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Road closures and water quality subjects of debate at St Denys Community Conversation

Road closures, rail works, water quality and community cohesion were among the topics discussed at a fully booked coffee morning with Satvir Kaur MP in St Denys on Saturday.

In another of the MP’s ‘Big Southampton Test Community Conversation’ events, local residents met with Satvir Kaur, Councillor John Savage, volunteers and neighbours for an ‘offline’ discussion about the issues of the day and to consider possible solutions.

All households in the St Denys area received an invitation in the post, and over 50 residents attended the event, held at St Denys Church Centre.

With the temporary closure of Priory Road beginning just the day before – to allow for repairs to the one-hundred-year-old rail underbridge there – attendees spoke about the impact it would have on them. Repair works are scheduled to continue for three months in total, finishing on Christmas Eve, and mitigation measures have been put in place to manage traffic and allow for access during the closure period.

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Bringing together Southern Water and Shirley businesses affected by works

Southampton Test MP Satvir Kaur last night brought together Southern Water and businesses from Shirley High Street to discuss the impact months of major sewer repair works have had on trading.

The meeting, hosted by Satvir Kaur MP at St Boniface Church Hall on Tuesday evening, saw businesses raise questions directly with senior staff from Southern Water and contractor Cappagh Browne.

Representatives from a total of 21 local businesses attended, including The Temple Bar, Make it Magic and The Salisbury Arms.

Southern Water began emergency repair works on Shirley High Street in April after a sewer collapsed, with the works causing disruption to access and traffic in the area, and local businesses reporting substantial impacts on trade and takings during the months-long duration. The works are now complete, and the section of the High Street affected was fully reopened to traffic last week.

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Southampton to get new mental health emergency department

A new mental health emergency department is set to open in Southampton after University Hospital Southampton was awarded a share of £156 million in government funding.

The new facility at Southampton General Hospital will aim to provide patients experiencing mental distress with faster access to specialist care in a calmer environment, reducing the need for people to wait in busy A&E departments.

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Satvir holds meeting with Inner Avenue residents demanding action on drug crime and anti-social behaviour

Over 60 residents from the Inner Avenue area of Southampton joined Satvir Kaur MP for a meeting on Saturday, to address an escalating problem with drug related crime and anti-social behaviour on Southcliff Road and in the surrounding area. The meeting was organised in response to a petition handed to the MP by over 50 local residents calling for urgent action to tackle the issue.

The meeting brought residents together with a panel of decision makers and community leaders. Chaired by the MP, the panel included Councillor Toqeer Kataria, Bevois Ward Councillor and Cabinet member for Communities and Safety, senior service managers from Southampton City Council, the police, and the Director of Youth Services at the YMCA, along with the local resident who led the community petition. Councillor Jacqui Rayment and Councillor Paul Kenny, also Bevois Ward councillors, were in attendance too.

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Freemantle locals raise fly-tipping, housing and transport in first Big Community Conversation coffee morning

Freemantle residents joined Satvir Kaur MP in a fully booked coffee morning at Freemantle Baptist Church on Saturday – the first in a new series designed to “get Southampton talking”.

Under the banner ‘The Big Southampton Test Community Conversation’, local residents met with Satvir Kaur, ward councillors, volunteers and neighbours to discuss the issues affecting them, and to explore possible solutions.

Over 40 residents were in attendance, taking part in a discussion covering a range of topics, including concerns around housing, immigration, fly-tipping and street cleanliness.

More ‘Community Conversation’ events are to follow, with the next scheduled to take place in Portswood and Coxford, with invitations to be sent out to residents in due course.

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Applications now open for my paid summer internship programme, named in friend’s memory

I’m really excited to be launching my Richard Green Internship programme, a great opportunity for a local young person to experience the rush of political life, both in my constituency office and in Westminster. If you’re at college or university, live in Southampton Test, and are passionate about politics and making a difference – I want to hear from you!

The internship will be a month-long, focused opportunity – running from 6th July to 7th August – with time spent in both the constituency and in Parliament. Applications close at midnight on Monday 15th June.

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I’ve named this paid internship in the memory of my good friend Richard Green, who sadly died too early. Rich worked in politics, both in Southampton and London, and was an incredible advocate for engaging and training young people in the field. He was passionate about providing opportunities to people from all backgrounds, and he influenced and inspired me enormously over the years. It’s a huge honour to name this opportunity after him.

If you’re wondering if this opportunity is for you or feel anxious about putting your name forward – please, please go ahead and apply. Growing up in inner city Southampton on free school meals, I never thought politics was for people like me, know how much these opportunities can matter, and want to hear from students from all walks of life.

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Southampton MPs urge city’s renters to ‘Know your Rights’ as new laws come into force from today

Southampton MPs have today hailed a landmark moment for renters in the city as new rights for tenants come into force.

Satvir Kaur, MP for Southampton Test, and Darren Paffey, MP for Southampton Itchen, are encouraging the thousands of renters in the city to make sure that they are aware of their new rights as a result of the government’s Renters Rights Act.

Under the new laws that come into force today:

  • Landlords will no longer be able to make evictions for no reason with a Section 21 notice, putting an end to revenge evictions for tenants who make legitimate requests for repairs or complaints about conditions.
  • Tenants cannot be made to pay rent more than one month in advance
  • Landlords can only put the rent up once a year and they must give at least two months’ notice. Tenants will also be able to go to a rent tribunal if they think the rent is too much.
  • It will be illegal to refuse tenants just because they receive benefits or have kids.

Councils are also being given new powers to crack down on rogue landlords. Landlords will still be able to get their properties back for clear and justifiable reasons – like selling up, moving in, or dealing with rent arrears and antisocial behaviour.

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Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board Chair announced as applications open for Board Members

It has been confirmed today that Joanna McNicholas has been appointed as the independent Chair for Redbridge & Millbrook West Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board.

Applications have also opened for local people to apply to be members of the Neighbourhood Board.

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The Pride in Place programme is a ten-year initiative focused on supporting communities to shape priorities for investment and improvement in their neighbourhoods. With £20 million to spend over the ten-year period, the Neighbourhood Board in Redbridge will be established to provide resident‑led investment decisions based on a co‑produced Pride in Place Plan for each area.

Neighbourhood Boards will bring together residents, businesses, grassroots organisations, community and faith groups, alongside local public sector partners, to help shape a shared vision for their area and agree priorities for future investment. Board membership is voluntary.

Applications for Neighbourhood Board membership are open until 11.59pm on Sunday 3rd May. Further information about the role, eligibility criteria and how to apply is available here.

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