What do they stand for?
There are six candidates standing in the local election on May 2, hoping to represent the Bitterne Park ward. We gave each candidate the same chance to put information in front of electors, and asked them all the same questions. 'Read more' to find out what they had to say...
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What's the election for and how does it work?
Residents get the chance to decide who will represent them on the city council, and which party (if any) controls Southampton City Council itself at the May 2 local elections.
The city council is currently controlled by Labour with a large majority of councillors.
Each city ward has three councillors. Usually one completes their term of office each year and the election is for their seat.
In Bitterne Park Tony Bunday’s seat is up for election. He currently sits as an independent, having been stripped of his Labour Party membership. In 2022 he became Labour’s first Bitterne Park ward councillor, and he was re-elected, along with two other Labour councillors, in 2023. Bunday isn’t re-standing on any ticket.
Gordon Cooper is standing for Labour, while former ward councillor David Fuller’s name will also be on the ballot paper for the Conservatives. Fuller was beaten by then Labour’s Bunday last year by 72 votes. He’s previously been a councillor for eight years.
Also standing in the ward this time are Lindsi Bluemel for the Greens, Henry Michael for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), Lib Dem Nick Myers, and Adrian Royle for Reform UK.
What happened last time?
Here are the results of the 2023 'all-out' election, where - unusually - all three Bitterne Park ward seats were up for grabs. As we said, only one of the three ward seats (Tony Bunday’s) will be available.
The full results in the Bitterne Park ward in 2023 were:
BARNES-ANDREWS, Amanda Jane, Labour Party - 1790 - elected
BLUEMEL, Lindsi, Green Party - 593
BUNDAY, Tony, Labour Party - 1670 - elected
CHAPMAN, Kathryn, Liberal Democrat -283
CURD, Ben, Liberal Democrat - 361
FULLER, David John, Local Conservatives - 1598
HARWOOD, Rob, Local Conservatives - 1289
KELLY, David Thomas, Independent - 177
MYERS, Nicholas Martyn, Liberal Democrat - 267
STRUTT, Dawn Marie, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition - 102
WEBB, Phil, Labour Party - 1677 - elected
WHITE, Ivan William Local Conservatives - 1259
The turnout in Bitterne Park was 37.3%, with 3950 ballot papers issued from an electorate of 10581.
Who's standing this time?
The candidates standing in Bitterne Park ward this time are:
You can jump to each candidate's interview by clicking on their name below , or just scroll down.
BLUEMEL, Lindsi, Green Party
COOPER, Gordon John, Labour Party
FULLER, David, Local Conservatives
HENRY, Graham Michael, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
MYERS, Nick, Liberal Democrat
ROYLE, Adrian, Reform UK
What do the candidates say?
Here's what we received back from the candidates, in alphabetical order. We asked them all the same questions, and there was a strict word limit for each (which varied between questions). We didn't edit or 'check their work'.
We'd like to say a massive thank you to all the candidates who invested their time to take part in, and navigate, our process. It's appreciated.
What do you hope to achieve for the ward if you are elected?
If elected I would work for the ward by ensuring that resources are made available to maintain and improve the heart of Bitterne Park – the Triangle and Riverside Park. I would support the work of the Friends of Riverside Park and work towards the reopening of the pontoon. I would talk to the independent traders to identify how they could be helped by the Council and promote a “Buy Local” campaign. I would continue to support and promote Cobbett Rd Library and work for it to open for longer hours and provide additional services for the local community.
I would improve the safety of roads in the ward by ensuring that the schoolchildren of Bitterne Park Primary school get the zebra crossing they have been calling for, that the wait time for pedestrians and cyclists at the crossing by the park is reduced and crossing provision at the Buller Rd/Athlestan Rd crossroads is improved.
I would examine planning applications for the ward and press for these to consider the needs of ward residents as far as possible and for the loss of green space and bio-diversity to be minimised where new houses are being built.
What do you hope to achieve for the city if you are elected?
If elected I would work to improve air quality in the city by calling for the Council to reconsider introducing a charge for polluting vehicles. I would support calls for a £1 bus fare, more continuous cycle lanes and redesigned crossings for pedestrians to reduce wait times.
I would work towards the adaptation of empty shops and offices to provide living accommodation for the homeless and where possible conversion to affordable flats for first-time buyers.
I would press for planning applications made by developers to take more account of the needs of Southampton people; more affordable housing and fewer hotels.
I would work to increase green space and bio-diversity by supporting the creation of “pocket parks”, more tree planting and wildlife-friendly habitats. I would aim to secure funding for the maintenance and improvement of playgrounds.
I would campaign for Mayflower Park to be renovated for the people of the city and for an accessible walkway at Chesell Bay to form part of a continuous riverside walk.
I would encourage the Council to give greater priority to the River Itchen, to work with Southern Water to improve the water quality and to enable greater public access to the river.
What is the biggest single issue for Bitterne Park ward?
