VOTE ANDREW DOUGLAS POPE INDEPENDENT FOR SHIRLEY WARD ON SOUTHAMPTON CITY COUNCIL ON 10TH OCTOBER 2024

Andrew Douglas Pope
Independent Candidate for Shirley

"I pledge to listen and act for you. I will ask questions the other councillors do not ask.

I stand up for you in the media.

I have a proven track record of delivery.

I try to be the change that you want to see.

I've helped thousands of people over the years."

In Shirley Ward on 10th October, elect a proven winner for Southampton and its great people.

Vote Andrew Douglas Pope 

Independent Candidate for Shirley Ward on 10th October 2024

Andrew Pope Founded Southampton Independents With Other Residents

Andrew Pope was Southampton City Councillor for eight years in the Maybush, Millbrook and Redbridge areas of Southampton between 2011-2019, first for Labour and then after standing for Parliament in the 2015 General Election in New Forest East, he resigned from Labour in disgust at what the Labour Council were doing to the City and the people in the area that he represented passionately and skilfully.

 

 

With the support of other residents, Andrew founded Southampton Independents and became its first ever councillor. 

Andrew did not stand for Council in 2019. The Council was not bankrupt then. But having seen the dire state of the Council over recent years under new Labour MP Satvir Kaur's leadership before she quit the Council to vote at Parliament for cuts to pensioners, Andrew spoke to residents. He says:

"Standing as an Independent is different to the Westminster political parties. 

I asked them and residents encouraged me to stand for Council and said that they would vote for me."

So Andrew is standing in the Shirley by-election as an Independent candidate.

He runs his own business in Shirley, PopeyMon Games and Consultancy, a technology consultancy and also repairs and trades vintage toys and games.

As well as many years experience listening and acting for Southampton people, Andrew listens carefully to the public every day as a professional interviewer for official surveys. These surveys are run for Government and charities. Andrew listens and records people's views and experiences on the NHS, education, work, transport, housing, mental health, the signs of ageing and on broadcast media.

These surveys are used to make important policy decisions by Government and campaigners.

Councillor Andrew Pope on BBC South Today
Standing Up For Southampton

Andrew Pope's Proven Record of Delivery

 

Andrew Pope Campaigning For Safe Standing
At St. Mary's Stadium

 

As a councillor and campaigner outside the Council, Andrew Pope has a track record of winning for Southampton:

• EXPERT IN COUNCIL FINANCES, LEADERSHIP AND CAMPAIGNING - trained by the Local Government Association in council finance and leadership. Andrew is a proven campaign winner, shown across the Southampton Independents website. Click the links below, or search the website using the web version search, or scroll down on your phone.
  
• WON CAMPAIGN FOR SPRINKLERS IN ALL COUNCIL TOWER BLOCKS - a campaign that he started after the Shirley Towers deaths and after the Redbridge Towers fire, months before the Grenfell disaster later in 2017.
  
• WON 7-YEAR “SAFE STANDING” CAMPAIGN AT ST MARY’S STADIUM BY WORKING WITH SOUTHAMPTON FC
• STOPPED LABOUR COUNCIL PLAN TO CHARGE YOU TO USE YOUR VEHICLE ON OUR ROADS BY CALLING FOR A REFERENDUM AND THEY U-TURNED!
• IN 2014/15 (before Southampton Independents website was created), WON COMPENSATION FROM POWER COMPANIES FOR 100s OF RESIDENTS
• GETS RESULTS AND HOLDS COUNCIL TO ACCOUNT FOR RESIDENTS - this website shows some, but not all, of his results. Andrew's work is in the Daily Echo, on BBC South Today (see photo above), on BBC Radio Solent and on the local BBC News website and Wave 105 Radio. Nationally, Andrew's work has appeared in The Guardian, the Daily Mirror and Daily Mail (on the living wage and minimum wage) and other national printed and TV news.
  
• INVESTIGATES AND PUBLISHES ON THIS SOUTHAMPTON INDEPENDENTS WEBSITE - just use the search on the web version, or scroll down on your phone to see his hard work
  

In Shirley Ward on 10th October, elect a proven winner for Southampton and its great people.

