Daisy's Campaign Diary

Stamping out Human Trafficking in Reading

2011-12-07T12:51:00.001-08:00

Back in October I attended a Conference organised by Lib Dem MEP for our area, Catherine Bearder, on the subject of human trafficking.

It included some truly shocking presentations about trafficking and the impact it is having on children and adults from countries around the world.

Before I attended the conference I'm happy to admit I did not have a good understanding of the issue of human trafficking nor the fact that it could be a serious issue in Reading.

For this reason I'm really grateful to Catherine for making me aware of the issue and for choosing to hold the conference in Reading.

If you are interested in finding out more I would suggest a good place to start would be the UK Human Trafficking Centre website.

The UHTC provides a useful working definition of human trafficking:

'In the simplest terms, human trafficking is the movement of a person from one place to another into conditions of exploitation, using deception, coercion, the abuse of power or the abuse of someone’s vulnerability. It is entirely possible to have been a victim of trafficking even if your consent has been given to being moved.

There are therefore three constituent elements:

The movement – recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons.

The control – threat, use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability, or the giving of payments or benefits to a person in control of the victim.

The purpose – exploitation of a person, which includes prostitution and other sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery or similar practices, and the removal of organs.

Although human trafficking often involves an international cross-border element, it is also possible to be a victim of human trafficking within your own country.'

According to Stop Trafficking UK:

'Human Trafficking is the fastest growing criminal activity in the world, with a turnover exceeding US$10 billion. Estimates suggest that the number of people trafficked annually is between 600,000 (US Government figure) and 3 million (International Labour Organisation figure).'

And according to the Home Office:

An average figure of the numbers of trafficked children taken from the last two years of CEOP assessments (2009 & 2010) provides an estimate of approximately 300 trafficked children identified in the UK per annum.
Estimating the numbers of adults and victims trafficked into the UK is difficult due to the hidden nature of this criminal activity, but according to figures published by the Association of Chief Police Officers (August 2010) at least 2,600 victims had been trafficked for sexual exploitation in 2009.
The UK’s multi-agency victim identification and support National Referral Mechanism data from 1st April 2009 - 31 December 2010 identified 1,254 potential victims, including 322 potential child trafficking victims (this is a cumulative figure). The list below shows the top five highest represented countries:

The Coalition Government launched a new anti-trafficking strategy in July 2011 in attempt to strengthen support for victims of human trafficking. Measures included:-

a review of the current legislation to ensure that traffickers receive appropriate penalties for their crimes
a targeted focus on the countries that are a major source of trafficking and raising of awareness among potential victims
extending the use of current powers to seize the profits of traffickers and make it less attractive
establishing closer relationships with overseas law enforcement agencies to carry out joint operations across borders

Anti-Trafficking Conference - Reading - October 2011.

At the conference organised by Catherine Bearder we heard from a range of anti-trafficking campaigners including - former Police officrs, charity workers, Baroness Hamwee (Lib Dem) and the founder of a local anti-trafficking group in Oxford.

The conference was organised by Women Liberal Democrats although it was free and open to everyone.

People from across our area attended including a number of Liberal Democrat activists from Reading.

Sadly no other political parties attended.

It was not a party political meeting as it is very important we seek to find common cause and a consensus that action needs to be taken by everyone on this issue.

Although no Labour, Conservative or Green party activists came to the conference I was really pleased when a couple of weeks later current Mayor of Reading Cllr Deborah Edwards highlighted Anti-Slavery Day at the start of our full Council meeting.

Everyone who spoke at the Reading conference agreed that raising public awareness is key to stopping trafficking.

The thinking behind the conference was to draw peoples attention to the scale of human trafficking in the UK and the South East in particular and also to encourage people to campaign for action to reduce trafficking in their area.

I found the issues highlighted in the Conference around the trafficking of women and children in the UK and across the South East including down the road in Slough very disturbing and as a result I was prompted to find out more about what is being done in our area.

Part of the conference was about exploring setting up local groups.

I joined a table of Reading-based activists - including people from local churches and charities.

I took as an action the task of finding out what was being done in our area to tackle trafficking.

What's being done to tackle trafficking in Reading?

Based on the presentations I heard and information that was presented about the sheer scale of human trafficking in the UK at Catherine Bearder's Conference I find it hard to believe that this issue is not an issue in Reading.

Afterwards I did some Internet research about trafficking in our area:-

Last Summer the Police arrested 9 people suspected of operating a sex trafficking ring in the South East including down the road in Maidenhead.
Last year a West Reading-based couple were accused of trafficking offences
In 2008 a man from Whitley Wood was arrested on sex trafficking charges

And this is just the people that the Police have managed to identify.

With this in mind and keen to arm myself with as many facts as possible I wrote to the Chief Executive of Reading Borough Council asking him what action local agencies were taking to stamp out human-trafficking.

I waited nearly two months for a response but finally received it today.

I've attached it below.

Thames Valley Police Response

'We review each and every reported crime, seven days per week during our daily management meeting. Included in this meeting are representatives of our Protecting Vulnerable Persons Unit including Domestic Abuse, Child abuse Investigation and Intelligence staff. Additionally, the neighbourhood inspectors attend.

Any intelligence or evidence of human trafficking coming to our notice would be a) be responded to at the time with an appropriate grading and b) be discussed and picked up by the appropriate team.

In terms of the wider issue i.e. trafficking within the gambit of 'organised crime', this would be picked up a higher level than local policing agencies such as the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) at a national level. The agency could work with local forces where appropriate.

As it stands, we have not been made aware of any human trafficking issues in Reading. This is not to say that it does not exist.'

What is the Council doing to tackle trafficking in Reading?

'The LCSB has already ensured there are procedures in place for vulnerable children. In particular Chapter 28: Trafficking & Exploitation (Revised June 2010).

These procedures include direct access to Home Office guidance and includes a link to the Tackling Trafficking Toolkit on the Criminal Justice System website. It was further revised in June 2010 to include a reference to the National Referral Mechanism.

We have no child to our recent knowledge referred directly in this circumstance, although have of course had a number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children/young people we are very minded about in relation to their vulnerability to trafficking.
We have also recently been informed to be extra vigilant in relation to the Olympics as the Met Police have told Windsor & Maidenhead they may be expecting an increase in activity - hence we have briefed team managers already.

In brief, we are aware and alert although the extent of known issues is tiny at the moment in Reading. We cannot of course report things that has as yet not come to the attention of ourselves or Police.'

Sex Workers Advisory Group:

'From a Sex Workers Advisory Group perspective, human trafficking and exploitation will be referred to in the emerging Sex Workers Strategy and we are looking at how we can identify the extend of the issue in Reading.
There will also be reference made to ensuring that staff beyond statutory agencies who may come into contact with individuals who are trafficked into the country, receive appropriate training.'

On the one hand I'm pleased to hear that as a local authority Reading Borough Council is reviewing its policies and procedures in relation to trafficked children.

Once it has been published I will be scrutinising the new Sex Workers Strategy to check it pledges action around reducing harm to trafficked women in Reading.

On the otherhand I was disappointed at the time it took the Council to respond to my request for basic information.

To my knowledge this information has not been widely shared amongst councillors before.

Maybe no-one else has asked for it?

Also, the response from the Police risks sounding complacent.

I would like to see Thames Valley Police raising public awareness in Reading about how they might be able to spot the telltale signs of trafficking in their area.

This is what is happening in Oxford where OXCAT - Oxford Community Against Trafficking is campaigning to raise awareness and encouraging reporting.

Their Open Your Eyes campaign suggests people should look out for the following:-

Foreign nationals who rarely come out of a house except with a guardian.
Frequent visitors to residential premises, often a stream of men arriving and leaving at unusual times.
Cars or minibuses picking up foreign nationals at unusual times.
Sex workers who offer ‘special services’ at a low price, who are advertised as having particular ethnicity, who appear underage or speak no or little English.
Teenage girls who seem unhappy, living with older, unrelated males, who drive them about.
Commercial premises (including restaurants) that survive despite an acute lack of regular business.

For much more detailed information, visit http://www.blueblindfold.co.uk/

If you see something suspicious the advice is to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111

So what happens next?

Catherine Bearder MEP has raised concerns about the impact the forthcoming Olympics could have on the problem of human trafficking - suggesting that it could lead to an increase in women being trafficked for sex in the South East. Catherine will contiue to challenge agencies at local and European level to act.

I will continue to ask questions of local agencies and to challenge them around their responsibilities to vulnerable children and adults.

You can add your name to the Human Trafficking Foundations' database of supporters.

I've written this blog post in part to raise awareness locally. Please do the same in your community.

We should not tolerate modern form of slavery in any of its forms.

Empty Homes Week 2011 - Reading Lib Dems' Campaign Continues

2011-12-05T10:32:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the lack of updates, the previous few weeks have been incredibly busy, but productive.

I haven't had time to write many blog posts so if you want to keep up with my activities you might want to follow me on Twitter.

But I wanted to write a quick note about an important current issue and one that is close to my heart .

This week is National Empty Homes Week - the brainchild of my friend David Ireland, Chief Executive of the excellent campaigining charity Empty Homes.

David switched me on to the problem in Reading when he phoned me out of the blue five years ago when I was first elected on to Reading Borough Council to tell me about the problem of empty homes and to draw my attention to the Council's shocking record on the issue.

The Council which was at that time controlled by Labour had no strategy, resources of focus ont the issue.

This was not as a result of lack powers available to tackle the problem but lack of will by councillors in control of the Council to do something about it.

I began campaigning on the issue locally and this led me at one point to have a meeting with a Labour housing minister who despite listening to what I had to say failed to take any action whatsoever to improve the situation.

Fast forward to today and we have a Council controlled once again by Labour councillors who are once again close to silent on the issue.

To to coincide with Empty Homes Week this morning I took part in a live discussion with BBC Radio Berkshire's Andrew Peach, David Ireland, and Hayley, a resident living in Buckinghamshire struggling to get access to housing she can afford.

According to statistics gathered by Radio Berkshire there are about 25,000 people on housing waiting lists across Berkshire and at about 8,000 in Reading alone.

By their reckoning the number of people stuck on waiting lists has risen by 60% since 2004.

In Reading, lack of access to affordable housing is a major problem for many families and all political parties should be focussed on finding solutions.

There is a particular shortage of family-sized housing to rent.

At the same as people are struggling to find housing in our area there are over 400 properties currently registered as empty in Reading alone (down on 500 last year).

Clearly, bringing empty homes back into use will not solve the housing shortage we are facing but it will go part way to addressing it whereas doing nothing about them will just make matters worse.

According to official figures from Reading Borough Council the total number of properties in Reading classed as 'long term empty' i.e. empty for 6 months or more breaks down as follows:

281 owned by individuals
67 owned by companies
86 by housing associations
3 by public bodies

Locally I've led the campaign to raise the profile of empty homes since 2006 and I'm glad that after years of campaigning to get action taken at both local and national government we have a government that actually believes in tackling the problem.

Action on empty homes in the Coalition Agreement and is being delivered now.

Last week in a debate on the issue, Lib Dem Minister Andrew Stunell said:

'I am appalled at the scandal that 250,000 properties are empty when millions of people are on waiting lists, anxiously looking for homes and unable to find them. As well as being eyesores and as well as easily falling into disrepair, empty homes are often an expensive menace to communities and public services, attracting antisocial behaviour, squatting and vandalism.'

So where are empty properties currently located in Reading? According to the latest RBC figures (September 2011) they are:-

Battle 78

Tilehurst 69

Abbey 43

Redlands 30

Minster 27

Katesgrove 27

Park 24

Caversham 24

Norcot 22

THames 18

Kentwood 14

Southcote 13

Church 9

Peppard 8

Mapledurham 2

Real Action on Empty Homes in Reading

Locally Lib Dems have been leading on the issue with other Parties virtually silent.

Since 2008, (after a campaign I led which shamed Labour councillors into action) Reading Borough Council has had an Empty Homes Strategy which sets out how the Council will address the problem of empty homes including ranking them by priority order.
When I was chair of the housing scrutiny committee I asked for updates on empty homes to be published every 6 months. That stopped after a Labour councillor took over the chair last year.
I have gone on regular 'empty homes' walkabouts with RBC officers to understand the problem and campaign for action
We have reported countless empty properties to the Council for action across Reading (including 1 Alexandra Road, pictured)
We have asked questions in Council meetings of councillors and officers
The Lib Dem - Conservative Coalition Administration that ran the Council between May 2010 and May 2011 protected the role of empty homes officer to ensure that despite budget pressures this important work could continue.

Lib Dems protected action on empty homes in this year's budget. The question is will Labour and the Greens?

Research has shown there tend to be more empty properties in places with large private rented sector - which is what we have in Reading - our private rented sector is the same size as Manchester!

One of the reasons we have so many empty homes in Reading is that until now there have been little or no incentives for landowners or councils to bring empty homes back into use.

Lib Dems in Government are helping to change this.

The Government has taken a number of important steps, including introducing the New Homes Bonus, in response to the empty homes problem.

The New Homes Bonus means that for the first time councils are receiving cash not only for every new home they build but also every empty property they bring back into use
In Reading the Council has been awarded over £1.2 million pounds for building new homes and bringing empty properties back into use.
Government has allocated a £100 million budget so that housing associations, councils and community and voluntary groups could apply to bring empty homes back into use as affordable housing.
An additional £50 million of funding has been allocated to tackle some of the worst concentrations of empty homes.
Councils will have local discretion to introduce a council tax premium on homes in their areas that have been empty for more than two years, to provide a stronger incentive for empty-home owners to bring them back into use.

David Ireland, Chief Executive of the Empty Homes Agency said:

"The government has introduced some excellent measures to bring empty homes back into use set out in it's housing strategy. It is the first time that there has ever been a government empty homes strategy and we welcome it,

"I do think however, that there are a couple of areas where the government could do more. The first is in encouraging councils to dispose of their own abandoned property, and the second is in helping ordinary people create homes for themselves by bring property back into use."

What can you do to help reduce the number of empty homes?

Visit the Empty Homes website for more information on the issue and how you can take action.
Watch Channel Four's new series 'The Great Property Scandal' starting tonight at 8.30pm on 4.
People in Reading can help us tackle the problem of empty homes. Email me if you notice an empty property on your street and I will raise it with the Council for action.

We will continue to campaign on this important issue but we need your help to bring more empty homes back into use so get involved.

We owe it to the people stuck waiting for affordable housing to do everything we can to make the best use of existing housing as well as building new homes.

Report Finds No Residents Adversely Affected by Changes to Adult Care

2011-11-01T04:41:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, when I was Lead Member for Adult Social Care I led changes to the Council's Eligibility Criteria for Adult Social Care to 'Substantial' and 'Critical'.

I did this to ensure that adult care would be available for people who need it now and in the future - putting social care in Reading on a sustainable footing.

These changes were approved by the Council in March. You can read the full background to this decision - which was far from easy - here.

As I said at the time:

"My priority from now on will be focussing on ensuring the implementation of these policies is carried out as flexibly and sensitively as possible by the Council's Community Care team which I lead"

The previous Lib Dem-Conservative Coalition Cabinet of which I was a member delegated the implementation plan for these changes to the Director Housing and Community Care in consultation with the Lead Councillor responsible for Adult Care.

Labour attacked me for this approach at the time. I put my trust in experienced professionals. In my view ppoliticians should lead policy-making not meddle in the implementation of Council policies - particularly in areas where they lack professional expertise.

Labour councillors also accused me of cutting services from vulnerable people.

An update report on access to adult social care services, requested by Labour councillors which went to Cabinet last night and which has been widely trailed in the local media proves that the approach we took was the right one and Labour got it wrong.

The report describes the individual reviews that have been undertaken to determine eligibility of people in receipt of care packages with 'Greater Moderate needs'.

The report provides evidence for Cabinet to satisfy itself about the safe implementation of the change in eligibility criteria, namely that it:

is fair and equitable
is not having a major or adverse impact on people who have had their needs assessed at being a greater moderate level
provides appropriate advice, help and support to those people who have lower level needs but would benefit from continuing help and support
meets the legal tests set in the Birmingham judgement

The report clearly shows that these tests have been met.

The key paragraph is this one:

'The majority of clients who have now received a personal review to reassess their level of need have continued to receive services as a result of their recorded needs having been revised into a higher banding.'

I've read the report and nowhere does it suggest that any resident currently receiving care has been adversely affected. This is welcome, important news.

When I launched the changes earlier this year I said it would be absolutely vital that reviews were carried out carefully to ensure that no-one lost out.

This report shows that the modelling officers did of the changes were accurate. In many cases residents who were in the 'Moderate' category have moved up a band and are receiving in more care rather than less.

The impact of the Council's highly-successful Reablement programme continues to deliver astonishing results - with many people with a range of support needs being reabled to live independently in their own homes without needing to rely on formal care.

This is a great outcome for those individuals and it helps ensure public money goes further - focussing on those people who can't cope without help and support from the Council or other care providers.

The report goes into great detail about the outcomes of reviews.

As a keen supporter of greater transparency, If I were lead member I would be more than happy to publish this information.

