Southampton City Council held a launch event on Thursday afternoon to unveil recommendations on the future of the city's transport system, developed by the Southampton Citizens’ Climate Assembly.
Open the Citizen Assembly's Transport Report
The Assembly, comprised of 37 residents chosen to reflect the city's population, aimed to tackle the critical issue of transport emissions, a significant contributor to Southampton's total emissions.
"We are grateful to our residents for coming together to create this," said Cllr Lorna Fielker, Leader of Southampton City Council. "The recommendations will inform our objectives to address transport emissions and create a safe and accessible transport system for a greener Southampton."
The Assembly's recommendations will be used to develop the next iteration of the Local Transport Plan and will be shared with key stakeholders across the city.
"The Citizens' Assembly has served as a catalyst for change," said Dr. Matt Ryan of Southampton University. "Their recommendations will inform and guide the council's long-term approach to transport for the city."
For more information on the Assembly and its recommendations, download the Citizens' Climate Assembly report
Open the Citizen Assembly's Transport Report
Cllr John Savage, Deputy Cabinet Member for Green City and Net Zero added "The power to shape policies lies within all of our grasp, particularly in the domain of personal transport. The recommendations put forward by the Climate Assembly will inform our objectives to address transport-related emissions and create a safe and accessible transport system for a greener and more sustainable Southampton."
Sarah Allan, Involve's Director of Climate Programmes also said "We know that involving the public is the best – and often the only – way to address contentious issues such as transport emissions. It has been a privilege to have supported such a diverse group of Southampton citizens to share their experiences and have their voices heard on this complex matter. Their recommendations, put forward in today’s report, will be useful not only to Southampton City Council in developing their local transport plan, but to many others in the city too."
Dr Matt Ryan, Associate Professor at Southampton University concluded “The citizens’ assembly is a great example of how we can complement our existing democratic structures to make decisions inclusive and think about the long-term. Democracy works best when we hear from a wide range of experiences, as well as experts. Anyone who observed the process couldn’t help but be impressed by the participants from all walks of life in Southampton who gave up their time to learn, discuss, and decide what they wanted the future of transport in the city to look like.”
The Southampton Citizen’s Climate Assembly witnessed the participation of a total of 130 residents, with a broad range of views on the climate and transport, who made contributions throughout the process. This included 75 individuals who attended civil society events to provide insights and raise questions, 18 people who shared their transport experiences through an online platform, and 37 individuals who took part in the assembly itself, chosen to reflect the local population.
The council has noted the recommendations and will start to consider them as it develops future policies. This will happen through:
Utilising some of the Climate Assembly's recommendations to inform the next iteration of the Local Transport Plan, with a timeline set by central government, potentially in 2025.
Sharing these recommendations with key organisations and stakeholders across the city, seeking their collaboration in bringing forward sustainable transport initiatives.
Using the recommendations as a guiding framework for future engagement processes within Southampton.
The Citizens' Assembly has served as a catalyst for change in addressing the pressing issue of transport emissions in Southampton and the recommendations will inform and guide the council’s long-term approach to transport for the city.
To view the recommendations, please go to Resources - Citizens' Climate Assembly (engage-southampton.ac.uk)
