Pitt's Progress

Note: The transcript hsa been produced using an AI tool. Transcription may not be 100% accurate.

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:00:13.51 - 00:00:38.74 

Well welcome to the final show of our summer season Parliament may have already chuck their hand in and headed off for their summer holes on Thursday And Laura Coons and all her chums didn't fancy turning up for the politics show this morning But uh Portsmouth's premier podcast political podcast perhaps are still here bringing you all of the things that matter to the people of Portsmouth And we had an absolute titan

 of local politics joining us this evening welcome Steve..you happy with Titan?

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:00:47.72 - 00:00:51.93 

 Well I've been called many things That's the first time that's been used So

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:00:52.729 - 00:00:59.849 

Marvellous Right Simon are you uh are you Are you poised at the technical Have you iron out the technical demons

Simon Sansbury:

00:00:59.86 - 00:01:05.819 

I have Indeed I am poised like a coiled zebra Um Welcome back Steve Great to have you back

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:01:06.569 - 00:01:08.15 

Nice to see you too Simon

Simon Sansbury:

00:01:08.669 - 00:01:17.709 

 Um I've just got even less hair than I had about 10 minutes ago but we'll explain that later on Um so yeah here Here we are So um

Simon Sansbury:

00:01:18.61 - 00:01:22.769 

 yeah I I so should we should we dive straight into the into the questions Ian

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:01:23.79 - 00:01:24.809 

 Yeah So

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:01:25.419 - 00:01:42.669 

 So Steve we were obviously there with you guys on May the fourth Um and it it looked like it was a cracking night for the lib Dems What do you put the success down to The fact that in in local politics you seem to have done so well for so long

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:01:43.33 - 00:01:49.029 

 Well I think it's probably part of a national picture as well I was at the LG a conference week before last

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:01:49.83 - 00:02:15.6 

 and when I was last at the uh evening leaders event in 2019 we had a couple of tables in a restaurant and this time we had the entire restaurant So there is a resurgence going on with us nationally And we as a party have always grown from the roots up and uh with a strong emphasis on local government So I think that's part of it But I also think on a local basis we graft You know we go out we hit the streets I did 35,000 steps on polling day and felt every single one of them

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:02:15.839 - 00:02:37.25 

 Um and we we get our message out there and We talk to a lot of people not just in the election period but throughout the year Regular newsletters and updates Most of us interact regularly on social media People know we're available I deal with emails all the time from people right across the city So I think it's a mixture of all those things Uh I think the national picture with the

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:02:37.559 - 00:03:05.11 

 Conservative Party being in what can only be described as freefall um is uh is is always helpful to us Um but equally you know Labour seem to have decided that they're Tory like really uh not coming out with much clarity They seem to spend most of the time at the moment explaining why they're not going to do things rather than why they are And as we know there was that local split in the party And most of their activists run off to support one of their former councillors on polling day So when you roll all that together

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:03:05.33 - 00:03:17.85 

 um then it's quite easy to see why we were particularly successful But we won seven this year We won six in previous years So um you know we're we're we're steady and we work very hard in the wards of where we have the councillors

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:03:18.949 - 00:03:40.289 

 There was a lot of talk on the night about the Lib Dem family Um you know a number of a number of councillors who return referenced it in in their speech How would you describe the the Portsmouth Lib dem family Is it like other families with a with tensions And uh is it all a bit lively on Christmas But um give it give us your view

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:03:40.55 - 00:04:00.869 

 Yeah I mean it it is I mean we're not We're not related to each other and in you know So um if if it wasn't for politics then we're very different people We might not you know naturally be people who run off to the pub together But we have a very very strong bond and an absolute deter determination around our vision for Portsmouth Um and when

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:04:01.589 - 00:04:23.85 

 when we need to come together and work together we do that absolutely And with a great deal of energy and any you know minor differences and disagreements that happen in every you know every organisation disappear and you know we're focused on on achieving the goal And um when somebody needs a help in hand They get one And um generally we we we tighten it together as a group and and function really really well So

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:04:24.01 - 00:04:43.17 

 uh I know people like to paint disagreements I've even had people suggest that there was some kind of coup and Gerald stood down which is completely utter nonsense since he's still on the cabinet And uh and spent a great deal of time er working with me to uh make sure that I was uh prepped for taking over the leader of leadership of the group So you know um

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:04:44.17 - 00:04:53.959 

 I think we will always have differences internally Um I think that's the nature of politics Um but we're a strong unit and we we work really closely together

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:04:55.39 - 00:05:04.029 

 And I guess that you know Portsmouth being the unique city of blue in the north Red in the south And gold in the um

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:05:04.899 - 00:05:18.57 

 in the chamber You referenced some national issues there Steve Did Do you ever see a resurgence of the Lib Dems in Portsmouth Potentially with a chance of taking a national level

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:05:19.369 - 00:05:20.269 

 Um

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:05:21.01 - 00:05:44.239 

 never say never Um you know we have to operate within political realism and uh Steve Morgan's won in the last two general elections and is the majority went up considerably last time People clearly see labour nationally as the the root That's the anti Tory candidate at the moment We benefited that from that for a very long time and we may well benefit from it again in the future I mean nobody

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:05:44.82 - 00:06:08.44 

 um has a seat for life Um people stand down People have fallings out with their own party and resign We're seeing loads of that at the moment Um so who knows what the future hold The the adage a week is a long time in politics is is absolutely true Um and with the right person in the right circumstances I'm absolutely sure that we're more than capable of recapturing the either of the parliamentary seats

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:06:09.91 - 00:06:11.239 

 Marvellous Simon

Simon Sansbury:

00:06:11.839 - 00:06:13.559 

 Brilliant Um so

Simon Sansbury:

00:06:14.119 - 00:06:19.7 

 in what way Steve would you would you say that your leadership differs from that of your predecessor Gerald Vernon Jackson

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:06:20.989 - 00:06:47.839 

 Well I think there's an then an inevitability that it is will be and is different because we're very different people Um what we're focusing on um and what we want to achieve though is is the same So people aren't going to see some sort of major U turn or sailing off in a different direction with lots of different priorities That's not gonna happen We are You know we're following on from the commitments that we made over the last few years where the people of clearly like and uh and endorse

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:06:48.059 - 00:07:09.19 

 um so there's not going to be a change in terms of policy Um there will be a change in personality We're we're not the cut from the same cloth Um he's been here in Portsmouth for a long time and I think he's you know he's probably bruised from um many many many more battles than I am Um and therefore that sort of helps to shape you over over a period of time But

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:07:09.399 - 00:07:37.95 

 you know I've tried to come in with the with the approach that I'm prepared to listen to and work with other people Um he always said the door was open Often nobody ever want nobody wanted to walk through it I'm hoping that that will be slightly different now and that people will give me a chance to try and work more collaboratively on those things that we can I'm seeing evidence of that And I'm grateful to the other group leaders for giving me a hearing and and to date work working effectively So um I think that will be a difference And I think