Vote Andrew Douglas Pope Independent for Shirley Ward on 10th October 2024.

 

Former Labour Council Leader Satvir Kaur Resigns As Councillor And Votes at Parliament to Cut Pensioner Winter Warmth

Labour Councillor and MP Satvir Kaur

NEW LABOUR MP SATVIR KAUR VOTES FOR CUTS TO PENSIONER WINTER WARMTH. THE LABOUR-RUN COUNCIL SHE LED, AND THAT SHE HAS NOW LEFT BEHIND, IS BROKE AND LOST YOU MILLIONS.  

 

New Labour Southampton Test MP Resigns and Causes Shirley By-Election

The by-election for Shirley ward on Southampton City Council was caused by the resignation of Satvir Kaur, the Labour Councillor. Kaur was elected the new Labour MP for Southampton Test, as reported by Southampton Independents. One of her first acts has outraged Southampton residents.

As the official Parliamentary record Hansard shows, on Tuesday 10th September, Kaur voted at Parliament for cuts to pensioner winter warmth. At the time of writing, she had not made any comment to the Daily Echo about her vote, despite being asked. The Southampton Itchen MP Darren Paffey has tried to justify his decision to also back the cuts.

Hard-up and cold Pensioners will now have to apply for Winter Fuel Payments on a very long and confusing questionnaire.

The Labour Government plans are very unpopular with the people of Southampton, and with the Unite and PCS unions. Ironically, Winter Fuel Payments were introduced by the last Labour Government under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. 

Why Did Satvir Kaur Resign?

Whether Kaur resigned in shame, or to help her political career, residents can decide for themselves. We have reported our investigations into Kaur and published them on this website.

However, as reported by Southampton Independents, Kaur is largely to blame for the City Council's dire financial situation. Satvir Kaur was a Labour Cabinet Member on the Council for over a decade. 

The Cabinet makes key spending decisions, consisting of only ten or fewer Labour councillors. Labour has run the Council since 2012, apart from a brief one year reign of the Conservatives, from 2021-2022.

Southampton Independents has exposed Labour and Tory councillors for spending on the wrong priorities, including tens of millions on the "Arts Complex". Satvir Kaur could not answer our questions on spending when put to her in the Council Chamber by our Councillor Andrew Pope. Now Labour has lost more millions on One Guildhall Square.

When the Tories lost control again, Satvir Kaur became the Leader of the Council from May 2022 to December 2023. Under her leadership, the Council received a Section 114 warning from the Chief Financial Officer, who then resigned. 

Despite denying it as a "lie" (as the former Labour Leader of Croydon did before it too was bankrupt), Kaur led the City Council to near bankruptcy before quitting as Leader, and then resigned. 

The Chief Executive Officer also resigned. 

So Kaur resigned as Leader in December 2023, and has now resigned as a councillor completely, leaving the Council behind and in a real mess.

Labour's Satvir Kaur and her Cabinet has spent millions on pet projects
and has BANKRUPTED the Council

What Mess Has Satvir Kaur Left Behind at the Council?

Southampton City Council remains in financial peril and is broke, selling assets off to pay the daily bills, after being given special permission by the Government to do so. Effectively, it is bankrupt, if it does not balance the books, and the Government has told it that it must do so. If it does not, it will have to serve a Section 114 notice, meaning the Council is bankrupt and cannot pay its bills.

Southampton Labour councillors also tried to secretly ask the Government to put up your council tax by 15%. Their secret became public, as reported by Southampton Independents. They are ashamed of their record, and so they should be.

The Council needs to be sorted out, yet Labour councillors are marking their own homework, with Labour councillors chairing committees that are supposed to check up. 

As the Stranglers once sang, Something Better Change!

 

Stand Up If You Love The Saints - JOB DONE AND CAMPAIGN DELIVERED - Safe Standing at St Marys Stadium

2017 Rail Seats Demo in Southampton
organised by Andrew Pope

2024 Safe Standing Northam Stand
St Mary's Stadium for Lazio "Friendly"

 

by Andrew Pope, leader of the campaign for Safe Standing at St. Mary's Stadium 

Attending the pre-season "friendly" versus Lazio this week, Andrew said: 

"The first photo shows the demonstration of rail seats that I organised in Southampton. The media attended. But it was not attended by the chairman and directors of Southampton FC, who I invited. They snubbed me back then. In the end, they invited me in.

