Sidney Yankson

I first came to Southampton 33 years ago and over the years I have seen how fantastic Southampton is to live and work in. With excellent universities, a world class port and a historic football team, Southampton is a very special city. I have recently moved to Southampton. In my twenties I served for six years in the British Army Reserves with the Honourable Artillery Company and got to understand what hard work, dedication, and public service are all about. If elected I will be your local champion and voice in Westminster. My objective is to ensure that Southampton, as the largest city in Hampshire, receives the resources it needs to continue to be a first class city and a destination for business investment, students and families. My parents were both born in Ghana and they moved to London in the 1960s. I was born and raised in London. My parents instilled in me conservative values of helping others and hard work. After reading physics at Durham University I started working in London. I later spent many years living and working in Hong Kong. I have always been passionate about giving back and helping others. More than a decade ago, I founded a charity to distribute solar lights to people without electricity in Africa, so that they can study or work after dark. Something we take for granted. Helping young people with their education is a cause that I am passionate about. I also volunteer at an almshouse and support army veterans who live alone. As a local councillor I work every day for my 6,000 constituents dealing with local issues that matter to them. For example, stopping crime in stairwells of flats, improving housing by installing double-glazed windows, and providing support to those that need help with the cost of living. Local residents have told me that they want to keep the street lights on at night and fix the pot holes. I will support Donna Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner, to make sure that Hampshire Police have the resources they need to serve and protect us. I will also work hard to have houses built, especially in Townhill Park. I am pro‑business, pro‑enterprise and pro‑innovation. I believe that businesses are both the life blood of the economy and great for society. As a commercial barrister, member of a chamber of commerce and founder of a business, I understand how tough it can be to start, grow and run a business. I will work to create job opportunities and prosperity for everyone. The more jobs and businesses we create, the more we can support our nurses, teachers, doctors, and other public sector workers. I am a keen sportsman and play many team sports, including football, cricket and rugby. I have won the Armed Forces Real Tennis and Rackets Championships on multiple occasions. I am a keen skier and cyclist and won multiple trophies, including eight football trophies in four seasons in my twenties. In 1994, my team played 18 matches and won 18 matches. We won promotion from the championship to the premier league. In fact we won the premier league the following season.