On 7th May, those living in Southampton and above 18yrs old will be able to vote in the local elections. I sat down with the Green Party’s Candidate for Bevois, Amy Sefton-Thake, to ask her questions about housing, public transport, crime, community, and Gaza.
B: Tell me a bit about yourself
A: I’m Amy, I’m the Green Party candidate for Bevois, and I’m a student activist. I am the President of the Young Greens Society at the university, and I hold several different roles throughout the Green Party, including being the elections officer for the LGBT Greens, and I’m interested in making a nicer and fairer world for everybody.
B: Why are you running?
A: I’ve come to the conclusion that the best way I can help to create actual, material difference in the world that benefits people is through politics. So, I want to get involved and get elected to try and resolve issues to help people, and just do my bit to make the world a slightly nicer place.
B: How would you plan to improve housing within Bevois?
A: So, we in the Green Party oppose the individual right to buy, which allows people to buy council houses at a discounted rate for personal use. We oppose this because it has led to the cost-of-living crisis, with 7 out of 10 council houses going into the hands of private landlords who just have higher rents than the council had. So, it’s not actually promoting ownership as it was designed to do; it just bloated private landlordism. So, tackling that by introducing rent controls and cancelling the individual right to buy is top of our agenda for housing. Although this year, there is a limited scope for us to achieve this, as we cannot achieve a majority of seats on the council.
B: Right to buy is more of a national policy. So, if someone votes for you, and you do get elected, even though the Greens cannot achieve a majority this year, at a national level, that couldn’t happen until 2029 at the very earliest. So, on a local level, how would you be able to tackle it, because it seems like lots of the Green Party’s policies on housing are national policies?
A: That is a very good point, and they are nationally focused because we see large-scale transformative change as the way to do it. But at a local level, we have a history of Green Party councils, such as Stroud, Bristol, and Brighton and Hove, which managed to enact local policies to improve housing in the area, rather than some imaginary bottom line. So, we would try to emulate what those councils are/were doing, where they’ve been promoting this national agenda on a local level to the best of their ability. But obviously, we are limited. You are right. The idea is about changing the narrative using what limited powers we have to do the most good possible, but I will agree with you that we are constrained locally.
B: But in specific policies, what do you want to see the council doing?
A: I want to see the council actually filling a lot of the council flats. Some have been empty since 2013, I believe in Bittern Park, but I may be wrong. The idea is that the housing is actually being properly allocated to the people who need it, and the idea is that we are actually taking care of the people who live in the area, regardless of the type of housing they’re in. We just need to promote actual discussion about the area. For example, I plan to be very accessible for any complaints people have in the area or any suggestions they may have. I want to listen to the people in Bevois, hear what they want, and enact that to the best of my ability to create a nicer area for everyone.
But in terms of any actual specifics, I’m not sure I can give a point-for-point answer because the situation is ever evolving, and it depends on what the council chooses to do. So, we have to be very reactionary in our opposition, rather than setting the agenda, sadly.
B: You should have an idea of what you want the agenda to be, though.
A: Yes, but that relies–sadly–on some national levers being pulled as well. I’m not as deep into the side of housing policy as some of our other members are, so I’d be letting them take the lead on issues like this, and I would be following their example and bringing up and scrutinising their agenda when that happens, but I would not be leading on this because it’s not my area of expertise.
B: You say that you want to see lots of the council houses that are empty filled. But the reason why so many of the council houses are empty is that they are in need of repair – money which the council says they do not have. So, how would you tackle that?
A: The reason the council is saying they don’t have the money is that in the last 15 years, we’ve seen cut after cut after cut to local budgets. So, we need to campaign more boldly, and of course, I appreciate that this is national, for a reversal of those cuts, so we can house the people in our area. But in terms of the immediate, we need to be trying to streamline the process of doing those repairs and making sure that there is proper due attention given.
I would argue that the current Labour council is negligent in those responsibilities because the city is struggling at the moment. The cost of living is affecting so many people, and it appears to me that they’re not doing everything in their power to help. So, if I got into office, I would look at the options available to me, and I would be making the best decisions I could with the resources I have. That’s not ideal, of course, but it is the reality of the situation.
B: Do you think just campaigning for the government to give the council more money will be successful? It currently seems like the government is very unwilling to give councils more money than they need unless they file for bankruptcy.