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:07:38.42 - 00:08:04.359 

 I'm born and bred Pompe You know it runs through my veins and uh everyone knows that You know Gerald from from somewhere else you know lived here 20 years I think it does Just give me a slightly different perspective on things Um so I think that's inevitable That that will play out in some of the interactions that I have and and some of the understandings that I have of of the city So um but other than that you you're gonna see steady as she goes OK

Simon Sansbury:

00:08:04.369 - 00:08:05.5 

 lovely Thank

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:08:05.51 - 00:08:05.75 

 you

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:08:07.29 - 00:08:32.419 

 So we've been covering local politics now for the last four years Steve And obviously we look at the full council agendas and and there are There are often calls particularly from other parties for the administration to to find additional money to spend on what are often worthwhile causes I guess one of the challenges of being in administration is is the fact that you you have to make difficult choices So the question is how do you

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:08:32.598 - 00:08:48.39 

 how how do you go about kind of making the decisions about what does and I guess More importantly what doesn't get funding And you know how do you How do you prepare for the the unforeseen events as as we go through the financial year

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:08:49.469 - 00:08:50.21 

 So

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:08:51.84 - 00:09:07.53 

 we all know that local government has taken an enormous funding cut over the last 15 years or so Um we've got less than half of the controllable spend that we used to have and of the money that we have got left a very big chunk of that is committed to adults and Children's social care

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:09:08.45 - 00:09:10.479 

 So it doesn't give you a lot of flexibility

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:09:11.039 - 00:09:19.679 

 every year we set our budget at the uh the budget meeting uh in using in February and we have to work within those cash limits for the next 12 months

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:09:20.83 - 00:09:39.059 

 So when other groups bring notices of motion that are implying that we need to you know prioritise giving money to other people that's not the right place to do it You know you need to be doing that in the budget meeting because If you do it try and do it during the year and you'll have seen from the council meeting on Tuesday We've now had a ruling on that and quite right too

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:09:39.39 - 00:10:08.33 

 that whilst you can ask the administration to consider something you can't ask them to commit to something because one of the things that made these notices and emotions that would uh ended up being dropped from the agenda withdrawn from the agenda Particularly difficult was the fact that they were asking us to commit to something for the next five years Well the council's rules mean that we would therefore have to find all of that five year funding in year You can't just find year one You've got to find all five

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:10:09.2 - 00:10:36.94 

 That's really difficult So in the in the case of the um the Pride motion for example it wasn't specific on money But if they were taken as a reference point in the existing funding they're asking us to find another £50,000 now or we don't do that for any other revenue organisation in the city that gets funding from us So you know we have to be seen to be even handed and you also have to be very careful not to hold A future Administration might not be us um to to policies that were set previously So

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:10:37.729 - 00:11:05.869 

 it's always difficult when these notices of motion come forward And I think we will see more clarity on it from now on so hopefully that won't happen again But you know we don't want to cut things And we the the two issues that were on the agenda the stroke association and and funding for pride we agree they they should both be funded Whether we're able to or not is a completely different question Because if you're working within a cash limit and take for example adult social care what do you cut to fund that

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:11:06.76 - 00:11:23.76 

 Because you got to take the money from somewhere else It just doesn't magically appear from somewhere So and you also want to give an organisation like that some kind of you know security to say you're gonna fund for at least X period of time And again that means taking more than the current year's funding opportunity And

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:11:24.33 - 00:11:36.599 

 that means cutting other things So there are difficult decisions to be made and it's I know because I've been in opposition It's easy to say Oh well this particular issue that we're raising the profile of right now is massively important

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:11:37.109 - 00:12:06.679 

 But so is everything else you know So are all the other services that are being provided to help vulnerable people across the city in a plethora of different ways all of which are under huge pressure We've done an awful lot to protect adult social care and bring a huge amount of extra funding into Children's social care And it's still nowhere near enough And you're seeing councils all across the country filing section 114 notices because they're going bust and they're going bust because they don't take difficult decisions And they don't put forward budget savings that they then follow through on

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:12:07.059 - 00:12:16.45 

 using reserves inappropriately to try and smooth things over and put off the tough calls We have to make the tough calls If we don't keep the council solvent

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:12:16.69 - 00:12:37.979 

 then the council will go into in special measures for a Section 114 notice and it will be run by commissioners from government Nobody wants to see that here We're nowhere close to that situation happening and I'll do everything I possibly can on my watch to make sure that it doesn't Because although there are tough decisions that will be the toughest decision of all losing control of our own destiny

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:12:39.21 - 00:12:53.359 

 Does it Does it frustrate you Steve I mean we've we've we've touched on them you know when we've when we've been through them here it's that you know as you say often the motions are are really good and noble causes

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:12:54.13 - 00:13:15.64 

 But does it frustrate you that sometimes that it almost feels like they're they're being used slightly as political footballs Because the fact is that the opposition parties you know know there isn't a a big you know chest full of spare cash in Steve's office Um does it does it frustrate you when those motions come forward

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:13:17.03 - 00:13:46.44 

 Yes and no it's politics Ian At the end of the day people people want to shine a light on something and get all the people that care about that to to think that they're the only people in the room that care on their behalf and therefore get their support And so it does frustrate me to some extent because we care about it too You know that we put a three year commit funding commitment to support ports Pride Portsmouth Pride are in absolutely no doubt whatsoever of the liberal Democrat administrations backing for what they do And they do a huge amount of good across the city with the

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:13:46.57 - 00:14:09.01 

 LGBT Q plus community all year round not just at that event but we can't keep adding more and more money further and further into the future That's just not responsible behaviour Does it make good politics to bring a notice of emotion about it though Yes of course it does so I don't get cross about it I understand why it happens But if you were watching the live stream on Tuesday I did get up when

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:14:09.14 - 00:14:35.52 

 the stroke association noticed a motion was struck from the agenda by the city solicitor and go outside to speak to the deputies who come who were understandably very cross that that had happened and wanted the whole debate to happen and be heard But I was very clear with them If we want If they want us to do something about that and they want to make their case we will listen and Ultimately there's the administration that will have to make that decision So as much as

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:14:35.799 - 00:14:51.13 

 people get latched on to the idea that a debate and a vote in the chamber on an issue like that is gonna make a difference what's ultimately gonna make a difference is us being able to decide that there's somewhere else we can take the money from And that's a really tough decision to make

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:14:51.88 - 00:15:01.69 

 Mm no it is the uh it it it is always much easier to sit on the sidelines with your popcorn telling you that you've missed a bit isn't it

