We offered each of the five candidates standing for the Southampton itchen constituency in the forthcoming general election on June 8 the same space to tell us about themselves and their policies. This is what they said...
• St Denys/Portswood residents: see Southampton Test candidate statements
• Which constituency do you live in?

 

What happened last time?

Before we get on to the candiadate statements, here's a quick look at the stats, which give an idea of what each candidate is up against on June 8, and may help you decide which way to vote this time.

At the last general election in 2015, Southampton Itchen voted as follows:

Conservative	18656
Labour	16340
UKIP	6010
Green	1876
Liberal Democrat	567
TUSC	233

There were 44710 valid votes cast from an electorate of 72281.

If you want more information about our former MP's record in parliament and how he voted on various issues, the TheyWorkForYou website's assessment here.

Here's how votes were distributed across the parties in Southampton Itchen in 2015:

And here's the picture including those who didn't vote in 2015:

Who's standing this time?

This time standing in the Itchen constituency, which includes the Bitterne Park ward, there are five candidates, representing the Liberal Democrats, Labour Party, Green Party, UKIP and the Conservative Party.

They are:

• BELL, Eleanor – Liberal Democrats
• LETTS, Simon Jonathan – Labour Party
• PEARCE, Rosie Beth – Green Party
• ROSE, Kim – UKIP
• SMITH, Royston Matthew – Conservative

 

What do they say about themseleves?

Here's what they said, in alphabetical order.

BELL, Eleanor – Liberal Democrats

I am pleased to stand once again as your candidate in Southampton Itchen and to fight for a cleaner, greener, fairer city which takes its place proudly within Britain and Europe.

I have lived locally all my adult life and worked in Southampton for over twenty years, mainly at LSU College of Higher Education on The Avenue. I am married with two children now in their thirties. My husband trained in engineering at Southampton Technical College and after a period in the Merchant Navy, he moved into education, finally taking up a post at SIHE, now Southampton Solent University.                                                                                           

At LSU College, as European Projects Director I worked closely with the City Council and Chamber of Commerce on international projects. My teacher training role took me into many of the city's primary and secondary schools, including Bitterne Park School. I later moved to work as a Project Manager for the NHS Information Authority based in Winchester, where I experienced first-hand successive disruptive changes to the National Health Service.

I am a committed internationalist, and spent two years after leaving university with Voluntary Service Overseas in Sri Lanka. Later I spent a year as an exchange teacher in Quebec Canada. I also lived and worked for two years in France, and I have always felt at ease with the multiple identities of British, European, and global citizen.

I have always been an active campaigner on environmental issues and climate change.  I have joined local action groups such as Transition Southampton, Friends of Riverside Park, Friends of Sholing Valleys and Friends of Weston Shore. With its geothermal resources and potential for wave and tidal energy, Southampton is poised to become one of the greenest cities in the south of England, and I look forward to pressing forward the renewable energy agenda. But first Southampton has to clean up its polluted air, one of the worse affected cities in UK.

I have 14 years experience as a Councillor in local government, including a period as Portfolio Holder for Environment, Planning and Transport. I am passionate about preserving our environment, including our historic heritage. I am a member of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, and a Trustee of Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust.

If elected as MP for Southampton Itchen I pledge to work tirelessly to represent your interests.

 

LETTS, Simon Jonathan – Labour Party

I have lived in Southampton since 1981 having moved here to study at the University of Southampton. After University I started a small business which in the city before retraining in 1992 as a Secondary School Science Teacher. The same year I met my partner Carolyn who works in the NHS as a Physiotherapist, we have two children Owen and Emma.

I have served eighteen years on the City Council the last twelve for the Bitterne Ward. Since 2013 I have been proud to lead the City Council and to have played a small part in the economic renaissance now underway. Since 2012 we have seen 8000 jobs created in the City and we have used our planning powers to ensure that as many of these as possible have gone to local people

Despite having to implement over 120 million pounds of cuts we have done our best to keep services open and running, including all the cities Libraries and Sure Start centres.

As a Labour Council we have demonstrated our commitment to the Environment. Over the next three years the council will be investing over ten million pounds into the cycle network. We have radical plans to tackle air pollution and are investing heavily in energy saving and generating technologies in our own buildings. Later this year we will set up our own energy company to offer cheaper energy to our residents.

If elected my priorities will be Health, Education and Housing.

We all know that a good Education is essential if our children are going to get decent jobs and fulfil their potential. Nearly all Southampton schools face a cut in their budgets over the next three years. Only Labour will fund our schools properly.

