(a) Moved by Councillor Windle
Southampton City Council notes the important role local assets play in thriving communities and understands that these venues can take various forms, ranging from community centres and pubs to cinemas and music venues.
Further notes that over recent years the decline of high streets together with the UK’s poor economic growth has meant our communities are losing the assets that we all find important, with many vital assets left empty and vacant – ultimately becoming an eyesore.
The Council welcomes the news of the UK Government’s plans to strengthen a Community Right to Buy and its commitment to strengthen the powers available to communities, including a first refusal on a wider range of assets of community value, as well as doubling the time period for communities to raise finance to buy Assets of Community Value from six months to twelve.
This Council celebrates the role that local people have played in saving and breathing new life into once forgotten venues through schemes such as Assets of Community Value and commits to supporting further work to ensure these processes are as accessible as possible.
Southampton City Council commits to supporting community groups interested in acquiring an asset with connections to local and national funders as well as infrastructure support. This includes working with organisations such as Plunkett UK and Power to Change.
Therefore Southampton City Council resolves to work with Council officers to see how best it can:
1. Promote Assets of Community Value (ACVs)
2. Make it easier for people to apply for an ACV.
3. Celebrate the success stories of ACVs in our community.
(b) Moved by Councillor Gravatt
Protecting and Improving Southampton’s Children’s Play Parks
This Council notes: Children’s play parks provide an essential space for young people to engage in physical activity, develop social skills, and foster a sense of community. These parks are not just recreational areas; they are vital for the health, wellbeing, and development of our city’s children.
The condition of some of our parks, such as Octavia Rd Play Park and Portswood Rec, is poor due to equipment being removed and not replaced for a prolonged period of time, in some cases over 2 years. These examples show the pressing need for more consistent maintenance and investment.
This Council believes: The safety and upkeep of play parks should be a priority for Southampton City Council. Given their importance, damaged equipment should be replaced within 6 months at maximum to ensure the safety and enjoyment of local children.
As part of the Council’s commitment to environmental responsibility, any future investment in play parks should focus on using sustainable and eco-friendly materials. This approach will help ensure that our play parks remain safe, accessible, and environmentally sustainable for future generations.
With the city’s current financial challenges, it is more important than ever to carefully prioritise spending to ensure that critical services like children’s play parks are protected from potential cuts.
This Council resolves to:
(c) Moved by Councillor Beaurain
Age UK has estimated that 2 million pensioners may go without heating this winter because of the Labour government’s decision to restrict the Winter Fuel Payment. The Winter Fuel Payment has a significant role in ensuring that older residents across Southampton can afford to heat their homes in the coldest months. By removing this benefit from more than 28,000 residents in Southampton, Labour is risking pensioners’ health and fuel security this winter at a time when global energy prices are already high due to the continuing impact of the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Consequently, this council resolves to:
- Note the above, and recognise the damaging impact that Labour’s policy will have on the fuel security of our older residents this winter, including AgeUK’s prediction, which says that 2 million pensioners who need the money to stay warm this winter will not receive it;
- Note that the Winter Fuel Payment has been a lifeline for many older people across Southampton, and that in restricting its availability solely to those on pension credits risks leaving many in financial hardship;
- Request the Leader of the Council write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to request a review of the decisions to mean-test Winter Fuel Payments and ask government to ensure that vulnerable pensioners, particularly those who do not claim Pension Credit, are protected from fuel poverty;
- Bring forward a Council-led local awareness campaign to alert those who are eligible, but not yet claiming Pension Credit, of how to receive it, which in some respects will help access to the Winter Fuel Payment for those most in need; and
- Encourage local efforts to promote Pension Credit uptake through council services and partnerships with local charities and community organisations to ensure that pensioners in Southampton are supported in claiming their entitlement.
(d) Moved by Councillor P Baillie
This council is dismayed that Labour are likely to remove the single person council tax discount. This may affect over 40,000 Southampton residents, many of whom are in financial difficulty. Council asks that the Leader of the Council writes to the three local M.P.s asking them to oppose this measure which will only worsen the financial situation of many thousands of Southampton residents, many of whom will also be hit with the loss of the winter fuel allowance.