City News

Southampton Music in the City

On 1 & 2 October, Music in the City will celebrate the wonderful diversity of musical talent from the Solent Area. All of the musical delights are FREE.

From Rock to Jazz, Classical to Bebop, Folk to Blues - in quirky venues including 800 year old vaults to the newest and best coffee houses and bars. From Guildhall Square to the SS Shieldhall, the Sounds and Settings are second to none!

We are proud to offer our residents and visitors an opportunity to enjoy a FREE festival with a fantastic range of musical delights performed in some of the quirkiest places!

The Vaults are normally only open for guided tours – on October 1 you will be able to view our historic city in all its glory and be entertained along the way – an event not to be missed. View the full programme here.

Southampton Backs Stoptober

Smokers in the city are being encouraged to quit for the 28 days this October as Southampton Quitters and the Saints Foundation get behind Public Health England’s Stoptober campaign.

Stop for 28 days and you’re five times more likely to quit for good. Stoptober is here to help you - from the Stoptober app, email and social media, to expert face to face support from Southampton Quitters and the different types of stop smoking aids available to you; including medicines and e-cigarettes.

To take your first step on the journey to becoming smoke free get in touch with Southampton Quitters. Visit Southampton Quitters to find out more or call 023 8051 5221.

Clean Air Zone - strategy update

The DEFRA UK Air Quality Plan was published in December 2015 and identifies Southampton as one of five cities which will introduce a mandatory Clean Air Zone (CAZ) no later than 2020. Part of this process will involve the introduction of penalty charges for HGVs, buses and taxis.

Southampton City Council is working closely with colleagues in DEFRA to develop Southampton’s own plan with a view to introducing penalty charges in 2019. Penalty charges will form only one part of the CAZ strategy.

We plan to introduce our CAZ as early as 2017, consisting of a programme of measures to promote and incentivise actions that will reduce emissions. Access restrictions and penalty charging would then be introduced as part of the CAZ in 2019, as per statutory requirements. This approach will be subject to Southampton City Council's cabinet approval.

Follow Southampton Events on Twitter

Stay up-to-date with all the latest and greatest events in Southampton by following our Events team on Twitter @SotonEvents

Our Events Team are responsible for the organisation of large-scale city events, co-ordination and monitoring of events on council land and property, co-ordination of promotional space including the Bargate and Guildhall Square,  co-ordination of the city centre markets and keeping everyone up to date with our vibrant events calendar. Find out more on our website.

Free Wi-Fi rolls out across Southampton

Getting online while out and about in Southampton has never been easier now that we have teamed up with Arqiva to provide a free Wi-Fi network in key areas of the city.

The Wi-Fi offers thirty minutes of free internet access to local residents, visitors and businesses and can be accessed in the following areas:

· East Street - between High Street and Queensway
· Portswood Road - between St Denys and Brookvale Roads
· London Road - between Belleview Road and Waterloo Terrace
· Shirley Road / Shirley High Street - between Anglesea Road and Malmesbury Road
· Above Bar - between Commercial Road and Civic Centre Road

To access the service, users will need to stay within the designated areas, where they will pick up the ‘SCC Free Wi-Fi’ signal. As well as the free half-hour service, there is also the option to sign up to 24 hours of access at the cost of £5 per day.