EXCLUSIVE: "Written Off At 18 Months Old", Southampton Conservative General Election Candidate "Wins Campaigns"

Ben Burcombe-Filer Conservative Party Candidate
for Southampton Test at the 2024 General Election
Photo: B Burcombe-Filer

When we asked Ben Burcombe-Filer, the Conservative Candidate for Southampton Test at the 2024 General Election, what track record he has of winning campaigns, he told us:

"I was written off at 18 months old, and ever since I have been told I cannot do this, or will not be able to do that. So I have been campaigning for almost my entire life, and that fact that I am writing this as Candidate for Southampton Test is purely down to the fact I win my campaigns."

This combative response from Mr Burcombe-Filer was matched in his response to being asked why he is standing in the General Election. He said:

"I am standing in this election because Southampton Test deserves a choice. Currently 75% of its councilors are Labour, with the potential of a Labour MP and Keir Starmer in number 10, all checks and balances are effectively removed.

You only have to look at Labours track record to see why this is bad news for the people of Southampton Test. The council needs to save 40m annually in a desperate attempt to stave off a section 114, something which will inevitably lead eyewatering council tax rises and cuts to services that will hammer the people the council is supposed to serve! They have not even begun trying to balance the books, because they fear reprisals at the ballot box next month.

How can they be trusted to put the people of Southampton or indeed the country first?"

The Conservative candidate in the West of Southampton is no stranger to standing in elections, having stood for Eastleigh Borough Council and Hampshire County Council over several years. He succeeded in being elected to Bishopstoke Parish Council at the May 2024 local elections, but was not elected to the other two councils.

Mr Burcombe-Filer has appeared in various media, as a private tutor and as a fund-raiser for those living with disabilities and for disability rights.

A Sky Living TV documentary in 2015 featured Mr Burcombe-Filer, titled “What the Super Tutor Saw”. Mr Burcombe-Filer has cerebral palsy, with the Southern Daily Echo saying then that he “suspects” this contributed to his struggling in getting work before leading to the private tutoring. 

Presumably this also inspired his comments about "winning campaigns" too.

He was also quoted by the Southern Daily Echo as having “tutored children of Lords, sports stars and super-rich business leaders”. Speaking about his work, into which he “fell” after graduating from Cambridge University, he says that he loves the work. 

Inews reported in 2021 that Mr Burcombe-Filer “hopes to become a Tory MP”. Realising his ambition now, this 2024 General Election is the first time that he has stood for Parliament.

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 for Southampton Test, with their answers to our questions, are here.

 

Green Party 2024 General Election Candidate Neil Kelly Refuses Questions from Southampton Itchen

Neil Kelly Southampton Itchen Candidate
Image: Screenshot of website

We would like to tell you about Neil Kelly, but there is little information available.

Southampton Independents is interviewing the candidates for the 2024 General Election. We are holding them to account and informing Southampton residents. Candidates are answering our questions.

But not all of them. The Green Party Candidate Neil Kelly has refused to be interviewed. 

Questions were sent to him, as they have been sent to other candidates, but none of them have been answered by the Green Party Candidate for Southampton Itchen. This is odd, considering that the Southampton and District Green Party website asks for questions to be sent. 

That is exactly what we have done. Yet, they have refused to answer.

So who is Neil Kelly? We would like to show a photo of him, but the Green Party has not sent us a photo, although we have asked for that, too. So the above image is a screenshot of the website. The local Green Party website is pretty much the total of material that is available about this candidate, apart from a rather amateurish Facebook account.

Amongst social media, there only appears to be this Facebook account for Mr Kelly's candidacy and nothing else. This is in stark contrast to other candidates who use social media to campaign.

Neil Kelly has stood as a council candidate over many years for Southampton City Council, and many times, but has never been elected.

Kelly has stood for:

• Labour
• Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC)
  
• Green Party

We have offered Mr Kelly a right of reply to the other information that we have discovered.

Mr Kelly has been asked why he thinks he was not elected. He has also been asked about the lack of social media for him, despite being a candidate for public office. And he has also been asked about Green Party candidates being dropped after probes into online posts.

We waited some time for a response from Mr Kelly or Southampton and District Green Party, but only received refusals.

