In our last show of 2025, we take a look at the last Full Council meeting for 2025 of Portsmouth City Council.

Was the chamber filled with festive cheer and agreement or were 42 Grinches trying to ruin Christmas? What hint do proceedings give of the 2026 local elections campaigns?

Before the council are:-

11. A briefing on devolution

Notices of motion

12a Aquind - The Council reaffirms its opposition to the Aquind interconnector project.

12b Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour Issues in Portsmouth

12c Cross Border Taxi Licensing and Passenger Safety

12d Tackling Knife Crime and Enhancing Public Safety in Portsmouth

12e Local Government Reorganisation - call on the govt not to force Portsmouth to become a larger unitary authority (encompassing Havant, Waterlooville, Gosport & Fareham.

12f Improving Pedestrian Safety on Portsdown Hill Road

12g Investing in Early Years: Expanded Free Breakfast Clubs and Childcare for Working Families in Portsmouth

Subscribe on Youtube, Follow on Facebook or signup for our email newsletter. Donate to support the podcast

You can also send us a voicemail.

After this week’s shock two year delay to the Mayoral elections for Hampshire & The Solent we invite candidates Cllr Martin Tod 🟧 & Anna Collar 🟩to help make sense of the mess.

-What does this mean for devolution?

-Are voters right to be confused and frustrated?

-Will Hampshire (& the Isle of Wight) miss out?

-Why the headlong rush, just to put the breaks on?

-What does this mean for candidates?

Subscribe on Youtube, Follow on Facebook or signup for our email newsletter. Donate to support the podcast

You can also send us a voicemail.

Consultation (closes Jan 11th)

Gov.uk submissions

We take a look at Wednesday’s budget. Rachel Reeves’ 2nd as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Will there be a 3rd? | Who are the winners? | Who the losers? Was it bold or timid? | Does the leaking or ‘testing’ of policy ahead of the budget create more uncertainty? | Will the measures announced help with cost of living, reduce burden for small businesses and pay for services? | Will the Chancellor fill the gaps in local government funding?

Which policy changes are you celebrating? | What are the changes the Chancellor could have made, but didn't?

You can watch the budget in full on the Parliament's Youtube channel.

Chancellor of the Exchequer's Speech

Leader of the Opposition's Speech

Budget document

Subscribe on Youtube, Follow on Facebook or signup for our email newsletter. Donate to support the podcast

You can also send us a voicemail.

On behalf of Let's Stop Aquind, we hosted a public meeting with key speakers from across politics and two sides of the channel.

What is the Aquind interconnector? It’s the controversially funded and designed plan to connect the UK and French electricity grids with a cable across countryside, farmland, parkland and through residential areas from Normandy to Lovedean, digging a trench along congested roads in Portsmouth on the way.

Speakers:-

Cllr Steve Pitt - Leader Portsmouth City Council

Suella Braverman MP - Fareham & Waterlooville

Cllr Antonia Harrison - Havant Borough Council

Cllr Martin Tod - Leader of Winchester City Council

Yoann Collin - President of Mayors, Normandy, France

Donald Brument - President of Non à Aquind

If you'd like to find out more about the campaigns on both sides of the channel:-

https://stopaquind.com

https://www.non-a-aquind.org

Let the planning inspectorate know what you think of the project:- aquind@planninginspectorate.gov.uk

Subscribe on Youtube, Follow on Facebook or signup for our email newsletter. Donate to support the podcast

You can also send us a voicemail.

This week we take a look at Tuesday's Full Council - was it a council or consensus or clash of the councillors?

Notices of Motion

• 11a Planning & Infrastructure bill (Opposing government plans to increase the planning applications decided by officers, and limit those decided by Councillors) - Cllrs Gardner (CON) Cllr Simpson (REF)
• 11b Fair votes (Supporting votes at 16. Proportional representation) - Cllr Hunt (LIB DEM) Cllr Adair (LIB DEM)
• 11c Support for Healthwatch (Strong opposition to government plans to abolish Healthwatch) - Cllr Swann (CON) Cllr Bosher (CON)
• 11d Digital IDs (Opposition to government plans to mandate digital IDs) - Cllr Barrett (LIB DEM) Pitt (LIB DEM)
• 11e
• 11f Allocation of asylum dispersal (Opposing number housing asylum seekers in Portsmouth compared to other areas) - Cllr Standen (REF) Cllr Madgwick (REF)
• 11g Support VALOUR Network (Support to improve military housing) - Cllr Fielding (LAB) Cllr Adeniran (LAB)

Link to agenda and PCC's recorded livestream in comments on the event.

Clips from PCC's Democratic Services recorded livestream.

Subscribe on Youtube, Follow on Facebook or signup for our email newsletter. Donate to support the podcast

You can also send us a voicemail.

Can the controversial Aquind electricity interconnector project between Normandy, France and Portsmouth, England - cutting a swathe through countryside, farmland and disrupting residents digging up residential and vital arterial roads finally get stopped for good?

Five years on, we invite Let’s Stop Aquind and their French counterpart, Non à Aquind back onto the show to share the latest.

https://stopaquind.com

https://www.non-a-aquind.org

Stop Aquind on Facebook

Subscribe on Youtube, Follow on Facebook or signup for our email newsletter. Donate to support the podcast

You can also send us a voicemail.

3 1/2 million British citizens living overseas are entitled to vote in UK elections, but only 200,000 are registered to do so.

• What elections are they entitled to vote in?
• How does it work?
• How long does this entitlement to vote in UK elections last?
• Why aren’t more Brits living overseas retaining their right to vote?

We hear from Mike Tuffrey & John Shardlow of the British Overseas Voters Forum to help us separate fact from fiction and understand the struggles Brits abroad face having a say in the future decisions in the UK.

More details of British Overseas Voters Forum https://bovf.org.uk

Find out how to register to vote abroad https://www.gov.uk/voting-when-living-abroad

Subscribe on Youtube, Follow on Facebook or signup for our email newsletter. Donate to support the podcast

You can also send us a voicemail.

Paulsgrove (a council ward in Portsmouth UK) goes the polls in a by election October 23rd 2025 after the resignation in mid September of the Portsmouth Independent Party Councillor Brian Madgwick for health reasons.

We invited all five candidates to take part in our online hustings. The candidates in this election are:-

Georgina Ayling - Green Party

Thomas Hoare - Conservative Party

Sydna Phillips - Labour Party

Michelle Simmons - Liberal Democrats

Joe Standen - Reform UK

Unfortunately the Lib Dem and Green Party candidates informed us they wouldn't be able to make the hustings.

Although the reform candidate had originally accepted and confirmed the date, and despite several communications back and forth this week, informed us the day before the hustings that they had another appointment the evening of the hustings.

The two candidates taking part and answering questions were Sydna Phillips (Labour) & Thomas Hoare (Conservative)

These were the questions we asked:-

1. What are the people of Paulsgrove telling you is the most important issue they want addressed - and if elected how will you as a Councillor address it?
2. Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). Good or bad thing for Portsmouth?
3. How important is it to live in the ward you represent?
4. The area around Paulsgrove and on Portsdown Hill is often used as an illegal racetrack. Is enough being done to stop this, what's your solution?
5. How much do you feel national party politics will influence the outcome of this election?
6. Port Solent and Paulsgrove have very different resident demographics, needs and challenges, how would you address those different needs?
7. Recent announcements revealed a multi million pound investment in Portsmouth from central government, as well as £2m per year for the next decade for Paulsgrove. What should it be spent on?

Subscribe on Youtube, Follow on Facebook or signup for our email newsletter. Donate to support the podcast

You can also send us a voicemail.