The second photo shows how it ended. 

I was so pleased to be able to take my place in the safe standing area of the Northam Stand. 

I have delivered my campaign for Safe Standing for Saints fans, after seven years of hard work, including:

• a petition that was supported by Saints fans, and discussing, working and meeting with directors and safety authorities including the Sports Grounds Safety Authority
• speaking on BBC Radio Solent and Wave 105
  
• appearing in several articles in the Daily Echo and prompting front page reports, including giving the Echo this exclusive which was caused by my action during the campaign
  
• getting the support of most councillors at Southampton City Council
• lobbying ministers and provoking Parliament and getting the law changed, working with other campaigners across the country
  
• being quoted or mentioned in national news and magazine articles
• publishing here on the Southampton Independents website and social media
  

Now fans can safely "Stand Up If You Love The Saints", as it says in the footbridge tunnel.

See you at the match!"

 

Andrew Pope at the footbridge tunnel in 2018

 

 

Bankrupt Labour Council Loses £12 million of Public Money in Property Sell-off

Labour Councillors Robbing YOUR Money

by Andrew Pope, former Southampton City Councillor 2011-2019, 11th August 2024

Andrew Pope, Independent Southampton City Councillor
on BBC South Today

Labour loses £12 million of public money in property sell-off

In late 2022, I investigated and reported on the Labour-run Council, led then by now MP Councillor Satvir Kaur, on their sell-off of Council-owned land on the cheap for "affordable housing".

That report mentioned a Cabinet meeting of 20th December 2022, a meeting which Councillor Kaur chaired as Leader of the Council. 

At that meeting, Kaur's Cabinet approved a report where "best value" for sales of land for the "Affordable Housing Framework" would not be achieved.

Councils are required by law to achieve "best value" for the taxpayer when selling off public assets. But in that report, this requirement was sidelined in the recommendations to Cabinet.

This was in stark contrast to the requirement for "best value" being stated to be adhered to by the previous Conservative Administration of the Council in a report written by Council officers and presented to Cabinet in March 2022 and also in the presentation on the "Affordable Housing Framework" created by Council officers at the time.

It appears that Kaur's Labour Administration seemed to have mysteriously changed the policy, after Kaur became Leader in May 2022. Best value became not best value.

There is now evidence that Labour have not achieved "best value" in the sale of another taxpayer-owned asset.

Questions were raised last month by opposition councillors on Southampton City Council about the sale of One Guildhall Square. 

Let's look at the sums.

The freehold of land for the building was bought by the Council for £25 million.

Outrageously, the Council's own accounts show that it was sold for HALF of that amount, for £12.75 million net of VAT.

Far from being an investment, this is a massive £12.25 million LOSS for the taxpayer.

Yet Labour Councillor Simon Letts (the councillor we exposed in the Echo as saying he did not care about the Arts Complex overspends - see Echo front page from April 2018) defended the decision. 

 

Councillor Simon Letts "doesn't want to know why"
Arts Centre Faces Millions Over-Spend, Echo April 2018

 

Incredibly, Council officers had still claimed that "best value" was achieved in the sale of One Guildhall Square. How can that be? It is not true. Council officers are being forced by Labour to defend the indefensible.

The Labour Administration's policy of a fire sale, or a sell-off, call it what you will, has been set.

Do not forget that the Council is effectively bankrupt and having to sell, borrow or make cuts to balance the books. Against normal prudential restrictions, Government has allowed them to sell off the family silver to pay the bills.

This is a bankruptcy which Councillor Satvir Kaur said when Leader was a "lie", despite all the evidence contrary to her ignorant and incompetent leadership of the Council.

Kaur remains a Councillor, despite being elected to Parliament on 4th July 2024. You would have thought that she would have resigned in shame. But she has not.