However, the difference between me and my Coalition colleagues last year is that we were prepared to front up and take tough decisions.

On evidence of the past few years there is no way that Labour councillors would have taken the decisions that needed to be taken on adult care.

The best they can do is monitor the decisions taken by others braver than them.

Making these changes will lead to savings of around £250,000 from the Council's budget.

This is important.

Why? because the Council is currently facing £2 million pounds worth of in-year pressures linked to rising demand for adult care.

This is about reforming our community care policies so they are fit for purpose and so we can help people not just now but in the future.

How would Labour deal with these pressures? Cut spending on other Council services?

Introduce demand management?

We'll never know.

One thing is clear Labour would always rather hide behind officers and other politicial parties when it comes to making difficult decisions such as these.

Politicians aside, it's people who matter and last night I thanked the outstanding team working in adult social care on Reading Borough Council - from social workers to senior management who have managed these changes safely and effectively.

I also thanked the residents and their families who have been so patient during this process.

Labour councillors have questions to answer on bus lane fines

2011-10-31T16:51:00.000-07:00

This evening at a meeting of Reading Borough Council's Cabinet I posed some questions to Labour's Transport Chief, Cllr Tony Page:

"The aim of bus lane fines is to deter people from driving in bus lanes.

Given the sharp rise in fines– an extra 6,000 since you took over rising 3,000 per month ever since (apart from August)
What are you doing to address this and reduce the number of vehicles abusing bus lanes?

Or have you become so financially dependent on this income stream that you no don’t care if people drive in bus lanes?"

I asked these questions because of these striking figures in this month's budget monitoring figures:

Bus Lane Enforcement PCN Activity Data (2010 figures in brackets)

April 2011 - 2,282 (2,713)
May 2011 - 8,289 (1,901)
June 2011 - 11,942 (2,075)
July 2011 - 11,413 (2,310)
August 2011 - 8,473 (3,661)
September 2011 - 11,930 (5,149)

The same report says:

Bus Lane Enforcement – if the current trend of infringements continue as they have for the past 3 months then we forecast the revenue to increase to £575k although we should note this income is not guaranteed. In addition there are other income pressures within Transport that are being assessed.

Cllr Page decided to launch into a series of bizarre personal attacks.

Did I hit a raw nerve, perhaps?

You know when a politician plays the man not the ball [sic] they are in trouble
However, he acknowledged there have been a sharp rise in fines since the Town centre changes were introduced.

Despite this he was unrepentant rounding on residents and visitors who 'knowingly drive in bus lanes'.

The signs in the Town Centre are not at fault, apparently.

Then, in an apparent u-turn he said: "we will not build next year's budget on bus lane fine income".

That's odd as this appears to be exactly the way Labour councillors have chosen to do since taking over control of the Council in May this year.

Then again, Reading Labour Party's relationship with the motorist has been far from a happy one in recent years*

Reading residents, take note.

*See the Shinfield Road and One Way IDR debacles for details.

Local, Social, Digital

2011-10-25T05:52:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I was invited by Lucy Watt, former Lib Dem Councillor from innovative consultancy FuturGov to take part in a fringe event about how politicians can use social media to engage.
I was chuffed to be invited to speak at the event alongside such luminaries as Lib Dem Voice's Mark Pack and Julian Huppert MP (Cambridge).
Lucy has kindly uploaded my personal take on using social media which you can watch below. I spoke about using Facebook and Twitter alongside blogging to get my message across and get feedback from residents.

Labour U-Turn on Landlord Accreditation Scheme

2011-10-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

Interesting to note today that the Labour administration has dropped it's previous opposition to our plans to introduce a new, more cost-effective landlord accreditation scheme in conjunction with the National Landlord Assocation to improve standards in Reading's large private rented sector.

I launched this scheme last year, when I was Lead Member for Housing and was attacked by Labour's then housing spokesperson for 'abandoning' Reading tenants - when of course I was doing nothing of the sort.

The Council has announced that a further training session for landlords of rented properties in Reading is to be held on October 27th in The Avenue School in Tilehurst - details can be found here.

I have led calls for an effective landlord accreditation scheme in Reading since 2008 when I chaired the first ever scrutiny review into Reading's private rented housing sector.

Until then, Labour councillors had ignored calls from Reading Students Union for more to be done to offer reassurance to students others looking to rent properties in Reading.

A scheme Labour had operated stalled a few years back until we called for a review.

When I was lead member for housing I was charged with responding to the review led by officers into the Council's old inhouse landlord accreditation scheme (LAS) which had been operated under the previous Labour administration.

The review found that 'while LAS is a useful tool to stakeholders, the re-launch of Reading’s current LAS would not deliver outcomes in the most cost-effective way.'

The review also found:

'The (previous)scheme did not drive up house conditions significantly because landlords attracted to LAS are generally those with property in good order already. The soft outcomes of running the scheme are outweighed by the fact that the scheme had contact with only 2.3% of Reading’s rental market despite vigorous promotion and a cost of circa £34k per annum.'

As I blogged last November:

'In line with our local Coalition Agreement with the Conservatives to deliver better, value for money services to our residents we agreed not to revive the scheme in it's current form but instead sign up to a National Landlord Accreditation Scheme. The scheme is run by the National Landlord Association and offers landlords and tenants a range of benefits, whilst enabling the Council to focus more effectively on it's core duties of ensuring that the most poorly-maintained and hazardous properties in the sector are identified and appropriate action is taken against landlords.'

And how did Labour respond to our plans at the time? Back to my blog entry in November 2010:

'Locally, Labour's response to all this has been interesting. For one thing they appear to be a lot more interested in housing and the private rented sector in opposition than they ever were when they ran the Council. This would be welcome were it not that they appear to driven by a desire to score political points, rather than campaign for better housing.

For example, when I announced our plans to join a national accreditation scheme they didn't support it, arguing we were abandoning tenants - when it was Labour who suspended the Landlord Accreditation Scheme (LAS) in the first place!

At full Council last month, Cllr Paul Gittings attacked me for failing to implement 'a proper landlord accreditation scheme' whatever that means, suggesting that things like fire safety would be put at risk by our decision not to resurrect an in-house landlord accreditation scheme.

This is utter hogwash. All the housing regulations that exist to protect tenants will continue to exist. The decision to adopt an LAS is entirely up to individual councils i.e. it is non-statutory.

Let's be clear: all the Council's statutory functions to ensure housing standards are maintained will continue. All that we have done is ensure that taxpayer's money will not be wasted on something that does not work. And once again Labour councillors find themselves arguing for the continuation of schemes that are ineffective and are not value for money. So much for constructive opposition.

The last Labour government proposed setting up a national landlord register and a number of other regulations. These plans were reviewed by independent experts and the Coalition Government and were found to be ineffective, burdensome and expensive so were not carried forward. And yet at a recent Council meeting I was challenged by a Labour activists to support these regulations. Bizarre.'

Since Cllr Rachel Eden has taken over the housing brief from her colleague Cllr Deborah Edwards Labour's housing policy seems to have been slightly more progressive although there still are major problems with Labour's approach to housing. For example, Cllr Eden's plan to increase support for homeless people in Reading, is welcome. However, her planned cuts to Sheltered Housing, are not.

Back to the private rented sector, we learn today that Cllr Eden has dropped Labour's previous opposition to the scheme, declaring in an RBC press release today:

"This initiative is one example of the Council working with landlords and other agencies to increase the availability of good quality, private rented accommodation for Reading's residents. Accreditation is a mark of commitment by landlords to delivering decent accommodation."

I'm pleased Cllr Eden has seen for herself the benefit of the scheme we launched last year and has belatedly given it her backing publicly.

Whether or not her colleagues have now dropped their thoughtless opposition to it, remains to be seen.

For the sake of Reading tenants, landlords and taxpayers this successful scheme should stay.

When it comes to health, Reading Labour would always rather play politics

2011-10-19T05:31:00.000-07:00

Last night at full Council Cllr Bet Tickner, Labour Lead Councillor Health tabled the following motion:

“This Council notes that:

Through the Health and Social Care Bill, the Government is currently pushing through the biggest and most disruptive reorganisation in the history of the NHS, at a cost of £2bn.
The Bill removes the fundamental responsibility of the Secretary of State for Health to provide a health service free at the point of need.
Despite the “listening exercise” over this last summer the bill will still put decisions about the future of the NHS in the hands of EU competition lawyers and allow private healthcare companies to make major inroads into NHS provision.
The Bill is designed to produce a postcode lottery of care, with potentially two commissioning consortia operating within Reading Borough, and would allow NHS trusts to treat as many private patients as they wish, so long waiting times would be back for very many Reading patients.
The messy reorganisation set out in the bill is not only costly, but will cause massive anxiety among all dedicated NHS staff over a prolonged period, in addition to the job losses, cuts in pay and projected costs in pensions which are being implemented at the Royal Berkshire Hospital and elsewhere in the NHS locally.
The Bill creates more quangos with unclear roles, meaning more money spent on bureaucracy, not less.
The NHS was cut in real terms by £800m in 2010-11, despite the Government’s promise to give the NHS a real rise in funding every year of this Parliament, and to stop top-down reorganisations of the NHS.

In view of the detrimental affect of the above on Reading residents, this Council resolves:

To write directly to the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary urging them to scrap the Health and Social Care Bill.
To urge Members of the House of Lords who oppose this Bill to seek to amend radically those provisions which directly threaten the very foundations of the NHS.

We voted against this motion. Below is the speech I gave in response.

'It is with dismay that once again Labour councillors are using valuable time in the Council Chamber to make a party political broadcast.

How does this debate help the people of Reading we are supposed to represent?

If we are to believe Labour genuinely care about our NHS

Where were the motions attacking the previous Labour government’s marketization of the health service – which enabled private providers to be paid more than those from the public sector,

Where were the motions attacking the target-driven culture which grew up under Labour and which led to failings in basic care such Mid Staffordshire?

Where were the motions attacking the £20 billion-pound of taxpayers money Labour wasted on a failed NHS IT system ?

Where were the motions attacking the 66% rise in the number of NHS managers – six times as fast as the number of Nurses – under a Labour Government?

There are no shortage of health issues where it would be helpful if the Labour councillors supposedly running this Council took a lead

Reading is a town with massive health inequalities

Children from poorer backgrounds have worse health than those in other areas

And people in poorer areas die younger

People in Reading suffer more early deaths from heart disease and Stroke

There are more teenage pregnancies

These should be the issues occupying us as councillors

And yet we have a lead member for health who spends more time politicking then getting down to work to improve health outcomes for all our residents

This motion says more about Labour’s political priorities than it does the real issues facing residents

It was a liberal, working in a Coalition, who first imagined the NHS and its values of healthcare available to all, free at point of delivery, based on clinical need, not ability to pay.

And so we on this have more faith in Dame Shirley Williams and her colleagues in the House of Lords doing whatever is necessary to safeguard the NHS both and in the future than we do in Reading Labour Party. '

We must keep fighting to support Reading's Carers

2011-10-19T04:37:00.000-07:00

Last night the Council agreed two important motions calling for justice and action to support two vulnerable groups in our community: Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender people and Reading Gurkhas and their families.

I was delighted to support both.

In the same meeting I spoke up for another group of unsung heroes: carers.

Over the past couple of years I have actively campaigned to raise the profile of issues facing carers and improve the lives of carers in Reading.

The carers I have met here have been some of the most selfless people I have ever encountered. I am grateful to them for sharing their struggles with me so I can better understand the challenges they face.

My Grandfather cared for my Grandmother in the last years of her life and I honour his memory in part by standing up for others who give up their time to care for their loved ones.

We are lucky that in Government we have a Liberal Democrat Minister in Paul Burstow standing up for carers. When he visited Reading in April I took him to meet a couple who had benefited from direct payments for carers - something he is pushing to extend to more people.

Last night I tabled a question asking for an estimate of the total number of carers in Reading and to outline the steps the administration is taking to identify carers and ensure they get access to services of the total population.

I did this because I want to ensure that carers in Reading remain at the top of the political agenda regardless of which political party or parties are running the Council.

The answer I got confirmed that at the last count (2011 Census) 10,854 people in Reading were carers - 7.6% of the total population. Reading's total population has grown since 2001 and currently estimated to be around 154,000. This suggests there are between 11,873 and 16,972 carers in Reading.

We await the results of the 2011 Census but it is highly likely that the actual number of carers in Reading is even higher.

In 2010, nearly 1,599 carers benefited from receiving an assessment or review of their needs through Adult Social Care. This puts Reading in the top 25 % per cent of similar local authorities.
RBC has 307 identified young carers in Reading receiving support from our youth team - a 46% increase on the number identified in 2010.
The number of carers benefiting from a Direct Payment to meet their own support needs has quadrupled in the three years to 2010/11 through the Council's Carers' Breaks and Opportunities Fund.

In my supplementary question I pointed out that last year in response to demand I agreed an increase of £50,000 over above the agreed budget of the Carer's Breaks and Opportunities Fund to ensure that carers got the breaks they need in response to increases and in many cases previously unmet need.

A survey of Reading carers in 2010 found that the number one priority for local carers is supporting carers to get breaks.

When I was Lead Member or Adult Social Care I placed support for carers at the heart of our policies. I asked the Lead Member if he would undertake to do the same when he sets next year's budget.

I was pleased to hear the current Labour lead councillor Cllr Orton confirm that I did indeed increase the budget and that he would seek to maintain spending carers breaks at current levels.

Stop Labour's Stealthy Cuts to Reading's Sheltered Housing

2011-09-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

This week without a fanfare - no press release - Reading Council's Labour administration launched a consultation on sheltered housing.

It is available here on the Council's website.

The Sheltered Housing Services Consultation asks for views on the current service and the proposed changes at 10 of the Council's sheltered housing schemes.

The proposals include:

changes to the amount of support time provided.
changes to the Sheltered Housing Officer's working week
the promotion of activities across all the schemes
opening up some of the schemes to people under the retirement age who need specialist housing support
views on the current night service

This may sound like a consultation about how to improve the service.

It isn't.

It's a precursor to planned cuts in services.

However, perusal of the documentation reveals the main driver: saving money:

"We have taken into account that we spend a large amount of money on support for older people in sheltered housing. Currently £721,860 is spent on support for 635 tenants in 21 sheltered housing schemes across Reading. However, sheltered housing tenants represent only 3.5% of the total population of older people in Reading."

People who live in sheletered housing tend to be 60 or over.

Many of them are on low incomes.

In short these are some of Reading's most vulnerable citizens.

Labour made no mention of this in their election literature or their manifesto.

Four months into running the Council they are planning to slash services to Council tenants and in particular older Council tenants.

Were the Greens aware this is what they signed up to when they let Labour back in?

People often say you can judge a society by the way it treats its elderly..

This cut is wrong and not one Liberal Democrat councillors would have made.

Only we have pledged to protect the most vulnerable children and adults in Reading.

We got the Council to agree to this at the last meeting.

How quickly Labour councillors have forgotten.

I have launched this petition - please sign it here.

Action overdue to combat child poverty and health inequality in Reading

2011-07-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

Get Reading today carries an article based on this year's Annual Health Profile which shows that public health in Reading continues to be significantly worse than other parts of the UK and health inequality continues to be a major issue.

This is not news but the fact that health inequality is still such a major issue should concern all of us.

Locally I have led calls for action by both Reading Borough Council and local health partners to close the gap - and in particular do more to reduce the impact poverty is having on children's health.

Two years ago I co-chaired a cross-party scrutiny review into this issue with Cllr Mark Ralph (Conservative) which made a series of recommendations to Labour councillors.

Our review reported just ahead of the General Election and disgracefully some Labour councillors
tried to use it as a political football - no doubt in an attempt to deflect attention from their failings in office.

The new Labour Lead Councillor, Cllr Tickner is pledging to take a hard look at the issue - which is very welcome.

Sadly, the new Labour administration has already signalled that tackling child poverty is not a priority and Cllr Tickner herself led plans to divert funding away from helping charities support children in poverty to community cohesion.

I really hope that as they become more familiar with the facts about the reality of child poverty in Reading Labour councillors will change their minds and resolve to take action.

The Coalition Government is restoring powers and responsibility for improving public health back to councils - a move not seen since the Victorian era.

For the first time councils will receive funding to improve public health in their area - according to level of health need.

So far Labour councillors have spoken out against every aspect of proposed health reforms.

When it comes to something as important as public health I really hope Cllr Tickner and her colleagues will feel able to put politics to one side and use new powers and new funding to fight poverty and the impact it has on health of children and adults across Reading.

Reading Labour's Political Priorities

2011-07-17T06:24:00.000-07:00

Labour councillors were keen to point out to those of us in attendance at Cabinet on Monday that they had different, superior, priorities from the previous Lib Dem - Conservative Coalition administration of the Council.

We were given a steer about Labour's priorities at the June Cabinet meeting but Monday evening's meeting was where the rubber hit the road, so to speak and smoke began to clear about what Labour priorities will really mean for residents.

And, as laudable and popular as many Labour priorities may seem - and some of them we are very happy to support - the reality is that for the residents of Reading the effects of reorganising the Council's budget to reflect some of them are far from benign.

