News

No longer Stumped on Winchester Road!

Cllr Richard Blackman acts to remove long-standing pavement obstacle.

For those in Bassett that regularly walk with prams or with the aid of a wheelchair this pavement in Winchester road has been infamous for a long time.

With part of the budget allocated for small works in the Ward, Richard has acted to remove this obstacle and ensure that all can walk safely down the road. 

Southern Water Failure

Lib Dems highlight poor response to water outages

Just before Christmas a significant area of Bassett went without water for nearly three days. The relief effort was poorly

organised. It didn’t cater well for those in Bassett, and especially the vulnerable or those who did not drive. 

Lib Dem council candidate Sam Chapman commented:

“It was a really tough time for residents. For my family with two small children it was a real struggle. We were in a fortunate position to be able to drive to Winchester for water and helped many of our neighbours and parents who live close by.”

Cllr Richard Blackman pressed for a distribution centre to be opened at Cantell School. He has asked for a full review of the outage so that lessons are learnt and the distress for local residents is not repeated. Southern Water needs to focus on improving their infrastructure and ensuring water security for residents. They also need to stop the damaging dumping of sewage that this government has allowed to continue.

Richard's Southern Water Update: Bassett residents were utterly ill-served by Southern Water’s response to the water outage before  Christmas (see article from my colleague Sam Chapman). I have raised my concerns through the City Council. The worry  and distress to our community must not be repeated.

Action on the Sports Centre

Lib Dems tell council “Get a move on!”

Southampton Sports Centre has been awarded a £20 million grant to improve facilities. Now it’s time to get work  started. 

The first consultation on the  Sports Centre was nearly 10 years ago. Both Labour and Conservative councils have dragged their heels getting the improvements moving. 

While some facilities on the Sports Centre, such as the athletics track, have been upgraded and maintained, much of it is tired and dated. 

The boating lake has been empty and derelict for at least 20 years. People play different sports compared to when the Sports Centre opened in 1938. There are five cricket pitches, which are unlikely to be all used at the same time. Meanwhile, the netball courts can’t keep up with demand at peak times. 

So we urge the Council to get on and spend the money to improve and reinvigorate a key open space.

Hill Lane Hotel Update

City planners reject hotel application after Cllr Richard Blackman objects.

In November, Cllr Richard Blackman joined local residents in opposing a hotel development on the corner of Hill Lane and Winchester Road. 

If the plans had been given the go ahead the construction of a 34-bed hotel complex with little car parking would have become a reality.

Residents are already concerned about the issue of parking in local roads and the plans would have worsened existing problems.

Cllr Richard Blackman reports: 

“I was pleased to speak at the meeting of the Planning and Rights of Way Panel on behalf of the many residents who contacted me to object to this inappropriate development. I’m also very pleased that the Panel rejected the plans”.

Update: The developers have submitted a new application which is currently being considered. 

Speeds are Down but there is more to do!

Lib Dems support residents’ calls for slower speeds in Bassett.

People across Bassett are raising the issue of speeding with local Councillor Richard Blackman and the Lib Dems. There is great concern in our area about road safety and noise pollution. In addition, many pedestrians feel unsafe walking alongside speeding traffic.

Signage is inadequate on Bassett Avenue and Bassett Green Road, where new 30 mph limits apply. Residents are also concerned about rat running on Bassett Crescent East and poor enforcement of the new 20 mph limits.

In the Hollybrook area, around Norham Avenue and Dale Valley Road, residents are still waitingfor the introduction of a 20 mph zone.

Local Lib Dems have been at the forefront of speed reduction campaigns in recent years. Good progress has been made in securing safer roads and the Lib Dem team continue to campaign for better enforcement. 

Cllr Richard Blackman said,

“The current situation is simply not good enough. I have written to the City Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport to press for improved signage. I have also asked the Council for greater use of ‘vehicle activated signage’ on roads across the ward as these are often effective.”

Update: we are pleased to see an electronic sign half way up Bassett Avenue, it is a good start but woefully inadequate as a full solution! We will keep pressing for more. 

