The Budget - a lost opportunity to improve lives

I've just seen the budget.  I'm not sure what I was expecting - certainly not an end to austerity, despite it being clear it's failed.  I was hoping to see the government had listened and understood that living standards are being squeezed and people are struggling. I was wrong.

Forecasts for growth have been down graded from 2% to 1.5%. Pay continues to stagnate and public sector workers still face a pay cap. People are struggling to make ends meet and the budget has done little to lighten their load.  Food bank use continues to grow with ReadiFood delivering 135 parcels a week.  Food prices are rising as are energy costs, rents and house prices.

Stamp duty is being scrapped for first time buyers purchasing properties up to £300,000.  That's all very well but you have to be able to afford to buy the house first, have the salary to back up a mortgage plus be able to save a deposit. According to RightMove the average terraced property sold for £314,479.  Property ownership is now out of reach for many and rents, on average £1,079 for a two bed property in Reading, are also becoming unaffordable.

We face another winter where people will be faced with the choice of eating or heating.  This is nothing new, the government have not been taken by surprise. 

Some money has been thrown at the NHS.  There's £350m to address pressures in winter 2017/2018 but that won't go far when you take into account how far it's to be spread and additional pressures caused by cuts to council social care budgets and a GP service stretched to the limit.

Schools gets nothing extra in their budgets.  There is money available for secondary schools and collages for pupils taking maths at higher levels but nothing for the primary schools who have already resorted to asking parents for money to plug their budget gaps. The government really is just papering over the already deep cracks they have created.

The future really does look bleak under the Conservative government.  After 7 1/2 years of austerity it's still very much pain with little gain for the average family.

We need a change of government if we really want to see living standards improve, properly affordable housing, a well funded NHS and school budgets that provide a good quality and varied education for our children.  

We need a Labour MP in Reading West who stands up for every community, regardless of its prosperity.  

We need hope.

See Jeremy Corbyn's response to this shambles of a budget here:  Jeremy Corbyn Budget 2017 response

What would Labour do instead?  Find out here: Manifesto

I bet you never saw that coming!

Well what an amazing few days we have just witnessed.  I'm happy to admit I went into the general election thinking Labour would hold its own.  I wasn't expecting the huge losses predicted at the start of the campaign but equally I wasn't expecting another 30 new Labour MPs, one of whom is the new MP for Reading East Matt Rodda! Jeremy Corbyn had had an excellent campaign and when I read our manifesto my heart soared - it was excellent.  Filled with hope for a fairer future.  I was a steward at the rally he held in Reading and the turnout was amazing and so encouraging.

On election day I was running the Battle ward committee rooms, which something I've done for many years.  I was entering the gate data we had (the info we get when people at the gate of polling stations ask for your polling card number).  This shows us how many of our promise had voted.  It was clear something was very different from the beginning.  I was receiving a lot more data to input than is usual. By the end of the day I had huge piles of gate slips and an achy right hand!

By 10pm I was tired and looking forward to some sleep but the exit poll put any ideas of a peaceful evening to one side so I headed off to the count.  The voting samples I took looked excellent in Battle and pretty good even in some of the West Berkshire wards.  As the results came in from across the country it was apparent the exit polls were pretty accurate.  This meant we were in with a real chance of winning the two Reading seats.

At 3.30am the Reading West results were announced.  We didn't win but we did reduce Alok Sharma's majority to 2876. Around 4am a real buzz was being felt and rumours flew we had won Reading East.  The candidates were told the result and headed to the stage for the announcement.  It was amazing.  Matt Rodda had not only won the Reading East seat but did so comfortably with a 3759 lead.

It's now clear Reading West is a winnable seat and I will do all I can to ensure the the next time we have a general election (some saying it could be the autumn!) we return Reading West to Labour.