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:15:02.08 - 00:15:27.21 

 Well it is And you know I've been in opposition too So I know what it's like and you're not sighted on all of the problems that are going on Members get regular briefings obviously to whichever party they're in but they don't necessarily see the full picture because they're not embedded in it in the day to day They're not Cabinet members at the end of the day and that they don't hold the the leader or deputy leader position so they can't They can't have that overview Uh unless they spent an innate amount of time making sure that they did

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:15:27.479 - 00:15:55.179 

 Um and no one expects them to But what I always expect is that people come to me with rational and sensible arguments of some of those notices of motion You know the one that struck me again was the stroke Association one Councillor Heaney made a point that it had been put through and approved two weeks before the council agenda was actually published which is again 89 days before the council meeting So that's nearly a month

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:15:55.369 - 00:16:07.28 

 Um and apparently it was It was so important that it was discussed there and then on the spot because the clock's ticking Well why didn't Councillor Heaney contact me and make an appointment to see me and make the pitch for how important it was

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:16:08.119 - 00:16:36.289 

 a month earlier Because he could have done my doors open I wouldn't have refused a meeting with him I wouldn't have refused a discussion with him or and the Labour group on it Um but so it's not really all about the notice of motion in for its content It is about the political opportunity Um and I do feel sometimes that when there's people who are really seriously emotionally invested in something that are hanging their hat on that debate thinking that's going to change the world It's a bit unfair

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:16:37.08 - 00:16:39.739 

 Yeah no that makes absolute sense Steve

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:16:40.28 - 00:16:40.929 

 Simon

Simon Sansbury:

00:16:41.46 - 00:17:02.82 

 So kind of um on a on a similar vein Um quite a lot of the motions that that come to full council are calling on the council to take a line in issues that aren't actually within its gift So either to you know to to write to those with the with the power um to affect that whether that's writing to national government or or writing to one of the two city MP S for example Um but

Simon Sansbury:

00:17:03.109 - 00:17:11.54 

 what's your what's your view on on the value of the of those sorts of motions What What What do they add to the um to the functioning of the council

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:17:12.448 - 00:17:40.729 

 I think it does depend on the issue So sometimes although it's not something that we can change locally it is something that's having a big impact locally And at the moment I've just written a very long and detailed letter um to um Southern Railways over the decision to close ticket offices because I do think there's some very serious issues there So it's a national direction that's been given but it's gonna have a local impact particularly with

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:17:41.229 - 00:18:07.479 

 so should we be debating those things and making representations on them I think we actually should some of the bigger stuff I mean when when we had two notices of motion I think on one agenda over Brexit Well that's just an opportunity for people to be at a posture in the council chamber It's not gonna change anything Um ever uh So um and actually who cares what the council is important to think about Think about an issue of that nature So it depends on the topic

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:18:07.719 - 00:18:35.849 

 Um both of those are national issues One of them has a big local impact Uh that we may be able to put some influence over the other one We weren't gonna be able to put any local influence over so case by case basis for that Sometimes it's just a case of shining a light on an issue and doing And if every council around the country is doing that maybe government does start to take notice and and and look at that If for example some of the There's a lot of stuff under the climate agenda that we can't change locally You know the

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:18:36.0 - 00:19:02.42 

 you can't get a group of government leaders around the world to sit in a room and have a sensible conversation with each other Let's face it So that being the case um is is very difficult to think that we can change that locally But there are local impacts Air quality for example is one of them and so very much an issue by issue basis for me Um and uh and not something I would wanna see Stop Um but I must admit that sometimes I look at them and think Why

Simon Sansbury:

00:19:03.78 - 00:19:25.949 

 yeah in indeed And I guess I guess that's kind of kind of our question because some of them are have sort of action points like that But others seem to essentially just be putting on record The council either supports or recognise registers its displeasure at a certain issue depending on which side it is So it um you know I guess as you say issue by issue does that

Simon Sansbury:

00:19:26.39 - 00:19:39.05 

 it is that like you say does it really change anything or is that actually just very valuable to the to the people of the city because it shows that the will of the council is is on their side per se Is that is that at least useful is that

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:19:39.5 - 00:19:53.17 

 is that is an element of it Um I mean it It is difficult to give a blanket view on this because there there are a plethora of things that come up during the year But I think people do want to know what their local politicians think about some of the big issues of the day

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:19:53.459 - 00:20:21.88 

 Um as long as it's not swamping council agendas and we're not discussing the important stuff that's happening locally So uh it's it's always got to be a balance And you know I don't like notice as a motion and you know my party's put them down in the past and not pretending for a minute that we're whiter than white Here we we everyone's done it um and it's because it's something that they as a as a particular group have a have a passionate about So I have a passion about and they want the local electorate to understand that so not against it In principle It's just that

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:20:22.13 - 00:20:37.109 

 you know when it's clearly something that we can't do anything about And I'm writing yet another letter to somebody There's another local politician that does that uh on a daily basis multiple times per day I'm not always convinced of the value of it but I will do it if I think it's there's a point So

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:20:37.5 - 00:20:47.15 

 one of the factors in play locally Steve is that for three out of four years um a lot of local councillors are focused on getting re-elected and

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:20:47.31 - 00:21:07.369 

 as you say having to pound the pavements and uh and put that time in does that lead to a lack of sort of governance of the council Or is it a case of maybe the council officers kind of welcome You be being distracted 33 years out of four so they can get on with the business of doing the day to day work

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:21:08.3 - 00:21:34.53 

 So I I don't I don't actually think that's a fair representation of what happens I don't think we are distracted I mean that there is obviously the campaigning that goes on and people out you know on the doorsteps But that's a good thing you know when in councils that only have all ups every four years What's the incentive for those councillors for the first couple or three years of that cycle to actually go out and continue to interact house by house with their electorates Very little I think you know the

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:21:34.869 - 00:21:59.65 

 the hardworking parties will get out there and deliver leaflets and the really committed ones will go and knock knock doors on a regular cycle and do that all the time But a lot won't um and that's you know that will very much vary from party to party But I get a lot of the feedback and the feeling that I have about whether we're doing the right things or whether there's other things that we could be doing or doing slightly differently from going out and having those conversations

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:22:00.02 - 00:22:16.864 

 No it's not just about four weeks of the year frantically running around knocking doors and saying Where will you vote for me It's about saying to people Why do you vote for us What are the things we're doing that you like If you're not voting for us what are the things that we're doing that you don't like and you can actually have those conversations in the

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:22:16.875 - 00:22:33.729 

 more qualitative way this time of the year through till early spring than you can when you're rushing around at the last minute trying to trying to turn your vote out So those people that don't knock doors all year round I think are missing out and it definitely keeps you focused on that when you are facing those elections

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:22:34.06 - 00:22:49.75 

 In terms of the council officers they probably are quite pleased in the last three or four weeks when we all go off to do other things But I still hold all my regular meetings You know the some of the stuff that's sort of sensitive to the pre election period which is what we now refer to as