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 for Southampton Itchen, with their answers to our questions, are here. 

EXCLUSIVE: Reform UK Southampton Candidate Says Country Facing A "Civilisational Moment" In The 2024 General Election

Alex Culley, Reform UK 2024 General Election Candidate
for Southampton Itchen
Photo: Alex Culley

"I decided to get off the sofa and put myself in the line of fire" says Alex Culley, Reform UK's candidate for the Southampton Itchen Constituency in the 2024 General Election.

Mr Culley says that:

"I am not a career politician. I divide my finite time between running my business, spending time with my family, and campaigning." 

and that:

"It seems like the UK is in a permanent state of managed decline."

Southampton Independents has been asking questions of the Southampton candidates for the 2024 General Election.

When asked why he is standing in this General Election, Mr Culley said:

"In a recent TV interview Professor Matthew Goodwin said that many Britons feel like their country is facing a 'civilisational moment'. I share this sentiment. To me, it seems like the UK is in a permanent state of managed decline.

Figuring that things aren’t going to change by shouting at the TV, I decided to get off the sofa and put myself in the line of fire."

When asked why he is standing for Reform UK, Mr Culley said:

"Reform is what this country desperately needs on so many levels. I started reading through Reform UK’s Contract. I felt that the programme offers hope for real change.

Ultimately, if you’re sick of the stranglehold the tired CONLAB duopoly has had on our politics, don’t vote for it. Choose Reform."

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 for Southampton Test, with their answers to our questions, are here.

Who Are The 2024 General Election Candidates in Southampton?

 

On 7th June 2024, the nominations for candidates in the 2024 General Election were declared by officers of Southampton City Council and Test Valley Borough Council.

Local residents typically see Southampton as within the City boundary, rather than what could be called "Greater Southampton" including the adjacent areas of the Waterside, Hedge End, Eastleigh, West End, Park Gate and so on. Southampton Independents typically covers this same City boundary area, as shown in our logo above.

The City boundary includes three Parliamentary Constituencies, each electing one Member of Parliament under the First Past the Post method. These are:

• Southampton Itchen, containing the East of the City of Southampton. This is named after the River Itchen that flows through the East of the City and out into Southampton Water and ultimately into the Solent.
  
• Southampton Test, containing the West of the City of Southampton. Again, this is named after the River Test that runs through or near the West of the City and out into Southampton Water.
• Romsey and Southampton North, which includes only a small part of Southampton, in the north of the City. The rest of the Constituency includes Romsey and surrounds.
  

In the Southampton Itchen Constituency, the candidates are listed here. It has been updated with the answers and non-answers from candidates, as at 16th June 2024.

In the Southampton Test Constituency, the candidates are listed here. It has been updated with the answers and non-answers from candidates, as at 16th June 2024.

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

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

If you have questions or comments to make, or requests for explainer articles or information for stories, please get in touch here.

 

Who Are The 2024 General Election Candidates in the Romsey and Southampton North Constituency?

 

 

 

The nominations for candidates in the 2024 General Election have today been declared by officers of Test Valley Borough Council.

In the Romsey and Southampton North Constituency, the candidates, in alphabetical order of surname, are:

• Paul Barrett for Reform UK
• Geoff Cooper for the Liberal Democrats
• Christie Lambert for the Labour Party
• Caroline Nokes is The Conservative Party Candidate
• Connor Shaw for the Green Party
• Fennie Yap is an Independent candidate
   

As only a small part of Southampton is covered by this Constituency, we are only interviewing and sending questions to the Southampton Test and Southampton Itchen candidates. You can click on the posts for those constituencies to see what their candidates have said and not said.

 

Who Are The 2024 General Election Candidates in the Southampton Itchen Constituency?

 

 

 

The nominations for candidates in the 2024 General Election have today been declared by officers of Southampton City Council.

Candidates have been approached for interview, and asked questions, by Southampton Independents. You can click the links below to see their answers and non-answers.

In the Southampton Itchen Constituency, the candidates, in alphabetical order of surname, are:

• James Batho for the Liberal Democrats (16/6/24 - refused to answer any questions and refused an interview)
• Declan Clune for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (26/6/24 - answers received and published in full, no response to interview request)
• Alex Culley for Reform UK (16/6/24 all questions answered and interview published). bitternepark.info have also written about his campaign website.
  