What damage could she do if she got her hands on national public assets? The mind boggles.

Meanwhile, it will not be reassuring anybody that the Chair of the Council's Audit Committee is none other than Labour Councillor Steve Leggett, who presided over the bankruptcy of the Council as Cabinet Member for Finance.

Talk about Labour councillors marking their own homework!

 

THE RESULTS OF THE 2024 GENERAL ELECTION

 

 

We complete our coverage of the 2024 General Election with the results of the vote.

The turnout, being the number of votes, was down significantly in Southampton, and also nationally.

 

In Southampton Itchen, the result from Southampton City Council is:

BATHO, James Edward - Liberal Democrats - 2684
CLUNE, Declan Peter - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition - 264
CULLEY, Alex - Reform UK - 6853
KELLY, Neil McKinnon Lyon - Green Party - 2793
PAFFEY, Darren James - Labour Party - 15782 Elected
YANKSON, Sidney - The Conservative Party Candidate - 9677

In Southampton Test, the result is:

BARBOUR, Katherine Jane - Green Party - 3594
BURCOMBE-FILER, Ben - The Conservative Party Candidate - 6612
EDWARDS, John Peter - Reform UK - 5261
FRICKER, Maggie - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition - 366
GRAVATT, Thomas Stephen - Liberal Democrats - 3252
KAUR, Satvir - Labour Party - 15945 Elected
SHAUKAT, Wajahat - Workers Party - 775

In Romsey and Southampton North, the result from Test Valley Borough Council is:

BARRETT, Paul - Reform UK - 5,716 votes
COOPER, Geoff - Liberal Democrats - 17,702 votes
LAMBERT, Christie Marie - Labour Party - 4,640 votes
NOKES, Caroline Fiona Ellen - The Conservative Party Candidate - 19,893 votes Elected
SHAW, Connor Edward - Green Party - 1,893 votes
YAP, Fennie - Independent - 183 votes

Who Does Southampton Independents Endorse At The 2024 General Election?

 

Our Logo

Answer: Nobody.

Why?

Because we are impartial and have tried to make sure that our coverage of the Election has been impartial and fair.

We have tried to give equal treatment to all candidates, even when some have failed to co-operate with our questions, our requests for interview, or even to take up our fair offers of a right of reply when we have published information about them.

State of the Candidates - Who has co-operated with the Southampton Independents coverage?

Most importantly, the residents of Southampton. And 6 candidates in total - both Test and Itchen TUSC candidates, both Test and Itchen Reform UK candidates, one of the Conservative candidates in Southampton Test, and the Workers Party of Great Britain candidate in Southampton Test. You can click the links below to find out more and search the website for more too.

State of the Candidates - Who has not co-operated?

Unsurprisingly, almost all of the candidates of the Westminster parties. That is 7 in total - the Test and Itchen Greens refused to answer any questions and never took up an offer of a right of reply, both Test and Itchen Labour candidates did not respond to our questions, nor any request at all, and the Conservative Itchen candidate never responded to anything at all - not our questions, nor any request at all. You can click the links below to find out more about these unco-operative candidates and search the website for more too, including our investigations into them.

 

 

Why Southampton Independents Is Covering the 2024 General Election

To say again, 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.

Information about candidates is on the articles published over the campaign. You can use the Search. Or you can start here, or see below:

2024 General Election Candidates in Southampton

 

Which Constituency Am I In? Who Can I Vote For?

This will be on your poll card, which also tells you where you should vote. Remember that you need photo ID to vote now, since the Election Act 2022. We would send you to the Council advice on types of ID, but sadly at the time of writing, the Council website WAS DOWN (eve of polling day).

Council website DOWN Eve of Polling Day 3rd July 2024
Image: Southampton Independents

 

Luckily, the gov.uk site was not down and you can find out what ID is acceptable there. But if you don't have any of those forms of ID, you will not be able to vote. And if you did not register to vote in time, you also will not be able to vote.

You can find out which Constituency you are in by going to the Write To Them website here. 

Or if you know which constituency you are in:

In the Southampton Itchen Constituency, the candidates are listed here. It has been updated with the answers and non-answers from candidates. You can also search the site for articles on the candidates.

