Last Wednesday saw two members of Southampton and District Green Party deliver a deputation to Southampton City Council. As part of full council meeting, Professor Barrie Margetts and Lori Foster delivered a deputation questioning what exactly would be involved in the new transition plans for adult and child social care, following a £42m savings announcement via Newton Europe consultancy (itself costing the tax payer £9m).

Focusing on the already faltering child social care system, Lori and Barrie asked whether outsourcing child care and continuing to use private companies for care was the plan. They shared personal stories of how cuts in other councils resulted in poor outcomes for looked after children and their families. They also asked for reassurances that efficiencies didn’t mean wholesale job cuts and reduced early intervention for struggling families.

Responses were provided by Cllr Anne Marie Finn and Cllr Alexander Winning, offers of in depth transition explanation were given, and Professor Margetts and Lori Foster will follow this up to find out more. However, there were no direct answers about the possibility of job cuts and service reduction.

Notwithstanding, Cllr. Winning did make a commitment to keeping and increasing looked after children’s placements within the city and cited the building of new children’s homes.

Southampton Green Party are dedicated to ensuring that already struggling families are not unduly impacted by money saving schemes and will do their utmost to hold the council and Newton Europe to account.

The post Green Party Challenge Council plans for children appeared first on Southampton Green Party.

The fire at Millbrook Old Cemetery reported by us early August meant the ten trees pictured above had to be felled.

Now there is a bleak almost dystopic scene left in one corner of the cemetery where the area probably is being used to hoard grass cuttings away from the trees, meaning fire risks in hot weather might not be quite so worrying.

The post Millbrook old cemetery trees now felled appeared first on Southampton Green Party.

Barrie Margetts (pictured), has been selected to stand for the Green Party and has an excellent work record in Southampton as a previous Councillor and as a Professor at University of Southampton.

Barrie has lived in the ward for 33 years and is a retired (Emeritus) Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton where he worked in Public Health Nutrition and was actively involved for over twenty years in supporting the Southampton City Council’s efforts to improve public health in the city.

Having been elected as a Labour Ward councillor for Coxford in 2019 he put forward successful motions to full council on supporting the City becoming a Right to Food City (including free school meals for all) and to end holiday hunger. He also chaired the Health Overview Scrutiny Panel and was a member of the childhood obesity review.

Other campaigns included:improvement of local bus services; keeping community centres, improved play areas for children; and safer streets.

Barrie tells us,

“I led campaigns to protect native forests and green spaces, campaigned against the expansion of the Southampton Airport runway, volunteered on the garden team at St James’s Park, and set up a gardening project to help residents. In 2020, I established Southampton Social Aid Group, a Food Club to provide food and other provisions for local people.’

“I support the Green Party policies for a fairer, greener city.”

The post Barrie Margetts is Standing in Shirley. appeared first on Southampton Green Party.

Members of the Southampton Green Party attended the Unity Rally at Southampton Bargate on Saturday in solidarity. Standing to say “No more” to those who push racist, Islamophobic, anti-refugee, anti-semitic and xenophobic views.

We stood with the people of Southampton, including members of Stand Up to Racism, Southampton Climate Action, Greenpeace, Unite, Southampton Muslim Council and members of Southampton city council. Southampton is a city of peace for those who need a safe home – as refugees from political, climate and man made disasters come to our city, the Green Party Southampton welcomes each person and stands with them.

Notes:-

The post Southampton members join Unity Rally. appeared first on Southampton Green Party.

At the end of July fire broke out in the Millbrook Old Cemetery where the fire brigade attended and thankfully extinguished the blaze in one corner of the site.

Already there are 13 pink fluorescent paint markings on trees, indicating they need to be felled. It appears a few more mature firs are being left in the hope they survive the ordeal.

The Leyland cypress trees were planted to border the area and make the area more scenic. They grow quickly and can easily be replaced, but should they?

Ash trees around Hampshire and indeed in the city have been infected with ash dieback however there are trees that have resistance and the old cemetery might be one spot where ash trees could thrive and help the flora and fauna around the graves.

As the site is maintained by Southampton City Council, they have a duty to make the area safe and will make the decision how to replant the area.

Also, whatever trees are planted they may need maintaining during the first couple of years as our city can experience considerably dry summer months.

End.

Notes:

1/ Southampton Green Party are actively campaigning for the city to take more precautions whilst weather patterns are causing hotter summers.

The post Aftermath of Fire at Millbrook Old Cemetery appeared first on Southampton Green Party.