NHS waiting times have shot up both for operations and in A&E, it can take days to get a doctor’s appointment. Only a Labour government will fund the NHS properly by making big companies and the wealthy pay their fair share.

This country faces a housing crisis young people can’t afford to buy and many are paying rip off rents to private landlords. Nearly ten thousand families are on our waiting list and record numbers of homeless people are sleeping on our streets. Only labour has a plan to build the affordable homes we need.

In Southampton Itchen you have a clear choice: if you want change vote Labour.

For more information see http://www.southampton-labour.org.uk or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

PEARCE, Rosie Beth – Green Party

Hello, I’m Rosie Pearce, your Green Party candidate for Southampton Itchen. I was born in Southampton, studied at a local university, and now work for a charity in the city.

One rule for them

While there are millions of pounds to finance a refurbishment of the House of Commons, billions to renew trident, and more billions to bail out the banks; those of us who can least afford to pay are told to foot the austerity bill. It’s our Bitterne walk-in centre that has closed, our already-squeezed Itchen College that is forecast for an 8% cut, our benefits that are cruelly withdrawn while 30% of children in the area live in poverty.  

We mustn’t lose hope

Like you, I am tired of old politics and the misery it has brought us. But there is hope. The Greens are showing that there is a different way to do politics. Our Green representatives in the EU Parliament have won us tougher rules on bankers and air quality. Our MP (Brighton) Caroline Lucas introduced a bill to re-nationalise our railways. Your local Green Party is campaigning for better public access to our waterfront and riverside. With your vote we can achieve even more.

Standing together

I will support your democratic right to choose whether to approve the eventual Brexit deal or not. Greens will strive for an economy that works for us all, abolishing zero-hour contracts and creating jobs in home insulation and green energy. I will continue to campaign to improve your access to green spaces and government action on climate change that matches the scale of the problem. I will work to abolish academies and free schools, bringing these back to local authority control. The Greens will support the re-nationalisation of the NHS, funding mental health equally to physical health and providing free social care. The Green Party will work hard to reverse the trends that have seen quality of life start to fall for the first time in decades.

Stand up for our future by choosing to vote for myself, your Green Party candidate, on June 8^th.

For more information see https://www.greenparty.org.uk/the-green-guarantee.html

 

ROSE, Kim – UKIP
No response received by our deadline

 

SMITH, Royston Matthew – Conservative

Next week we will be asked to cast our vote for a new government. The Prime Minister, Theresa May, called the election for good reason. She wants to be able to demonstrate to the European Union that she has the country behind her as she embarks on the difficult negotiations to withdraw from the EU. As with all General Elections this is not just about one issue but one issue is likely to dominate. That issue is who is best placed to secure a sensible, pragmatic Brexit and a future arrangement with the remaining 27 countries in our national interest. I would suggest that Theresa May is the only person on offer who fulfils this criteria and has the qualities required to put the country’s national interest above her own. 

Our manifesto commits record levels of funding for the NHS and schools while keeping taxes low for hardworking families. We have seen the highest levels of employment since 1975 with rates of unemployment in Southampton even lower than the national average. There is more to do which is why a Conservative MP working with a Conservative Government can keep investing in Southampton’s future for all those who live here.

Locally I have been concentrating on helping close the attainment gap with young boys. Reading is a particular problem and working with The Saints Foundation we have devised a course to help encourage some of our most disadvantaged boys to read more. Those involved will be given a football coaching session but only after spending the first half of the session reading.

Southampton is the home of the Spitfire. It was designed here, test flown here and built here in the Supermarine Factory in Woolston. Throughout my time in parliament I campaigned for a contribution from banking fines towards a lasting memorial to the iconic Spitfire and those who protected our freedom and in doing so doing risked, and all too often gave their lives.

I was proud to play my part in securing £2M of funding from the government for a dedicated children’s A&E department at the General Hospital. The new children’s A&E department will provide specialist care for young children with the modern facilities we expect in the 21st Century.

If re-elected, I will continue to represent Southampton’s interests and the concerns of local people, ensuring they have a strong voice locally and in parliament. 

For more information see www.roystonsmith.co.uk

We'd like to thank the candidates for taking the time to participate in this process, which we hope was useful for them and our readers. Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm on Thursday, June 8, you don't need your polling card to vote and there's a list of polling stations in the Itchen constituency n this council page - scroll down.

• St Denys/Portswood residents: see Southampton Test candidate statements
• Which constituency do you live in?