Transform our High Streets

5 January, 2022

SIGN THE PETITION BELOW: Richard Blackman calls on Southampton City Council to invest in High Streets and community spaces in the city

Southampton’s High Streets are struggling, partly due to the growth in online shopping, and partly due to the pandemic. The council has failed to help local businesses with its inaction. 

Richard Blackman said: “Our High Streets need  investment to help local businesses in difficult times. Simple things like emptying bins and street cleaning make a big difference to the feel of a community space. The council are failing to deal with the simplest of issues.” 

“Southampton Liberal Democrats are calling for urgent investment in High Street regeneration and it would be our main priority if we  were running the council. We need to drag our High Streets into the 21st century to make them attractive to shoppers and the community.”

Richard delivers our petitions to the Council

29 Mar, 2021

As promised Richard has made representations to the council for the two very successful campaigns we have launched in Bassett over the last year. With over 350 signatories the residents of Bassett have demonstrated how important these issues are to them. We now have to wait for the Leader of the Council to respond and will bring you that update once it is received.   

Full letter and updates can be found here:

Bassett Green Road / Bassett Wood Road 30mph here

Burgess Road / Hill Lane Junction here.

Another year goes by without action on abandoned Sport's Centre houses

Jan 3, 2021

Liberal Democrats in Bassett continue to apply pressure on the council to do something about two abandoned houses located in Southampton Sports Centre. 

Richard Blackman, Bassett candidate for the city council local elections wrote to the cabinet member responsible for housing back in January last year. These houses have received upgraded hoardings for the third time and are now improved made out of metal however the assets remain wasted. Active Nation currently have the sub-contract for managing the Sports Centre from the council and are responsible for the management of these assets. 

Lib Dem Bassett campaigner Richard Blackman is calling for the current 40mph limit between the Chilworth roundabout and the junction with Bassett Green Village to be reduced to 30mph.

Richard states: “With its long steady incline from the motorway exit down to Bassett Green, vehicles pick up speed making junctions dangerous, including those with Monks Wood Close and Bassett Green Close. Residents have expressed concerns about a number of near misses over the summer and autumn on this stretch of road”.

Richard also notes that “it’s very difficult for pedestrians to cross Bassett Green Road. We need to make things safer for residents wanting to cross between the cut to Bassett Green Close and Monks Wood Close towards the Stoneham sports facilities, and also for students coming in and out of Greenwood Court Halls.”

Local resident Martyn Sheridan voiced his support for the call: “We simply want to make our neighbourhood safer and quieter. Reducing the speed limit to 30mph on Bassett Green Road is a really important first step in doing this.”

The speed limit on Bassett Avenue was reduced to 30mph over the summer. Richard Blackman believes this safer limit should apply to both Bassett Green Road and Bassett Wood Road. We need to calm the traffic for the benefit and safety of residents and the local environment.

Campaign update:

This story has now been picked up by the Daily Echo. You can read the story here.

Read the full story and sign the petition here

Retailers and residents have welcomed Bassett, Freemantle, Portswood and Shirley Liberal Democrats' campaign to Shop Local - Protect Small Business - Save Jobs.

As Southampton City Council estimates that more than 9,000 jobs are at risk in the local retail and hospitality sector following the COVID-19 lockdown, local Lib Dems are cementing their record as the party of small business by campaigning for residents to love local or lose it.

Freemantle activist Andy Beal said "local businesses up and down Shirley High Street have gone the extra mile for the community during the lockdown. I'm calling on local residents to repay those sacrifices by shopping local. Every pound spent at your community shops and takeaways will support the livelihoods of families in the City."

Here in Bassett we have already lost Bassett Tea Rooms and hope that others will not follow.

Lib Dem campaigners call on the Labour administration to back this campaign. Support our campaign by joining our mailing list here and keeping up to date with our campaigns.

I have always been a fan of the outdoors, but during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic I have come to acquire a special appreciation of our open spaces in Bassett. Like many, I’ve lived with a degree of anxiety about the circumstances of the lockdown and how we will move beyond it.