On Monday, the phrase that fo me defined the evening came from the Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Tony Page:

"We won, you lost!"

He repeated this at least three times in the evening.

So much for an and to Punch and Judy politics signalled by the Leader of the Council, Cllr Lovelock at the last meeting.

But why is Cllr Page's outburst important?

Because it tells you all you need to know about the thinking behind all Labour's decisions in power.

For Labour, regardless of the subject under discussion - whether it is community cohesion, free schools, social care - everything is political.

For Readng Labour Party every decision boils down to satisfying particular interest groups or groups of voters.

Ensuring that these groups or individuals are not disadvantaged by any decisions lies behind every decision Labour councillors take.

And if you are not in Labour's list by virtue of your background, location or voting habits you will not benefit.

To give Labour credit this is a highly effective politicial strategy.

But what it is not is a recipe for good, ethical government.

And it is in fact very bad news for taxpayers and everyone who relies on Council services.

Turning to Cabinet, what did we learn from Monday evening's exchanges about Labour's real political priorities?

1. Reducing child poverty is not a priority for a Labour administration

Read documents about Labour's priorities for the year and you will not see child poverty identified anywhere as an issue that needs to be addressed.

On Monday Labour councillors did not bat an eye lid when public money previously ear marked for tackling child poverty was 'reallocated' towards funding Reading Council for Racial Equality and a vague notion improving community cohesion.

Improving community cohesion and promoting equality is one thing but why do other areas of Council activity have to suffer in order to deliver it?

The fact is the number of children living in poverty rising to one quarter when Reading had a Labour government and a Labour Council.

Last December, one of Reading Borough Council's longest-serving Labour councillors Cllr Mike Orton, who represents one of the most deprived wards in Reading said he was horrified at the levels of child poverty in our area.

And yet, he along with his Labour Cabinet colleagues agreed to this dreadful cut.

I questioned this decision and was roundly attacked by Labour councillors in the meeting.

This latest decision however follows a clear pattern of spending by Labour.

They have a long history of spending large amounts of public money on projects and areas where spending is not tied to any particular outcomes or objectives.

Lack of transparency over decision-making in the Council before has made this hard to question but recent development led by Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors have made Labour's ability to avoid public scrutiny much more difficult.

Furthermore, Labour may have got away with throwing good money after bad in in the past but at a time when all public spending is being reduced their approach looks reckless.

Nationally, the Coalition Government has signalled that cutting child poverty is a priority with the publication of a Child Poverty Strategy, increased early intervention and improvements to years education, and the launch of the Pupil Premimum which will see spending on the poorest children in Reading rise significantly.

2. Labour councillors are in favour redistribution of wealth: from those on low or middle incomes to those on high incomes:

Labour's Cabinet approved plans for Council Taxpayers to foot 70% of the bill for people with savings over the minimum threshold to attend day centres. I am aware of at least one case of someone with in excess of £100,000 savings who will benefit from this - part of Labour's pre-election bribes.

This generous move (who wouldn't want to introduce it?) will set the Council back £123k adding more pressure to the Social Care budget which is already facing in-year demand pressures of just under £400k through demand pressures alone.

Labour councillors also agreed to scrap Green Waste charges and revert to a situation where thousands of people with no gardens will subsidise residents who do. This move will add £180k to this year's budget.

Labour councillors rejected a proposal put forward by officers whereby people on low incomes should get concessions on the charge preferring to introduce a scheme whereby some of Reading's wealthiest residents will be subsidised to get free collections by some of the town's poorest Council Tax payers on low and fixed incomes.

3. Arts , Parks and Planning are not priorities for the Labour administration:

On Monday we learned that Labour's free green waste election pledge will be funded by:

70k from Cultural Head of Service staffing budget
£40k from restructure of Cultural Services
£30k from Parks and ground maintenance efficiencies and seasonal maintenance
£30k from Planning Delivery Grant
£10k from Joint Strategic Planning Unit

These cuts were tabled at short notice at Cabinet making detailed pre-scrutiny by opposition councillors impossible.

To suggest these cuts will not affect front-line services is laughable given we know they involve job losses and reductions in services.

4. Labour have no plans to bring back their 'gold standard' concessionary fares scheme.

Labour councillors pledged to reinstate concessionary fares only for people with Access Passes (5,000 residents) - funded through a one off £65k windfall to the Council's coffers via Bus Lane fines, something we are happy to support and something we would have done had the money been available.

Labour made clear they have no plans to reinstate concessionary fares for the 30,000 or so pensioners.

This would cost the Council £300k.

5. Labour's idea of consultation: agree consultation behind closed doors first

The Lead Councillor described as 'politically neutral' a letter that was circulated by a Labour councillor to residents before Cabinet had even met to agree a public consultation should take place on the issue.

Is this what Labour councillors mean by 'a fair, open and transparent process' to consultation as set out in their Priorities for the year at June Cabinet meeting?

6. Labour councillors have no idea how much their pre-election pledges on changes to Residents Parking will cost.

When we took control of the Council last May, Labour's Residents Parking Scheme was running a deficit of £300k.

Labour are reviewing the new scheme but made no promises about delivering any changes.

A report will be brought forward to September Cabinet about the financial impact of Labour's planned changes to the scheme.

7. Labour's approach to promoting community cohesion and equality under the microscope

Despite an independent review of their own community cohesion policies in 2007 which identified a number of flaws in the Council's approach to promoting equality (including LGBT equality) Labour councillors are only now getting round to promoting the full range of equalities.

Labour councillors have agreed to fund RCRE by a further £45,000 on 'a defined piece of work to be agreed with the Head of Policy, Performance and Community but failed to restore RCRE's core funding grant as according to the Cabinet report on the issue the service outlined in the service level agreement 'was limited to race equality, where a wider equalities perspective is now envisaged'.

Labour councillors have agreed to set up a new equalities body which will...scrutinise the Council among other public bodies (despite being dependent on the Council for all it's funding).

8. Absent Friends

Finally, it's easy in the discussion of Labour's priorities to forget the two councillors that helped make all the above happen: the Greens.

Their two councillors didn't turn up to Cabinet on Monday and once again where absent during discussions about the Council's Budget.

It's possible to draw several conclusions from this and I'm afraid none of them are positive.

At the moment, Reading's Labour councillors are tweaking this year's budget.

The budget we successfully set without closing a single library, sure start centre or leisure service.

For Labour this is the easy part.

But as we speak, officers are preparing options for next years budget.

As I explained last month this will involve needing to find at least £9 million pounds worth of savings or potentially more if they don't stick to our budget.

Behind the scenes Labour councillors are already preparing the ground to make massive cuts to key services in Reading.

The time to start worrying about the future of those areas we have highlighted which are clearly not priorities to Reading Labour' Party's Town Hall bosses is now.

Reading Labour play politics with Welfare - again

2011-07-16T04:01:00.000-07:00

It's disappointing to see that less than two months into the job Labour's new Lead Member for Housing, Cllr Eden, seeking to make political capital out of Welfare in Get Reading this week, a tried and tested tactic of her Party.

A lead councillor in Reading is calling on the town’s two MPs to oppose plans to put a cap on housing benefit.

Councillor Rachel Eden, lead member for housing and neighbourhoods, said Government welfare reforms could make 40,000 families homeless and put a huge burden on council finances.

The reforms cap the level of housing benefit which would mean in expensive areas, the benefit may no long meet the actual cost of rent.

Cllr Eden said: “Here in Reading we’ve known for months that the Government’s proposals would be likely to strain the council’s resources, while causing problems for many residents. I am calling on Reading’s MPs to meet with us and to withdraw their support for these proposals .”

The issue of changes to Welfare is an important one and we should be concerned about.

I and many other Liberal Democrats have real concerns about the impact some of the changes to welfare policies families and vulnerable people.

I and others have raised these issues with our MPs and Ministers and they are well aware of the need to get them right.

Labour councillors and MPs, on the other hand need to face facts: they went into the last General Election planning to cut welfare and pledging specifically, to cut housing benefit.

The way to address genuine concerns about these changes is to engage properly with MPs and to champion these issues in Parliament as a number of Lib Dem MPs such as Jenny Willott and John Leech have continued to do.

The way not to do as Cllr Eden has done is via cheap newspaper headlines which seek to spread concern amongst some of the poorest people in our community.

When I was Lead Member I worked hard to build good relationships with both Reading MPs because I felt strongly, and still do, that the the needs of residents should come ahead of party politics.

The approach I and other Lib Dem councillors took led to increased funding for a number of key housing projects including the regeneration of Dee Park and building of much needed extra-care homes on the former Avenue School site in Katesgrove.

Cllr Eden, in her failure to articulate a) her Party's real position and b) accept her Party's responsibility for the financial crisis that has led to a need to reduce public debt so dramatically does nothing to to move the debate forward or help those who may be affected.

I'm sure this is a well intentioned error by Cllr Eden who is new at her role and as such does not shoulder the entire blame for this mistaken position.

Hers is simply the latest in a long line of hypocritical attacks by Reading Labour politicians.

Last November, when I wasLead Member for the same area and proposed reforms to housing benefit were announced Cllr Pete Ruhemann, the Labour Group's longstanding 'official press spokesperson' took to the airwaves claiming that London Boroughs were already block-booking rooms in Reading as a result of people being forced to move out of London due to benefits changes.

He did not have the imagination to think up this line it was being spun by the Labour Party nationally too: I was rung up by the Daily Mail on the back of this story and when I investigated with officers at the Council it proved to be whollywithout foundation.

All Cllr Ruhemann's comments did was to increase fears amongst people living on some of the lowest incomes in Reading.

Which is just what Cllr Eden is doing.

Disgraceful.

Let's be clear, these attitudes are expounded by councillors from a political party that was committed to making £44 billion pounds worth of cuts going into the last general election.

Ex Welfare Minister James Purnell admitted Labour planned to make cuts to Welfare and he wished he had gone further.

And both Cllr Eden and Cllr Ruheman come from a Party which fought the last General Election on a platform of pledging to cap housing benefit.

So, in future, when it comes to Welfare a bit more honesty, a bit less piety and a lot less politicking from our Labour councillors would make a nice change

Lib Dems in Government invest in greener Reading

2011-07-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

Good to see the announcement by Norman Baker MP, Lib Dem transport minister earlier today that Reading is set to benefit from government cash to develop greener solutions to transport issues via the Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

Devolving transport decisions to councils has long been a Lib Dem policy priority. As has been investing in low-carbon transport solutions.

The thinking behind the LSTF was included in the transport section of the Coalition Agreement:

"We will support sustainable travel initiatives, including the promotion of cycling and walking, and will encourage joint working between bus operators and local authorities."

Reading Borough Council when under Coalition control submitted an ambitious, forward-thinking bid to the fund and has been successful to the tune of just under £5 million pounds of additional investment in transport solutions in our area.

This will go towards developing a new bike hire scheme for Reading, which could eventually include around 1,000 bicycles available for hire at 100 - 150 docking locations across the town.

Other key elements of Reading's successful bid were:

Better and more effective 'real time' passenger information by linking transport databases
Packages to encourage walking and cycling through improved street lighting, speed limit reviews, dropped kerbs and cycle training
Making travelling around Reading easier for people by extending 'smart ticketing' to include car parking and bicycle hire, all on the one smartcard
More discounts and incentives, route extensions and expanded park and ride opportunities.

Commenting, Norman Baker MP said:

“I am delighted to be able to fund these excellent projects.
“All the winning schemes have one thing in common – they will help build strong local economies while addressing the urgent challenge of climate change.

“We have empowered local authorities to create packages of sustainable initiatives that are tailored for their local areas, and this is only the beginning – even more funding will be announced next summer following a second round of bids.”

We will be pushing the Labour administration of the Council to use this investment innovatively and wisely to help deliver a greener Reading for residents and visitors.

7,922 Reasons for Action on Affordable Housing in Reading

2011-07-02T06:32:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I tabled the following question to the Labour Lead Councillor for Housing:

“What steps does the Lead Councillor plan to take to address housing need in the Borough after 24 years of failure by Labour to new Council homes in Reading?”

I was attacked by Labour activists for 'bringing my political campaigning agenda' into the Council.

I make no apologies for that - after all as an opposition councillor that is what I'm there for!

I will continue to fight to get this issue on the Labour Council's agenda because lack of affordable housing is a real problem for thousands of people who live in our area.

I was pleased to hear the Lead Councillor agree to look at 'all options' to increase the supply of affordable housing although disappointed she failed to set any target for increasing the supply of Council properties.

We will be holding her and the Labour administration to account to ensure they deliver for thousands of people waiting for housing.

Officers have confirmed that there are currently just under 8,000 people stuck on the housing register in Reading.

And people who are on the list face a very long wait:

There are currently 238 x3 bed homes available to rent – average waiting time 1 and half years
The are 44 x4 bed homes currently available to rent – average wait – 21 months

I have been raising the the problem we face of lack of family-sized homes for social rent for several years now.

Many families are living in seriously overcrowded homes and so far I've been the only politician in Reading to raise this issue and force councillors and officers to look at the issue of under-occupancy.

This problem was exacerbated by the Right to Buy policy introduced under the Conservative government and continue by the previous Labour government which saw thousands of family-sized council homes sold off and not replaced.

In Reading in recent years the majority of new homes that have been built have been executive flats in the town centre - failing to address the need for larger affordable properties for families.

Finally, some facts:

Last year the Coalition Administration of the Council brought about the construction of Reading's first new Council Homes for twenty years.

Labour's original scheme was for this development to be owned and managed by a housing association.

In government Labour’s total net increase in social housing stock was less than 20,000 – and waiting lists rose by 800,000 because they sold off more Council homes than they built

The Coalition Government has pledged to increase social housing supply by more each year than Labour achieved in thirteen years added together.

Campaigning for better facilities for residents in Southcote

2011-07-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I popped down to Coronation Square in Southcote to support a campaign being led by local Lib Dem campaigner Dave Warren to get the Council to ensure developers include delivery of new community facility as part of the redevelopment of the former Happy Prospect pub site.

It was great to catch up with Dave who along with local shopkeepers and residents is collecting signatures for a petition to Reading Borough Council to be presented later this year.

Clearly it is important to provide more housing on the site but given the loss of a pub is also the loss of a local community facility there also should be some compensation for residents who live in the area.

Hard copies of the petition are being circulated but you can also sign it online here.

Dave is a great community activist who lives in the heart of Southcote and cares deeply about his area.

I was shocked the way that Cllr Pete Ruhemann, local Labour councillor for the area tried to misepresent the campaign at the full Council meeting.

This was totally uncalled for and not what I would expect from someone who is both a ward councillor for the area and Chair of the Planning Applications Committee.

Doing this hardly encourages residents to get involved in improving their neighbourhoods.

I hope going forward Labour councillors can put politics aside and support Dave's campaign

Anyway, it was good to speak to local shopkeepers in the area today and hear of their support for what we are doing.

This is the latest in a series of things local Lib Dems have have done to improve Southcote for residents.

In fact, Lib Dems have led improvements in Southcote in recent times via the Council's innovative Decent Neighbourhoods Fund, including:

Funding of a water supply to enable an allotments project to proceed in Southcote (part of the ‘Surf and Turf’ initiative)
Delivering a new outdoor gym specifically aimed at older people. Improvements to the nearby children’s play area are an additional part of this project.
Additional street lighting

We also supported the local GrowAllot Campaign for a community allotment and it was great to see this win funding for the project from the Big Lottery Fund.

We'd love to hear from residents who would like to get involved in our campaigns to improve Southcote after years of neglect by Labour councillors for the area.

Please join us on Facebook or contact me.

Gurkha Justice Campaign

2011-07-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

This morning I was privileged to be invited to the launch of the British Gurkhas Ex-Serviceman Assocation campaign for justice held at the Wycliffe Church in East Reading.

I have been involved with Reading Gurkhas through my colleague Tilehurst Lib Dem Cllr Peter Beard who helped set up the Forgotten British Gurkha charity.

Although Gurkhas were granted indefinite leave to remain following the campaign led by Joanna Lumley and supported by Nick Clegg they currently do not have full British citizenship and associated rights i.e. pension rights.

We heard at the meeting that on a visit to Reading David Cameron pledged to act but that since then he has done nothing.

I was asked to say a few words at the meeting and I promised to take up the matter with Nick Harvey MP, Lib Dem Armed Services Minister and Nick Clegg MP.

The Association launched a nationwide petition today that I have signed. The launch was attended by former Conservative councillor Tom Steele and Cllr Rob White, leader of the Green Party.

I did not see any local Labour councillors at the meeting although Cllr Bet Tickner (Lead Councillor, Communities) was invited by the organisers.

Perhaps it was not one of her 'favourite' community groups.

This is a pity as the Nepalese community in Reading, comprising many ex-servicemen and their families is large and growing.

In recognition of this the Coalition administration of Reading Borough Council awarded grant funding to the Nepalese Community as part of the Council's grants to the voluntary sector. The first of it's kind.

I have requested that the issue of how we respond to the needs of migrant communities is added to the Council['s Internal Scrutiny Commission's list of issues to investigate.

