Hello supporters of this petition and thanks for signing,

I understand the structure of foundation trusts. I wrote my Masters dissertation on it, and how the Chair is powerful and can stop local people having their say.

Well, we saw it happen when I tried to speak at the Trust Board - a member of the public prevented from speaking at a public meeting of a public service funded by public money.

As someone who has won many campaigns (look on the Southampton Independents website for more info), I look for pressure points. I have another pressure point to apply. I have now submitted questions to the Council of Governors. 

What is that, you may ask? See below. They are supposed to be a democratic vehicle.

I have also asked Emily Hudson of the BBC to attend the meeting with me.

When I did this before at Southern Health, I managed to get our campaign on TV. Mass resignations followed. Again, more on the Soton Indies website at sotonindies.org 

I didn't want to call for resignations, and so far I have not. Their ignorance of my requests is building a tension in my mind and in the campaign...

Please sign and share - there are four times as many in-person signatures of this petition, because I have been signing up people on the streets and in the shops of Southampton.

And I am standing as Independent Network candidate for Redbridge ward on Southampton City Council. I was councillor for this ward between 2011 and 2019. People are asking - are you the guy campaigning for sprinklers? Well done, and shaking my hand.

This includes patients, staff, firefighters and local residents. That's who I am doing this for.

Regards,

Andrew Pope

Independent Network

Southampton Independents

*The Council of Governors is the collective body through which executive and non-executive directors explain and justify their actions. It works closely with the Trust Board to make sure services are meeting the needs of the local community.

The Council of Governors consists of 22 governors who gather the views of the hospital's members and give them a voice at the highest level of the organisation. These representatives have certain roles and responsibilities and must carry out statutory duties.

The main role of the council is to:

Hold the non-executive directors to account for the performance of the board
Represent the interests of the trust’s members, the general public and staff
In addition some of the statutory responsibilities of the council include:

Appointing the chair and non-executive directors of the Trust
Agreeing the appointment of the chief executive of the Trust
Appointing the Trust's auditors.