Bruce Tennent Liberal Democrat Mayor of Eastleigh

Majority of affordable homes lost due to legal loophole

Property developers are dodging their commitment to building thousands of affordable homes each year due to a legal loophole, new research has revealed. Figures obtained through Freedom of Information law show developers have sidestepped local planning policy to avoid building 79 per cent of social homes to which they had initially committed, due to a legal loophole called a “viability assessment”. A sample of 11 local authorities across nine cities in England shows developers were able to first win planning permission by promising they would build a required number of affordable homes, but later go back to the council and…

SSE upgrade 15 Km of 33Kv cable across Easteigh

SSE are in the process of upgrading high voltage mains cable across Eastleigh starting in Allington Lane at the railway bridge. When the roadworks reaches Fir Tree Lane, they will close the road for approximately two weeks. The work needs to be completed to join the Bubb Lane sub-station with the Velmore sub-station.

Brexit campaigners are taking the Government to court over its refusal to release secret studies it has conducted on the impact of Brexit on Britain’s economy. Ministers have confirmed the existence of more than 50 intensive analyses, but are keeping them under Whitehall lock-and-key – apparently for fear they could embarrass the Government. Ministers say releasing the studies would “would undermine the Government’s ability to negotiate the best deal for Britain”, but the Good Law Project is crowdfunding £56,000 to launch a legal challenge in the hope a judge will order their release. The Government, which says it will publish…

Road Safety in West End & Horton Heath

The Conservative Party’s continuing austerity is affecting every aspect of society. In times of prosperity, the services we receive from the public sector go relatively unnoticed, but now more and more are saying enough is enough! From extended GP waiting times to teacher recruitment issues, the list of affected areas is getting longer. As a local councillor, a very important issue where I am receiving much feedback is road safety. In the past, the County Council would have a relatively large pot of money for what they would describe as “Discretionary traffic measures”. However, this is no longer the case. …

Operation Resilience – E626 Culvery Gardens, West End – Carriageway Resurfacing

As part of the programme of works being undertaken by Operation Resilience Hampshire Highways will shortly be undertaking carriageway resurfacing throughout Culvery Gardens. The works are programmed to start on 08 September 2017 and are expected to last for 2 working days. In order to undertake the works safely it will be necessary to close the road between 08:00 – 17:00. Information signs advising road users of the works have been erected. A letter has been sent to local residents and an email will be sent to Eastleigh Borough Council to advise them accordingly. Should you have any questions or…

What can be done about Traffic Congestion?

Many people are asking me what can be done about traffic congestion as there does not seem to be any progress on something we are all aware desperately requires attention. They hear about projects such as the so-called “Smart” motorway upgrade coming to the M27 by 2020 and various motorway upgrades, but not an overall costed plan. Who is responsible and therefore whom can they lobby? I have been looking into this and the following is what I have found;- Housing Housebuilding and traffic congestion are directly linked. In the same way that not providing jobs close to home is…

Commenting on reports in The Times that an unpublished Home Office report showed that Britons could be more at risk of terrorism and crime after Brexit, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Ed Davey said: “Theresa May was Home Secretary when this report was drawn up – she must now explain why she did not publish it ahead of the EU referendum. She must also explain why she has since claimed Brexit would not lead to reduced security cooperation when this Government report suggests otherwise. “Liberal Democrats are clear: being in the European Union makes us safer and helps catch…

The Liberal Democrats have accused Chris Grayling of a “betrayal of the North,” after the Transport Secretary said it was not up to central government to advance Crossrail in Northern England. Writing in the Yorkshire Post, Chris Grayling said: “the success of Northern transport depends on the North itself.” It comes after the government dropped pledges to electrify rail routes in Wales, the Midlands and the North, while supporting the £30 billion Crossrail 2 scheme for London. Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary Jenny Randerson commented: “This is a betrayal of the North and all the areas across the country being neglected under this…

Mims’ confusion over M27 motorway funding?

At the Kings Community Church Hustings last night, Eastleigh Conservative PPC Mims Davies said that £2.5m was going to be spent upgrading junction 7 of the M27, yet in her recently circulated leaflet with a photo of her standing next to a junction 7 signpost, she said that she had secured funding for junction 9. She went on to say in her literature that the work would be done in the next 12 months, but also states that it will not be started until 2018. If that is the case, the work will be completed in five months; possible, but a…

General Election Hustings – Eastleigh 2017

Kings Community Church, Hedge End will be holding a Hustings this evening (22 May 2017) starting at 7.30pm, where all Prospective Parliamentary Candidates represented in the Snap General Election have been invited. It is your opportunity to see how well our candidates understand those local issues, which can only be dealt with at national level, such as lack of large scale transport infrastructure funding and GP and teacher recruitment.