Daily exercise from the doorstep has become an important part of the new routine, and I have really valued the time walking through Bassett Green Woods and across the sports centre. Over the spring this year it seems that the air has been fresher, the trees and plants more verdant and the birdsong more vibrant.

I might have felt tense confined at home for long periods, but I have often felt relaxed in the woods, taking advantage of the therapeutic benefits of their almost wilderness-like environment, and revitalised by the green and undulating landscape of the municipal golf course and the blossoms on the sports centre trees.

It’s times like these that the importance of our natural environment for our well-being hits home.

Richard.

The Pedestrian Crossings at the junction of Hill Lane and Burgess Road have long been considered by local residents to be dangerous.

Large numbers of pedestrians using the crossings which act as a link between the Sainsbury's Local and the rest of the shops in Bassett and the heavy traffic also present make it one of the most dangerous crossings in Southampton.

Bassett Liberal Democrats have called on the council to improve this junction as a matter of urgency to make Bassett safer.

The large number of pedestrians using the crossing to enter the Common or to visit local shops means we believe that improvements are a priority. The improved junction would also improve traffic flows and reduce congestion.

Southampton Lib Dems Chair, Richard Blackman, has welcomed Southampton City Council’s publication of its Green Transport Recovery Plan. Work has started and temporary cycle lanes have already been installed on The Avenue and Bassett Avenue. Other measures to encourage cycling and walking as well as creating space for people will be introduced across the city in the weeks and months ahead.

The scheme will see one lane in each direction between Burgess Road and the Chilworth Roundabout designated as a cycle lane. In addition, the speed limit will be reduced from 40mph to 30mph.

Richard commented: "The sad circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic have at least given us the chance to think about what sort of society we would really like to see. I welcome this initiative as it will encourage us to use more sustainable forms of transport and create space for people in our city. As a long time advocate of better environmental policies, I think this will help to create a greener, healthier and safer environment for all of us".

However, given the rapid introduction of this plan, Southampton Liberal Democrats are also calling for monitoring of the changes and ongoing consultation with residents so that problems and any unintended consequences can be ironed out early on.

“It is vital that public consent is gained for these measures if they are to become permanent”, Richard emphasised.

The Labour Council’s earlier procrastination on congestion charging for the city and on a Park and Ride in Southampton also mean that when car usage increases as we move out of the pandemic there are still large issues to be solved, especially if use of public transport is limited by ongoing social distancing measures.

Richard is please to be able to update that the Council have finally bowed to pressure and partly addressed the concerns raised over the derelict houses on the sports centre.

New hoardings have now been added which secure the building.  Unfortunately we appear no closer to getting the houses back into use but Richard will continue to apply pressure.

In a recent conversation with a local party member on walks and daily exercise, Richard was told about the memorial to Warrior, the Southampton war horse. “On my walk today I went past Warrior’s grave. I hadn’t heard of him until a few days ago, so it was fascinating to hear this story that combines wartime, Southampton and equestrian history. It’s good to feel connected to the history on our doorstep”.

Warrior's Grave is located on Southampton Golf Course.

Recent days have been dominated by the intensification of the coronavirus crisis, which has led to the postponement of the 2020 local elections until 2021. It will dominate the weeks and months ahead and things may be very different when get beyond the pandemic.

We had begun to gear up our campaign in Bassett, with Focus deliveries and going out to speak directly to our residents. In Bassett early indications were that our messaging remains well received despite the General Election result and now more than ever a Liberal Voice in Southampton is valued.

Clearly our priorities have now changed due to circumstances beyond our control, and our residents will want to concentrate on their families and getting through the coming months.

Campaigning activity will stop until further notice. We will support and help where we can on the community initiatives led by Southampton City Council and/or local charities during the pandemic.

We will be reaching out to all of our members and ensure that we are available to support Bassett where we can over the coming months.