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:22:49.989 - 00:23:19.17 

 um and uh cross party Meetings and stuff often won't happen during that period because they're politically sensitive So there's a bit more time in your diary but you're not going out knocking doors all day Every day You're not delivering leaflets all day every day I'm still very much focused on the day to day running of the council It's only really the last couple of days um where that's uh where that drifts And you know I had council meetings on the day after polling day this year So you know I I think the perception that we all just drop everything and rush off and

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:23:19.369 - 00:23:37.56 

 leave the officers to it is not really an accurate one And if we had all up elections well then you're prone to sudden swings and changes of issue If you look at 2014 probably would have had 18 UK councillors or more that year Would that have been good governance for the city In my personal opinion Not

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:23:39.26 - 00:24:08.8 

 And I guess that's always the balance isn't it Steve Because the the you know we see national elections and and we see the national issue And if we look probably three years ago um the conservatives got a bit of a got a bit of a vaccine boost and and their vote held up and obviously the last two years it it's not gone well for them But I guess with only a third of the council's councillors ever being up for election I guess the flip side to that is

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:24:09.109 - 00:24:12.089 

 is kind of it It it it feels like

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:24:12.65 - 00:24:21.42 

 you know there there There is never going to be a significant change in the council So I guess it's that stability versus the national versus local I

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:24:21.43 - 00:24:34.479 

 don't underestimate the stability Ian You know we've had huge churn in the council actually over the last few years I was first elected in 2016 Less than 10 councillors been on the council outside my group Longer than that

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:24:35.119 - 00:24:58.92 

 Um none of the Labour Party Um have been on since before 2018 Councillor Heaney was a councillor before but that was quite a long time ago None of the Portsmouth Independent Group have been on more than what a couple of years now Um the community independents were part of that labour group So again more recent um the same replies to Councillor Smyth who's the the you know currently sits as an independent So the only longevity really

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:25:00.13 - 00:25:29.53 

 is in my group and the conservative group group It's It's slipped a lot in the last two or three years with people standing down or losing their seats And it is important you know I'm seeing a lot of them at the moment and we we're trying to put it right where because people need more training because they haven't got the the sort of lived experience of these things It can lead to bad decision making And we I'm desperate that we avoid that So we're not seeing it yet But it's important that people are ups skilled and understand why things happen

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:25:29.849 - 00:25:52.17 

 Um and you know the all the group leaders are recognising this and one of the issues that we discussed recently I won't say which one it is But we were all in agreement that we need to make sure there's more training in place for the new members in my group and the new members in theirs as well because it's important that we do have that good governance and that strength So you know with all with all ups every four years you can you can have all that churn happen in one go

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:25:52.53 - 00:26:09.42 

 um and loads of councillors marching and wanting to change the world the following day Having put all this stuff on the leaflet and finding out that they can't and that can you know lead to a lot of frustration um very quickly because they realise that actually the world's not that easy to change because if it was the people already doing it would have changed it

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:26:10.109 - 00:26:39.13 

 And I guess that's a fair point Steve isn't it It It's that element of you know New Count And I guess it's great to have some new blood in some New Zealand and kind of But there is that element of you know it It always looks even to us you know to Simon and I who are outsiders but are interested it It's a complex machine and and it isn't necessarily as easy as just having a lot of energy and a passion that that to make fundamental changes

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:26:39.5 - 00:27:03.01 

 it's not And I still see that on every day case work comes into me and you look you look at the issue somebody's got and it's blindingly obvious that they're right and that what they're moaning about should should be fixed But the process to fix it ain't that simple Um you know people moan about all sorts of stuff the one that I've just finished doing this afternoon just before joining you guys was around vans and cars parking up on the pavement

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:27:03.849 - 00:27:13.969 

 It shouldn't happen It blocks um access particularly for people with disabilities or young mums or buggies et cetera Young dads were with buggies but well fat

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:27:13.979 - 00:27:15.949 

 fat people with guide dogs

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:27:16.4 - 00:27:32.939 

 I'll leave you to say that Um but the um the fact of the matter is we can't enforce them those people to move them I the police can do that and and they don't So you know it's a frustration to me And and the residents quite right shouldn't be happening Does happen Can't do anything about it

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:27:33.14 - 00:28:02.199 

 And people write back But you're the council You must be able to do something about it Well I can agree that we should be able to do something about it But no sorry we can't and the same with planning That happens every day Somebody Why is this happening Why the couple You know you'll know the one Why are the council building all these student flats all over the city when we had never built any Um and it's because the national planning laws as simple as that decision making needs to be transferred locally and it hasn't been so You know I understand the residents frustrations but again

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:28:02.359 - 00:28:07.75 

 they're writing to us on a daily basis and they know they've got power because we have

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:28:09.0 - 00:28:26.239 

 elections three years out of four and they want and take note And very very few people and me I try to give them as much information as I possibly can because to me it's really important that people understand how the process works even if it's not the what the outcome that they want to see They need to understand the why

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:28:26.829 - 00:28:28.979 

 Hm No I think it's uh

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:28:29.5 - 00:28:35.619 

 Maybe one day I'll get my uh I'll get my drop curb I'm I'm two and a bit years and waiting So

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:28:35.63 - 00:28:37.39 

 uh that's why I

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:28:37.41 - 00:28:45.14 

 I shall I shall make it my point to write to you uh write to you as my local councillors have not fixed it yet So

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:28:45.15 - 00:28:57.079 

 if there's a rational explanation behind it and a legal way of sorting it out and it's the right thing to do then you should have a drop curb And that goes to anybody who writes in I had Do you know what I had one of the conservative councillors write to me I won't say which one

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:28:57.42 - 00:29:17.959 

 Um not long after I became leader saying Look there's this issue where he's got a there's a drop curb and he watches a family with AAA You've got a child with disabilities struggle because it's not got a yellow line across it or a white line across it and it's obviously it was obviously an A mission and people were parking there legally when they shouldn't have been

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:29:18.15 - 00:29:45.06 

 But it's not got got that official designation and the family were having to go all the way to the corner of the road to go down there and then walk back up the centre section of the road to access their vehicle That's just not right So he'd had a couple of attempts over the uh probably a couple more than a couple actually of getting into the offices and saying Can this be fixed and not got a an appropriate response I said to him I'll do what I can let's see if we can sort it It's now on the list to be sorted

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:29:45.329 - 00:30:02.05 

 So should that be the case he should have been listened to as a ward counsellor Um I'm quite clear on that Shouldn't have taken my intervention but you know if I can intervene and do those things I always will And I've told all councillors if you've got problems and you don't think the officers are coming back to you appropriately and I need to know about it

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:30:03.77 - 00:30:04.619 

 Excellent

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:30:05.55 - 00:30:06.449 

 Simon

Simon Sansbury:

00:30:07.81 - 00:30:11.449 

 And almost like a smooth Segway you mentioned about parking

Simon Sansbury:

00:30:12.319 - 00:30:29.18 

 Um 22 of the um as if it's all peas isn't it It's all um dog poo pavements parking Um so two of the two of the biggest challenges in Portsmouth are the lack of housing and too many cars causing problems with pollution and and indeed with parking

Simon Sansbury:

00:30:29.829 - 00:30:32.439 

 How How can you tackle both

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:30:34.27 - 00:30:51.239 

 Well not easily is the answer to that Um the the on the cars issue the only way you actually stop Well if at least slow the increase um and try to reverse the car ownership is to have better public transport

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:30:51.81 - 00:31:06.739 

 And if we own the buses we could have better public transport But the conservative government when they said that bus services could be privatised also included in the legislation that you couldn't then renationalize them which to me is absolute madness because that's embedding the ability of corporate failure

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:31:06.949 - 00:31:32.52 

 Uh and I'm not You know I I've always believed in the right solution whether it's the public sector the third sector or the private sector to get the best outcome for residents But when you actually embed it to say that if the private sector sector fails somebody else in the private sector has got the right to pick it up But local councils don't get the right to intervene That to me is a nonsense Um and if we were able to take back our bus services and therefore not rely on the current ludicrous system

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:31:32.66 - 00:32:01.199 

 where the companies are allowed to say Well that route makes a profit But we're not gonna move any of that profit over to look at this other route that makes a loss And the council's got sub subsidise the loss and not call that state aid I just don't understand It never have done I think it's completely ridiculous so that needs to get fixed and then one If you've got good reliable frequent cheap public transport then that you lessen the reason for people to own cars on the housing front

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:32:01.329 - 00:32:30.119 

 You know we've done that We're going through the local plan process at the moment we think we've identified enough land supply to be able to meet what we believe our target should be not the 17,701 that the government formula says it should be but a lower target based on a clear rationale Uh it's still high but it's but it's lower Um what incidentally where we go with the next local plan If we delivered all those homes I have absolutely no idea whatsoever unless we buy West Sussex

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:32:30.4 - 00:32:44.67 

 Um so it's completely stupid And but we have to We have to deal with it Everyone knows that Whatever no housing numbers we put in the local plan we won't deliver them because no council does Which is why the funding for the the sorry the calculation formula is stupid

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:32:45.099 - 00:33:06.01 

 Um And I one of the things that frustrates me on a daily basis is stupid And that is that those two things to me hold the city back because we should be able to think more strategically on our housing numbers And we should be able to think better about public transport and that and until we can both of those things are now on impossible to fix But

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:33:06.68 - 00:33:14.859 

 we've got good housing numbers coming forward on the on the site We've got the city centre north plan to deliver over 2000 new homes up there

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:33:15.54 - 00:33:44.03 

 We need to be making sure that every bit of brown land that's not got an economic use uh is being redirected for housing purposes I do disagree with the cost con councillors about master planning cost I think we should do Um they said they didn't want to Um one of them is now no longer a councillor And I'm hoping that situation changes because actually the alternative is to see piecemeal development And then when the next local plan comes round the bits of land that are left guess what They'll get tower blocks designated for them Who wants that

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:33:44.319 - 00:33:55.319 

 So And that's why working across the council when the different groups to get the best outcomes is important But you can't square the circle on these on these two issues unless there's change and shift at Westminster level

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:33:55.64 - 00:34:13.83 

 and and just touching on the public transport there Steve I mean we we're very fortunate with that We you know we've got a we've got a rail line that runs You know literally you couldn't go any further if you fall in the sea Um but then you know again you've got the major conurbation at Portsmouth and South Sea at Frat

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:34:14.05 - 00:34:17.52 

 Hills And then you know you turn up towards caution

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:34:18.07 - 00:34:47.709 

 but I guess it's that you know it There's two trains an hour that sort of follow that route OK there's another one That sort of branches often goes to to happen But is that really you know Is that good enough or is there you know and is there anything that that is this another one where you know because of the franchise system that the the local Council really can't have any influence at all on You know how many trains are running into and out of the city

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:34:48.0 - 00:35:15.57 

 I can write a letter There's there's lots of letters get written Um but no not directly But you're right It's completely bonkers I mean we've we've got that rail spine that runs through the city If that just had a regular service that fitted in between the other services channelling channelling backwards and forwards up north and south Um and it was an affordable service That's the key thing All these people have said Oh we should have had a tram and we should We've got a flipping tram It's on a railway line Um it's called a train

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:35:15.699 - 00:35:32.159 

 Um so we could easily have that connectivity if we were able to to influence the rail companies to put to lay them on But that's not gonna happen But I completely agree with you It's it's daft that we've got the ability to do that and and we're not But I am hearing at the moment that some of the

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:35:32.78 - 00:35:41.79 

 forecasts are that train train journey Times to London are gonna get longer and train journey times to Southampton are gonna get even longer Well that's not going to encourage more people off the road is it

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:35:42.949 - 00:36:10.03 

 No And II I mean that that is always I think you know as somebody who uses is is forced to use public transport much more than I'd like It is that Comparator of if I can persuade my wife to to drive you know and I live literally a five minute walk from station But there is no journey that that isn't at least doubled or trebled in length by by you know waiting for a sporadic train service So uh it it does

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:36:10.219 - 00:36:26.169 

 You know as you say you know people are talking about trams and you know I had the good fortune to live on the route of the Gospel Light railway for 10 years which never quite happened But there's that element of Portsmouth still has that railway spine and it does feel like a

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:36:27.56 - 00:36:39.31 

 like an an under used solution When we're talking about the the climate crisis and and the amount of traffic that's that's um coming in via you know the main arterial routes into the

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:36:39.32 - 00:36:49.28 

 city Yeah I completely agree I mean it's one of the reasons why you know you we know you use public transport because uh of your site lack of sight

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:36:49.8 - 00:37:04.61 

 Um and that's a real concern for me around these ticket office closures Ian II I don't know what your thoughts are on it but you know is gonna be the most affected station It's your main point of contact with public transport There's not going to be the office open

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:37:04.85 - 00:37:30.58 

 We're trying to get clarity at the moment or whether on the periods when the office is closed Does that mean they're locking the toilets as well Because that's another amenity removed And it's all very well saying that they're gonna have um people to sign posts at the at the the major stations But that also means that if you do get on a train at one that isn't so if you got on in and you couldn't get a ticket from anybody at the station you haven't been able to buy it online

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:37:30.719 - 00:37:36.12 

 You get on the train you're told you can buy it on the train but you don't know how much that ticket is gonna be

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:37:36.989 - 00:38:03.26 

 So you're asked to get on public transport to go somewhere without knowing what the price of it is You can get one from the guard if there's one on there The other option that they're saying is that you need to get off AAA Priority one station which is one of the ones that will have that full man service and and get your ticket get a proper ticket and then get back on a train So you're being asked to interrupt your journey in order to do a job that they should be doing for you The whole thing just doesn't make any sense

