Description

Southampton is a big port city in Hampshire, England. It's about 80 miles (130 km) southwest of London. In 2011, Southampton had around 253,651 people living there, making it one of the busiest cities in southern England. Southampton is part of a larger area called South Hampshire, which includes Portsmouth.

Nearly a third of the pollution in Southampton comes from transportation, so it represents a big matter for the city council's efforts to fight climate change. That's why in late 2023, Southampton City Council, the University of Southampton, and a charity called Involve worked together to create the Southampton Citizen's Climate Assembly. This assembly was all about climate change and transportation. Involve was chosen to organise and run the assembly independently and then elaborate a report about the outcomes

The Southampton Citizens' Climate Assembly was started as part of the council's promise to collaborate with residents and businesses to work together on climate change issues. The council wanted to use the outputs of the assembly to inform its Local Transport Plan.

The assembly brought together 37 residents randomly selected by sortition from all over the city in November and December. They explored issues around climate change and transport in Southampton to reach shared recommendations about the future of the transport system, by answering the question: "How do we ensure an accessible, affordable and connected transport system in the city, whilst reducing carbon emissions and meeting climate targets?"

A total of 130 residents joined in:

• 75 people attended civil society events to inform the assembly's remit and question 
• 18 people shared their experience of transport through an online platform (out of which 4 were invited to share their experiences in the assembly)
• 37 people, recruited to reflect the local population of Southampton, took part in the assembly itself 

These 37 assembly members were given a gift of £340 to thank them for taking part in all the meetings. This was to make sure everyone could take part and to thank them for their time. The assembly also covered their travel and any other expenses, like childcare.

On Thursday, March 7, 2024, the assembly members shared their ideas and suggestions with the council, as well as with many other groups and businesses from Southampton, at a small event. Now, the final report from the assembly is available for everyone to read.

Sources of information: 

• Southampton Citizens' Climate Assembly 

https://involve.org.uk/our-work/our-projects/how-can-citizens-shape-decisions-about-future-transport-and-responses-climate?utm_campaign=Involve%20Newsletter&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8fyAvdi_TozDGwPbzAfGrcDwKOp1n2Y3TszNZjqaCAS-KueVs65cF7O9H_TmwiFhz3yRhL 

https://www.southampton.gov.uk/our-green-city/how-you-can-help/southampton-citizens-climate-assembly/

• Involve 

https://www.involve.org.uk/ 

• Final Report 

https://involve.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/docuemnt/Southampton%20Citizens%27%20Climate%20Assembly%20-%20Final%20Report.pdf 

• YouTube video 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3Af-u-cYTw