Nationally, the Liberal Democrats have today proposed a five point support package for NHS and care staff on the front line against Covid-19. You can read details of these plans here: https://www.libdems.org.uk/in-detail-frontline-support

You can also sign a petition to implement them now here: https://www.libdems.org.uk/frontline

Further Support

The national Liberal Democrat Party has produced a useful page of links to various agencies advise.  You can access that here: https://www.libdems.org.uk/coronavirus.

Stay at Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives.

With the help of the Bassett Lib Dem team Richard held an advice surgery at the All Saints Parish Centre on Winchester Road. A number of residents shared concerns with him on a range of issues, in particular transport-related, and Richard is now following them up.

All Saints' Parish Church was the location for the surgery.

A number of large pot holes have been noticed by residents and reported to Liberal Democrats activists at the lower end of Lordswood Road near the Tesco Express store. These have been reported to the city council highways department.

As a major road for workers accessing the hospital as well as the main route from Lordswood into Southampton it has been poorly maintained now for a number of years.

UPDATE: work has been scheduled to start 24-27 June 2020. (Council Reference FU0071605825).  Please expect delays whilst this work is completed.

Richard Blackman joined other local political representatives at Cantell School to talk to Year 10 pupils as part of a day devoted to citizenship themes. Richard spoke about why he is a Liberal Democrat, drawing on the party’s core values of:

• Freedom,

• Internationalism

• Equality and

• Environmentalism

The bushfires in Australia have brought home the threat posed by climate breakdown. We all need to act to save the environment, our livelihoods and to improve our quality of life.

In Southampton progress is slow. Poor air quality continues to endanger the health of the city’s residents. As signatories of the Clean Air Southampton Manifesto the Southampton Lib Dems are pushing for substantial improvements in several policy areas. This includes our longstanding campaign for a port plug-in so that cruise ships won’t run their polluting diesel engines.

In Bassett we’re seeking to: 

• Make the junction of Burgess Road and Hill Lane more pedestrian-friendly so that residents can access the Common and local shops more easily; 

• Campaign for better bus routes. Many parts of the ward are not served by direct bus routes to the city centre;  Improve pavements, footpaths and cycle routes to key destinations such as the sports centre; 

• Tackle the traffic congestion problems affecting Hollybrook and Bassett Green primary schools, which have a negative environmental impact on their neighbourhoods. Children’s health and well-being must come first.

• Present an ambitious plan to implement a city wide park and ride scheme.

It’s vital that our city does its share to combat climate change while also improving our quality of life. Labour’s Green City Charter is too timid. The Conservatives are not even in favour of weak policies. It’s time for a fresh new Liberal voice on Southampton City Council to push strongly for the changes that so many want to see.

Data produced by Tom Tom has placed Southampton into the top 10 most congested cities in the country. For residents of Southampton and in particular Bassett this will come of no surprise, the systemic lack on investment in infrastructure providing an alternative to the car has been decades in the making. 

Southampton Liberal Democrats are committed to investing in a Park and Ride system immediately and to campaign central government for the funding required to build a tram/metro system over the medium term.

Bassett Candidate Richard Blackman commented:

Labours plans to borrow Park and Ride from the Hospital are typical of a local Labour Policy, unambitious and relying heavily on others to sort their problems.  We would look at a multi-site Park and Ride Solution to ensure that visitors to the city, especially those using the Cruise Terminals, can contribute to reducing the demand on our roads and help with the Air Quality issues that are a blight on the city.

Two houses that have been left empty are being allowed to go to rack and ruin on the golf course. Richard has written to the Cabinet member responsible for housing on Southampton City Council to ask why this situation has been allowed to go on for so long.

Richard added:

“I would like to see local families living in these homes. At the recent General Election the Lib Dems manifesto planned the building of 100,000 social homes per year across the country to solve the nation’s housing crisis. At the very least the Council should be making full use of existing housing stock.”

Some personal reflections on the general election

I can’t hide the fact that I was disappointed by the Liberal Democrats’ results in the general election. Although we increased our vote share nationally, we ended up with fewer seats in the House of Commons.