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:38:03.459 - 00:38:26.959 

 Um it's clearly a cost cutting measure in the short to medium term because we all know what will happen They'll move them out of the ticket offices They'll put them on the station platforms They'll be They're all smiley and happy for a period of time and then they'll gradually go through natural wastage and we'll end up with the worst service So you know we and nationally we should be encouraging more people to get on the trains in Portsmouth We really should be and trying to get a better service And then yet again we're taking a retrograde step

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:38:27.929 - 00:38:38.83 

 So we'll go a little bit off piece because you've asked me the question Steve and I will give you So my perspective on this is it It absolutely depends on what happens to those people because

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:38:39.399 - 00:39:07.81 

 currently when I approach caution station there are often two If I approach before lunch time there are two people There's one person in the ticket office and there's one person who is there who's able to act as a sighted guide and can assist me in getting on the train If I arrive after lunchtime and I've booked assistance then they'll send somebody from Fratton But if I arrive and I haven't booked assistance the person in the ticket office can't help me

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:39:08.419 - 00:39:34.459 

 So they they are They're fulfilling a different role so they can give me advice But they can't help a disabled traveller onto the train So there is that element of from my perspective if the people in ticket offices are redeployed retrained and are mobile and can sell you a ticket whilst on the move in the same style that the guard can and or can help you on the train

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:39:35.04 - 00:40:03.919 

 I actually think it's a better solution now This is not the view of the majority of the disability charities including my own Um as you say if all it is is just you know let's shut it down and and caution becomes like porchester you know an unstaffed station Then then that for me is significantly worse But I think I think there is an element of you know one of the challenges that that you find is I know and my guide dog knows where cash ticket office is

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:40:04.3 - 00:40:31.419 

 But there's an element of you know if I was to pull up in a station which I didn't know the layout of then obviously you know my dog good as he is I can't whisper in his ear Go and find the ticket office because he doesn't know where it is So there is an element of you know if there were more trained staff on the platforms who were able to help then for me that would actually be a step forward But if all it is is

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:40:31.889 - 00:40:40.04 

 you know closing the ticket offices and then not replacing that with people then for me that is a that is a very retrograde step Yeah I agree

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:40:41.35 - 00:41:09.62 

 right So we've we've gone off pace Simon's probably now looking terrified So let's go to our next question Steve which is you know it It's the Magic quest for 22 in local council I think it you know the the Lib Dems have always been very successful in the south of the city and sort of edging north Um but do you think there there is a route to 22 or do you think there's always going to need to be a a kind of AAA

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:41:10.09 - 00:41:25.199 

 working together with other parties And actually do you think that that leads to better decisions Because the fact that you know ultimately you're you're not in complete control and and can then just crack on and do everything you want

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:41:26.54 - 00:41:44.0 

 So I think this is a really really good question and I think it's about perspective So I you know I'd never mind 22 I'd like to have 26 28 3rd I'd love to be Keith House in East as a almost a one party state over there Um that would be absolutely lovely and it would certainly be less stressful But

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:41:44.689 - 00:41:50.54 

 But I think that it is beholden on any administration to think about the future

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:41:51.649 - 00:42:11.03 

 And overall majorities don't last Um I mean this government's got quite a big majority and they're doing their best to throw that away at the rate or not which is quite remarkable Um but you know things change over time What I'm really keen to do is try to make sure that we've got cross party buy in on the big issues

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:42:11.729 - 00:42:37.6 

 because as we move forward as a city administrations will change This city can't afford U Turn on the big stuff because that will just either waste money waste time or waste resources One of those three things um it will also give the electorate no confidence whatsoever that the city's actually got a plan Now we do have a plan We've got a vision but a corporate plan that we update every year Uh that flows out from that vision

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:42:37.78 - 00:43:01.439 

 And you know all councillors and council staff are aware of it and we're delivering against it Things that crop up all the time You'll see in council papers we the city vision will be referenced The corporate plan will be referenced So we everybody knows what we're doing But on the big stuff things like Tip in the West things like the future of the civic offices and and how we deliver council services going forward Just as two examples

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:43:01.679 - 00:43:17.959 

 I think it's really important that there is cross party work there Regardless of whether there's an overall majority for the administration or not The easiest thing in the world is to slam the door on everyone else because you don't need to talk to them But actually they might be the people in your seat in 123 10 years time Who knows

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:43:18.179 - 00:43:45.5 

 And therefore it's really important that everybody understands the direction of travel and has buy-in to it It's not to say that somebody won't come in and want to do things slightly differently but if it's a fundamental difference then that's a real problem And for a minority administration it's important to us that we do listen and we do work with other people and we do a lot of that Um despite what gets said in the council chamber or on other party social media there's an awful lot of talking goes on

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:43:45.78 - 00:44:11.889 

 um both informally between councillors having conversations But you know also through briefing meetings decision meetings through portfolios through Cabinet um it's really important that that knowledge is out there So I Yes it's great to to have that aspiration to have an overall majority because I want more people to be represented by liberal Democrats because I'm a Lib dem and I believe that we do the best for our communities Otherwise why would I be one

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:44:12.189 - 00:44:25.409 

 Um but that's not to say that other people don't have different perspectives And it's not to say that we've got all the answers So um you know maybe we will It's not beyond the realms of possibility that we that we could do that

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:44:25.58 - 00:44:47.685 

 Um but you know a lot of people say Oh port is very unstable because it has a lot of minority administrations Well it's not that unstable is it Because in the last nine on 20 years it has been run by Lib Dems for nearly 16 years of it and Tories by the other four there's lots of in inverted commas stable councils with overall majorities that swing in different directions We've seen that

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:44:47.695 - 00:45:09.81 

 Southampton in the last couple of years with the Tories have an overall control and Labour have an overall control and they're facing a £30 million plus in year budget deficit problem that they were trying to sort out And we're not So it's not the necessarily the Golden Ticket to say you've got to have an inverted commas strong and stable government and we know what happened to the last national prime minister that tried to make sure that she got one

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:45:10.389 - 00:45:14.36 

 I can't believe strong and stable has made a comeback That's um

Simon Sansbury:

00:45:14.5 - 00:45:17.83 

 and you manage that without without the C word without the the

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:45:18.28 - 00:45:29.01 

 That's a That's a That's a three word slogan that I'm I'm I'm not keen on I was just gonna little little thing there My my list for leader stick doesn't seem to have

Simon Sansbury:

00:45:31.31 - 00:45:32.26 

 it on a rubbish bin

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:45:34.709 - 00:45:35.419 

 So um

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:45:35.55 - 00:45:50.31 

 yeah so so I I guess my my sort of little follow up to that Steve is is sometimes there's this accusation that because of that three and four year cycle that the the really big issues which are gnarly and ugly and