Backing carers - Reading's hidden heroes

2011-06-25T05:45:00.000-07:00

Today an elderly constituent I've known for many years and who I have assisted with various local issues came to visit me at our ward surgery.

We talked about the issue she had come to raise (relating to planning) and after a few minutes it transpired that she had recently become a full-time carer to her husband.

I had no idea about this and as I asked her about what support she was getting at home.

It soon became clear that not only was she not getting any support but that she didn't realise that she was entitled to any.

I asked her when the last time was she had a day off.

She told me she couldn't remember.

When I probed a bit further she said she had been forced to rearrange the house so they could both sleep downstairs as due to disability her husband couldn't get up the stairs anymore.

They have a bath but a shower would be more convenient.
Her neighbour was able to help her with a few things including getting the shopping.

I immediately made a note of her needs and said I would ask the Council's social services team to contact her to see what support she could be given.

It struck me that had I not digged deeper I might never have found out that my constituent was a carer.

It is not something that people will always bring up in conversation in the street or on the doorstep.

That is why I make a point of saying to people that I am here to help them whenever I am out and about in the ward.

But it is not possible for me as a councillor to speak to every single resident.

This is a major challenge for the Council: how to respond to the needs of a resident who is not 'in the system' who they are not aware of.

It got me thinking about the numbers of residents who carer for family, friends and neighbours in Reading, soldiering on in often difficult circumstances and what we can do to support them better.

Talking to my constituent it became obvious that it had not occured to her to ask me or the Council for help.

This was partly because she didn't think she needed it (she felt as a wife of 30 years plus it was just something she had to do) and partly because she didn't know help was available.

This is evidence of the work that still needs to be done to publicise support for carers and to do more to encourage carers to come forward.

When I was Lead Member for Social Care I placed support for carers at the heart of our approach.

Our agenda was not simply about supporting carers in their role but helping them live their own lives.

What did this mean in practice?

Answer - supporting people to get breaks by giving them access to funded respite care and a personal budget to spend on things that help them live their lives.

I have met carers who have benefited from this approach - many of whom carried on in silence for years because they didn't know support was out there for them.

This made me feel even more strongly that we must not overlook people who care for others in their own homes.

And with an ageing population the number of people who do this is set to increase.

I have personal experience of family members who have been carers and their selflessness has made a big impact on me.

In March I wrote on my blog:

"As an administration we are committed to placing support for carers at the heart of all our policies and at the top of our local agenda for transforming community care."

I said this because despite the fact Labour councillors regularly congratulate themselves on their social care record the reality is (backed up by the Council's own research) was that Council policies failed to meet the needs of carers.

When I led this portfolio I increased support for carers while other councils were cutting it.

Cutting support for carers was not something me or other members of the Lib Dem - Conservative Coalition Administration were prepared to do.

Whilst councils rightly focus on people who receive formal social care they must not ignore those people who currently fall outside the system.

A survey of 900 carers by the Council in 2010 (when it was controlled by Labour) identified the following key areas for action:

Supporting carers to get breaks
Promoting the take-up of Direct Payments from the Carers
Offering back up support for carers in an emergency
Helping new and existing carers access information and guidance on support and services.

Work I kicked off this year to respond to identified needs of local carers includes:

Continuing the Carers Steering Group to ensure local agencies continue to collaborate for the benefit of carers
Making a positive contribution by ensuring carers are including in service development
Improved quality of life through raising awareness of services available and to engage with other providers to negotiate better access to services for carers
Encouraging take up from underrepresented groups, RBC has funded an additional BME carer support group to complement existing ones offered by PRT
Working with JobCentre Plus to make sure employers in Reading are aware of flexible working rights for carers
Community development work alongside the Thriving Neighbourhoods Programme to ensure carers are identified
A series of events in 2011 to link in with national events and promote carer rights, support available to them and how to access this.

At national level, Lib Dem Minister Paul Burstow has led this agenda helping to put Lib Dem values and policies around supporting carers into action.

I know Paul quite well and I know he is personally very committed to increasing support for carers which goes to the core of Lib Dem values around valuing the individual and reciprocity.

The Coalition Government’s Agreement sets out that the Government will look to provide increased support to carers particularly through:

Extending the roll-out of personal budgets to give people and their carers more control and purchasing power;
Using Direct Payments to carers and better community based provision to improve access to respite care;
Extending the right to request flexible working to all employees, consulting with business on how best to do so; and
Establishing a commission for long-term care which will consider how to ensure responsible and sustainable funding for long-term care.

In 2010 the Council estimated that there are around 11,000 carers in Reading

My guess is the actual number is even higher.

I am pleased I was able to identify a carer in my ward today and hope I will be able to play my part in helping her to have a better quality of life.

I will be challenging the Labour administration to continue to the work I led which placed carers at the heart of social care policies as I feel strongly we owe it to residents who care for others to do the best by them.

Local Stroke Services - Chair of Berkshire West PCT Responds

2011-06-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

Today I have received a response from Penny Henrion, the Chair of Berkshire West PCT, five months after my original letter raising concerns about local Stroke Services in Reading which had been heavily criticised by the independent Care Quality Commission.

In it she claims that her office never received it which is possible so I am prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt although I have a copy of the letter that was sent out by Cllr services at the Council.

Penny Henrion writes:

"The CQC report was published in January 2011 and was based on data relating to April 2009-March 2010. It therefore accurately reflects the situation during that period. However, ealy in 2010 the PCT itself undertook an analysis of local stroke services which identified the gaps in the service and led us to initiate several work streams to deal with these gaps in provision.'

The she goes on to point out 3 key projects that started by the PCT in 2010 to address deficiencies with the service:-

Stroke Patient Information Project - completed in March 2011 and delivered through consultation with stroke survivors and their carers, a comprehensive range of accessible information about stroke and the services and the resources available to improve quality of life.
The PCT has produced a simple guide for stroke survivors and their families, which is also available on the PCT's new website: http://www.berkshirestrokeservices.nhs.uk/
South Central Cardiovascular Network Stroke Project - this project due to complete in March 2012 is aimed at enhancing patient and public involvement in shaping all aspects of stroke care.
The Network which the PCT is part of, is aiming to establish at least one patient/carer user group for each Acute Hospital Trust in the region to create a forum for patients and carers to influence the provision of stroke services in their area.
Stroke Reviews: work is underway to identify the appropriate local service model for the provision of reviews for stroke survivors in the community.

Ms Henrion finishes the letter by stating her commitment to 'continued joint working to improve health and welbeing in Berkshire West' and offering a meeting.

This is very welcome.

I am really pleased to that the PCT are taking a series of steps to improve services for local residents who are victims of Stroke.

However, I make no apology for raising concerns both in January and again this month.

I believe it is vital that unelected PCTs are held to account for the health services they provide.

Wake up call on housing and mental health

2011-06-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

Shelter have published worrying statistics on the link between housing and mental health.

The YouGov survey found 18 million people (38 per cent) in Britain believe housing costs cause stress and depression in their family.

This is a rise of seven million people (15 per cent) since 2009.

Shelter commissioned YouGov to investigate how the risk of repossession and rent rises are affecting people.

The survey also found that:

More than 13 million people (28 per cent) said they keep up with their rent or mortgage without any difficulty, a drop from 19 million people (41 per cent) in 2009.

12 million people (26 per cent) have reduced the amount they spend on food to help pay their housing costs.

These stats are terrible but they do not surprise me, in fact they back up 100 % what I am finding in my mailbag and on the doorstep.

Lack of access to cheap housing is a major cause of stress to local families.

I have tabled a question to the next Council meeting asking the Lead Member for Housing, Rachel Eden what she is going to do to increase the supply of affordable housing in Reading.

With around 8,000 people waiting for access to housing on the Council's housing register the Council must do everything it can to increase housing supply.

As I blogged earlier in the week, Ed Miliband has no policies to take this.

This is not a new problem - for 13 years Labour failed to tackle it.

The Coalition has set ambitious targets to increase the supply of new homes - we will be campaigning to ensure they deliver on this.

A Green Deal for Reading: but will Labour flunk it?

2011-06-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

Andrew Stunell MP, Lib Dem Minister for Local Government who visited Reading a couple of month ago was right to highlight the fact that 40% of carbon emissions each year are generated by existing buildings.

The Government's Green Deal - a key plank of the Lib Dem General Election Manifesto of 2010 is the first major step towards tackling fuel poverty and cutting harmful carbon emissions in housing across all sectors by improving energy by any British government and no amount of carping by Labour politicians makes up for their abysmal lack of action in this area.

I find it deeply depressing that, less than a month into her new job, that the new Labour Lead Member for Housing is already preparing excuses as to why things can't happen (to cover up her own inaction) rather than leading on this agenda.

No scheme of this scale is likely to be 100% perfect but rather than whingeing it is up to councillors and councils to make the best of what is available and champion opportunities for local residents and businesses presented by the Green Deal , not sit back and wait for government handouts.

When we ran the Council we led the agenda and didn't delegate thinking about solutions to Council officers.

Visitors to the Council tell me that the new administration lacks ambition in this area. This is very bad news for residents.

Those of us keen to do something about carbon emissions and housing waited 13 years for the last Labour government to make progress on this agenda and they comprehensively failed.

Somehow I do not think this project would have survived Alistair Darling's planned cuts to public spending (£40bn) given we know that Ed Balls and others failed to commit to carbon reduction targets during the Coalition negotiations.

Enough about politics - what is the Green Deal?

The Green Deal will become available in 2012 will help householders improve the energy efficiency of their homes at no upfront cost.
By allowing them to pay for green home improvements over time rather than upfront, through the savings in energy bills, it will remove one of the biggest barriers they currently face to retrofitting - being able to afford the initial investment.
Feed-in Tariffs are available to support homes in generating their own renewable electricity, and support for renewable heat will be available for homes.
Looking to the future, the Government's policy on Zero Carbon means that from 2016, new homes will need to be built to a zero carbon standard (and all non-domestic buildings from 2019).

The Coalition administration of Reading Borough Council set out a ambitious vision on the green agenda including in relation to housing.

From what I hear Labour's silo mentality has already kicked in with officers firmly back in the driving seat.

We made it clear tackling climate change was everybody's business in the Council and we will continue to campaign for residents in Reading to realise the full benefits of all the Green Deal has to offer.

Post-Stroke NHS services in Berkshire West

2011-06-13T04:44:00.000-07:00

Back in January I called for action to be taken to improve local post-Stroke services for patients after the publication of a highly-critical report by the Care Quality Commission.

In that report, Berkshire West PCT (which serves Reading) was rated 127 out of 151 PCTs in England. Services in neighbouring Berkshire East were found to be even worse.

The report was circulated to members of the Council's Community Care, Housing & Health Panel but as far as I'm aware the then Labour Chair of the Committee, Cllr Mike Orton did not investigate the issue further.

I wrote to the Chair of the PCT, Penny Henrion in my capacity as then Lead Member for Health expressing my concerns and asking her what steps were being taken to improve patient care in a number of key areas:

Providing a range of information for patients who have suffered a stroke (score – 1 out of a possible 5)
Involving stroke survivors and carers in planning and developing stroke services (score – 1 out of a possible 5)
Helping people to participate in community life (score 1 out of a possible 5)
Helping people to choose services they want (score 1 out of a possible 5)
Reviewing progress after people have left hospital (score 2).

I waited for a response from Ms Henrion but am sorry to say I did not recieve one.

So much for accountability in our local health services!

I have emailed Ms Henrion again today asking for a response and an update on this important issue which impacts on thousands of Reading residents.

Homes not headlines - in search of credible housing policies

2011-06-13T03:12:00.000-07:00

I read with interest today that Ed Miliband is set to talk about a radical new housing policy, in his 'fightback' speech today.

On closer inspection it seems he is simply going to argue for tweaks to councils allocations policies in favour of more 'deserving' households in an attempt to redistribute homes more fairly:

"One area where people’s sense of fairness is under threat is social housing,’ he will say. ‘In Manchester, as well as helping the most vulnerable families and disabled people with housing, they prioritise households who are giving something back to their communities – making a contribution – for example, people who work for or run local voluntary organisations. They also look to reward people who have been good tenants in the past and who have paid their rent on time and never been involved in any antisocial behaviour.’

Whilst laudable his stance misses the point entirely.

Miliband's pronouncement is the latest in a long line of ill-thought out housing policy announcements which fail to address the key issue facing UK housing policy: that of lack of supply.

Recent examples of this approach which appears to be motivated by a desire to grab the headlines rather solve housing problems:

The last (Labour) government changed the rules to enable councils to develop their own allocations policies.
The current government via the Localism Bill is bringing in new powers to enable Councils to vary the length of tenure from fixed term to lifetime.
Last week Tory ministers floated the idea of evicting Council tenants earning over £100,000.

At most these changes will make a few thousand more homes available to people but the downside is they could also potentially displace needy people.

Not only that, talking in the newspapers about who should get access to social housing contributes to a myth that people living in social housing now shouldn't be there.

This breeds mistrust and resentment between individuals and communities.

In short, it's not helpful and it does not solve the problem of housing.

I am no expert but I can tell you that five years as a local councillor has taught me not that the wrong people are getting social housing, but there simply is not enough of it to go round.

This is not a moral issue about deserving versus undeserving.

Surely the real issue is one of affordability - people who can afford to own their homes are the exception not the rule in many communities.

The number of first time buyers has fallen and buying a home is out of reach for many young people.

In Reading, families can wait for many years to access social housing that meets there needs.

The wait for family-sized housing - 3-4 bed homes is by far the longest.

There is barely a week that goes when a family doesn't contact me in distress stuck on the Council's housing waiting list desperate to move into larger or more suitable accomodation.

What hope for them?

When I was Lead Member for Housing I was proud to deliver the first new Council homes in Reading for twenty years.

But I realised this was just the start and will only go one small step towards meeting demand for housing.

At the next Council meeting I will be challenging the new Labour Lead Councillor to do more.

There are various ways you can do this and they don't all involve building new homes.

Tackling the problem of empty homes is one, underoccupancy another.

Labour's record on increasing housing supply is not good:

Labour sold off almost as many houses as they built (over half a million homes sold).
Labour's total net increase in social housing stock was less than 20,000
Between 1997-2010 waiting lists for social housing rose by 800,000

But that was then, this is now, and with less public money around it is going to be much harder for Councils, housing associations and developers to build new homes.

The Coalition Government has set itself a tough target:

'to increase social housing supply by more each year than Labour achieved in thirteen years added together (Andrew Stunell MP).

I really hope the government meets or ideally exceeds this target. What is clear, however, is that simply tweaking the way councils allocate homes will not be enough.

Update

Officers have confirmed there are currently just under 8,000 people registered with the Council for social housing in Reading alone.

Campaign Success

2011-06-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

The campaign I led to get Labour-run Reading Borough Council to reinstate end of term waste collections in the University area has been successful.

The Council has confirmed today that extra collections will be taking place to ensure residents do not have to put up with rubbish for weeks on end after students go home for the summer.

Labour tried to blame the cut on us, but it is they who control the Council and the services it provides to residents.

You can read more about our campaign and the background to this issue over on our ward blog.

Decisions, decisions

2011-06-09T16:41:00.000-07:00

Less than a fortnight in charge of Reading Borough Council and floundering Labour councillors are already desperately trying to pass the buck.

This week they are blaming opposition councillors for cuts to bin collections.

Former Deputy Leader of Reading Borough Council, Cllr Kirsten Bayes (who incidentally knows a thing or two about taking decisions and running the Council) puts them straight.

Meanwhile Labour are now 'reassessing' their flawed decision to go ahead with cuts to frontline services.

Reading leads the way on apprenticeships - but are Labour up to the job?

2011-06-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

Fantastic news announced earlier this week by Reading Borough Council that the percentage rise in the number of 16 to 18 year olds recruited in Reading over the last six months is the highest in south-east England.

The official press release continues:

"In the period July 2010 to January 2011 – the most up to date figures available – a total of 310 16 to 18 year olds began an apprenticeship in Reading . This is up from 155 for the same period in 2009/10.

The impressive figures equate to a 100% rise in apprenticeships starts, almost twice as much as Brighton and Hove on 52 % who lie second in the south-east 'league table' of improvements.

The sharp rise in 2010/11 mirrors improvements made in the previous year when Reading had the 5th highest rise in the South-East and is an indicator of the sustained efforts made in Reading to drive up the number of apprenticeships on offer across the town for youngsters leaving school or college.

The number of apprenticeships recruited in Reading for all age groups – which include 16-18 year olds, 19 to 24 year olds and 25-plus – totals 686. This represents a 83% year on year increase and puts Reading second in the south east.

The latest figures are a major boost for the effectiveness of partnership work between Reading Borough Council and a range of public and private sector organisations that have been working together over the past year to increase the number of apprenticeships available to Reading people...

On February 10 this year Reading launched its 100 in 100 campaign, which aimed to recruit 100 apprentices within 100 days. The 100 in 100 campaign is a partnership initiative involving, the National Apprenticeship Service, Reading UK CIC, Reading Borough Council and nine Training Providers delivering apprenticeships within Reading .