A: You say “more money,” but we do need this money. That’s why we’ve had to see all these cuts, not just to housing but also to healthcare, mental health, and SEND services. But the idea isn’t to just say ‘give us more money’, but to shift the narrative to go, ‘councils are being funded badly, here is the Green Party’s vision in government to fix this.’ It’s an idea to provide real, concrete decisions on a national level. We’ve just got to make the case for it as councils, so that we can actually benefit people to an even greater scale than we currently can with local powers.
B: Earlier, you mentioned the selling off of some council houses. The council says that’s because these houses are too expensive to repair. So, by selling them off, they could invest that money into redesigning the council’s stock of housing. What’s your take on that?
A: The benefits that social housing brings to the community are bigger than any private developer could bring, because it creates a baseline of rent in the area. Because we can introduce rent controls, and we’re not selling off a load of council houses, not only do we help people with their bills, but we also set an example for the landlords. This would hopefully then mean that landlords don’t increase their rents, so they aren’t out-competed by the council.
B: That’s not really an answer to my question, though, because what you’re saying is the importance of council housing, but what the council is saying by selling off these specific houses is that those specific houses are too expensive for them to repair. Of the five pilot sales that happened this year, the Daily Echo estimated that the total auction would be between £375,000 and £500,000, which is similar to the total repair costs (£300,000 – £500,000). So, it’s all good in saying that we need council houses, but pragmatically, if you cannot afford to repair these houses, what are you going to do?
A: The idea that we can’t repair them is misleading because it creates the idea that we have no choice. There is always a choice, and whilst it may be more expensive in the short term, I would argue that it’s worth it in the long run because if it really is too expensive to repair, they would demolish it and start from scratch. Then, statistically, they’ll be more able to charge higher rents, and so it’ll come out of the pockets of people living in our area, no matter what. Therefore, I would argue that the council should be putting on the extra expense to save the expenses of the people living in the area.
B: The central issue, though, is that lots of the Greens in Southampton are saying this, that the next council budget will have to include cuts to the budget. So, where would you get the money to repair the houses?
A: I’m not privy to a lot of the current spending decisions because I’m not currently a councillor, but of course, we would look at where we could and make the most efficient spending measures we could.
B: Sounds a bit like DOGE, though.
A: Oh no no no. We wouldn’t be cutting for the sake of cutting. In fact, we want to figure out where we can spend our money to get more out of it, to provide more for the people. Not just simply to save this much if we stop spending this. There is a real case to be made to stop viewing government spending, nationally and locally, like a household budget, and instead view it as an investment in the community that gives back dividends. For example, if you look at it from the cold, hard calculus, we spend more on repairing those council flats. But then, those people living in those flats will have lower rents, and so will have more money to spend, which stimulates the economy, which produces more tax, and that original money returns to the council in the long run. So, we should really be viewing it through the lens of economic health in the area, rather than a flat investment in isolation, because no economic decision happens in a vacuum.
B: Earlier, you mentioned that housing isn’t your area of expertise. So, what are your central policy issues as a candidate?
A: It’s hard to think of a specific few. I am preoccupied a lot of the time with focusing on human rights, be that racial discrimination faced by many residents across the city, or homophobia, or even misogyny, which isn’t spoken about enough, quite frankly, because it’s overshadowed by some of the culture wars. So, my specific area is trying to create the most harmonious Bevois we can, through tackling anti-social behaviour, which will require working with the student population and the alcohol and drugs involved there, supporting Southampton Pride, and any initiative to prevent violence against women and girls. And so, more social interaction is more my specific area.
B: With reference to violence against women and girls, a lot of the issues raised to me for these interviews were the fact that many streetlights are off at night, and it makes many women feel scared. The reasoning for this is to save energy and money, but would you like to see some of the lights turned on?
A: On major walkways where people are likely to be walking home, I would be massively supportive of this. The problem is, I don’t like viewing human lives against energy expenditure; it feels very dehumanising to those at risk of violence. We should be focusing on human life above all else, whilst of course recognising the practicalities. I’m not saying we should magic money out of thin air, but if you’re in a position to turn on lights and you say no because of the cost, that feels very cold to me. So, yes, I would support turning the lights on.