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:45:50.59 - 00:46:18.699 

 you know the the only solutions to them are pro potentially going to be unpalatable to the electorate that they kind of sit on the back burner Do do you think you know there there is a case for that Or or do you think that you know things like the climate crisis and and you know that those big issues can be tackled if there's an acceptance that that whoever's hand is on the steering wheel No no one's going to have complete control of the car for the next four years

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:46:19.04 - 00:46:48.989 

 Yeah well I think it's a bit of a mixture really because on some stuff no disrespect to the members of the other opposition groups But what I really want to know is what people out in the city think Which is why doing meaningful and quality con uh consultation on those on the big issues is really important Because as much as we all like to think that we represent every single person that voted for us on every single issue that's not the reality Um and you know people make a decision on balance which party they're gonna support So it's a fool who thinks that

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:46:49.139 - 00:47:15.77 

 every single person that put the cross in the Lib dem box at the election to put them into office when the same for other parties uh automatically endorses everything that they believe in So going back out and checking in with the community on a very regular basis is the most important thing but also in engaging with those other councillors from those other parties in that process so that they're out being part of those conversations too And this is stuff we've done very successfully with the party in

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:47:15.989 - 00:47:44.399 

 hilly events et cetera and partying costume and things that we've done over the last couple of years and getting it people in to have more than just a a straightforward tick box conversation actually Talk to them in depth It's been a brilliant piece of consultation going on around the Hills Lines project at the moment which was part of the levelling up fund money Uh and you know I've been up there Um I've seen the independent councillors up there I've seen the conservative Councillor up there I've seen the cost councillors engaging with it

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:47:44.639 - 00:48:09.28 

 Uh and we all chat about you know what what's going on and what the issues are with it It's a multimillion pound project Um you're never going to get everybody to agree on everything Um but you do need to make sure that you're regularly checking back in with the with the electorate uh the residents in the city and not just those people that vote but everybody um and uh and trying to take the councillors with you wherever you can So yeah a bit of a mixed picture Really I guess

Simon Sansbury:

00:48:09.33 - 00:48:10.03 

 Excellent

Simon Sansbury:

00:48:10.679 - 00:48:18.909 

 So as someone with a proud history in the arts and music scene in the city How would you describe the current provision in the in Portsmouth

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:48:19.739 - 00:48:44.419 

 Not enough Not enough Not enough Um having said that it's um there's a huge amount of great work going on here at the moment I mean we've got the Look Up Paint Festival coming up that the council supported uh And again there's another example of cross Party the two community independents and the Labour Councillor and Charles Dickens Ward supported it with with a financial contribution from Ward and the Lib Dem administration has kicked in money from from

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:48:44.729 - 00:49:05.129 

 uh central resources as well in order to make it happen Uh that's matched against £30,000 of arts council money Um and also some private sponsorship That's good partnership working And it's going to see a great cultural outcome not just in the South of the city but across the city So I want to see more of that sort of stuff happening Uh I was recently appointed to the

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:49:05.75 - 00:49:25.419 

 Area Council for Arts Council southwest so that gives me an opportunity to make that argument even more strongly regionally which I think is important And I'm on there with the labour leader of Southampton and the independent Cabinet member who's my opposite number on the Isle of White And we all get on with each other and work really closely together on these issues Um so you know there's a lot of synergy here around that

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:49:26.639 - 00:49:54.3 

 I made the decision that we weren't going to press forward with a City of culture bid in the last round the one that Southampton was shortlisted in because I thought we needed and I'm I still remain convinced of this now that although there's value in the process itself um we needed to have an independent organisation in the city that was really able to get in there and advocate for the sector as a whole Uh and port of is gonna do that I mean they would have been doing it by now if if if not for covid

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:49:54.53 - 00:50:04.3 

 Um but they really are beginning to get traction They're holding regular networking events funding surgeries bringing in the big digital culture media and sport um

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:50:04.719 - 00:50:30.29 

 partners So people like um the BF I uh British Film Institute the Arts Council Historic England National Lottery Heritage Fund are bringing in these people to have these conversations so that they can understand how to bid and where to bid I've just allocated It's just been announced actually from the So-called UK Shared Prosperity Fund which is one of the most compromised funding things any government's ever put out if you ever want to ask me about that

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:50:30.449 - 00:50:57.08 

 But nevertheless I've found a bit of money from it that's going into Portsmouth creates to manage that will give an automatic 10% match on any organisation that's able to secure arts council funding up to £30,000 Um and that's a really easy route then because lots of organisations know that if they're saying they've got council match funding of uh say 3000 against a A total bid of 30,000 that they've got more chance of securing that money

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:50:57.31 - 00:51:16.83 

 so potentially that 30 is gonna leverage in 300,000 Um we've got the university back in ports and creates we're back in ports and creates victorious festival are back in ports and creates we're year on year funding Hopefully over the next three years at least we've put loads of extra money into the uh things like the Guildhall Regeneration Project

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:51:17.02 - 00:51:35.53 

 um which is going to deliver a great hub for young people around the creative industries There there's skills and training money and mentoring money coming in We're working with um shaping Portsmouth to deliver that mentoring because they've got the the wider business skills to help skill up people from cultural and creative industries

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:51:35.739 - 00:51:59.58 

 But you know more broadly we've got Victoria's Festival which is right up there now with Glastonbury reading And Leeds is one of the top festivals in the country without a shadow of a doubt and delivering great economic outcomes for the city Both the internal visitor economy and the destination visit visitor economy We've got the King's Theatre putting on community productions with West End production values I went to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang It was absolutely fantastic

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:51:59.85 - 00:52:12.79 

 Um you've got the new Theatre Royal now with a new board and a new chair and a new focus bouncing back after a whole awful situation they found themselves in during covid Aspects galleries just secured their um

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:52:14.459 - 00:52:32.56 

 crowd funder in order to keep funding the dementia work that they're doing And they've got plans to work even more closely and showcase local artists you've got blind artists like Clark Reynolds doing phenomenal work and having a a morph up in London dressed like him Showcase And I don't know if you've heard about that Ian but it's quite phenomenal

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:52:33.149 - 00:52:41.26 

 just up to my right Steve I I've got an I've got an original Clark Reynolds just up in my office to my right So

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:52:41.409 - 00:52:46.33 

 um Clark Clark and I go back a few years He used to play cricket with me but he's doing phenomenally well Now

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:52:46.429 - 00:53:00.689 

 He's just you know breaking the mould all over the place and getting himself out and about across the country And it's brilliant to see so there's a lot more we can do Um there's great work work going on with people with learning disabilities at the moment Um being delivered

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:53:00.889 - 00:53:15.83 

 um working with the amazing Sarah Mitres and her team at the Alden Bourne Trust in Cromwell Cornwall Road who are just phenomenal That's my go to place for pure joy Never seen anybody like Sarah who just emanates joy and happiness across the room