• Neil Kelly for the Green Party (16/6/24 all questions refused and interview refused)
  
• Darren Paffey for the Labour Party (16/6/24 - no response to interview and question requests, 28/6/24 still no response). bitternepark.info reported on the Labour campaign launch.
  
• Sidney Yankson is The Conservative Party Candidate (16/6/24 - no response to requests, 28/6/24 still no response). Mr Yankson, the Conservative candidate who is a Kensington councillor and who has failed to answer any of our questions, also did not respond to Jason Lewis from the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The Conservatives are predicted by many polls to do very badly in this Election. We asked Mr Yankson how can he be a councillor 77 miles away and claim to live in Southampton. True to form, Yankson did not answer. He did go on TV though and is quoted praising the Conservatives by bitternepark.info.
   

Over at bitternepark.info, they have written a report on the hustings event at Oasis Academy Mayfield. A hustings is a public meeting where candidates are asked questions. They noted low attendance. 

And via the Local Democracy Reporting Service's Jason Lewis, bitternepark.info also have a report with information from candidates.

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.

 

Who Are The 2024 General Election Candidates in the Southampton Test Constituency?

 

 

The nominations for candidates in the 2024 General Election have today been declared by officers of Southampton City Council.

In the Southampton Test Constituency, the candidates, in alphabetical order of surname, are:

• Katherine Barbour for the Green Party (16/6/24 - interview refused and refused to answer any questions)
  
• Ben Burcombe-Filer is the Conservative Party Candidate (16/6/24 - all questions answered and interview refused)
  
• John Edwards for Reform UK (16/6/24 - 5 out of 6 questions answered and interview yet to be scheduled)
  
• Maggie Fricker for Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (16/6/24 - answers provided in full).
  
• Thomas Gravatt for the Liberal Democrats (16/6/24 - refused to answer any questions and refused an interview)
  
• Satvir Kaur for the Labour Party (28/6/24 still no response, 23/6/24 second request sent, 16/6/24 - no response to request for interview and the six basic questions asked of all candidates)
  
• Wajahat Shaukat for the Workers Party of Great Britain (29/6/24 candidate confirmed will respond to questions, 28/6/24 no response, 23/6/24 contact details obtained and request sent to candidate, 16/6/24 no contact details - link to party page here)
  

Candidates have been approached for interview, and asked questions, by Southampton Independents. You can click the links for their answers and non-answers.

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.

 

 

CAMPAIGN DELIVERED: Safe Standing for Fans At Southampton FC's St. Mary's Stadium

 

Andrew Pope Began The Campaign in 2017

Southampton Independents, led by co-founder Andrew Pope, has delivered another campaign win after a seven-year battle on behalf of fans of Southampton Football Club ("Saints") to get safe standing installed at St. Mary's Stadium, the home of Saints. 

 

Our campaign made this Echo front page

And this main article on Safe Standing

 Andrew says:

"I started this campaign in 2017 and kept it going despite resistance from Southampton FC itself because Saints fans wanted to be able to safely Stand Up If You Love The Saints, just like it says in the footbridge to the Stadium. I listened to fans and I acted for fans, providing the leadership that was not being provided by the (then) directors of the Club.

After a difficult time trying to work with those former directors of Saints, and due to my leadership of the campaign, in April 2023 I was invited to a meeting at St. Mary's Stadium with more recent directors Tim Greenwell and Toby Steele.

Tim and Toby confidentially briefed me on the proposals and asked for my feedback, after I had contacted the Sports Ground Safety Authority, the Football Supporters Association (FSA) and St. Mary's Stadium Safety Advisory Group.

And of course, after I had heightened the issue via national and local media, starting a petition and using the Southampton Independents website and social media, pressuring Southampton FC into doing Safe Standing. The Daily Echo and BBC Radio Solent interviewed me and published articles.

Andrew's Rail Seat Demo for Southampton Media

Another front page generated by Andrew's campaign

 

Directors have come and gone during this long seven year campaign, but I am pleased that Southampton FC directors eventually listened to my suggestions and acted on my concerns for safety and order at the Stadium. It took time, but I think these proposals are much improved from the very concerning proposals that I was initially presented with that seemed to want to make Safe Standing fail (see above Echo front page).