B: Moving on, there’s an above-average crime rate in Bevois, with recent drug raids finding £10,000, and many students wanting to quit drugs in Bevois but feel like they don’t have the support they need to quit. So, how would you, as a councillor, help tackle crime in Bevois?
A: So, Bevois ranks first for alcohol related crime in the city and second for drug-related crime. If you look at the demographics, it’s a high student area, so you will definitely get more drug and alcohol related crime. Now, I’m a firm believer in the power of education and narratives. If we can educate people on the risks, then we can reduce drug consumption per capita, which is already happening. I think we also need to recognise that a lot of the social interaction between students does involve alcohol and drugs. Viewing consumers as the criminals is the wrong way to go about it. We need to educate them and help them.
There was an initiative the SNP set up in Glasgow, where they set up a safe drug treatment centre, where you could go and get your drugs tested to see if they were spiked, and then you could take the drugs there in the safety of their facility, and then leave. They also had an integrated mental health wing in the organisation, designed to help wean people off, because no one who does drugs does so in a vacuum. Evidence shows part of it is a result of poor mental health as a form of escapism. There was an experiment conducted on rats, where one group was given a lot of enrichment activities, and the other had none. Both groups had access to water, but one was spiked with cocaine. The rats in the empty enclosure, where they had no stimulation, drank the water and died. The ones in the enrichment enclosure tasted the cocaine and decided against drinking the water. So, we’ve got to look at it in the context of a person’s material conditions – do they need more mental health provision?
As for other related crimes, such as the dealers themselves, the Green Party promotes the decriminalisation of all mainstream drugs, which would take millions of pounds out of organised crime because people could buy the drugs elsewhere. The police can raid as many drug dealers as they want, but there will always be a demand, no matter what we do.
B: Once again, a lot of what you’re saying is on a national level, though. So, on a local level, what do you want to see done?
A: We’re very constrained on the powers we have. The central government tries to hold onto as much power as it can to limit councils led by other parties from setting an example. So, in all truth, we would be looking mostly at distributing educational materials, whether that’s on digital screens next to bus stops or handing out physical leaflets. I would also like to make mental health support available for people who need it. Obviously, these tie back to the degradation of our mental health services nationally and locally. So, the idea is, how do we reorganise the council’s resources to get a better outcome, and that may include moving funding from departments.
B: Moving on, talking to lots of students in Southampton, lots of students who have come from elsewhere don’t think the public transport in Southampton is very good, especially the buses. How would you improve the public transport in Southampton?
A: I come from a pretty public transport-starved area, so I somewhat feel like the public transport in Southampton is amazing. I think there needs to be interaction with people across the city to ask if they feel that the bus services are serving them well, and if not, where they would like a new bus route. That would allow us to do a full re-evaluation, which could mean small tweaks or even introducing new routes. We need to look at what the options available are and what we can and can’t do. Now, I appreciate that the bus services are run by private companies, so we are limited, but if it promotes people taking the bus, we do need to look at what we can do to get people onto the bus, and that will involve working with locals.
B: With a full re-evaluation, that could go two ways: more buses or fewer buses. How would you ensure that a full re-evaluation, which would likely cost a lot, would actually lead to more buses?
A: I think the idea of a periodic review in the form of a public survey is the way to go. Ultimately, public transport exists in an area to serve the locals. If it’s not doing that, then we need to look at how we can make it do that. So, I do think it is sustained contact with people in the city and making sure their voices are heard. You’re right, it will cost a bit, but ideally, with it being a survey, we can keep it lower than it otherwise would be.
But also, there is a place for it. Public transport is a wonderful thing for residents and students, and it helps reduce carbon emissions. Actually, our candidate in Banister and Polygon has been campaigning for a park and ride system for the cruise ships. So, there is definitely a place for improving the public transport in Southampton, and I would be very supportive of a park and ride system.
B: One of the candidates you’re standing against is Nadia Ditta, the candidate for TUSC, and one of the big things she is campaigning on is the policy of zero cuts. But also, within the Green Party and the Greens Organise group, which you are a part of, there is a petition stating that if elected, the signatories will support zero cuts. Do you agree with that stance?
A: So, the Greens Organise pledge is not zero cuts, it is to campaign against austerity as much as you can. The reason it is a low-cut budget is that if a council enacts a zero-cuts budget and you fail to fund it, central government comes in and sets a budget for you.