As of the end of May, 166 pledges had been made by employers to start apprenticeships. Of these 78 had actually started. "

As I said at Cabinet yesterday, our positive legacy at local level speaks for itself.

Improving life chances for all young people was a key priority for us - and in particular for my fantastic colleague Kirsten Bayes who cares passionately about this issue.

These statistics show that while we were in office we massively increased and enhanced vocational opportunities for young people in Reading.

We did this by being more proactive in relation to the involving the private sector and increased the number of apprenticeships available within the Council.

At national level the Coalition Government is investing in thousands of new vocational training places.

But we recognise that with a highly competitive jobs market there is always more we can do and should do to support young people.

I sincerely hope the new administration builds on where we left off.

However, given Labour councillors have only pledged to 'monitor progress' in relation to apprenticeships I am doubtful they posses either the imagination or the drive needed to take this important area forward.

Labour's Cuts: #1 - Frontline waste collections

2011-06-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I've long predicted that if they took control of the Council Reading Labour would cut frontline services.

Because due to their inability to manage the budget they are not capable of doing anything else.

The question then became not if they would cut services but what would get the chop first.

As I pointed out yesterday with no public consultation whatsoever Labour councillors have scrapped end of term rubbish collections from student areas.

Residents living around the University already suffer from parking problems and missed bin collections - now they will have to suffer from even worse, a massive build up of rubbish.

Thanks to Reading's Labour councillors.

The Labour councillor for Redlands reports:

"We have discovered that the cuts in the Street Care teams and services means that they are advising us that they no longer have any spare capacity to undertake additional collections at the end of term in the student areas of Redlands."

It's time she woke up and realised that Labour are running the Council and the buck stops with them.

She is responsible for this cut and thanks to her residents will now get less services for their money.

This was never one of our budget savings.

Do you really think that given we represent two of the biggest student areas in Reading we would contemplate such a cut?

We were planning increases to bin collections and recycling services.

All budgeted for and costed.

Labour are making these cuts because of short-sighted decisions such as the decision not to bring in green waste charges.

Their failure to do their homework on this policy means that the Council has already lost £80,000 from lost income.

How are Labour proposing to pay for services? Higher Council Tax? If they are expecting government handouts...er there won't be any.

This must be one of the 'alternative strategies for savings' Cllr Lovelock is talking about in her priorities for Cabinet 2011/12.
And what were the Greens' role in this?

They have allowed this to happen.

So much for openness and transparency.

Where were the details of this cut in their respective manifestos?

It didn't take them long - just one week before Labour broke their promise to involving the public in every decision.

From the Council that brought you the one-way IDR fiasco and the Shinfield Road debacle!

Their promises are not worth the paper they are written on.

Sign our petition against Labour's latest cut to frontline services here.

Labour stall on changes to visitor permits

2011-06-05T06:49:00.000-07:00

The thorny issue of changes to the Residents Parking Scheme in Reading is on the Council's Traffic Management Advisory Panel agenda next week.

And already it looks like Labour councillors are saying one thing and doing another.

A local campaign was started by residents opposed to aspects of the revised Residents Parking scheme which would split permits into two half days rather than one full day.

We listened to the concerns that were raised by residents and had we still been running the Council we would have insisted that the number of permits was doubled to 40 at the earliest opportunity.

We also had the agreement of the former lead councillor for transport, Cllr Richard Willis for this to happen.

But if you read Section 7 of the official report by Council officers going to TMAP next Thursday it appears that the new Labour administration is unlikely to do this any time soon:

"Officers have been asked to look into changing both the allocation of free visitors’ permits, with a view to increasing it to 40 half day permits, and a change in the hours the permits cover.

However there are logistical and financial issues associated with making those changes and a full report on these, plus options for introducing these changes or alternatives, will be brought to the next meeting of this panel."

The recommendation in the report is:

'That officers review the times a permit covers and numbers of visitors permits provided as part of the revised residents parking scheme and bring a recommendation to the next meeting of the Panel with a view to changing those areas of the scheme.'

The next meeting of the panel is not until September.

It is clear that the Transport department will be resisting any changes to the policy, as in the section 'Financial Implications':

''The changes to the scheme being considered in section 7 would have a more significant impact on the costs of the residents parking scheme and are not being recommended at this time.'

This conflicts with the pledge made by the Labour Leader of the Council, Cllr Jo Lovelock in her document 'Cabinet Priorities for 2011/12' which is due to be rubber-stamped by Labour councillors on Monday:

'Residents’ parking permits and discretionary permits - we will bring a report to July Cabinet on the times and numbers of visitors’ permits and also to reverse the £300 charge for discretionary permits.'

So which is right? And who is in charge of Labour's transport policy?

Either way this does not bode well for local residents who will be forced to wait even longer for these much needed changes.

We will be supporting residents and calling for changes to visitor permits to be brought in as soon as possible by the Council.

Sorry Labour, the buck stops with you

2011-06-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

The new Labour administration of the Council has finally got round to publishing their priorities for the coming year.

Below is the somewhat rambling preamble drafted by the Leader of the Council, Cllr Jo Lovelock:

"During the recent election campaign we were very clear to the public that the financial situation we find ourselves in will mean that we will have to make difficult choices.

The Conservative-led coalition Government has not only imposed severe and front loaded cuts in local government grant, but has also introduce a new way of allocating grant which disadvantages urban councils like Reading with high levels of need."

"Where we have committed to reviewing the service changes and charges introduced by the previous administration, we will find alternative strategies for savings in order to remain within the budget set for 2011/12.

For this reason, we will need to ensure that the council is restructured in a way, which promotes innovation and even greater efficiency.We will need to work with the public and council staff to ensure we can deliver on the priorities which most matter in our local communities and which protect those most in need. As this is such a major piece of work we have also created a cabinet post to focus on service delivery and improvement, who will work with other lead councillors to ensure a common direction of travel."

'Financial situation we find ourselves in'?! I think the previous Labour government bears rather a large responsibility for that, Cllr Lovelock.

Don't forget, Labour chancellor Alastair Darling pledged to make £44bn worth of cuts to public spending.

And finally, she admits Labour WILL have to make cuts to balance the budget.

For 'alternative strategies for savings'... read cuts to services

For 'restructuring the council'... read job cuts.

Sadly no detail on who or what will get the chop.

The budget agreed by Lib Dem and Conservatives in February protected the vulnerable.

So come on Labour, it's time to come clean with the public - what are these alternative savings you plan to make?

And what will you do to set the budget next year?

Some facts.

The Council's forecast budget for 2012/13 anticipates that savings of around £15 million will need to be found.
If all the savings the Lib Dem-Conservative coalition administration identified for 2011/12 are delivered according to plan then the full year impact of these savings into 2012/13 would generate savings of £5.5m which would mean the further savings to be found in 2012/13 of £14.2m would be reduced to £8.8m.

The document goes on:

"A vital role for all members of the Cabinet will be ensuring the public are fully involved in our decision making."

From the Party which brought you the one-way IDR debacle, this rings rather hollow.

If the public is going to be 'fully involved' don't you think it was time this administration told the public what it what services it plans to cut?

We all know Labour will try and blame the previous administion and the 'Conservative-led government' for any cuts they make.

Sorry Labour, you wanted to run the Council at all costs and the buck stops with you for whatever decisions or cuts you make in office.

If in doubt, launch a review

2011-06-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

'"To govern is to choose. To appear to be unable to choose is to appear to be unable to govern"

So said former Conservative chancellor Nigel Lawson MP.

I'm no fan of his, but I like the quote and I think it describes particularly well the behaviour of Reading's new or new-old Labour administration.

Politics is about choices.

What you choose to do and not do.

What services you choose to fund and not fund.

So what will Labour spend public money or rather, what services will they cut?

After they have already promised to freeze Council Tax and with a need to make many millions of pounds worth of savings next year, something's got to give.

It may not be rocket science to say this it but leadership is about exactly that - leading.

Not waiting for others to tell you what you should be doing.

Taking decisions, not just talking about them.

And occasionally, sticking your neck out.

I had plenty of experience doing this as lead member for social care.

And let me tell you it's not easy and you don't always make yourself popular.

But leading isn't about being popular - it's supposed to be about doing the right thing.

As lead councillor the clue is in the title - you're job is to 'lead' - to take decisions and stand by them.

Sometimes I wonder what planet some Labour councillors have been living on for the past 12 months.

They are about to get a taste of decision-making in tough times financially, and fun it ain't.

However Labour councillors spent their year in the political wilderness I do hope they have found time to get a briefing on the budget and the financial outlook for the Council now - for the sake of residents.

I'm not sure they have, as one week the actions taken by the new administration of the Council (if action is the right word) are characterised by vacillation and weakness.

Is the new administration setting a radical new policy direction?

Hardly.

Labour are 'reviewing' one of our policies.

And according to Labour's manifesto we should expect more where they came from - with reviews of Social Care and senior management promised.

The latest review will focus on our decision to introduce a charge for the collection of green waste.

A popular move, yes.

A sensible or credible move? no

Scrapping the charge for green waste collections would blow a hole in the Council's budget, threatening the viability of Council services thousands of people depend on.

It was part of a total budget package Lib Dems worked hard to deliver that would see:

Services to the most vulnerable - protected
No libraries close - in fact opening hours were extended
No Childrens Centres close
No leisure facilities cut

So if Labour scrap the charge, wow would Labour make up the budget shortfall?

No-one knows, least of all it would seem, them.

Launching the review, Labour Lead Member for the Environment, Cllr Gittings said:

"We gave an undertaking to review this decision and that process is now under way. I will be working closely with council officers to consider the options and bring forward a clear recommendation on the way ahead.

"It goes without saying that any decision we make will need to take account of the tight financial situation which we currently face, but we are determined to identify the best possible deal for our residents in the circumstances."

Notice the wording of the announcement: 'review' rather than 'reverse' suggesting that Labour councillors probably have no intention of scrapping the charges altogether.

Notice the acknowledgement of the 'tight financial situation'.
Where were Labour when we were looking at ways to protect key services?

I don't remember them coming up with any bright ideas.
Answer: busy sticking their fingers in their ears and putting two fingers up to the Council's formal budget process.

Anyway, I fully expect Labour will just tweak the original proposal, because in reality there have no wriggle room financially.

And that's politics and it's now Labour's problem, along with their friends the Greens.

So the question is - who cares?

Well, we do as actually what they are doing is incredibly short-sighted and potentially very damaging to Council services.

By reviewing the original decision Labour are throwing the budget into chaos leaving Council staff (already planning next year's budget) to worry and ask the question: where will the additional revenue come from?

To be clear, the green waste charge was not something we Lib Dem councillors took any pleasure in introducing but given the hard choices we faced - between cutting services and increasing the Council's income to ensure key services such as libraries stayed open.

With invoices just about to be sent out, Labour councillors are pulling the plug on over £300,000 worth of potential income to the Council which would have been spent on services.

Let's not forget, under Labour's Green Waste collection service Council Tax payers living in properties without gardens, for example flats, or those who are unable to take advantage of the green waste collection service subsidised those who could.

Are Labour councillors advocating a return to such an unfair system?

Who knows.

"To govern is always to choose among disadvantages"

So said, Charles de Gaulle.

One week in office and Labour are already showing they are not up to the job.

Fools rush in

2011-05-31T12:44:00.000-07:00

I always like to keep an eye on what other councils are doing to see if there are things I can learn from. Or avoid!

I noticed today that one of the first decisions of Newcastle City Council which was run by the Lib Dems before the May elections but is now run by Labour was to to reinstate neighbourhood warden posts.

This sounds like a popular move - but on balance a rather foolish one.

Crime fell when Lib Dems were in control of Newcastle and the administration was nationally-recognised for the way in which the Council and the Police tackled issues in partnership.

I have confidence that Lib Dem councillors in Newcastle (several of whom I know well from my work on the Local Government Association) would not have restructured the warden service unless it was to improve use of resources.

The 'Notes to editors' at the foot of the Council press release caught my eye:

" The six reinstated posts were originally part of 11 street warden posts - five of which were vacant and deleted, and six of which were filled by staff who took voluntary severance.

Their work will be directed by the Safe Neighbourhoods and Problem Solving (SNAPS) process which co-ordinates the police and council to tackle anti-social behaviour and crime based on community intelligence.

Now six vacancies will be filled by staff whose jobs are at risk as a result of the council’s Service Transformation and Efficiency Programme designed to help the council save £44m this year.

Reducing the 11 posts would have saved the authority £300,000. Reinstating six posts will cost about £180,000 and will be funded from the council’s underspend for 2010/11. It will however avoid making six staff redundant and so save the council redundancy costs.'

So only weeks after getting back into power Labour in Newcastle are racking up more debt and adding to the financial pressure on other Council services.

I wonder if the new Labour administration will do the same in Reading?

Labour councillors in our area actively campaigned against our plan to merge frontline warden services which aimed to deliver a more efficient and cost-effective service.

As I blogged back in March:

"The review [of the warden service] identified waste and duplication of resources under the previous scheme operated by Labour.The new warden service which we are launching is an excellent example of doing more with less.

Survey after survey the Council conducted of residents found that local people wanted to see action to tackle environmental crime. This came as no surprise to me or my Liberal Democrat colleagues - residents have been telling us this on the door step for years!"

So will the new Labour administration bring back their original warden scheme or is this another of their pre-election promises they have no intention of keeping?

If the latter is true this is a shameless manipulation of residents' fear of crime.

If they reverse the saving what service will they cut to pay for it?

A reminder of Reading Labour's original warden scheme:

Under Labour three different teams of Council staff from two Council departments carried out walkabouts in the same areas of Reading.
In Labour's scheme all three roles involved estate inspections in the form of 'neighbourhood walkabouts' and regular liaison with the public through Safer Reading and Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) meetings.

Our plan which ended Labour's waste of resources was on target to save £170,000 from Council budgets - reducing the need to put up Council Tax and delivering residents more for their money.

Our improved scheme delivered:

Enforcement powers to enable RBC officers to issue fixed penalty notices for offenders.
A team of 12 officers dedicated to working on the frontline line.
6 focussing on environmental enforcement.
4 officers working on crime prevention.
2 officers assisting residents with waste and recycling issues.

Labour's manifesto talks about 'pioneering the community warden service'.

Does that mean going back to their original failed scheme?

I think local people have a right to know and I hope Labour councillors will think carefully about consequences before they try and turn the clock back.

Update:

I see over in Oldham the new Labour administration is reversing the decision by the previous Lib Dem - Conservative Council to close a care home. The new administration is planning an 'emergency budget' in July.

In a report on the proposal which is due to go to Cabinet to be agreed next week officers admit the former Council-operated home does not represent value for money to the taxpayer:

'The next cost of each bed in 10/11 was £43,000 per annum, compared to £14,000 in the private sector. There are considerable risks as to whether this significant cost differential could be afforded in future, as budgets face futher reductions.'

Lib Dem Council Group Leader Howard Sykes hits the nail on the head when he says:

"They are entitled to do that but my question is how are they going to pay for it. That’s the bit the Labour group a very silent on. We’ll see when they get this emergency budget out.

"From memory only 50 per cent of Limecroft was occupied and others are already being operated by the health service and providing a better service than before. You have to ask where are they getting the money from to re-open this."

All sounds rather familiar, don't you think?

Labour's Hidden Agenda

2011-05-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

The agenda for the next Cabinet meeting on 6 June makes interesting reading:

ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION IN PUBLIC SESSION

ACTION

WARDS AFFECTED

PAGE NUMBER

1.

CHAIR’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
-
The Chair to inform the meeting of relevant issues.

-

2.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
-

Councillors to declare any personal and prejudicial interests they mayhave in relation to the items for consideration in public session.

-

3.

MINUTES

-

To confirm the Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 11 April 2011

To receive the minutes of the meeting of the Mapledurham Playing Fields Management Committee held on 1 March 2011.

B1

B20

4.

QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS

To Receive any Questions from Councillors and the Public, and any petitions from the public.

-

5.

MATTERS REFERRED BY THE CORPORATE, COMMUNITY AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS SCRUTINY PANEL AND COUNCIL

To consider any matters referred by the Corporate, Community and External Affairs Scrutiny Panel and Council.

-

6.

DECISION BOOK REFERENCES

To receive any Decision Book call-ins.

-

LEADERSHIP ITEM

7.

CABINET PRIORITIES FOR THE COMING YEAR

Councillor Lovelock

BOROUGHWIDE

To Follow

Report by the Leader.

8.

LEAD COUNCILLOR PORTFOLIOS

Councillor Lovelock/Head of Central Administration

BOROUGHWIDE

To Follow

To agree the Lead Councillors’ portfolios.

ADULT SOCIAL CARE ITEMS

9.

DEVELOPING A COMPREHENSIVE PREVENTATIVE POLICY IN ADULT SOCIAL CARE

Councillor Orton/Director of Housing and Community Care

BOROUGHWIDE

To Follow

Report to follow.

So much for Labour having a fully-worked out plan for leading the Council!

They clearly have absolutely no new ideas and are planning to revert to type.

Labour are already promising Council Tax freezes without even having studied the budget figures.

When they do get round to working out what their priorities are for the year they will realise they will not be able to deliver on them (because of the financial situation) and will have to make cuts.

