Catherine Clarke, Southampton Socialist Party
None of the major capitalist political parties have answers that resonate with the working class of Southampton. All they push is division, fear, hatred and war.
Our Labour council recently proudly stated that it is on the road to financial recovery. But it also increased council tax by another 5%. The Greens voted with Labour in support of this 5% increase.
Socialist Party member Nadia Ditta stood as a Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) candidate in Bevois ward in the 2024 council elections. Nadia won 884 votes, coming second to Labour.
It remains a significant challenge to Labour in our city. And Nadia is now standing again.
We have been knocking on doors. The local community remember our influence in saving St Mary’s Leisure Centre, and the Venny adventure playground.
Imagine what we could achieve with a socialist councillor in the chambers.
Bevois will get more media exposure due to Nadia’s vote record in 2024. We want to use that platform to inform people that there are TUSC candidates across the city, making the same socialist, anti-cuts stand.
Our programme says:
- Oppose all cuts
- Freeze council tax and rents
- £15-an-hour minimum wage
- Full school funding
- Free school meals for all
- Re-open city-wide, council-run, youth centres, with mental health provision included
- A low charge or free municipal bus service, particularly for young adults and women to have safe transport at night, and to reduce car usage
- Build council housing to high health, safety, and environmental standards
- Reestablish free council waste collection of bulky items
As part of the campaign, we have been building support among activists from the local government unions – Unite, Unison, and GMB – as well as other school and university unions.
We fight for fully funded and publicly owned services. We also need a council ‘works’ department, that will actually provide jobs and apprenticeships for young people, repairing and building houses and youth centres, and fixing potholes.
There is some capital spending from the local council budget on parks. But no jobs are being created.
In Southampton in 2012, Coxford councillors Keith Morrell and Don Thomas were kicked out of the Labour Party when they stood against cuts, and opposed the closure of their local Oaklands Swimming Pool.
In 2013, their amendment to the council budget said council reserves and borrowing powers could meet the £15 million deficit – negating the need for cuts. But the Labour mayor ruled it out, preventing any debate.
Keith and Don’s anti-austerity budget proposed collaborating with other anti-cuts councils to force the government to reverse cuts. Councils, with the backing of the unions, would have been a force to be reckoned with, forcing the Tory-Lib Dem coalition of the time, to retreat and provide the necessary funding.
We’re fighting to win back the £750 million stolen from our Southampton communities since 2010. If you have a spare weekend, come and join us on the doorsteps of Bevois to get socialist Nadia elected. You will receive a very warm welcome!