Into Battle Election Update 2015

Here is our Into Battle Election Update - putting a few things straight!  Click on the photo to read all about it:

Battle 106 Consultation Launches 16 April - £1.5 Million For Battle Community

I am so pleased to be able to announce the timetable of the Battle 106 consultation.  Battle councillors have been working hard with Reading Borough Council for the past year paving the way for a meaningful consultation with residents about how this money should be spent.  Because of Labour Battle councillors Chris Maskell, Gul Khan and me the community will have a say in how £1.5 million is spent in the local area!

The money became available because the Primary Care Trust withdrew from the plans to build a medical centre on the former Battle Hospital site, now West Village.  You can read more about the history here:

February 2013 - Battle 106 - Sharma has missed the point entirely  
Jan 2013 - Medical Centre and 106 Funding Update
December 2011 - Battle medical centre victim of NHS cutbacks 

We have had several meetings over the last few weeks to design the consultation, agree the area being consulted and the questions being asked.  The consultation plan will go to Cabinet for approval on 18 March (see report here) and, if it's approved, will launch on 16 April.

Launch Event

Tuesday 16 April - Battle Library

11am to 1pm & 3pm to 8pm - to discuss options and a further opportunity to complete the questionnaire.

Residents within the consultation area will receive a paper questionnaire which will also be able to be completed online.  The results of the consultation will determine how the £1.5 million is spent locally.

Improving Local Facilities in the Oxford Road area of West Reading – Consultation 

Press Release 

11/03/2013 RESIDENTS in Battle and the neighbouring area are set to be given an opportunity to have their say on how £1.5 million could be used to improve local facilities.

The money is due to be paid to Reading Borough Council by developers David Wilson Homes as part of the 2006 planning permission to build 434 homes on the site of the former Battle Hospital.

Following consultation with the local community by local councillors in 2006, the proposals included a new health centre building for the Primary Care Trust (PCT) on land that the Trust owns. However, the PCT subsequently decided not to go forward with a new Health Centre in this location. This is due to a number of factors, including the provision of a drop-in surgery in the Broad Street Mall.

The 2006 planning agreement says that in the event of the Health Centre not being built, the developer, now David Wilson Homes, would pay the Council £1.5m as a ‘contribution towards community-related benefits’.

That money is now due to be paid to the local authority and Reading Borough Council is proposing to give residents in the area an opportunity to help inform the decision on how it can be spent to ensure it meets the needs of local people and the community.

Jo Lovelock, Reading Borough Council Leader, said: “It was a big disappointment when the Primary Care Trust decided not to go ahead with the Health Centre. The money must be used on community related benefits so we feel it is very important to talk to the local community about how they think that the money should be spent, especially as it is now seven years since the last consultation. I hope as many people as possible will take part so that the decision about the use of the money can be based on the current views of local residents.”

The 2012 Residents’ Survey and the 2011 'Let’s Talk' consultation show that local residents have identified education, green spaces, transport and health services as their main priorities for improvement. These are also in line with the priorities in the Council’s planning policy for infrastructure provision.

A report proposing the launch of the local consultation will now go before a meeting of Reading Borough Council’s Cabinet on March 18 for endorsement.

A questionnaire will then be distributed in the local area, asking people to identify their priorities for which local facilities need improving. Residents will be asked to take a few minutes to tell the Council their preferences and return the questionnaire to: Improving Local Facilities in Battle and the neighbouring area, Reading Borough Council, Civic Centre, Reading, RG1 7AE.

Alternatively, people will also be able to complete the short questionnaire online at http://www.reading.gov.uk/battlesurvey .

There will also be a drop-in event held at Battle Library (420 Oxford Road) on Tuesday April 16, from 11am to 1pm and from 3pm to 8pm, to discuss options and a further opportunity to complete the questionnaire.

Victoria Groulef - Our Parliamentary Candidate For Reading West

Just a short post to introduce Victoria Groulef, Labour parliamentary candidate for Reading West.  She was selected today by Labour members in the Reading West constituency.

