LIB DEMS SET THE AGENDA

Since becoming the largest party on the City Council in May 2003 and forming the administration, the Liberal Democrats' have managed to achieve a number of good things for Southampton despite not having overall control on the council. These achievements include:

Value for Your Money

To ensure the people of Southampton get value for their money the Liberal Democrats have done the following:

• Lib Dems' 2005 and 2006 Council Tax increase of under 4%, compared to nearly 19% in Labour's last year .

• An Invest to Save' Fund established to bring down costs for the future.

• A scheme to encourage ideas from staff for service improvements and value for money.

• Monthly financial and quarterly personnel monitoring reports introduced. Amazing under Labour basic controls did not exist.

• Saving money and improving services by working more closely with neighbouring authorities, on services like out-of-hours noise and licensing.

• Use of agency and temporary staff reduced.

• Computer and communication systems upgraded to improve efficiency.

Serving People Better

To provide a better service for the people of Southampton your Liberal Democrat team have:

• 'Good' Council rating confirmed by Audit Commission, with improved point score.

• Independent MORI survey shows more citizens satisfied with Council services.

• Gateway one-stop shop opened to give the people of Southampton easier access to their services.

• All key decisions now made in public and after consultation.

A Safer City

To make Southampton a safer place to live Liberal Democrats have:

• Found millions of pounds to back our Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, including more money for City Patrol officers, which has resulted in malicious damage and other crime statistics going down.

• Independent audit shows Southampton's City Safety service best in the country.

• Alcohol free zone established in city centre.

• Award winning Junior Neighbourhood Wardens scheme rolled out, as well as extra money for Play and Youth Services

• Direct Anti-Social Behaviour contact 'phone number introduced.

• Gypsy & Travellers Strategy produced.

Improving the Neighbourhood Street Scene

To improve the neighbourhoods and the look of the street in which the people of Southampton your Liberal Democrats have:

• Improvement schemes for Portswood, Weston, Aldermoor, Spring Road shopping parades approved.

• Improvements to the 'street scene', including litter bins on routes to schools and new street signs.

• A blitz on litter, graffiti and anti-social behaviour through regular CREW weeks.

• Accelerated campaign to upgrade street lighting.

• A special vehicle to clean major roads more regularly, without having to close the road to traffic.

• A major initiative to improve front-line services, from pavement repairs to litter, graffiti and abandoned cars, through local neighbourhood teams.

• Instituting a clean-up programme for Council estates.

• Action Plans adopted for Neighbourhood Renewal areas, for example Peartree Varsity Ground improvements have been funded there are also improvements Mansel and Green Parks.

Respecting our Environment

To improve the environment for the people of Southampton your Liberal Democrats have:

• Recycling rose from 11% to 35% in the first areas to pilot the new twin-bin service, before halted by Opposition, still the recycling has increased to 18%+ recycling currently achieved across the city.

• Taking a lead on climate change - with a number of environmental projects, as such the pioneering use of Solar power bus shelters.

• Free green waste collection instituted and extra quality measures taken to ensure the number of missed bins has been sharply reduced.

• Processing planning applications speeded up to ensure the improvements to the city are made as swiftly as possible whilst at the same time still aiming to make quality decisions we can all live with.

Better Transport

To improve the transport systems for the people of Southampton your Liberal Democrats have:

• New and cleaner bus shelters.

• Piloted real-time bus information at the bus stops, so you really do know when the next bus is coming..

• Introduced cross-ticketing on buses, so you can just get a ticket from place to place without waiting for a particular bus companies bus or having to buy multiple tickets.

Quality Leisure

For your leisure time your Liberal Democrats have improved the quality of the leisure facilities in the city:

• Lower High Street site identified for a new Heritage Centre to promote the 'Story of Southampton'.

• Art@theArches launched to keep creative young people in the city as well as funding identified towards City Walls Walk repairs, Titanic Anniversary plans initiated and the Garden Festival promoted.

• 2005 Sea Southampton Festival done - Calshot Lightship transferred to trust to keep it for the people - Fountains Cafe reopened

• 'Libraries for the Twenty-First Century' vision adopted, to upgrade over time the facilities every library across the city offers.

• New library delivered in Shirley, and another one planned for Woolston.

City Renaissance

To improve the whole way your city looks and feels your Liberal Democrats have planned and started on a city renaissance which will in the long term greatly improve Southampton:

• A City Ambassadors scheme launched.

• A 'Design Champion' appointed to influence the quality of new buildings and developments in the City.

• Commissioning world class masterplanners and architects to work in Southampton (eg Richard Rogers Partnership).

• Strategy for Public Art and Street Scene Manual published.

• EU grants secured for projects to develop city identity (NewEPOC and CRII).

• Southampton invited to give major Eurocities presentation.

A Prosperous City

To increase the prosperity of the City your Liberal Democrats have:

• Solent Synergy initiative developed to promote the knowledge economy.

• Port partnership re-launched.

• Promotion video produced for cruise passengers.

• New council apprenticeship scheme launched

• Partnership for Urban South Hampshire launched to co-ordinate regional development over the next 20 twenty years to try ensure infrastructure is put in prior to new house development.

Life Long Learning

To improve the education of the people of Southampton your Liberal Democrats have:

• Expanded Sure Start programme.

• Improved Key Stage 2 results.

• Made sure all children in care are receiving education.

• Carried out difficult schools re-organisations to make best use of resources by having a good consultation with the communities affected.

Decent Homes

To make sure all the of Southampton have decent homes to live in your Liberal Democrats have:

• Introducing choice-based lettings, probationary and demoted tenancy policies for Council house tenants.

• Seen 97% of tenants vote to keep in-house management.

• Increased incentives against under occupancy of Council properties and have an improved strategy for empty properties.

• Revised and improved system grants and loans for property repairs.

• Decent Homes Standard programme on target.

• Introduced a voluntary HMO registration scheme and built more affordable housing, plus we have piloted concierge schemes.

• Accelerated the lift replacement programme for council blocks.

A Caring City

To show that the people Southampton care for the less well off your Liberal Democrats have:

• Introduced a fairer charging system for community care.

• Upgraded residential accommodation.

• Adopted a no smoking policy.

• Reduced the number of teenage pregnancies.

• Southampton council has improved the more deprived areas of the city accord to the governments league tables.

• Grants to the voluntary sector raised by 2.5% and a Development Fund for new initiatives launched.

• Champions appointed to ensure the Council listens to the needs and concerns of pensioners, young people, people with disabilities and the voluntary sector.

• Council has given support to make Southampton a 'Fair Trade' City, and to encourage fair purchasing from third-world producers.