Tackling dog mess in Battle - another day of action

Tomorrow the Dog Wardens and the Streetcare team will be holding another day of action in regard to dog mess, this time in and around Kensington Park.  A couple of week ago they were in the East of Battle ward, around George Street. 

I called for action in March after being contacted by residents (you can see the press article here) and asked the lead councillor, Paul Gittings, for further activity in Battle. 

As a resident I am fully aware how disgusting the streets can be when careless dog owners fail to clean-up after their dogs.  Only the other day I had to clean dog mess from my sons pushchair wheels.  There is no need for this to happen.  You take a dog out, chances are it will go to the toilet - CLEAN IT UP!

I was asked if there was a poster residents can print and put up and here it is:

Reading Continues Campaign to Target Dog Mess

Press Release

14/05/2013

ANTI-SOCIAL dog owners are being targeted in a new campaign by Reading Borough Council in a bid to encourage them to clear up after their pets.

Dog Wardens and the Streetcare Environment Team will be taking part in six events around the borough over the next five months to explain to dog owners the importance of clearing up after their animals.

During a major ‘We Need to Talk’ consultation last year the subject of irresponsible dog owners who fail to clear up after their animals was regularly raised by people as an issue they found most annoying. This led to the launch of a ‘Dog Fouling Campaign’ last year.

Since last August, a total of 31 Fixed Penalty Notices have been issued resulting in a £75 charge for owners who failed to clean up after their dogs.

This year’s events are taking place in the following areas:

• 15 May – Victoria Recreation Ground, George Street/Little Street
• 29 May – Kensington Recreation Ground
• 19 June – Silchester Road, Southcote and surrounding area
• 17 July – Beverley Road/Westwood Road, Tilehurst
• 14 August – Prospect Park
• 18 September – Boults Walk, Aveley Walk.

Do you rent your home privately? We want to hear your views!

Reading Borough Council are launching a series of consultations on housing - 'Let's Talk Housing'.  

Cesnsus data from 2011 shows the number of people renting their homes privately in Battle ward has risen.  I often see tweeters using the #rdg and #rdguk hashtags to complain about the treatment they have received as a tenants and similar complaints on Facebook.  

The first consultation is about private rented accommodation and we would like to hear your experiences.  The consultation launches on 1 June and there's a link top right.  Please also feel free to get in touch with me directly if you have an issue Reading Borough Council and I can help with.  The Get In Touch tab above has my contact details

‘Lets Talk Housing’ – Private Rented Sector

READING Borough Council today launches ‘Let’s Talk Housing’ - a three part consultation which takes a closer look at the housing issues which affect people in Reading the most.

Running from June until December, ‘Let’s Talk Housing’ will focus on talking to residents about strategies and policies that aim to improve the ways that the people in our town are housed. 

The Council wants to engage with the community regarding a number of changes, new policies and new initiatives that could affect residents of Reading across all housing sectors.  We want to hear from home owners and tenants of both the private rented and social sector, so that we can ensure that residents views are reflected in the decisions made and the way services are delivered in the future. We will also be listening to organisations that work in the housing sector and with homeless people to ensure that their experiences are included.

‘Let’s Talk Housing’ begins on 1 June with a detailed consultation on Reading’s Private Rented Sector.

The summer of fun begins - the Children's Festival!

 June When you're the mother of small children finding free or inexpensive ways to keep them entertained becomes a bit of a hobby.  Luckily in Reading there are loads of things to do in the summer months.

For us this all kicks off with Meadow Madness and the Children's Festival taking in the Water Fest, Reading Armed Forces Day (Saturday 29 June 12-5 - Forbury Gardens & Broad Street) and Oxford Road Fun Day (Saturday 6 July 12-4 Kensington Park) along the way.  Battle councillors will be at the Oxford Road Fun Day again - look out for the red gazebo!

Both the boys love Meadow Madness and my fingers are firmly crossed hoping for decent weather. Christchurch Meadows is a great day out anyway but the activities at Meadow Madness add some extra sparkle.  The Children's Festival then goes on to offer loads more activities in the following fortnight, including half term.

The full list of events can be found here.

Reading

Children's Festival Returns This Weekend

13/05/2013
Reading Borough Council Press Release

 

A vibrant two week festival of events and activities for children of all ages is returning to Reading.
The very popular Reading Children’s Festival returns for its 24th year on Saturday, May 18th, with an action packed two weeks of fun and games for everyone at venues across Reading.

Cow Lane Closures - 31 May - 9 June 2013

As a local resident I just received the following letter warning me of closures to Cow Lane Bridges - starting at the end of May.

There will be  weekend closure from 10 pm Friday 31 May until 5am Monday 3 June then overnight closures 8pm until 6am 3 June until 6am Sunday 9 June.

Although inconvenient, this is another step towards the transformation of the Cow Lane Bridges, something Labour Councillors in Battle pushed for.  We believe the opening of the new bridges will be beneficial to the Oxford Road and are already looking towards 2015 with the Oxford Road Area Study.

Click the image to see the letter full size.

Quick update! May 2013

Gosh - been so busy I've had little time for blogging.  Here's a quick update:

I am pleased to see a bid being put in by Reading Borough Council for more school places.  In the Battle/Central West area this includes:

• EP Collier Primary School expansion 

• Southcote Primary School expansion 

• A new Academy serving the Oxford Road 

• Churchend Primary Academy expansion 

• St Michael’s Primary School expansion 

Two of Battle's roads are to be resurfaced in the summer:

• Prince of Wales Avenue

• Prospect Street

 

Lot's of the potholes I have reported have been filled, with more marked out for filling.  Today I noticed a very deep hole in Chester Street has been filled.  If you spot any, let me know.

The trial of communal bins for the residents above the shops on Oxford Road appears to be going well with no more bin bag mountains!  

We had an excellent launch event for the Battle 106 funding consultation.  It's live for a few more days and you can go to the website by clicking the picture top right.

The Community First in Battle panel met on Wednesday to discuss the 2013-2014 round of funding.  Our blog will be updated soon: http://communityfirstbattle.blogspot.co.uk/

We have a councillors drop-in tomorrow at Battle Library 10.30-12 so come along with your questions, concerns and comments.

I have also been out and about with Victoria Groulef, our parliamentary candidate in Reading West.  I have created links to some of our recent appearances in the local press which also give you some idea of what we've been up to.  You can see them here : http://www.cllrsarahhacker.com/p/in-press.html

Finally I am pleased to have been re-elected chair of Labour Group and chair of the new Housing, Neighbourhoods & Leisure committee.  

All this plus starting to get things growing the the garden (more of this to follow), training for the Race For Life (button top left) and being a bridesmaid. Phew!