Victoria is a candidate bringing a wealth of experience.  She understands the challenges facing residents in Reading West and has been campaigning with us for a year around Reading and in Battle Ward.  I am very happy she has been selected and look forward to working with her in the run up to the 2015 General Election.

Victoria Groulef (centre camel coat) with Labour members, Councillors and former MP Martin Salter

You can find out about Victoria here:http://www.victoriagroulef.co.uk

Follow her on twitter here: @VictoriaGroulef

Oxford Rd gaming centre refused #rdg

Just back from planning and I am pleased to say the gaming centre on the Oxford Road was refused planning permission with a unanimous vote.  There were several local residents who spoke against the gaming centre as did a representative from Christian Community Action.  Cllr Khan and I spoke against the centre in our capacity as local residents and elected representatives.  People highlighted their concern that the centre would attract anti-social behaviour and was inappropriate in an area where young families live.

Cllr Maskell, who is on the planning committee, spoke about his concerns that, after many years of hard work from residents, the council, cllrs and police, the problems with drink, drugs, anti-social behaviour and prostitution would start creeping back if developments like the gaming centre were allowed.  He said the application was 'at the wrong time and in the wrong place'.

The refusal has to be based on policy and the following policy was one of the reasons for refusal: developments will be assessed to ensure that they 'create safe and accessible environments where crime and disorder or fear of crime does not undermine quality of life or community cohesion.'

Oxford Rd closed overnight 25-26 May #rdg

The Oxford Road, by West Reading Bridge, will be closed overnight from midnight Friday 25 May until 5am Saturday 26 May while emergency bridge repairs are made.

A fully signed diversion route will be in place as follows:

From the West

• Turn right on to Grovelands Road
• Turn left on to Water Road
• Turn left on to Tilehurst Road
• Turn left on to Russell Street
• Turn left on to Oxford Road (diversion ends)

From the East

From Chatham Street on to Bedford Road:

• Lane 2 of Bedford Road (southbound) closed, all traffic forced left on to Oxford Road
• Turn right on to Russell Street
• Follow reverse of diversion ‘from the West’

For information on bus diversions please see here.

From Cllr, and candidate, Gul Khan - Oxford Road Black Bag Up-date

Below is an update from Cllr Gul Khan on his campaign to get the black bags on the Oxford Road cleared away and a solution found to the mounds of black bags  seen far too often.  You can view Gul's blog here.

Action Agreed

Black bags will be collected daily until a permanent solution 
to this unacceptable situation is agreed

I recently highlighted the accumulation of bulging black refuse bags along the Oxford Road (Into Battle, local election edition 2012).

I said that the situation developing along the Oxford Road was totally unacceptable and that I would be contacting the council insisting they take strong action to stop this kind of abuse happening.

I am pleased to be able to tell you that following the discussions I had with the council and the lead member for the environment the following has been agreed

• Black bags will be collected on a daily basis until a permanent solution to the problem can be agreed.
• There will be a review of collection days, landlords/residents responsibilities, enforcement, lack of recycling, use of on street bulk bins for domestic waste.             
• Agree a strategy to effectively tackle illegal fly-tipping and the dumping of trade waste.

After the election I and my colleagues and the lead member for the environment will be holding a meeting with senior members of the Streetcare team to agree how bet we can stop the kind of abuse we are seeing along the Oxford Road. It is clear that those who are dumping the black bags have no right to do so.

We will also be considering the issue of those big industrial refuse bins. I was recently in West Ealing where there are terraced shops similar in character to those on the Oxford Road. What struck me was that there were no piles of black bags and no industrial size refuse bins on the streets. As part of our review of how refuse is stored and collected I will be asking council officers to visit other local authorities to look at how they manage refuse in areas similar to the Oxford Road.

I will let you know how things progress.

Will Reading MP's vote against the 'Granny Tax'?