Where will Labour find the savings?

Your guess is as good as mine but I fear it will be frontline services given they are opposed to raising revenue to protect services.

As I pointed out their local manifesto was full of holes and uncosted commitments they can't deliver.

I am particularly alarmed by Labour's plans to halt our reforms to social care which could bankrupt the Council and threaten the survival of key services many people depend on.

Delaying these plans will cost the Council £100,000 - per month.

When we took control of the Council last May in coalition with the Conservatives we published a detailed coalition agreement which was agreed by full Council at the 29 June meeting.
We were open about our priorities for the town and we didn't wait for Cabinet to announce what we plan to do.

When will Labour publish the full details of their deal with the Greens, rather than the edited highlights?

It hardly looks as though they have hit the ground running,

Labour's Mortgage Rescue Scheme declared an expensive failure

2011-05-26T16:27:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago when I was Chair of the Housing Scrutiny Panel in Reading I drew attention to the previous Labour government's Mortgage Rescue Scheme in a post entitled: 'The recession, housing and health in Reading today"

"As predicted we had a very interesting discussion on all things housing-related, spending a fair amount of time discussing how Reading is coping in the recession.

I was very impressed by the way officers in Reading Borough Council are coming up with policies and approaches that are really helping to support people in Reading. As one officer remarked 'we've never been here before' - is an element of trial and error involved but the fact that the Council is willing to be flexible to ensure people don't slip through the net was encouraging.
This pragmatic approach is quite different from some much-hyped government initiatives like the ill-fated Mortgage Rescue Scheme which it was revealed recently has only helped 6 families in the UK so far!'

Earlier this week the independent National Audit Office published a damning report claiming that this scheme helped less than half of people expected and went £35 million pounds over budget

"The Mortgage Rescue Scheme, launched in January 2009 by the Department for Communities and Local Government, in two years achieved fewer than half of the rescues expected.

The National Audit Office has reported that the Department directly helped 2,600 households avoid repossession and homelessness at a cost of in excess of £240 million - but it originally expected to help 6,000 households for £205 million.

The Department has spent on average £93,000 for each rescue completed – it expected to spend £34,000."

Preventing homelessness is vitally important.

Staff at Reading Borough Council work hard every day supporting families and individuals who find themselves in impossible housing positions.

But with less money around it is vital that taxpayers' money is spent wisely on organisations and schemes that deliver for residents.

I hope the present government learns from this expensive failure and works with councils to come up with a better system to support people faced with repossession.

Reading Labour Promise Council Tax Freeze in 2012

2011-05-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

Good if rather surprising news for Reading residents today as Labour are publicly promising not to increase Council Tax whatsoever in 2012.

See this exchange from Twitter earlier today:

@ReadingLabour:
Disappointed to see @CllrDaisyBenson using twitter to dispense worry on the #rdg hashtag. Labour have no plans to raise Council Tax. None.

When Labour ran the Council in previous years they increased Council Tax year on year adding to the burden faced by residents - particularly those on fixed incomes.

So if they deliver this it would be a first for them.

There was no reference to such a pledge in the Labour manifesto so it is a surprise promise.

Labour have also promised no cuts in services.

As I have already stated, the Lib Dems will be keeping a close eye on the new Labour administration and making sure they keep all the promises they made to residents before, during and after the election.

Seeing the bigger picture

2011-05-26T14:40:00.000-07:00

John Maynard Keynes famously said:

"When the facts change I change my mind."

This quote came to mind when I was thinking about Reading's City Status Bid which is being formally submitted to government tomorrow.

Reading is currently favourite to win city status in 2012 but faces tough competition from a number of other towns across the UK.

I highlighted the fact that Reading was hotly-tipped for even more success by Centre for Cities back in January.

I am not ashamed to say that last year when the bid was announced I was firmly opposed to the bid and spoke against it in Council.

My scepticism stemmed from the belief that I thought it would be a waste of taxpayers money and would not be the answer to any of the issues facing Reading.

Several things have changed since then which have made me reconsider:-

1. I have seen more details about the bidding process and I am satisfied that huge amounts of public money will not be spent on the bid.

2. The bid application has been developed with the involvement of a wide range of community and business leaders - not just politicians.

3. After a year in charge of the Council I have gained a better understanding of the issues facing the town and come to the view that attaining city status could bring positive benefits to our area.

4. The Coalition Government is committed to devolving more powers and responsibilities to local areas.

Reading needs to take every chance to exercise more control over it's destiny - including over business rates raised in the town - something that the Lib Dems nationally are campaigning or.

Becoming a city could help Reading do this.

As I said back in 2010:

"This Council should be about serving the people: not serving ourselves.

Improving the lot of people who live in our town should be our top priority: not selling the town's soul to the highest bidder.

I still believe this to be the case and as a someone who has represented local people for five years I feel strongly that I am first and foremost a servant of the people not a bureaucracy.

This is not to say I think the pursuit of city status is the be-all and end-all.

Clearly it isn't.

City status is not a panacea.

But, taking these points on board opposing the bid for opposition's sake just looks churlish particularly for any political party that has lead Reading and wants to lead it in the future.

There is no doubt that Reading is a fantastic place to live and work but the main reason I am involved in politics locally is because I feel strongly that it can be even better: fairer, greener and more prosperous.

But we have to work together to make it happen.
So I am happy to back any scheme or initiative that takes u forward and helps us meet those key objectives.

As I said at the Council's AGM last night ,as Lib Dems we are acutely aware that Reading is a deeply divided town.

Health outcomes, life chances and life expectancy vary widely depending on where you live.

This is not right and we should all strive to change this.

As Nick Clegg has said: birth should not mean destiny.

I referred to this last night as 'tale of two cities' and I am proud that the Lib Dems over the years have consistently campaigned to close the gap while the other parties haven't.

In my opinion, we must use every tool, every opportunity open to us to build a more successful, healthy and happy community where everyone can share in the benefits of prosperity.

The city status bid has the support of all the main political groups on the Council in Reading apart from the Greens who I fear are too wedded to gesture politics to see the bigger picture i.e. beyond the confines of Park ward.

I notice that Reading West MP Alok Sharma has secured a Westminster Hall debate next month to promote the bid - good on him.

We can't change Reading's past but all politicians should get behind this opportunity to build a better future for our community.

Update:

Reading Council has produced this video to promote the bid:

Housing matters

2011-05-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

I read with interest who the Reading Labour Party is putting forward to take on Cabinet positions at the Council's AGM tomorrow.

I note that my portfolio has been split into three - do we infer from that it will require three Labour councillors to cover the work I did across housing, health and community care?

As I suspected Whitley Councillor Rachel Eden will be taking on the housing portfolio.

I wish her the best of luck.

She will need it.

The wellbeing of thousands of local people young and old depends on her and the decisions she makes.

After the previous Labour government in coalition with the bankers bankrupted the country spare money for new housing is short.

We face an affordable housing crisis in Reading and for many years I have been a lone voice in the Council campaigning for more and better quality housing for all.

Local Labour councillors have been silent on housing issues for years (not a record they were proud of?) and even Cllr Eden failed to raise a single question with me on the subject during my time in office.

In contrast since I was first elected in 2006 have championed the rights of Council tenants and thousands of people who live in Reading's large private rented sector and exposed the scandal of Reading's empty homes.

You only have to visit many Council estates in Reading to see what years of Labour neglect looks like and thanks to the Decent Neighbourhood Fund which we campaigned for improvements are now starting to take shape.

I wish I had longer to put right years of Labour non-delivery on housing but I am proud of our local record of action on housing and the work I have done leading the debate both in opposition and in power.

Working with the the town's two Conservative MPs I have helped win more funding for new homes and set up innovative new partnership arrangements with neighbouring councils to save Reading Council tenants money.

Working in coalition the Lib Dems delivered Reading's first new Council homes for over twenty years and sent a clear message to government that fixed term tenancies were not wanted.

I also launched a new Landlord Accreditation Scheme in the face of stiff opposition from Labour councillors - is this now under threat?

For the sake of the thousands of families stuck in overcrowded homes I hope Labour's tribal appoach to local politics doesn't damage this important progress.

I have tabled a question to the Council's next meeting on the subject of affordable housing - in my view one of the most urgent issues facing us as politicians.

It will be interesting to see how Cllr Eden and her Labour colleagues respond.

But whatever happens I won't fall silent about housing - there is too much at stake.

And I will not rest until every man, woman and child in Reading has access to an affordable, comfortable and above all safe place they can call home.

A sad day for Reading

2011-05-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well, the worst kept secret in Reading politics is out.

The Greens have confirmed they will enable Labour to form a minority administration on Wednesday at the Council's AGM.

But whatever they say in press releases or blog entries about preserving their independence the die is cast.

From now on Greens will be responsible for every decision Labour makes, including every cut and every pet project because they put them there.

Despite an almost impossible budget settlement the Lib Dems fought hard last year to protect key services to the most vulnerable people in Reading.

For the first time ever, the adult social care service stayed within budget enabling the Council to increase funding to the voluntary sector, among other things.

Faced with these tough choices we didn't whinge to government but got on with the job in hand and showed real leadership.

However, this was always going to be a difficult message to get over on the doorstep and like many Lib Dem groups aross the country we suffered heavy losses at the recent elections.

But being in government isn't a popularity contest it's about doing the best you can within the budget you're given.

Over the coming months we will be working even harder at local level to listen and respond to local people's concerns building on our record of action in recent years.

We wil be taking the opportunity to articulate more clearly to residents what makes us different from the other parties in Reading.

I am personally looking forward to having more time to campaign outside the Council offices building on my record as one of the hardest working councillors in Reading.

Since taking over the Group Leadership of the Lib Dems on Reading Borough Council I have made it clear it is not 'business as usual' and that with no Party having enough seats to run the Council we would be willing to talk to all political parties to deliver our policy priorities and importantly, set a legal budget.

We met with the Greens and the Conservatives and set out a clear list of policy priorities based on our manifesto which started with protecting services to the most vulnerable people in Reading.

Leaving aside the Green's qualms about working with other parties and fears of being tagged as part of the 'Con Dem coalition' what is clear is that with Labour taking control of the Council these services have never been under more threat than they are today.

Look across the country and it is Labour-run councils which are making the biggest cuts to services and shedding the most jobs.

The evidence of the past year and longer has shown that the local Labour Party's only interest is power for its own sake and a record of spending money local taxpayer's haven't got.

While I respect the Green councillors as individuals it looks as if like Labour they too have put their own short-term party interests ahead of the good of the town.

Hopefully they will learn from the error of their ways before Labour are allowed to do too much damage to services and the Council's reputation.

But forget the raw politics for second, the real losers here are not ourselves or the Conservatives, but the people of Reading.

As I pointed out Reading Labour's pre-election promises were nothing short of reckless and their record in local government locally absolutely dire.

Labour's social care policies alone will cost taxpayers £100,000 per month and could bankrupt the Council.
When Labour last ran the Council in Reading the childrens' services department was one of the worst performing in the country
After 23 years of Labour, a quarter of children in Reading live in poverty

To name a few.

The Lib Dems and Conservatives in Reading were faced with a tough challenge this year to deliver the Council's budget after facing unprecedented reductions in funding from government.

The choices we made were not ones we entered into lightly but ones that were needed to ensure the Council could continue to deliver key services.

We did so without closing a single library, leisure service or children's centre.
We froze Council Tax for the first time in Reading's history.
We won funding for Reading's first Council homes for over twenty years
We put political differences aside side and worked together for the good of the people of Reading.
We increased transparency around Council spending and increased support to community groups

This is not a record that Labour will be able to match, as their previous record shows.

As Labour politicians have already stated publicly it is clear they cannot and do not want to work with any political groups, not even bothering to speak to us as they pursued Route One back to power.

In opposition Labour councillors opposed every attempt we made to save money or raise revenue to fund services.

But this year to set the Council's budget they will have to find even bigger savings around £9 million (if they stick to our agreed budget or closer to £15 million if they scrap social care charges, green waste charges and the like.

I don't envy them.

But it's the elderly, the vulnerable and those who care for them I feel most sorry for.

We will continue to speak up for them and to campaign to protect vital services.

And we will be watching Labour like hawks to check they keep their pre-election promises to the people of Reading and see that public money is spent wisely.

A Record of Action on Housing and a Promise of More

2011-04-30T05:03:00.000-07:00

with Andrew Stunell MP, Cllr Kirsten Bayes
and Katesgrove Lib Dem Candidate Margaret McNeill
Outside a former empty home on Christchurch Road in Reading

Over the past four years I have led the campaign in Reading to reduce the number of privately-owned homes that are empty for 6 months on more.

It is one of the local issues I feel very passionate about.

As Lead Member for Housing I am acutely aware that in Reading we face a big shortage of affordable housing with thousands of people stuck for months and in many cases years to get access to a home.

This is a direct result of the failure of the previous Labour and Conservative governments to do enough to increase the supply of Council housing and other types of housing.

Tackling empty homes is another way to increase the supply of housing and when the Council was controlled by Labour the Council did too little in this area.

In my capacity as councillor responsible for housing in Reading I work hard day in day out to try and increase the number of affordable homes available for residents who need them.

This involves actively lobbying government to make the case for more funding to allow us to build homes and working with officers to identify opportunities to increase the supply of housing locally.

Over the past 11 months I have worked with officers and MPs in Reading to deliver:

The first new Council homes for over 20 years on the former Avenue School site in Katesgrove.
76 new affordable homes to be built on Dee Park in West Reading.
New affordable housing for disabled people in Southcote.
Specialist facilities for local people with dementia at Tanfield in South Reading.
More supported living accommodation for people with learning difficulties.

In my role as Lead Member for Housing I have worked hard to stand up for the rights of local Council tenants and people living in private rented housing:

I have overseen a new tougher approach to tackling housing fraud saving Council tenants money.
I have ruled out a move to new fixed-term tenancies for Council tenants.
I have spoken up in support of housing needs of migrant communities in Reading.
I have helped launch a new more effective Landlord Accreditation Scheme in Reading to improve. quality in the private-rented sector where Labour's scheme failed.
We have made the Council's inhouse repairs service more sustainable by signing a new agreement which will see Reading Council repair Council homes in Wokingham for cash.
After year's of neglect by Labour we are investing in estates and making them bloom .

Empty homes in Reading - latest figures

I asked officers for the latest figures on empty homes in Reading and they make interesting reading.

Latest figures show that there are currently 527 empty homes in Reading.

This is down from 555 in 2010.

12 empty homes were brought back into use in 2010/11.

Currently the top 5 wards for empty homes in Reading are Battle (93); Tilehurst (69) Abbey (56); Katesgrove (37); Park (35);

The highest numbers of empty homes can be found in wards with high levels of privately rented accomodation.

I take a keen interest in work officers are doing to tackle empty homes, joining officers out and about in Reading in February for the second time to better understand the work they do.

Labour's terrible record on empty homes

In 2008 the then Labour-controlled Council in Reading launched a new strategy to tackle the problem of empty privately-owned homes, following a campaign I led.

former empty home Alexandra House on London Road

I have David Ireland, Chief Executive of the Empty Homes Agency to thank for first provoking my interest and prompting to me to launch a local campaign all those years ago.

In 2007, again when the Council was under Labour-control there were 924 empty private homes.

No empty properties were brought back into use that year (source: Empty Homes agency), which prompted me to campaign for a new approach.

When I was chair of the Housing Scrutiny Panel in Reading between 2008 and 2010 I brought in quarterly reports to help councillors measure progress and to increase public confidence that work was being done.

And there is no doubt the work done by officers with landlords to tackle empty homes has helped provide new homes for families right across this Borough as the Evening Post reported last year.

Campaigning to raise the profile of empty homes
during the 2010 General Election in Reading West

On assuming the chair last year the Labour Chair of the Scrutiny Panel responsible for housing, Cllr Mike Orton, dropped the reports from scrutiny agendas - what a backward step!

A quick scan of Reading Labour Party's Manifesto it is clear that empty homes work would not be a priority for them as it is not even mentioned.

This will not go down well with some former Labour councillors - notably former Battle councillor Tony Jones who said in 2009:

"The scandal of empty homes while so many people need decent accommodation is a big problem in Battle ward – and is on the increase.

“Battle has also suffered from a greater number of squatted properties than any other part of town.

“But I have been impressed by the efforts made by Lib Dem councillor Daisy Benson to get the council to renew their Empty Homes Strategy after so many years, and the professional approach being adopted by the council’s empty homes officer Nick Pritchard-Gordon.”

Sadly due to financial pressures many councils have been forced to cut back on this important work.

However, thanks to Lib Dem influence on the Council despite a tough budget settlement empty homes work will continue this year.
In addition I have also been in discussions with government advisers at national level who are keen to do more on empty homes as stated in the Coalition Agreement.

So the message is simple: if you want this and other important work on housing to continue - vote Liberal Democrat on 5 May.

Lib Dems Working For Change: Kirsten Bayes' 'First Person' article

2011-04-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

Cllr Chris Harris, Me, Cllr Peter Beard, Andrew Stunell MP, Cllr Kirsten Bayes and Cllr Rebecca Rye outside the Civic Offices in Reading

The Evening Post today published this excellent article by my ward colleague Kirsten Bayes.