I kept my silence for a long time, as agreed with the directors, and waited patiently for the proposals to be altered. I am pleased that other fans on the Fans Advisory Board more recently told the Club what I had already told successive Southampton FC directors and chairmen over seven long years.

In addition to the new entire Safe Standing Northam Stand, away fans are being moved - something that Saints fans have wanted for years - and Saints fans are being prioritised instead in the new Northam Stand for Safe Standing.

Other clubs have done this - installed safe standing and putting away fans in the corner quadrant instead of prime position behind the goal, so I am pleased that Southampton FC are doing it too. St. Mary's is our home.

Fans will soon be able to stand safely and make more noise to support their team.

Thanks to the Daily Echo and BBC Radio Solent for reporting on my campaign over all these years. It has been hard but it will be worth it.

BBC Radio Solent asked me what I would do if I won the campaign. I said that I will be standing and shouting in supporting Saints with the rest of the fans.

And I am delighted to have delivered this campaign, for fans to be able to be Standing Up For Saints with me in the Safe Standing area next season, whether Saints are in the Premier League or The Championship!"

 

Southampton City Council (Labour) Asked Government To Increase Council Tax By 15% And Tried To Hide It

Southampton Labour Mismanaging Public Money Again

Last year, Southampton Independents said that Labour's bankrupting of Croydon Council could happen here in Southampton. We were absolutely correct to predict it.

Because it has happened. 

Southampton City Council has been brought to its knees by Southampton Labour. And the Section 114 warning of effective bankruptcy came when Labour Southampton Test Parliamentary Candidate Satvir Kaur was Leader of the Council. Instead of sorting it out, she quit, as did the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Executive Officer.

Southampton City Council lacks leadership, as it has for many years. They are even struggling to collect the bins, the most basic function of a Council in most residents' eyes.

Yet because Rishi Sunak's Conservative Government is so unpopular, Conservative councillors have been reduced to just 10, with Labour somehow - despite the bankruptcy, bin chaos and lack of leadership, emerging as "in control" (as if!) of the City Council from the May local elections. The Liberal Democrats also gained a seat.

Now Southampton Labour councillors have been forced to admit that they asked to increase council tax by 15%. Worse than that, it was revealed during a chaotic Council meeting that Labour, with the help of Council officers it must be noted, tried to hide the request from local residents as a confidential matter, except that it relates to public money which involves residents' council tax and business rates paid by local businesses.

Is This A New Crisis?

No. Early in 2024, it has already been confirmed by the Labour-run Council itself that it could not balance its books without Government assistance.

This followed the warning early last year before last year's Council budget. The Chief Financial Officer warned, that the Council would have to issue a Section 114, effectively declaring banktuptcy of public finances in Southampton. He then resigned. Since then, the Chief Executive Officer Mike Harris has resigned. And the Leader of the Council Councillor Satvir Kaur also resigned.

Who Is The Leader Now?

Labour Councillor Lorna Fielker, who was elected after Satvir Kaur quit, apparently to concentrate on her Parliamentary ambitions. 

How Are They Going To Sort It Out?

There is no guarantee that those who have caused the crisis can be trusted to sort it out. But to balance the books the Council has been allowed, in an apparent once-off, by Government to sell Council assets (yes, they belong to the public, not councillors). And also to borrow more money. 

Has this dealt with the underlying structural deficit in the Council Budget? There is no evidence yet to say that it has. Will Council taxpayers have to foot the bill next year instead? It is very possible.

Whose Money Is It Anyway?

It is public money. It is your money. It is taxpayers' money. It does not belong to councillors. And certainly not to the Labour Party. Yet they treat it is as if it were theirs and manage it poorly. And they have used it regularly for party political, and electoral, gain. But when they fail to manage it correctly, they expect taxpayers to foot the bill. You should not have to.

Shouldn't They Ask Us First?

Yes they should. For many years, a Council has by law had to have a referendum to raise council tax by more than 2.99% plus the social care extra 2$, totalling 4.99%. This was introduced by the Conservative-led Government when Eric Pickles was the Minister for Local Government. 

