Councillors back popular move to twin Southampton with Mumbai

SOUTHAMPTON is set to twin with Indian city Mumbai under plans backed by councillors, writes Maria Zaccaro.

Civic chiefs said the move will enable Southampton to position itself as “an indispensable strategic partner” for organisations wishing to deepen relationships with India.

The city council also highlighted that India will be “a central strand” of Southampton’s bid to become UK City of Culture 2025.

Councillor Jeremy Moulton, deputy leader on Southampton City Council, said, “Southampton is a gateway to the world and this is an opportunity to build on that, not just for our city but for the Solent region.”

He also stressed that Southampton has strong links with India across several fields, including sport and culture.

The council said the city’s sporting links were also a focus area for partnership, particularly cricket and football.

Ajinkya Rahane, who represents Mumbai in domestic Indian cricket, became the first Indian player to represent Hampshire in 2019.

Supporting the move, leader of the opposition councillor Satvir Kaur said the twinning shows the potential the UK City of Culture bid has unlocked.

“This is about using culture as a catalyst to recover from Covid,” she said.

Kaur added: “Southampton needs to build on its strength and being an international diverse city is an incredible strength in a rapidly changing world.”

The council said both the University of Southampton and Solent University also have “active” and “ambitious relationships” with India.

City leaders will now work on the agreement.