Kirsten is Deputy Leader of Reading Borough Council and Leader of the Lib Dem Group.

She is up for re-election in Redlands on 5 May. Read my post in support of her campaign here.

The Lib Dem local election manifesto in Reading can be viewed here.

The Guardian in Reading for the AV Campaign

2011-04-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Last week John Harris from The Guardian newspaper was in Reading making a film about the local campaign for the AV Referendum on 5 May.

This short film features my friend Georgina Hughes, Lib Dem candidate for Abbey ward in Reading at the upcoming local elections who has also been a leading light in the Reading Yes 2 AV campaign.

Go Georgina!

Action Not Words Needed to Cut Energy Bills and Fuel Poverty

2011-04-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

I read with interest in the Evening Post that the Green Party in Reading are planning to campaign on fuel poverty at the elections this year.

I am grateful to them for helping to highlight this important issue and delighted that Green Party activists are backing the work we in the Coalition Administration of Reading Borough Council and Coalition Government are doing on this issue where Labour failed.

Tackling fuel poverty and climate change is a huge, vitally important agenda that all political parties in Reading need to get behind.

But as politicians and community leaders we work hard at this agenda all year round, not just at election time.

Last November, Chris Huhne MP, Lib Dem Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change launched the Green Deal which will create 100,000 new jobs for people working to insulate 3.5 million homes across the country.

However, it is important to get the issue of fuel poverty in perspective.

9 % of families in Reading currently live in fuel poverty compared to the national average which is around 14%.

We need to target resources at people who are hardest hit and help others to improve energy efficency of their homes.

The recently reopened Warm Front scheme will help us do this.

Many of people living in fuel poverty in Reading live in poor quality housing in the private rented sector.

I have led the campaign at local level to improve standards in this area - the home of 25 % of Reading residents.

Labour overlooked private rented housing when they were in government and in control of the Council.

Locally, the Lib Dems have led the green agenda in Reading.

We have successfully campaigned to extend the range of materials that can be recycled at the kerbside and we have pledged in our manifesto to continue to do so.

Under Liberal Democrat control, Reading Borough Council is pioneering new low carbon heating.

Since we took control of the Council in 2010, we have held regular meetings with officers in both the housing and sustainability teams to discuss ways in which fuel poverty in all types of housing can be tackled.

These cross-Council discussions have been the first of their kind and never happened under Labour.

As part of the Council's Decent Homes Programme we are taking steps to increase insulation across Council-owned properties.

We are also investigating bringing in new feed-in tariffs and new more sustainable forms of energy to heat Council homes.

The Council also works closely with landlords in the private sector to promote insulation and energy savings schemes.

All these measures will go towards reducing fuel bills and saving precious energy.

But there is more to do which is why following pressure from the Lib Dems the Council has set up a new housing and sustainability officer group to ensure that there is a green thread running through all housing policies.

Last October the Council agreed the following motion, put forward by the Liberal Democrat and Conservative Groups which gave a very clear signal to residents about our commitment to the environment.

(It replaced a rather feeble motion tabled by a Labour councillor.)

It is just as relevant now as it is then.

"This Council welcomes:

The Coalition Government’s commitment to making renewable energy sources account for over 33GW of new energy production.

The Coalition Government’s removal of the bar that prevented local authorities selling back to the grid the energy they have generated.

This Council notes:
The Council’s commitment to promote green jobs and sustainability across the Council and Borough and to promote the climate change agenda as a high priority.

That the number of households in fuel poverty in England rose from 1.2m in 2003 to a projected 4.0m in 2010

That Reading schools already have two schools with solar PV, one with solar hot water, two with air source heat pumps, two with ground source heat pumps and one with a wind turbine.
This Council resolves:
To provide local leadership on the climate change agenda by:
Maximising, wherever possible, the use of renewable energy schemes to generate income across all existing and future council properties and operations.
Considering all options across the Council’s housing stock to both generate and conserve energy to reduce fuel poverty.
Taking the lead in encouraging local businesses and commercial buildings to embrace renewable energy and energy efficiency schemes.
Promoting and assisting local residents, schools and organisations to take advantage of the opportunities available to them to benefit from renewable energy and energy efficiency schemes."

The Coalition Government has set itself the target of being the "greenest government ever".

When it comes to the environment we need to be as ambitious here in Reading.

Lib Dems will continue to work hard to tackle these issues inside and outside the Council and f the Green Party are serious about turning their fine words into action on fuel poverty they need to work with us on this agenda.

Labour's Social Care Plans Could Cost Residents Dear

2011-04-27T03:34:00.000-07:00

Reading Labour state in their local election manifesto that they would reverse our plans to introduce charges for people who could afford to pay for day care services.

They also say they would suspend our reforms and launch a full review of the service.

These pre-election pledges are both costly and risky.

I have already demolished Labour's arguments against day care charges (which compare very favourably to those charged by neighbouring councils and the private sector) but I thought it was worth explaining what Labour's ill-thought out plans actually mean to the Council's budget, local services and taxpayers in Reading.

In March the Council agreed plans I had been developing with officers over a period of months to transform community care so that was fair to all and sustainable in the long term.

They are designed to ensure that vulnerable people who need services get them at a time when the number of people needing social care is increasing due to an ageing population.

This decision has wider ramifcations which are now being felt across the Council.

Our reforms to adult social care mean that taxpayers will avoid £3.8 million pounds worth of cost pressures linked to social care over the next three years.

Enabling the Council to increase funding to the voluntary sector - one of the few councils to do this
Enabling the Council increase support available to unpaid carers.
Helping the Council to keep vital services like libraries and leisure services open.
Helping to reduce the finanical burden on Council Taxpayers.

If after the election Labour failed to implement these plans immediately the cost to taxpayers would be £100,000 per month.

So we return to the question which services would Labour cut to pay for their pre-election promises?

To which Labour's manifesto fails to provide any answers.

Before the Council agreed our plans to transform community care services in March a full public consultation and equality impact assessment was carried out.

Over 20 individual consultation meetings were held.
Over 1,000 public comments were submitted.

And Labour's former Lead Member for Community Care Cllr Mike Orton commented that our plans would indeed protect the most vulnerable.

With just days to go before the local elections Labour now say they would rip up the consultation findings, the policies agreed in Council, and at the Budget set in February in favour of a new review of the service.

This would cause huge disruption and concern to many vulnerable people and their carers who receive services from the Council just months after they were first consulted.

And why? Just so Labour could score a few political points.

Adult social care is too important to become a political football.

I have put the work in build a system that works for the future.

Labour councillors routinely ducked the tough choices but we haven't.

As I said in March:

'There is only one compassionate, sustainable and equitable option on the table this evening.

I urge members across this Council to support it"

AV: Fair, Simple and Common Sense

2011-04-26T13:16:00.000-07:00

How to Cast Your Postal Vote in Reading

2011-04-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

Are you confused about voting by post at the forthcoming local elections and AV referendum on 5 May?

The nice people at Reading Borough Council have produced this handy guide to help.
As an enthusiastic user and supporter of social media to engage people in local politics I am delighted to see the Council using video to help more people to exercise their right to vote in these important elections.
.

Campaigning with Reading's Growing Lib Dem Team

2011-04-23T03:52:00.000-07:00

Paul Burstow MP with our local election candidates in Forbury Gardens

Over the last few weeks I've been out campaigning hard for the local elections in Reading on May 5 with our fantastic team of candidates.

Knocking on doors seven days a week can be tiring on top of a day job and my Council duties but I've had so much fun this year.

This is thanks in part to the lovely sunny weather but mostly thanks to the brilliant group of people who have been joining me on the doorstep week in week out.

There is a lot more to being a candidate than meets the eye and I have huge respect for people who are willing to stick their neck out and stand for election, and become a councillor.

Campaigning with Margaret McNeill in Katesgrove

We are fielding our strongest ever team of local election candidates this election.

The people standing for the Lib Dems in Reading are all community campaigners who care about their areas and want to change things for the better.

All of them are totally committed to helping residents in their wards and protecting vital services across the town.

I am delighted we have so many women standing for us this year.

It's also great to have so many people from different backgrounds who bring new insights and skills to our campaigns.

Campaigning in Whitley with Jamie Wake

We have a number of candidates who are standing for election for the first time.

Some have joined the Party only recently - including in some cases since the coalition was formed.

The Reading Lib Dem team is growing and it is really exciting to see new members blossoming into activists and campaigners.

Lib Dem members do lots of work for the Party locally including delivering leaflets and generally helping out and are a great support to our team of councillors.

In talking about our newer candidates I am not overlooking our councillors Kirsten Bayes and Chris Harris who are standing for re-election in Redlands and Tilehurst respectively.

Kirsten and Chris are both very committed and dedicated people who are fully signed up to working hard for residents for another 4 years in their wards.

We are very lucky to have them.

Campaigning in Redlands with Kirsten Bayes

Standing for election is a nerve-wracking thing to do - I should know!

So I wish all our candidates the best of luck on 5 May (polling day).

A number of our candidates are on Twitter:

Dr Jenny Woods - Caversham @drjennywoods
John Oakley - Battle @john4battle
Georgina Hughes - Abbey @liberalgeorge
Kirsten Bayes - Redlands @kirstenbayes
Dave Warren - Southcote @dave4southcote
Jamie Wake - Whitley @jamiewake

For a full list of Lib Dem candidates standing in the local elections in Reading on 5 May visit our local Party's website.

Empty Promises: Manifesto Shows Reading Labour Have Nothing to Offer Residents

2011-04-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

Back in March I posed the question on my blog: which services would Reading Labour cut to balance the Council's books? This has since proved to be one of the most popular posts ever on my blog.

Back then I wrote:

"Over the past year Labour councillors in Reading have opposed every single saving we have identified and every charge we have sought to introduce which when taken together help protect services to the most vulnerable.

In their mindless opposition to everything Labour councillors have not differentiated between bulky waste charges and day centre charges: they are opposed to them all.

When pressed as to what they would do to fund services the Labour Group Leader stated that "we wouldn't start from here".

So no alternative Budget was tabled.

This near silence has left me in no doubt at all that were they running the Council now Labour would be cutting more jobs and axing more services than the Coalition Administration has.

So the question then becomes not if but what would Labour cut and which services would they axe.

Libraries? Leisure Centres? Sure Start Centres?

Labour councillors are always quick to point the finger at us but more reticent about offering solutions."

Fast forward to 22 April and less than two weeks before residents go to the polls Reading Labour Party finally got round to publishing their manifesto.

Well, I've read it and I still cannot find any details of what services Labour would cut or indeed how they would find the £19 million pounds savings the Council has to make from it's budget over the coming year.

I don't need to rehearse the arguments that have already been made. Lib Dems and Conservatives put together a budget to protect the vulnerable where Labour could not.

We are not complacent about the work we still need to do to make Reading a better place for residents - publishing our 'Six to Fix' local Lib Dem manifesto earlier this week which builds on the work we have done this year and sets out our plan of action for the future.

As outgoing Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liam Byrne MP said when he handed over the keys to the Treasury to the incoming Coalition Government:

"There's no money left."

So we have to do things differently.

Ministers who have visited Reading have had nothing but praise for the work the Lib Dems are doing working with the Conservatives to protect and improve services for residents.

Let's have a look at some of Labour's election pledges in more detail.

1. Labour will stand up for stand up for a cleaner Reading by making clean streets a priority.

This is a completely uncosted commitment - Labour failed to put forward ANY proposals to fund increased street-cleaning during the Budget process.
When the Council was run by Labour streets in many out of town areas were ignored as Council staff were forced to face national targets around street cleaning set in Whitehall.
Lib Dems successfully campaigned for extra cleaning in 12 local shopping areas across Reading.
When Labour controlled the Council dog-fouling, fly-tipping and littering went unpunished because Labour failed to use powers given to councils under the Clean Neighbourhoods Act passed by the Labour Government in 2005!
The Coalition Administration swiftly brought in these powers and set up a new Environmental Warden service to crack down on environmental crime and keep local streets clean.

2. Labour will radically re-organise the Council and its services to deliver savings and protect people in need.

Apparently this will include plans to 'radically review senior management' - so presumably this will mean cutting more jobs, something Labour have always said they were against.
Given the £19 million pounds savings the Council will have to make this year regardless of who is running it I would have thought getting rid of the people who manage vital services to among other people vulnerable children and adults does not sound like a good idea.
Labour plan to 'restructure' the publicity function of the Council - this is already happening.
Lib Dems forced Labour when they were running the Council to scrap the Council's costly magazine.
Labour plan to 'overhaul electronic communication to make radical savings' - a review of IT services is already underway. What are Labour planning? Getting rid of the Council's website?
When Labour ran the Council the Council had no social media strategy - this is one of the first things we brought in as a new administration.
We are committed to exploring new ways to engage residents beyond Council meetings - and I have led this agenda in Reading.
Reading Labour Party ran the Council for 23 years and failed to make any inroads in cutting wasteful bureaucracy or delivering services differently.
I have seen no evidence that Labour Group Leader Cllr Lovelock and other senior councillors who once ran the Council would bring any new ideas to the table this time.
Since the Lib Dems and Conservatives took over the running of the Council last year we have brought about several important changes to the way the Council delivers services to save money.
We brought forward plans to share legal services with Wokingham Borough Council
We agreed plans to repair Wokingham BC's council houses which will bring in significant income to the Council helping tenants and taxpayers.
We scrapped unaffordable car allowances to Council staff and taxpayer funding of trade union officials which existed under Labour.
We also launched a new landlord accreditation scheme in partnership with the National Landlord Association to improve standards in private rented housing.
Labour councillors advocated a system which would have costs thousands and delivered little.
Under Labour many Council services overlapped - wasting taxpayers money.
Labour councillors opposed our review of the warden service which will result in a more cost-effective and joined up service.

3. Labour will use the Council's watchdog powers to stand up for the local NHS

Under Labour, the Council had not powers to scrutinise private sector providers of health services in Reading.
The Coalition Government's Health & Social Care Bill currently going through Parliament includes new powers for Council scrutiny committees to scrutinise all providers of NHS services - including private sector providers.
The shadow Health & Wellbeing Board we recently set up includes places for 3 councillors + 2 opposition councillors as observers so will have more democratic input than many other councils

4. Labour will stand up for those least able to care for themselves

Labour have pledged to 'reverse the daily charge of £43 for day centres' and 'Labour will suspend the cuts to community care and undertake a full review of the service to ensure no elderly person is left without support they need.
As I have said many times Labour's approach to adult social care is completely wrongheaded and will lead to services to the most vulnerable in Reading being seriously threatened in future.
A 3 month consultation about transforming community care services has already taken place, with over 1,000 submissions being received.
Labour's plans will be costly and disruptive coming so soon after the recent in depth review
Where is the money going to come from for this?
They will lead to the Council's budget being overspent by around £2 million pounds per year.
As Labour are not proposing to cut any service it is clear they intend to pay for this overspend by massively increasing Council Tax.

5. Labour will involve people more effectively to ensure that all voices are heard equally

This is possible one of the least credible pledges of the lot as Labour's record on public consultation is dire.
Labour's attempt to force through a new one-way IDR and introducing fortnightly bin collections are just two examples of their unwillingness to engage the public.
The coalition administration of the Council consulted the public before setting it's budget - something Labour never did when they ran the Council.
Labour plan to set up more Council forums but don't say how they would fund them.
We introduced a social media strategy to involve more residents in decision-making.
We are publishing all Council spending online to increase accountability and transparency - this never happened under Labour.
We have increased funding to the voluntary sector to build community capacity and to ensure all communities have a voice in Reading.
We have set up new funding streams to enable community groups fairer access to funding.
Our recent review of operations at the Civic Centre saved the taxpayer £60,000.

6. Labour will set up a New Local Partnership to stand up for Reading

Reading already has one Local Strategic Partnership and Reading CIC (economic development) so why are Labour politicians proposing another one?
Reading is one of the most successful economies in the UK - it doesn't need another unelected body to 'stand up' for its interests
There are no details in Labour's manifesto about how this new body would be funded - so that will be the taxpayer then.
The Labour government set up more unelected quangos at national and local level than anyone else.
We are committed to investing public money in public services and the voluntary sector - not more bureaucracy.

7. Labour will work with our partners to continue the regeneration of the town

Thanks to Labour's mismanagement of the public finances public money for regeneration and other capital projects has been scarce.
Despite this the Coalition Administration of the Council has been very successful in securing public and private investment in Reading.
We secured £9.7m additional investment from Government to deliver much-needed overhaul of Reading Station.
We are actively lobbying ministers to localise business rates as part of the Government's review of local government finance to enable more money raised in Reading to be spent in Reading.
Labour councillors opposed plans to invest £10 million pounds in investing Council homes and estates at Council this year as part of our campaign to maintain decent homes and neighbourhoods in Reading.
We are investing £400,000 this year in improving council estates across Reading which were allowed to get run down by Labour when they ran the Council.
Since the Coalition Administration has been running Reading Council we have won millions of pounds of external funding to build much needed new homes.
We are building the first new council homes in Reading for 20 years on the former Avenue School Site in Katesgrove.
When across the Country regeneration projects have stalled we won £.3.7 million pounds from Government to develop 76 new affordable homes in Dee Park in Reading.
We also successfully won cash to build new homes for disabled people in Southcote and are bringing forward plans to increase supported living accommodation for people with learning disabilities.