Here in Bassett, in the Romsey and Southampton North constituency, the result was more encouraging. Our excellent candidate, Craig Fletcher, won an 11.8% increase in the Lib Dem vote, and showed again that locally we are the main opposition to the Conservatives. I would like to thank everyone in Bassett who put their trust in Craig and the Lib Dems on 12 December.

Brexit

The general election result also confirmed that Brexit will happen. As someone who has always believed in Britain’s membership of the European Union, I was of course deeply saddened. However, this sadness came with a sense of acceptance. The mandate from the 2016 referendum will now be discharged and the conflict between direct and representative democracy can be put behind us. I very much hope that we can find a way to have a close relationship with the EU while also beginning to heal the divisions that have beset the country in recent years.

Richard.

Our street audit teams will be identifying improvements to pedestrian routes. If you would like to report a problem that you come across then please contact us.

Pedestrian safety around schools will be another focus.

Facilities and open spaces such as Southampton Sports Centre make Bassett a special place to live and the Lib Dems will campaign for them to be well-maintained for everyone to enjoy.

Litter strewn paths must be cleaned up by SCC and broken bins replaced.

The Sports Centre Houses, located next to Southampton Golf Course in Bassett, remain derelict.

The two properties that are managed by Active Nation who were appointed to run the facility by the Labour Council. We believe that both properties remain a significant public safety concern and as such an urgent plan should be developed.

Here in Bassett only 16 votes separated the Liberal Democrats’ Richard Blackman and the Conservatives. Sadly we didn’t win the seat this time, but we will continue working all year round to represent the residents in our area.

Thank you warmly and sincerely for the tremendous support that you gave me at the recent elections to Southampton City Council.

Here in Bassett, we achieved almost 20% increase in our vote share and reduced the Conservative majority to just 16 votes. It was a humbling experience knowing that so many of you had put your trust in me as the Liberal Democrat candidate.

It is clear from the conversations I had with many of you over the recent months that our focus on environmental issues and community facilities, as well as speaking up for our close relationship with the EU, resonated with so many of you.

We are conscious though that there is a lot more for us to do.  In the year ahead we are determined to keep working and demanding better for the people of Bassett and Southampton.

Richard.

University Hospital Southampton have submitted a planning application for a Park and Ride on the Adanac Park Site to the West of the City. Unlikely to help in Bassett we have renewed calls for the Labour Council to provide Park and Ride for all Southampton Residents, visitors and especially Cruise Ship Passengers.

Read the full story HERE.

Over the next year, Bassett Lib Dems are determined that the environment will be placed centre stage by Southampton City Council (SCC).

The health of Southampton residents is endangered through poor air quality. As such we will continue to campaign for substantial improvements, based on the Clean Air Southampton Manifesto.

Climate breakdown remains the biggest threat to humankind. The Lib Dems will continue to press SCC to ensure its activities and policies are carbon neutral. We will also seek to support people and organisations to make changes towards a zero carbon society and economy.

We will hold the Labour Council to account for implementing its Green City Charter and campaign for it to be made bolder.

Local Lib Dems have launched a petition calling on Labour run Southampton City Council to create a Park and Ride for the city.

Southampton Lib Dems are calling on the Labour-run Southampton City Council to take serious action towards introducing a Park and Ride scheme to reduce traffic congestion and vehicle fumes across the city. Our neighbouring cities of Portsmouth, Winchester and Salisbury all have Park & Ride schemes and Southampton is notable for not having one.

It would also offer a valuable boost to tourism as the city would become easier to access.

"Park and Ride would improve air quality and reduce congestion"

Alexander Clifton-Melhuish, the local Lib Dem environmental spokesperson, said: “The council desperately needs to tackle Southampton’s poor air quality which has become dangerous.

“It is clear that the Labour-run council is pursuing a clean air strategy that will barely meet legal minimum requirements, whilst offering workers, visitors and residents few viable alternatives to driving into the city centre. ”Southampton Liberal Democrats believe that the council must offer a Park and Ride service in order to begin cleaning up our filthy air and improving the city’s dreadful traffic.”

Alex.