Prior to this, there was no referendum necessary. Under the last Labour Government, Southampton Labour councillors put up Council tax by a whopping 18%. There was no referendum of the public, despite it being them who pay the council tax. Councillors decided.

So Whose Fault Is It?

Labour has been in control of Southampton City Council since 2012, for all but one year when the Conservatives controlled the Council. During this entire time, the Government has been a Conservative-lead one. It is a fact that Council budgets have been cut centrally by successive Governments, whether Labour or Conservative. Yet some councils have been mismanaged, whilst others have managed their budgets better.

Southampton City Council has been brought to its knees by Southampton Labour. And the Section 114 warning came when Satvir Kaur was Leader of the Council. Instead of sorting it out, she quit, as did the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer.

The previous Council Leader Councillor Satvir Kaur had been in the Cabinet for most of those 12 years, either as a Cabinet Member or as Leader. The Cabinet is the Chief decision-making body of the Council. 

Councillor Satvir Kaur resigned for political reasons and has attempted to use the Council's resources for Labour Party electoral gain to become the Member of Parliament for Southampton Test. But only after bringing the council to its knees and spending your money.

Kaur had previously said that it was a "lie" that the Council was effectively bankrupt. This was despite official advice from the Council's most senior financial officer and the Section 114 warning being widely reported in local media and national media.

As reported here on the Southampton Independents website, Kaur's resignation followed the behaviour of the previous Labour Leader of Croydon Council.

- denial after denial by Councillor Kaur, despite the Chief Financial Officer warning of an imminent Section 114 notice which is Council-speak for effective bankruptcy

- Councillor Kaur accusing local media of reporting these warnings as a "lie" - again despite the warning of her Chief Financial Officer, who then resigned before the 2023/24 budget was approved by Labour councillors

- the Section 114 warning proving to be correct, leading to the Council stating publicly that it could not balance the 2024/25 budget and then only mentioning the borrowing and loan agreement with the Government - the request to raise Council Tax by 15% was not mentioned

How Do We Know About The 15% Raise?

According to the Daily Echo, the request to raise council tax by 15% was hidden in documents that the Council sought to hide from the public at the public meeting, claiming confidentiality.

In effect, it is abuse of the law to protect career politicians like Satvir Kaur.

It is the public that pays the council tax. And pays their taxes.

And who elects councillors to look after their money. So the public has a right to know.

Yet officers and councillors agreed that they would put the requested increase in documents that were hidden from the public under what is called "exempt matters".

Southampton Independents does not dispute that Government and Council should be able to have discussions, before a decision. But once that decision has been made, it should be available for councillors and the public to scrutinise.

Yet the Head of Legal at the Council approved keeping this political decision from the public.

According to the Echo report, the Echo has seen the documents that show the 15% request. And the documents confirm that Labour councillors asked for a 15% increase. But it was turned down by Government.

At the 20th March 2024 Council Meeting ("Extraordinary Budget Meeting") where councillors considered the delayed budget for the Council, the new Labour Leader of the Council Councillor Lorna Fielker revealed that she had asked Government to raise council tax by 14.99% because they could not balance the books. 

Previous reports by the BBC and Daily Echo did not mention this request for a council tax increase. Why? Because the request was hidden in supposedly "confidential" papers, hidden under what are called "exempt matters". 

Councils have repeatedly used "exempt matters" for political (and party political) purposes instead of legitimate and legal reasons. It appears from what has been revealed by the Daily Echo, that this is another such case.

Questions arise...

Why is it one rule for Croydon but another rule for Southampton?

Croydon taxpayers suffered a 20% increase when their Labour-run Council could not manage public money well enough.

Yet Southampton taxpayers are to be spared - for this year at least. When will they get a grip, if ever, of the Council's finances?

Did councils elsewhere make similar requests for council tax increases, but not hide them under "exempt matters". Southampton Independents understands from its contacts elsewhere that other councils were open about it. 

So why did Southampton try to hide it? To cover up the truth for politicians' personal gain and for the Labour Party's damaged reputation.

What happens after the local elections and the General Election? Is this "once off" like the former Post Office Chair Henry Staunton alleged that he was told by civil servants for the Post Office to hobble on until after the Election?

