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.
Satvir Kaur MP, Member of Parliament for Southampton Test, said:
“Huge thanks to those residents from Freemantle who joined me on a hot Saturday morning for the first in my Big Southampton Test Community Conversation series, a tour of coffee mornings and conversations to be held in each and every corner of the constituency.
“In light of all our city has been through in recent months, I want to spend the summer doing what I can to ensure that now is the moment we all come together. Never has it been more important to meet one another, share ideas, and air concerns – together – so that’s what I’m aiming to facilitate.
“I really valued everyone’s willingness to have a robust conversation in a respectful way, and I want to repeat this again and again across Southampton. Coming together, offline, to really get to grips with concerns and tackle local issues, feels like a powerful way to counter division and help heal our communities.”
Cllr Dave Shields, councillor for Freemantle ward, also in attendance, said:
“It was great to see so many residents come out for this event and, during the discussion, echo many of the concerns we have as councillors. Whether it’s about HMOs, fly-tipping, or parking problems, our focus must always be on ensuring enforcement, enforcement, enforcement. I was also really heartened by the respectful way in which everyone conducted themselves during the debate, which at times touched on difficult subjects. It buoyed me up and gave me hope.”