffield, that both councils were Labour-run under a SLC model.

The MCS is more democratic than a small group of Labour or Tory councillors leading Southampton to the financial precipice.

In May, there will be all-out elections for all fifty-one seats on Southampton City Council in May. 

 

Moving The Boundaries But Keeping the Westminster Parties?

There was a recent review of the boundaries by the Boundary Commission for England (BCE) that found that there was a need for three more councillors and a shuffling of the boundaries of the wards. Of course, there was a "consultation", but this did not seem to alter the decision to add more councillors.

 

Will The Point of Accountability (Elections) Lead To Change, Or More Of The Same?

We will see what the people of Southampton will say when they cast their votes, and whether independent councillors stand for election and if they will be elected instead of the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors that have proved they are not up the job of looking after the public money entrusted to them.

Improving Representation for Southampton residents