When Reading West Conservatives election leaflet dropped through my door I was quite surprised one of the headlines on the front page was 'Protecting our pensioners'.  Despite not mentioning the fact they took away free travel from pensioners before 9.30 am when they were in coalition control of the Council, they also failed to mention the 'granny tax' proposed in the budget.  This will mean 40% of pensioners will be paying more tax then expected.  

The following from the BBC explains what pensioners are likely to lose: 'Figures from HMRC show that, taking inflation into account, this will leave 4.41 million people worse off than they would have expected, by an average of £83 a year in 2013-14. 

People due to turn 65 after 5 April 2013 will miss out on an average of £285 compared with what they expected in 2013-14. The biggest loss is £322 that year.'

That's a lot of money to lose when you are on a fixed income, especially with inflation higher than expected and the cost of  living increasing.

Reading & District Labour Party Media Release 

16 April 2012

Jo Lovelock : Wilson and Sharma should vote against the granny tax this Thursday
 

The Labour Party is forcing a vote in the House of Commons this Thursday against George Osborne’s ‘granny tax’ and Labour Leader Jo Lovelock says Rob Wilson and Alok Sharma know their constituents agree with Labour on this issue and should vote to stop the tax going through.

“Pensioners have had a raw deal under this Government,” she says, “but with the tax raid on them announced in the recent Budget, George Osborne is making tough times even tougher for older people. Everybody I have spoken to is appalled by the fact that millionaires will be getting a tax break while 4.4 million pensioners lose out, and I am sure both Reading’s MPs have been getting that message loud and clear from their constituents.

“To members of the public I would say it is not too late to tell the MPs your views, and I would urge you to email robwilsonmp@parliament.uk or alok.sharma.mp@parliament.uk as appropriate.

“If Reading’s Conservative MPs back the Government on Thursday, they will be saying that they are only in tune with the super-rich, not the people who have worked all their lives and were hoping for a comfortable old age, and their families.  I urge them to do the right thing for once.”

Cow Lane bridge nearly finished!

Here's a brilliant time-lapse video showing the entire construction of the new Cow Lane bridge.  The works are on track and the bridge will open on 30 January at 6am.  Although the change for motorists will be small at this stage (you could just about get two cars side by side under the old bridge), pedestrians will benefit immediately with a pavement where, before, you had to dodge traffic.  The traffic on the Oxford Road should also return to normal - phew!

The problem of fly-tipping

Fly-tipped items this month

Fly-tipping is still a problem in Battle ward.  Here's how you can report it:

• Contact one of your councillors.  You can contact us through councillor services here or directly here.
• Call the council on 0800 626540.
•  Complete this online form.
• You can report litter and fly tipping problems by texting the Council GROT number 81722.
• You can even report it via www.fixmystreet.com as the council is sent reports from this website.

If you have bulky waste you cannot remove yourself, the Council can remove it for a fee.  Complete this form to arrange collection.  Alternatively you can take it to Household Waste Recycling Centre or donate it to charity.

 For more information on fly-tipping from Reading Borough Council please see here.

Concessions introduced for bulky waste collection

As a councilllor I spend a lot of my time reporting dumped and fly-tipped items to the council for collection.  If I see something when I am out with the boys or on the bus I make a note/take a photo and report it.  I also get contacted by residents about abandoned items, like mattresses and sofas.

A bed in Gordon Place

It is important the streets are kept clean but these things shouldn't be dumped in the first place.  They should be taken to the tip, given to charity/recycled if appropriate or residents should arrange for their collection and disposal.

Mayor packing bags at Tesco?

Despite some accusations of being anti-Tesco, it is my local supermarket and the one I use most, mainly because I can walk there with the pram.   With that in mind, this press release from Reading Borough Council made me smile.  Imagine having your bags packed by the Mayor, Cllr Deborah Edwards!  Cllr Edwards is working ever so hard to raise money for the Mayors Fund so why not take advantage and raise some money in the process?