In the Southampton Test Constituency, the candidates are listed here. It has been updated with the answers and non-answers from candidates. You can also search the site for articles on the candidates.

In the Romsey and Southampton North Constituency, the candidates are listed here.

 

What's Your Choice for 4th July? 

You can choose to:

1. vote for one candidate by putting an X in one box only, or 
2. choose not to vote at all or 
3. choose to positively spoil your ballot by writing "none of the above". 

It's your choice.

We have provided this free public service for Southampton residents to better inform your choice.

We know that this service has been used, from our website statistics, and from what residents have told us.

Tell us what you think of our coverage, and our website. You can comment below, or you can contact us here.

 

"Unacceptable" Labour Stance on Trans Rights and "Women-only spaces" says Southampton Test Liberal Democrat Candidate Thomas Gravatt and Friend of "Pansexual" MP Moran

 

Mr Gravatt DID Have The Time
To Glad-Hand "Pansexual" Layla Moran
Former Lib Dem MP
Image: Thomas Gravatt Twitter Feed*

Councillor Thomas Gravatt of Swaythlijng ward has refused to answer questions asked by us on behalf of Southampton residents, apparently due to a lack of time. Today the Lib Dems Candidate for Southampton Test proclaimed via his Twitter feed:

"These comments from Keir Starmer are completely unacceptable.  We need to be handling this issue with compassion and understanding, not seeking to further marginalise a group that's already amongst the most vulnerable. 

Trans men are men and trans women are women. End of story."

Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Labout Party, was quoted in The Telegraph:

"Asked by The Times if trans women with gender recognition certificates have the right to enter women-only spaces, the Labour leader said: 'No. They don’t have that right'"

And the arguments about trans rights go on amongst some people. If you are so inclined, let us know what you think about it, although there does seem to be a very silent majority on the issue.

What Does This Say About The Lib Dems' Priorities?

It is interesting that Mr Gravatt does have the time for LGBT rights and so on and to pontificate on such matters.

As we've pointed out before, Gravatt did have time to glad-hand former Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran (pictured above). Moran was quoted by the BBC as saying she was "pansexual" (apparently it has nothing to do with cooking, or kitchens, although both things might be perceived as sexy) and said:

"Pansexuality, to me, means it doesn't matter about the physical attributions of the person you fall in love with, it's about the person themselves

It doesn't matter if they're a man or a woman or gender non-conforming, it doesn't matter if they identify as gay or not.

In the end, these are all things that don't matter - the thing that matters is the person, and that you love the person."

We think Mr Gravatt's time might be better spent answering the below questions that we asked him - they are listed below. But apparently, he did not have the time. 

More accurately, his priorities lie elsewhere, working outside the Southampton Test constituency for his pal Geoff Cooper and furthering his political career in the Liberal Democrats. If you thought political careerism was just for Labour and Tory, think again.

 

The Six Basic Questions We Asked All Candidates

1. Why are you standing in this General Election?
2. Why are you standing for the <insert party or independent here>?
3. What will you do in the first 100 days if elected?
4. What do you think are the best top 5 policies of your party?
5. What do you think are the top 5 issues that Southampton people want addressed, and what do you intend to do about them?
6. What track record do you have of winning campaigns?

SILENCE from Thomas Gravatt on the above important but really quite easy questions for any serious candidate to answer.

Here is how the Conservative candidate answered.

Here is how the Reform candidate answered.

Here is how the TUSC candidate answered.

State of The Candidates On Answering The Six Questions

The Labour candidate Satvir Kaur did not respond, and the Green candidate Katherine Barbour refused to answer, and the Workers Party of Great Britain candidate Wajahat Shaukat said that he would answer, once we eventually managed to track him down (contact details were not readily available). But dspite promises from him days ago, there are still no answers from him.

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.

*As we have said before, if Mr Gravatt or his Liberal Democrat pals had provided us with a photo, we would have used it. But he refused to do that as well. If he would like us to remove this image, we will consider it, but we feel that it is in the public interest that it is published here.