Southampton Independents has campaigned on a wide range of local and regional issues.
We listened to you and we acted on local residents' concerns.
Campaign Wins
Some of our campaign wins are below, but there have been many more:
- winning a seven year campaign to get Safe Standing installed at Southampton FC's St. Mary's Stadium for the 2024-25 Season,
despite fierce resistance from former directors and chairmen of the
Football Club and unwarranted criticism from a minority of fans.
- preventing charging vehicle users in a Clean Air Zone for Southampton by calling for a Referendum on any such scheme.
The scheme was then scrapped, in contrast to other parts of the country
including London and Bristol. Southampton Independents protected our
City's residents and businesses, and we have been thanked for it.
- exposing appalling failures in tower block fire safety before and after the Redbridge Towers fire and the Grenfell Tower tragedy, forcing the City Council to install sprinklers and improve fire safety in the Council tower blocks. Sprinklers save lives and property, and they have done so, for example in a fire at Millbrook Towers.
- successfully killing off the failed Solent Devolution Deal and Labour and Conservative plans for an Elected Mayor, by working cross-party and with other independent colleagues across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. After our successful campaign, the proposals were dead.
- exposing and killing the wrong plans for housing development and re-generation by the City Council, by listening and acting with residents. Labour councillors even got booed at a public meeting, after we encouraged residents to turn up to pack the venue.
- exposing
the misuse of City Council finances and corruption including the tens
of millions of pounds of public money spent on the Council's Arts
Complex, getting the issue on the agenda of the City Council elections and front page of the Daily Echo. The Leader of the Council, Labour's Simon Letts, said that he didn't care why it was over budget. He lost his Council seat shortly after in the local elections.
Media Profile of Southampton Independents Work
Our local campaigns and work have been reported on:
- the local Southern Daily Echo printed newspaper and news website (many examples)
- BBC Hampshire online including the scandal of the massively over time and over budget Southampton Arts Complex
- BBC South Today TV (e.g. on the campaign against the Solent Devolution Deal)
- BBC Radio Solent (e.g. on our leadership of the Safe Standing for supporters of Southampton FC at St Mary's Stadium)
- Radio Wave 105 (e.g. on our campaign for sprinklers in Council tower blocks)
Who Founded Southampton Independents?
Southampton Independents was co-founded and has been mostly led by former Independent councillor Andrew Pope. Since then, Andrew has worked with other local residents on the issues that matter to them, and has enable them to make their lives better.
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| Andrew Pope on BBC South TV Opposing An Elected Mayor Image: Southampton Independents |
Andrew's work has appeared in newspapers, and on television and radio:
• The Daily Mirror newspaper and website (e.g. successful campaign to make paying the Real Living Wage at all Premier League Football Clubs)
• The Guardian newspaper and website (e.g. Co-operative Councils)
• Sky News (e.g. on the strikes at Royal Mail)
• BBC Radio 5 (e.g. on power cuts in Southampton at Christmas 2013, and on the tower block fire safety campaign)
Tell Us What You Think and What You Want To See
What do you care passionately about?
Is there something that you are happy about?
Is there something that you are unhappy about?
Want to help us with our campaigns?
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