The Triangle; the need to ensure that it continues to thrive, meeting the needs of local people and attracting visitors and that Section 106 money set aside for improvements at the Triangle is released for this purpose.
What is the biggest single issue for Southampton residents?
Not sure there is one single issue for the city; air quality; homelessness; water quality
What is the biggest single issue facing the country?
Climate change
Information about about Southampton and District Green Party can be found at southampton.greenparty.org.uk and Lindsi Bluemel can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
COOPER, Gordon John, Labour Party
What do you hope to achieve for the ward if you are elected?
Accelerate the housebuilding programme in Townhill Park. * Stop the sewage in the Itchen by seeking legal protections and holding Southern Water accountable for it. * Make BP roads safer by limiting traffic speeds in some residential streets and near schools to make it easier and safer for kids to walk or wheel to school. * Support a wider range of local businesses to set up in neighbourhood shopping facilities around the ward.
What do you hope to achieve for the city if you are elected?
Fight for the resources from Government that the city needs and deserves. * Deliver more affordable homes. * Work closely with major employers, to create jobs and apprenticeships. * Support Police and Community Together (PACT) meetings, giving residents a direct line to community policing and safety teams. * Work with bus operators to improve reliability and encourage the development of new routes, enabling more people to choose the bus. * Clean up air pollution and support local initiatives to make the city greener. * Improve the local environment by clamping down on fly tipping with CCTV. * Become a zero-carbon city council by 2030.
What is the biggest single issue for Bitterne Park ward?
There are two - Townhill Park regeneration and the health of the River Itchen.
What is the biggest single issue for Southampton residents?
Coping with the cost of living crisis, particularly in areas with high levels of poverty. The council working with employers to create new good jobs and apprenticeships is one way to help.
What is the biggest single issue facing the country?
Conservative under-investment in public services for over a decade. NHS, Education, Policing, the legal system and local councils have all suffered, to the detriment of all.
Information about about Southampton Labour Party can be found at https://www.southamptonlabour.org/ and Gordon Cooper can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
FULLER, David, Local Conservatives
What do you hope to achieve for the ward if you are elected?
Bitterne Park is my home and where I have chosen to raise my family. It’s a great place to live but there is plenty more we can do to improve it.
As a Councillor for Bitterne Park up until May 2023, I secured funding to deliver significant improvements to the Bitterne Park Triangle, to increase the available public space and make the area tidier. Sadly, the project seems to have been cancelled by the current Labour council. I would fight to get the money re-allocated and work to support the local businesses in the Triangle.
I also believe that Riverside Park is in desperate need of public toilets, and this is something I am keen to deliver for our area. Large number of local people have contacted me to support this campaign and I think with such public support we can being this to fruition.
As always, we also need to see greater investment into our roads and pavements, and this is something I will do all I can to deliver for our area.
What do you hope to achieve for the city if you are elected?
As a council taxpayer there are three things I want my council to deliver; that the roads don’t damage my car and that the pavements aren’t dangerous to walk on; that my bins are collected on time; and that our city is clean, tidy and safe. Sadly, this simply isn’t the case in Southampton. I feel it is time we focused on getting the basics right rather than wasting money on vanity projects. When the Council’s finances are in such a perilous state we need to set priorities and focus on them, after all, if everything is a priority, nothing is.
What is the biggest single issue for Bitterne Park ward?
I don’t believe there is a single biggest issue for Bitterne Park, there are many. For example, the state of our roads and pavements, the failure to get our bins collected on time, the declining state of Riverside Park.
What is the biggest single issue for Southampton residents?
The single biggest issue facing Southampton residents is the impending bankruptcy of the Council after a decade of Labour mismanagement of the finances. Labour continue to kick the can down the road whilst wasting millions on vanity projects.
What is the biggest single issue facing the country?
The biggest issue facing the country is the breakdown of the international order and the rise of conflicts such as Ukraine. We live in uncertain times and have taken for granted we live in a peaceful world for too long.
Itchen Conservatives can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
HENRY, Graham Michael, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
What do you hope to achieve for the ward if you are elected?
We need councillors who will stand strong and refuse to vote for cuts. Labour and Tories have delivered a decade of cuts. We are asked to pay more and more for less and less. Now our bins don’t get collected. Austerity has been a disaster for most but has made the super-rich a lot richer. As a council tenant I will campaign for an end to increased rents and charges and for a council house building programme for the city that deals with the housing crisis. Over 10 years with no youth clubs in the city, we have to do better. Let’s fund council run youth facilities in every area of the city. How is it possible in the sixth richest country in the world, we have 36 food banks in Southampton? Instead of putting up council tax and rents, let’s feed our kids and provide free school meals for all. Instead of cutting school funding, let’s make sure our kids get the best start in life. We need to stop making cuts. That means electing socialists onto the council.
What do you hope to achieve for the city if you are elected?