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:53:15.979 - 00:53:43.12 

 um and all and is upskilling those people so that one of the young people she works with is now on the Portsmouth Creates board and that's really really important so that we're all on a journey The journey's been I know because I used to chair the culture partnership long before I was ever a counsellor It's been a long journey but I think we're now starting to get the arts council to understand that Portsmouth isn't not doing cultural creativity because they haven't been funding it It's been finding ways to do it anyway

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:53:43.29 - 00:54:00.189 

 And if they just were to start putting in a bit more cash and stepping up in the way that the council has and maintains support for a lot of organisations Even while things have been so tough over the last 15 years we can do great things here and I'm sure that we're going to over the next few years Yeah and

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:54:00.199 - 00:54:12.37 

 I'll I'll I'll aim in that Steve as as somebody who regularly attends uh local music and theatre events So I think I think we are we very fortunate you know again

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:54:12.57 - 00:54:18.5 

 from the guild all through to the Wedgwood rooms to have such a diverse range of of kind of

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:54:19.11 - 00:54:23.209 

 venues in our city that turn out there there's something for everyone there I think

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:54:23.699 - 00:54:40.959 

 and I'm hoping that I can be the voice for the independent music sector on arts council because I've run a music venue I've worked in the industry I know what it's like And I I think hopefully that will give them a slightly different voice than maybe they've had before And I'd like to think it's one of the reasons why I've been selected to join

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:54:41.37 - 00:54:50.0 

 Final Question then Steve And as you know we always uh we always sometimes like to ask that that kind of if money and politics were no object

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:54:50.87 - 00:54:57.32 

 But what were the three things that you'd really want to fix in Portsmouth to to make life better for the people of the city

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:54:58.399 - 00:55:17.479 

 Yeah I like this one because it gives me the opportunity to forget all the frustrations and the complexities and the difficulties and the can't do and think about what you'd do if you could And I would I'd buy the entirety of the city centre so that we could actually redevelop it And then with that bottomless pit of money that you've just given me I would redevelop It wouldn't necessarily

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:55:17.709 - 00:55:45.55 

 literally knock down every property because I think there there there are some um bits and pieces around that are well worth reusing and and showcasing And actually you don't want an identity at High Street God forbid that would be awful Um but just having what I'm really saying is that ability to properly intervene there um would be amazing because we're not a landowner in the vast majority of it And it's very frustrating when as much as we try and buy properties to influence change we just can't uh we get out bid every single time

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:55:45.709 - 00:56:12.12 

 linking into that the city centre south peace around getting out of this awful civic offices burning a £4000 a day just by being in there and coming up with a more sustainable solution both from a climate perspective because that's a lot of energy being burnt Um but also from a value for money For the uh people of Portsmouth's perspective that would be great And if money were no object we could start you know identify a site this week buy it get buildings straight away

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:56:12.37 - 00:56:40.01 

 Um that would be phenomenal And then reimagine the Guildhall Square to be a really amazing civic space It's already a good one but it could be a phenomenal one and one that we could all be really proud of Get that house building moving So it's a big piece for me around the city centre Um and I think that is an issue that a lot of people do care about and would like to see change I'd make all bus services free so that we would get people out of their cars and I'd make sure there were regular services to every part of the city

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:56:40.169 - 00:57:00.659 

 And then we could lower the need for car ownership cost of living crisis that would save every an awful lot of people an awful lot of money And it would be environmentally fantastic for Portsmouth So that's two of them Um the third one is something that I a lot of people will maybe not be expecting me to say But it's about funding early help and intervention

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:57:01.159 - 00:57:16.33 

 during the austerity period which seems never ending Frankly the an awful lot of things that weren't statutory had to be cut because you couldn't cut the statutory stuff so you had to cut things that weren't weren't regarded as must have

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:57:16.739 - 00:57:32.12 

 But that was the stuff that stopped things building up through the system and creating demand further on And people who know me will know I always use the same analogy cos it works And that is when the sinks overflowing Don't keep buying more buckets turn the tap off

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:57:32.469 - 00:57:47.745 

 and the way you turn the tap off is to put more money into the front end of the system to prevent those bad outcomes further down the line And that's keeping people in their homes and independent for longer so that they're not dependent on going into full time

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:57:47.754 - 00:58:14.929 

 care which is you know which can be of great quality But why wouldn't they want to be in their own home if they could Why do we not have enough funding to be able to fund youth services in the way that we want to We actually have more youth services here than an awful lot of cities do because of smart decisions that were made in the past But we could do a lot more and then we're therefore we could intervene and disrupt some of that county line stuff that destroys young lives in a in an awful way

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:58:15.12 - 00:58:27.28 

 We could upgrade you know our schools and and and do so much better So early Intervention for me is always the answer when I'm looking at the biggest costs pressure wise that the council is facing

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:58:27.469 - 00:58:45.139 

 and I just haven't got enough money to be able to take it from the back end to the front end in order to save the problems because we have to catch the people at the point they're falling over If you gave me additional money and I did say this to government ministers at the LJ a conference stop measuring everything we all know how to fix

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:58:45.149 - 00:59:02.83 

 this Trust us as local councils to present you with a plan that will reduce the really serious pressure on the back end of the system put it to the front end of the system and local councils will save money We want to save money because we want to invest it back in local services

Cllr Steve Pitt:

00:59:02.989 - 00:59:12.929 

 So and that's not something That's a lib dem thing All councillors across the LG a believe in this and I'm desperately hoping that maybe the next government might finally listen

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:59:12.939 - 00:59:29.51 

 Steve I think that's a perfect place to to end it Thank you ever so much for your time this evening Um for giving us those insights And uh good luck with that leadership journey over over the next Uh I would think probably a few years so I don't see things changing soon

Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris:

00:59:29.699 - 00:59:33.419 

 So you've been listening to the pomp politics podcast I've been Ian Tiny

Simon Sansbury:

00:59:33.429 - 00:59:51.52 

 Morris and our guest today has been council leader Steve Pip So thank you Steve And I've been Simon Sansbury Um join us in September We're taking a summer break now Um so uh do join us back in September But don't forget to subscribe to us on YouTube or follow us on

Simon Sansbury:

00:59:51.739 - 01:00:13.739 

 on Facebook or on on threads or on Twitter on all the numerous places that you can find us The bar code in the top left hand corner of the screen takes you to our website where all the links are And if you're watching us on YouTube there's a subscribe button in the bottom right hand of the screen Um but do have a fantastic summer Thanks again to Steve for giving us his time and um being our special guest to round off our summer season Thanks very much Steve Thanks

Simon Sansbury:

01:00:21.27 - 01:00:24.3 

 Thank you for listening to this episode of the Pope Politics Podcast