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One of Satvir Kaur's Election Leaflets
Photo: Southampton Independents
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Southampton residents will have received a lot of literature from General Election candidates. Because Labour now have more donations than the other parties, they are able to send even more literature out in so-called "targeted" campaigns. Money talks in British democracy.
Perhaps other literature does include information about the following omissions from the two leaflets seen in the Southampton Test constituency. But we haven't seen it. We are asking questions of the candidates that others are not. Why? Because we have the knowledge and motivation that they do not.
And because we put Southampton and its residents first. That's why we were founded.
We have already shown that there is a very minor mention of 13 years of Satvir Kaur being a councillor. No mention of a track record of success in her ward, nor wins as a Cabinet member nor success as Leader of the Council. Just one sentence.
So what else is missing from those two leaflets? Again, perhaps answers lie elsewhere. So we've asked Satvir Kaur, who has not replied to any of our requests for interview, to answer questions or offers of a right of reply. We also note that she has blocked us on Twitter / X.
So much for democracy and accountability and standing up for Southampton, as she regularly claims.
Is Satvir Kaur furthering Southampton or herself? You can decide. But you should know the below.
What Is Omitted from Councillor Kaur's Literature?
No mention is made in either leaflet of the Council being brought to near bankruptcy under Councillor Kaur's leadership and Councillor Kaur calling claims that it was, a "lie",
echoing what happened in Croydon under Labour.
Worse, Councillor Kaur called it a "lie", despite the financial crisis being reported locally and nationally, and despite the
Council's Chief Financial Officer reporting it in public to Full Council
and all other councillors, and then resigning!
Now the Council is
having to rely on Government permission to flog off assets to pay
day-to-day spending and make other cuts to spending. Former Leader of the Council, Councillor Simon Letts who lost his seat in 2018 and then two Parliamentary candidacies in Southampton Itchen, is back in charge of the public money. Why? How? That's how the Labour Party works, by recycling failed councillors who lose their seats. Party first, Southampton last.
No
mention is made in the Labour literature of Councillor Kaur then resigning as
Council Leader, effectively leaving the sinking ship. And then the
Council's Chief Executive, who she chose, also resigning. So within the space of a year, Chief Exec, Chief Financial Officer and Leader, all gone.
No
mention is made by the Labour literature of Councillor Kaur spending the
tens of millions of pounds of public money squandered by Councillor Kaur
and her Cabinet of Labour councillors (with Conservative support it
must be added).
Amongst much more profligate spending with the wrong priorities during a time of what must be said were significant Tory Government cuts, the Labour-run Council spent tens of
millions of pounds on an Arts Complex (which was re-branded to Studio
144 to try to distract the bad media attention). This white elephant is located at
Guildhall Square (see photo of Cllr Kaur receiving a cheque below). But the Arts Complex is just one example of the mismanagement of public money by Councillor Kaur and her "team" of Labour councillors.
As investigated and reported by Southampton Independents, the Labour-run Council's profligate spending was done when social care,
education and roads continued to be broken - a story which Southampton
Independents exposed and repeatedly gave to the Daily Echo and BBC and which they gave prominence to.
Eventually, the then Leader of the Council Simon Letts (Kaur was in the Cabinet) lost his seat, after he told the Daily Echo's Rachel Adams (who we tipped off with the story) that he "didn't care" why it was overspent. Worryingly, Letts is in charge of Council spending again, and also the flogging off of Council assets to pay for day-to-day spending. Yes, really.
Failed Councillors Now Parliamentary Candidates
The Council has recycled failed councillors, just like the Labour Party is putting them up as Parliamentary Candidates - Satvir Kaur in Southampton Test and Darren Paffey in Southampton Itchen.
More Questions Need Answering About Keir Starmer's Plans for Energy
No
mention in Labour Councillor Satvir Kaur's literature of the failed
energy company that Labour councillors signed up to with their mates at
Nottingham City Council, Robin Hood Energy, which went bust.
Does this
local council policy remind you of the national policy promise mentioned on Councillor Kaur's leaflet
with Keir Starmer promising Great British Energy?
National Government-owned energy versus local government-owned energy?
Could it be an even bigger disaster than Robin Hood Energy? It's already been shown that Labour's own claims of saving people money do not add up.
Can Labour be trusted with your money? Not if Southampton, Croydon, Birmingham, Slough and many other council crises involving Labour are an indication.
Is this GB
energy "no risk", as claimed by former Leader of Southampton Council
Christopher Hammond, when challenged by Southampton Independent
Councillor Andrew Pope. BBC journalists on Newscast have cast doubt on
the detail of Labour's plans. Are those Westminster journalists aware of the local council crises involving Labour?
And What About Housing?