B: That would only be the case if the budget was unbalanced or unworkable. It’s not the government saying ‘you’ve done zero cuts and we don’t like that.’
A: But the government keeps cutting funding to local councils, and so it forces councils’ hands to make budget cuts.
B: Only if they can’t find another way of filling that gap.
A: Yes, but there are shockingly few ways of doing it. The Green Party wants to make it easier for councils to borrow; that’s in line with our policy of increasing our social housing stock. But the point is, currently, we do not have such powers. The powers of a local council to borrow money are very limited, and so a zero-cuts budget in Southampton would put the council at loggerheads with the government, and would inevitably lead to the budget being ruled illegal and the government stepping in.
B: I put this issue to Nadia Ditta, and she said that she would fund it by using the council’s reserves. She argues that this money isn’t some pointless investment, but money that is desperately needed for investment, but the council chooses not to invest it. What’s your take on that?
A: Every council needs to maintain a reserve. If you look at the councils that have gone bankrupt in recent years, they’ve had to use their reserves. The reserves are there as a fall-back option. Spending the reserves is irresponsible because if there were any unforeseen situation where there was a shortfall in funding, we would not actually have any money to spend to resolve that issue. We need spare money.
B: You said it yourself, though, that we shouldn’t be placing monetary value on human lives. The argument then is that this is money that exists, sure, don’t use all of it, but there’s great poverty in Southampton, and Bevois is one of the most deprived parts of the country. So, this is money that really needs to be invested, and you said yourself that investment creates money, so isn’t it a bit of a contradiction to rule out using the reserves whilst also calling for investment?
A: I would argue, in the case of the reserves, that it is not a contradiction because we need this safety net. It is a part of the infrastructure that leads to the council functioning. So, for example, you say how the money can be used to alleviate poverty. That’s very true. But what if something were to go wrong economically? Now we’ve got no money to spend, and greater damage is done.
B: Moving on, how would you plan to put pro-Palestinian policies into place as a local councillor?
A: We need to encourage the council to divest from any Israeli-linked businesses until they have stopped committing genocide and ethnic cleansing and have retreated to the legally mandated borders. I would like to see increased advocacy and support for initiatives calling for leaders on both sides of the conflict to face justice in the International Criminal Court. I am massively supportive of Stand Up to Racism and their action in the city. They have done a lot of good to raise awareness on issues surrounding Palestine.
I would also like to highlight that my opposition candidate, Nadia Ditta, for TUSC (Trade Union and Socialist Coalition), is Palestinian herself, and so it is, of course, an issue very important to her. If I am elected instead of her, I will continue to work alongside people like her, and hopefully her, within the community to make sure that this is an issue that is not forgotten or brushed under the carpet.
B: I think one of the big beauties of Southampton is the strong sense of community, but there is always room for improvement. How would you like to build community in Bevois?
A: So, we need to look at the way we charge taxes on businesses in the city. Small and medium-sized businesses in the city need more support from the council, and I would argue that large businesses need to be forced to pay their fair share, because they’re currently not paying their fair share in my eyes. Now, what that specifically looks like on the ground, I can’t say because I haven’t seen the insides of the council, but we definitely need to be looking at how we are charging tax on small and independent businesses that provide these vital third spaces in the city. I visit a lot of the third spaces in Bevois – I go to the Hobbit Pub with friends a lot, and we hang out and chat, even though I don’t drink myself – and so we need more support for businesses in the area to help them stay afloat and provide these spaces for people and help us enjoy our wonderful city.
B: Outside of businesses, lots of people spend all their money on the basics of living, which doesn’t give them much or any room to spend money in these third spaces. I think it’s important that for there to be community, there needs to be free community. What free community things would you do?
A: I would be greatly supportive of any community initiative that aims to create community by using our community spaces and any community halls in the area. We just need to use our stock of community buildings more and make them easier to use.
B: Why should people vote for you?
A: I would provide a real local voice for both the student population, of which I belong, and the resident population, of which I have great respect, especially for living alongside the students and keeping it harmonious. And I want to be able to be a voice for anyone in Bevois, for us to be stronger as a ward, stronger as a community, and for everyone to feel like I’m there for them to raise their concerns and to be present for them.
If you would like to ask Amy any further questions, you can email her here: amy.the.seftonthake@gmail.com
You can read more interviews for Bevois on the Wessex Scene homepage.