Investing in public services is the key. £510 million government funding has been cut from Southampton. We need to build a mass campaign of our communities, council workers and their trade unions to restore funding so we can rebuild our communities and the jobs and services cut in the last 14 years. Southampton Labour council should spend what’s needed – and hand the bill to the new government. It is not the case, though, that the money isn’t there. Labour’s 2019 pledge under Jeremy Corbyn to tax share dividends and capital gains at the same rate as the income tax on wages, for example, would have raised an extra £14 to £15 billion pounds a year – enough to have met the council funding shortfall. But Sir Keir Starmer and the shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, putting the interests of the rich and big business first, have dropped that policy, like so many other promises. That is why we need to elect socialists to the council.
What is the biggest single issue for Bitterne Park ward?
Blocks of council flats have been knocked down or left empty while thousands are homeless or forced to pay extortionate private rents. As a council tenant I will campaign for a council house building programme to end the housing crisis.
What is the biggest single issue for Southampton residents?
We have rising levels of poverty across the city. Instead of endless cuts and increased taxes we call for a People’s Budget so no one goes cold, hungry or homeless linked to a campaign to restore government funding.
What is the biggest single issue facing the country?
Austerity leaves us poorer with worse public services. These cuts need to be reversed. We need investment not cuts. That means the profits of Tescos, British Gas and other monopolies is ploughed back into meeting the needs of all.
Information about Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition can be found at www.socialistparty.org.uk. and they can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
What do you hope to achieve for the ward if you are elected?
• I will lobby housing services to understand what progress is being made with the regeneration of Townhill Park; Plots 5 & 6 should hopefully have received Tenders by now, plots 2 & 9 have historically registered partners – have tenders been received?
• I will seek assurance that the promise that ex tenants will receive priority in the new build will be honoured.
• I will seek to enrich local parks and recreational spaces, maintaining areas like Townhill Green and investing in new uplift to neglected areas.
What do you hope to achieve for the city if you are elected?
I would push for Lib Dem priorities based on our track record elsewhere. These are difficult times for local councils but previous administrations in Southampton have made bad situations worse by their poorly considered and actioned decisions. We should learn from the success of local Lib Dem councils which are well run and with balanced budgets.
I would then address Liberal Democrat policies in:
• Care for the Vulnerable – particularly Social Care
• Safer Roads and Pavements including 20mph limits in residential streets,
• Investment in Park and Ride and in public transport provision that meets the city’s needs through better planned bus networks
• More affordable housing for our residents
• Addressing the poor condition of our public infrastructure like roads and pavements, social spaces including parks gardens and other public areas
• Ensuring services like refuse collection can be relied on.
What is the biggest single issue for Bitterne Park ward?
The catalogue of failures regarding the regeneration of Townhill Park. A revised completion timescale must be established.
What is the biggest single issue for Southampton residents?
Refuse collection has become extremely unreliable. If the revised collection cannot be made to work, then an alternative must be found that works for everyone.
What is the biggest single issue facing the country?
More and more people are dependent upon food banks to simply live. In the medium term they need to be adequately resourced. Longer term we should seek to lift people out of their need for them.
Information about Southampton Liberal Democrats can be found at www.southampton-libdems.org.uk
What do you hope to achieve for the ward if you are elected?
The issues affecting Southampton affect Bitterne Park Ward. The Labour Council has effectively bankrupted the City having to go to the Tory Government to bail them out. A priority is to balance the books so that we can focus on delivering the core services which a Council is duty bound to do. Services such as repairing the roads, collecting the rubbish, ensuring public services operate are the basics which Labour have fallen down on. If elected I will will do my best to ensure the Ward receives its fair share of financing and support. Priorities will be to repair the roads, bin collections, that the schools are well supported and the issue of water pollution is addressed as a priority to protect public health. We need to bring back communities and provide support to the young and elderly of the Ward. I will be “tasking” the police to get back on the beat to reduce crime. As a Reform UK councillor I will make it my duty to ensure all voters are heard and supported.
What do you hope to achieve for the city if you are elected?
First to sort out the City’s finances which have been poorly managed by both the Labour and Tory Councils who have been in power for far too long. We need to get the City “repaired” from housing to roads to services to bin collections – the basic services voters expect. We need to address the pressures on the local health services, education and housing due to the rapid population rise the City is currently experiencing. The Free Port status has to be a priority as it brings in investment and jobs. Reform UK would support national business by providing incentives to invest in the City, and to support local businesses expand. The aim is to make Southampton Great again.
What is the biggest single issue for Bitterne Park ward?
To deal with the water pollution issue as it’s a serious public health challenge.
What is the biggest single issue for Southampton residents?
Having a Labour or Tory Council to continue their mis-management of this great City.
What is the biggest single issue facing the country?
Lack of serious economic development that helps every citizen deal with the cost of living, that improves the quality of life and the state of the nation.
Reform UK can be contacted via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Thanks once more to all the candidates for taking part. Polls open at 7am on Thursday, May 2, and close at 10pm. The choice is yours! Police and crime commissioner elections take place at the same time - for more information and a list of candidates click here - and you'll need photo ID to vote in both: more info on what should be accepted is here.