Affordable housing is mentioned in the literature. But no mention in the literature of what is shown (although again it is very vague) in Councillor Kaur's August 2023 Register of Interests at Southampton City Council. That Satvir Kaur's husband, Ben Walker, works for Persimmon Homes, a developer.
Yet two separate documents do not tally, despite both being completed by Satvir Kaur between May and August 2023.
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Councillor Satvir Kaur Regsiter of Interests at Southampton City Council
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yet under employment, nothing is mentioned. Why? Is this correct?
"So what" you might say.
Here is another register of interests for Satvir Kaur, signed May 2023. This is for the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), in which she declares her leadership of the Council as employment and the employment of her husband.
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Satvir Kaur Interests at Solent LEP
Image: Southampton Independents
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Why the difference between this May 2023 declaration of employment at the Solent LEP and the August 2023 City Council declaration of interests?
"So what" you might say, especially if you are, were, or might be, a Labour supporter?
Politicians Are Entitled To Privacy But There Also Exists Public Interest
Whilst public figures are entitled to privacy, it is in the public
interest that any relationship between spouses is declared. That is why
registers of interests are kept.
It is an offence to not declare interests accurately, for a Councillor in a Council.
Is the Satvir Kaur register of interest accurate?
We
have asked Councillor Kaur.
Here is a photo of Councillor Kaur with a cheque, written by Persimmon. At the Arts Complex, no less!
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Councillor Satvir Kaur with Cheque
from Persimmon Homes
Photo: Persimmon Homes LinkedIn
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And in this report, there is a photo and report of Councillor Kaur at an event at St. Mary's Stadium, reported by the Daily Echo, with Ben Walker present and speaking in that role with Persimmon Homes. At the time, 29th June 2023, Councillor Kaur was Leader of the Council.
In the Business South report, Mr Walker is reported:
"Ben Walker, Head of External Affairs for Persimmon Homes talked about
the Housing Manifesto that is currently being developed by Business
South’s Housing Group"
What Are the Links Between Southampton City Councillors And Developers?
Also mentioned at the event is Matt Turpin, "Public Affairs Lead" at Vivid, a housing provider, who has repeatedly failed to be elected onto Southampton City Council as a Conservative candidate.
What about other councillors or council candidates involved in development or advising developers?
Avid readers of the Southampton Independents' campaigning and investigatory work over the years may "vividly" remember that we targeted for investigation Mike Denness former Agent for Basingstoke Conservative MP Maria Miller. Denness suddenly joined the Labour Party and was selected and elected for the Millbrook ward when Labour Councillor Georgie Laming quit unexpectedly.
Andrew Pope exposed Councillor Denness in public during a Planning Committee in Councillor Denness' role as Chair of the Council's Planning Committee. Denness was in this role, despite the Labour Whip Councillor John Noon receiving complaints about it. And Denness having being a consultant for development companies that operated in Southampton.
So we stood a Southampton Independents candidate against him in 2018. Denness lost his seat, losing by fewer votes than those gained by our candidate.
Labour has been recycling its failed councillors again, as it did for Simon Letts. Denness is now back on the Council in the Bevois ward, which Labour narrowly held onto in the 2024 local elections. The TUSC candidate came second with a huge vote for a TUSC candidate (they often get less than 100).
A local Workers Party of Great Britain candidate, Wajahat Shaukat, is standing against Satvir Kaur for Southampton Test at the General Election. As reported exclusively by us, Mr Shaukat complained about the Churches Together hustings event in the Shirley ward that Satvir Kaur has represented since 2011.
So what are the links between Southampton councillors and candidates, developers, consultants to developers and the national Labour Party or Conservative Party? More investigation is needed, and urgently. We hope that it is not like in Bournemouth, dubbed "the most corruptible Council in Europe" by Transparency International UK in 2020. We offer the right of reply to those named.
We humbly ask other media outlets local and national to investigate this, as a matter of urgency.
It may be useful to note that Keir Starmer has repeatedly said that he would have to make "enemies" to get housing built.
There is no evidence that we have seen so far that Satvir Kaur and Ben Walker, or Keir Starmer, or anybody named above is breaking any laws or rules. But questions need to be answered. So we are asking.
Perhaps Satvir Kaur will continue to ignore us. That might not be terribly wise. She might want to ask Councillor Simon Letts, or ask Councillor Mike Denness, two of the subjects of our investigations and campaigns over the years.
The General Election
All of the above information may be of interest to those casting their votes this Thursday.
We provide this investigation as a free public service for the people of Southampton and in the interests of democracy.
Why Southampton Independents Is Covering the 2024 General Election
Southampton
Independents recommends no particular candidate in the 2024 General
Election. We publish this information and the information about the
other candidates to help inform Southampton residents for their vote, or
for them to choose not to vote or to positively spoil their ballot by
writing "none of the above". It's your choice.
The other candidates standing in Southampton Test are listed here.
Tell us what you think by getting in touch.
