Tory candidate Sidney Yankson says 'I am ready to serve Southampton' in letter

Over the last few months I have met thousands of residents. Every resident has said the same two things.

The first is that the Labour run council is not doing a very good job. Secondly, the residents feel let down.

Why are the roads covered in potholes? Why don’t the bins get collected on time? Why doesn’t the council want to come and fix the black mould in my council house?

Why do we have empty council flats for years and a long housing waiting list? Why are the council turning off street lights at night, making us feel less safe in our homes?

Why isn’t the Labour run council better at managing money so that it is not on the edge of bankruptcy? Why did the council sell a building for £12 million when it was valued for £36 million in 2015? Where did all the money go?

Every person I have spoken to is fed up. The city needs a change.

The Labour candidate is part of the problem.

As someone with a physics degree, I had to study Albert Einstein. It was Einstein who said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Therefore, if the residents of this great city chose the Labour candidate and expect the city to improve, isn’t that doing what Einstein said? The people of this city are not mugs.

By way of contrast, I have over 30 years experience in finance and law. I have lived in global port cities.

I have served in the army reserves, have a “can do” attitude and have a wealth of experience that can help Southampton get to where it should be.

My vision for the city is to get the basic services back to the level you deserve. Over the last few months I have been helping local residents with casework.

For example, I have been trying to get the council to tackle black mould in council flats; trying to get the council to tackle pollution in the river Itchen causing health issues for residents; trying to get the council to deal with uneven pavements that are preventing blind residents from leaving their homes safely.

If elected, I plan to work with the NHS to improve access to GPs. I plan to work with Donna Jones, our brilliant Police and Crime Commissioner, to tackle crime, I plan to work with our local Conservative councillors to see if there are alternatives to turning off street lights at night.

I plan to work with the local Conservative councillors to see if we can prevent Labour from cutting council services using the almost £600 million annual budget that the council receives each and every year.

If we can maximise how the council spends your money, we should get better value for money. In a cost of living crisis that is good for all of us.

When I visited the port earlier this year, I shared my vision. If the port expands, I would like to create 3,000 more jobs.

Those jobs would mean more opportunities for young people to learn skills, stay in the city, buy their own homes, and pay taxes to fund our public services. That’s my vision. Support business. Create more jobs. Prosperity for all.

My vision is to provide a future where the residents of Southampton can work to get on the property ladder, can access GP and dental appointments, and can walk along the pavement without tripping over an uneven kerb stone and breaking a hip. I want to get the basics done.

The choice on 4 July is a Labour candidate who has been a key part of a Labour run council that has failed to deliver for local people.

Alternatively, you can select a barrister and former army reservist with a wealth of global expertise and knowledge and a “can do” attitude. I don’t ask why, I ask why not. Don’t do what Einstein said. Make the sensible choice.

I am ready to get stuck in. I have served our country, and am ready to serve Southampton and serve you.

Sidney Yankson Parliamentary Candidate for Southampton Itchen