Will taxpayers now be hit with a massive increase to Council Tax after the elections are over?

Will Southampton's council tax rocket? It is still a possibility.

Is it the case that the Conservatie Government is kicking the can down the road, and Southampton Labour councillors are happy that they are able to get away with it for another year?

We shall see. Tell us your thoughts.

 

Labour's New Highway Robbery by Tyrant Sadiq Khan in London - And How It Was Stopped in Southampton

Labour's Highway Robbery in London

 

Desspite resistance from London residents, Labour's tyrannical Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has carried on regardless, and imposed an expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) across the whole of Greater London. 

This is despite Labour losing the Uxbridge by-election to the Tories after the resignation of the disgraced former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was MP for the Uxbridge constituency. 

The Conservatives have claimed that the ULEZ policy is the main reason for them narrowly winning, in the context of losses in other by-elections and disastrous opinion polling with the Conservatives trailing Labour by over twenty percentage points in some polls. The Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer has distanced himself from the ULEZ policy and called for a debate over the policy.

Commenting, former Southampton Independents councillor Andrew Pope has written to the Daily Echo with the following letter:

Former Councillor Andrew Pope on BBC South
on the defeated Elected Mayor plans

"Campaigning works. I feel sorry for the people of London who have had this measure imposed on them without a Referendum. The people should decide, not a tyrant Mayor of London. That's why I campaigned for a Referendum on similar measures proposed by Labour-controlled Southampton City Council.

The same fate could have befallen Southampton if the Labour-run Southampton City Council had not u-turned on their plans in 2018 after I called for a Referendum, as reported by the Daily Echo. 

I also asked questions in private and public of Council officers and again in public to the former Leader of the Council, Christopher Hammond, who resigned following Labour's defeat in the 2021 City Council elections. Hammond refused to rule out charging.

Over the last few years, including over recent weeks with the expansion of the ULEZ, residents and visitors have thanked me for campaigning against the Labour plans for Southampton. This includes new residents of Southampton who told me that they would not have moved here and contributed their work and businesses if Southampton had vehicle charging.

 

I'm also delighted to have led the campaign in Southampton to stop our City from having an Elected Mayor like Sadiq Khan. Again, as reported by the Daily Echo, I was the only Southampton councillor opposed to it with the Labour and Tory councillors voting for it like the party puppets that they were - and still are - placing their parties over the people once again.

 

I have noted Tory Hampshire County Council Leader Rob Humby calling for support for new devolution and a new split with other councils in the Region. Do these party politicians want an elected mayor? It is unclear, but they need to be honest and tell the people if they are proposing it.

 

Residents do not want another party puppet with too much power and that's what elected mayors are.

 

Sadiq Khan in London, Marvin Rees in Bristol and Joe Anderson in Liverpool are three key examples of why elected mayors are bad for residents. There are many other examples.

 

Labour and the Conservatives support elected mayors and the concentration of power to one individual. They support elected mayors because they want it for the benefit of the parties and not for the people of Southampton, London, Liverpool or Bristol.

Labour or Tory, same old story.

Residents do not support having an elected mayor - that's why Bristol residents voted in a Referendum to scrap Marvin Rees and the role of Mayor and why Liverpool has also rejected having an elected mayor. Councillors in Liverpool made that decision - a Referendum would also have led to the scrapping of an Elected Mayor.

Councillors made that decision to try to quell widespread corruption in Liverpool Labour and Liverpool City Council. Having an elected mayor failed. The damage had been done.

I'm pleased to see the rise of independent councillors in Liverpool and moves by residents  for the same in Bristol. In Croydon, bizarrely after Labour brought the Council to bankruptcy, they now have an Elected Mayor, who is a Tory and is now seeking to impose massive council tax increases on residents, when it was Labour councillors - and a Tory Government's Draconian cuts - that caused the bankruptcy. The residents were not to blame, but they are the ones suffering.

Like Liverpool has had, Croydon has had and Bristol has had, Southampton residents have had a Labour-led Council for too long that has brought the City of Southampton to its knees and to the brink of bankruptcy - something which the current Leader Satvir Kaur denies.

Having an elected mayor in Southampton, Portsmouth and across our Region - with even more concentrated powers - would make things even worse."