Charlotte Gerada, Labour Councillor for Central Southsea

11/08/2026

One of the biggest issues residents raise with us is the proliferation of v**e shops, betting shops and rogue business on our high streets. Which is why Portsmouth Labour has been campaigning to stop dodgy shops.

Today, PM Andy Burnham has announced a range of measures to tackle this, giving more power to local councils and communities to clean up our high streets for good👇

💨 New planning rules will mean v**e shops and adult gaming centres can’t just pop up without local people having a say

🛑 Local people will get stronger powers to block v**e shops opening near schools

👮🏾 Police and councils will have the power to close shops for up to 12 months, twice the previous limit, giving them more time to investigate premises linked to organised crime and stop rogue operators reopening

This is HUGE for Portsmouth. Another fantastic policy announcement from our new PM. 👏🏼

11/08/2026

This is absolutely terrible.

Please can everyone take extra care in this extreme heat and dry weather we are experiencing.

Thank you to the firefighters who have been working hard to make the area safe.

Tonight, we’ve had two fire engines attending fires in Foxes Forest.

With the current heat and extremely dry woodland, grass and foliage, fires can spread rapidly and can smoulder underground in the dry peat. Please do not light fires or BBQs in the Forest - the risk to wildlife, habitats, people and nearby properties is simply too great.

🚒 PLEASE KEEP THE ENTRANCE TO BASTION 4 CLEAR.
Our fire engines have struggled to turn around this evening because of parked vehicles. Emergency vehicles must have unrestricted access at all times.

We are very safe here at the Casemates, but please help us look after the beautiful woodland around us. ❤️

09/08/2026

🚧 ROAD WORKS: BRAMBLE ROAD 🚧

Just in case you haven’t spotted and you’re travelling into the area, there are currently road works taking place on Bramble Road in Central Southsea.

There are temporary lights on Fawcett Road and a diversion in place for anyone needing to access Bramble Road. Just follow the diversion signs.

08/08/2026

We need your help. This is why…

We wanted to let you know about an unexpected challenge we've faced this week.

Our previous page was suspended following a number of hateful and racist comments posted by members of the public on a recent post. Despite our efforts to moderate the discussion, Facebook's automated systems have linked the activity to our account, and the old page is temporarily blocked from use.

We have some very exciting things to share with you in the coming days, in the lead-up to submitting our bid on 10th August, and we'd hate you to miss out.

So, we've launched a brand new page and we'd love your support. Please take a moment to:

👉 Follow this new page!
👉 Like and share our posts
👉 Invite friends, family and colleagues to follow us
👉 Help spread the word across your networks

What has happened reminds us exactly why this bid really matters.

Portsmouth is a city of many stories, cultures and communities. Culture has the power to bring people together, create understanding, spark conversations and help us see the world through each other's eyes. Our ambition for Portsmouth as UK City of Culture is about celebrating what we share and building a stronger, more welcoming city for everyone.

Please follow the page and keep your eyes peeled for some exciting updates in the next few days.

Portsmouth Creates Portsmouth City Council Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

05/08/2026

A brilliant afternoon! Thanks for visiting Lou!

Brilliant to have the First Secretary of State Louise Haigh MP in Cosham today on her first official visit in her new role with Amanda Martin MP

Lou talk about why Britain doesn’t need more decisions made in Whitehall, It needs more power in the hands of people and places like Portsmouth who know their communities best.

01/08/2026

Congratulations to Mayor Bev Craig! 🌹

What an incredible result - Labour RETAINS the Manchester Mayoralty 🥳

Congratulations to Bev Craig!
Labour's new Mayor of Greater Manchester 🌹🐝

01/08/2026

Costa Del Southsea 🌞😎🌊

27/07/2026

26/07/2026

This week, our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, announced that from January 2027, every bus journey in every part of the country will be capped at £2! 🚌

This is *HUGE* because bus users will save a third on each journey, helping to ease the cost of living and make buses more appealing to a wider range of people.

And of course, the more of us that travel by the bus, the less pollution there’ll be and less congestion on our roads. A win-win for communities and the environment!

This is exactly why many of us have been so hopeful about Andy Burnham becoming PM, because we desperately need his high-impact policies that worked so well in Manchester, in every village, town and city so no-one is left behind. And in his first week he has done exactly that! 🙌