8. Labour would review the Green Bin Fiasco

There are no details in the manifesto as to what this 'review' would involve.
If Labour were to reverse this decision there would be cost to the taxpayer attached so which services would they cut to fund it?
Council Tax payers living in properties without gardens, for example flats, or those who are unable to take advantage of the green waste collection service would be subsidising those who could.
As I blogged in February throughout the year Labour have rejected every single idea we have considered to help fund vital services to Reading by increasing the Council's income.

9. Labour will maintain the Council’s commitment to paying a living wage.

We are fully committed to paying Council staff a living wage - always have been, always will be.
It was the Coalition Administration of Reading Council that brought in policies to ensure fair pay between male and staff Council staff.
Labour councillors new about unequal pay for at least three years and failed to act - so much for standing up for the workforce!
The Lib Dems and Conservatives have worked together to keep job losses to a minimum - unlike many Labour-run councils.

So that's Labour's pledges. What won't will you see mentioned in Labour's manifesto?

Cuts to services - Labour will not say which services they will cut if they regained control of the Council in Reading. Yet look around the country and there is clear evidence in Manchester, Camden, Brent and Islington that when Labour are in charge they axe services and cut jobs. No sure start centres or libraries are closing in councils run by the Lib Dems.
Council Tax - no mention anywhere in Labour's manifesto. I wonder why.
Child poverty - 1-5 children in Reading live in poverty and the number grew when Labour ran the Council. We want to reduce poverty and improve social mobility so we are investing in education for Reading's poorest children through the Pupil Premium and diverting council funding to community groups that are working with the Council to reduce poverty.
Carers - for years the needs of carers in Reading got overlooked. Carers are local heroes and we are working with a range of organisations to deliver more support to carers.
Empty homes - this has never been a priority for Labour. We are one of the few councils continue to invest in bringing much needed-empty homes back into use.
Mental Health - 1 in 3 people in the UK suffer from mental health problems at some point in their life. In Reading the Government is investing in 'Talking Therapies' so more people can get support and the Council is working closely with the voluntary sector to support residents.
Pot holes - the Council under Coalition control is investing more in improving local roads after years of underinvestment by the Labour.
Sorry - no apologies from Labour for screwing up the economy and the Council's finances
Trees - parts of Reading have very little tree cover and despite massive public spending during the last 13 years Labour made no effort to increase the number of trees in the borough. We will be planting new trees across Reading this year thanks to the smart budget agreed by Lib Dem and Conservative MPs this year

11 months in opposition and Labour still don't get it. They have not learned from their past mistakes or embraced new ways of doing things.

Don't give them the chance to mess things up in Reading again: vote Lib Dem in 5 May!

Campaigning to Cut Crime on Northumberland Avenue

2011-04-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

Get Reading has reported on the ongoing problems faced by residents living on Northumberland Avenue, and my campaign to get action taken to make the neighbourhood safer and more pleasant for people who live there.Northumberland Avenue is a residential street divided between several wards, including my own so I feel responsible for looking out for people who live and visit the area. I attended a public meeting at the South Reading Youth & Community Centre on Northumberland Avenue a few weeks ago where serious concerns were expressed by local residents - in particular about alcohol-related disorder.
Following the meeting I have been actively pursuing several of the issues local people raised as I was not satisfied with the Police response. I visited Northumberland Avenue last weekend to meet a resident affected and witnessed street-drinking and rowdy behaviour taking place in the middle of day. This is completely unacceptable in a residential area with homes, schools, shops and community centres nearby. Parents have also contacted me concerned that the problems will deter children and families from visiting Sure Start Whitley which is also based in the area.
I will be meeting soon with senior Police and Council officers to see what can be done to reduce anti-social behaviour in the area.

Reading Labour's Spending of Taxpayer's Money Back in the Spotlight

2011-04-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

The Taxpayers Alliance recently published two recent reports highlighting controversial spending of taxpayers money by local authorities and public bodies across the UK - including by Labour when they ran the Council in Reading (up until last May).

I don't tend to follow the TPA that closely but these two recent reports caught my eye.

The first is in relation to car allowances for staff which were recently reduced by the Coalition administration to 25 pence per mile, saving the taxpayer £95,000 and helping the Council to safeguard vital services to residents.

The Reading Evening Post revealed in 2009 how the Council when it was controlled by Labour paid some staff £2.10 per mile.

You can view the Taxpayer's Alliance's national report into how council car allowances compare here.

The second was a research paper the Taxpayers Alliance recently published into taxpayer funding of trades unions - an issue which hit the headlines in Reading a couple of months back.

Reading Labour - Out of Touch on Adult Social Care

2011-04-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, a neighbour pulled out of her red recycling bin a Labour leaflet which has a go at the Coalition Administration for introducing new charges for day care in Reading.

This was not an easy decision but like most things it was one we had to take after Labour failed to manage the budget responsibly when they ran the Council.

Following a detailed public consultation we agreed to phase in the introduction of charges to enable people affected time to adapt to the change.

The approach I led constitutes responsible policy-making - in contrast to blatant electioneering, on Labour's part.

In their leaflet, Labour provide readers with a guide to ‘what you could buy with £43 pounds'.

It neglects to mention that 40 % of people who receive care including day care will not by charged under our plans – not even £5.90 they currently pay under Labour's social care policies.

This leaflet says a lot about Labour in Reading. It illustrates just how out of of touch they are when it comes to adult social care.

The fact that that Labour's menu of choices includes a meal for two at the L’Ortolan – an upmarket restaurant on the outskirts of Reading says rather more about Labour councillors' eating habits than it does about social care.

But this pathetic leaflet misses the point in two very important ways.

Firstly, it misses the point about how we are transforming and personalising social care services - something Labour failed to do when they were in charge.

Secondly, it fails to explain how Labour would fund social care when demand for services is rising.

Because if Labour didn't introduce charges for some services we can only assume they would cut services.

The Lib Dems in Reading are committed to giving all residents more choice, better services and protecting services to vulnerable people.

We view residents as individuals not passive recipients of services.

We care about meeting people's needs so they can reach their full potential - regardless of the challenges they face.

Residents are not forced to spend their personal budget or their own hard-earned cash on particular services or buy them from particular providers.

Residents are encouraged to purchase the services which give them best outcome for themselves or the people they care for.

Under our proposals, and the reforms being brought forward by the Coalition Government choice over things that really matter to people including social care lies not with civil servants or politicians but with residents themselves.

Unlike Labour, the Lib Dems locally and nationally are committed to giving local people more choice over services in future, not less.

Labour’s record and rhetoric on social care

For years when Labour were in charge in Reading the Council was run under the mantra ‘Council services are best'.

Sadly their aspiration did not result in excellent services or outcomes for residents or carers.

When I was Chair of community care Scrutiny in Reading for two years I challenged officers and councillors to provide better services following the publication of several highly critical external inspection reports by the Care Quality Commission.

It was very clear from these external inspections that for many years (when Labour were running the Council) adult social care services were lacking and did not match up to other councils.

And this - when public spending was at its height.

Adult social care services in Reading have now improved substantially thankfully.

At national level Labour ministers attempted to introduce more person-centred social care but Labour councillors in Reading resisted this as it posed a threat to their local model of 'Council knows best'.

They put politics before people.

Why? Because Labour in Reading are not interested in giving local people power and control over their lives.
Labour in Reading are just interested in power.

Hence their leaflet – another desperate attempt to win votes by attacking other parties and failing to put forward any details of how they would pay for their policies

And hence Labour's opposition to personalisation and offering residents real choice.

The most recent example of their flawed approach can be seen in relation to bin collections, when Labour councillors tried to stop the Council giving Reading residents more choice over refuse collections.

When Labour made major changes to waste collections they didn’t consult residents and the decision was made after the local elections, not before.

Why offer personalised services?

Personal budgets are about allowing people to buy services which best meet their or their families needs.

They are about allowing every individual to reach their full potential.

They are about residents getting maximum value from every pound they spend.

The Coalition Government has pledged to increase personal budgets to more people.

Because not everyone has the same needs. And the state does not always know best.

We need to trust residents to make the right decisions – with professional advice and support from social workers and trained staff.

The carer I met on Monday with Care Services Minister Paul Burstow MP explained how she had spent direct payments from the Council not on care but on a gardening because this gave her the peace of mind she was seeking.

Since her husband had suffered a stroke a few years ago gardening has become a real burden on her to the point that the couple were on the point of having to move.

Getting a gardener in has meant one less thing for her to worry about, on top of her caring role.

A few years ago buying this service would not be an option for her. She would not have had a choice.

When Labour ran the Council carers needs did not come first and carers did not get the breaks they needed.

The Lib Dems want to support carers better so we are actively investigating ways to help them increase their independence even further.

Why charge for social care?

The second reason Labour’s leaflet misses the point is that it fails to explain how they as a Party would finance social care in Reading.

The charge we have set for day care services reflects the costs they cost us as a Council to provide.

Social care services have never been free they have always been means tested.

Our day care charges compare to:

Around £80 pounds per day charged by Wokingham Borough Council.
Around £200 per day in the private sector.

Under Labour’s policies, Council Tax Payers heavily subsidised the actual cost of providing day care to people who had been assessed as being able to afford to make a contribution towards their care.

This resulted in the Council’s social care budget being overspent every single year.

Thanks to the financial mess Labour nationally have left us the Council is no longer in a position to operate on this kind of basis.

If we operated adult social are the way Labour did we would need to close other services such as libraries this year to balance the books.

But unlike many Labour councils – we haven’t closed a single library or Sure Start centre in Reading.

This is thanks to the prudent way in which we have managed the budget.

So we've learnt something from Labour's election leaflet: the Labour Party in Reading are campaigning against increasing choice and control for residents and against measures which help protect services to the vulnerable.

Bear this in mind when you come to cast your vote in Reading on 5 May.

Minister Paul Burstow MP Backs "Clear Plan of Action for the People of Reading"

2011-04-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

Today it was a pleasure to welcome Paul Burstow MP - Care Services Minister to Reading. This is the second ministerial visit we have had in recent weeks in support of our local election campaign - following Andrew Stunell MP's visit a few weeks ago.

The Lib Dem team in Reading works hard all year round to improve the lives of local residents so it is nice to get support and recognition for what we do from senior figures within the Party and within Government.

I was particularly pleased Paul Burstow chose to visit us as social care is one of the issues closest to my heart.

Like me Paul is passionate about this area of policy- in particular improving the lives of vulnerable people and championing the rights of carers - the unsung heroes in our community.Thanks to the hard work done by Paul Burstow and his team improving care and support for carers and vulnerable people is right at the heart of national government policy and The Coalition Agreement.

I have got to know Paul quite well as he holds regular conference calls with councillors so he can keep us up to speed with issues in Government and so more importantly we can feed key issues and concerns back to him.

I had been badgering Paul to come and visit us for a while. He has had a good excuse having been very busy leading the Coalition Government's health and social care agenda for the Lib Dems.

Paul Burstow came to Reading to help us launch our Local Election Manifesto: "Six to Fix".

This is focussed around 6 broad themes:

Cut waste, protect services and keep taxes low.
Protect services to the vulnerable.
A cleaner and greener Reading.
Cutting crime in Reading.
Giving children and young people the best start in life.
Better housing and decent neighbourhoods for all.

I sent Paul a copy of our manifesto before he arrived and he told me:

'It looks like a solid record of delivery and clear plan of action for the people of Reading."

Paul was a councillor in Sutton for a number of years before he became an MP and has visited many councils up and down the country so I really respect his opinion.

I talked to him about the work I have led to transform adult social care in Reading to make it fairer and more sustainable. We also talked at length about the work we have been doing in Reading to help improve the lives of carers.

Cllr Kirsten Bayes talked to Paul about the work she has led to balance the Council's budget whilst protecting vital services - no easy task.

After the manifesto launch in Forbury Gardens we took Paul to meet a couple who live in West Reading who have benefited from Direct Payments. She is a full-time carer to her husband who suffered from a Stroke a few years ago.

Direct Payments enable carers and the people they care for to choose what they spend their personal budget on. The Coalition Government is looking to extend this to a wider range of people in the future.

I have got to know this lovely couple through my work as Lead Councillor for Community Care in Reading. I went to meet them a few of weeks ago to learn first hand about their experiences with self-directed support to help inform my decisions around social care in Reading.

I was very keen to see how they were doing and introduce them to Paul who I know cares deeply about these issues.

Paul listened intently to what they had to say and talked about the Government's desire to promote choice and independence for people through the reforms he is leading on social care.

Speaking to the residents afterwards they said they enjoyed meeting Paul and really liked his informal style. He really knows his stuff so it was great to hear what he had to say.

I also picked up a few pointers from the visit about how we can make life easier for carers around planning respite care. I will be taking these issues up with Council officers to see what we can do to help carers.

Paul seemed very impressed by what he saw in Reading today and has promised to return to see the work we are doing again soon.

Reading Residents Welcome New Blooms

2011-04-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

Long before I became Lead Councillor for Housing I have cared deeply about the need to help to create decent homes and neighbourhoods in Reading. This grew out of my experience as a ward councillor representing one of the most deprived estates in the Borough - Hexham Road.

Since 2006, both in opposition and more recently in administration I have actively campaigned to help create a better local built environment in Reading.

Recently residents from Caversham to Whitley have been in touch with me and colleagues at the Council to welcome the new spring blooms planted by the Council's housing department on public land and funded by our unique Decent Neighbourhood Fund which are currently adding colour to many estate areas across Reading.

Locally I have led the campaign for estates to receive more attention from the Council after many areas were neglected for many years by Labour councillors.

The Decent Neighbourhoods Fund which I helped create is localism in action: local residents have the power to decided what improvements should be made in their neighbourhood and Housing officers are always keen to hear from residents with ideas.

For example, in Southcote older residents successfully won funding from the Council to create an outdoor gym in their neighbourhood.

So why plant flowers? Because plants and flowers make local areas more relaxing, pleasant places for people to live - no question about it.

These photos were sent to me by a resident in Whitley ward who commented:

"Perhaps some of these photos could be used in the Whitley Green Residents Association Newsletter or other Council publications to show that Whitley/Whitley Wood can look very pretty in Spring with the help of the Daffodils in bloom - - - - - - and they have all been left intact for everyone to admire and not vandalised !!"

Daffodils and other plants have been planted all over Reading over the past 18 months, on housing land, including: Elizabeth House, Gosbrook Rd, Wensley Rd, Coley; Whitley Green; Coronation Square, Southcote; Granville Road, Southcote, Swallowfield Drive, Whitley; Hexham Estate, Whitley.

A wildflower meadow is being established, also thanks to decent neighbourhoods, under an apple tree in Brunswick Street. Once completed, the area by the flats will feature a beautiful display of flowers.

Above is a picture of me with members of Emmer Green Residents Association in Peppard who have welcomed the new blooms planted by the Council.

Of the display one resident told the Council:

"It looks beautiful. It is sheer pleasure to drive past and see the hundreds of daffodils and crocuses in bloom, and to know that now the fences have also been put up so people can't park there, the flowers will be there year after year. I want to thank you so much for lifting the spirits of people in Emmer Green." "

Over the next year the Council will invest a further £400,000 improving neighbourhoods and estates in Reading managed by Reading Borough Council even further. I think this is money well spent and the comments I have received from residents bears this out. Please get in touch if you live on an estate in Reading and have ideas as to how we can improve the look and feel of your neighbourhood.

New Funding Opportunities for Local Community Groups Agreed

2011-04-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening the Cabinet of the Liberal Democrat - Conservative Coalition of Reading Borough Council agreed new criteria and process for allocating £181k of new funding to voluntary and community groups in Reading £81k of the grant funding will be revenue and £100k capital funding.

This follows the decision on 17 January to agree the budget allocation for grants 2011/2012 and the setting of the overall budget of the Council on 22 February 2011 when the Coalition administration of the Council agreed to increase funding to the local voluntary sector - in marked contrast to other councils across the country.

This approach has won praise from the National Association of Voluntary and Community Associations and The Spectator magazine which recently described Reading as 'a model council'.

New revenue and capital funding streams have been created to distribute funding to community and voluntary sector groups in Reading which support the priorities of the Council which include:

Better value for our residents
Fairness for all our residents
Pride in our town and ambition for its future
Innovation in all aspects of the Council to bring about positive change

I was involved in 2009 in a CCEA Scrutiny Panel Review of the way Grant Aid was allocated to voluntary organisations in Reading. This called for greater transparency and flexibility in the process. It also concluded that funding decisions should be more closely linked to the Council's overall priorities.

As I said at Cabinet last night, I am strongly in favour of this revised approach to grant funding decisions - after all, it is public money and we need to be able to justify every penny and pound that we spend locally.

This is important to increase public confidence in what the Council does both as a public body and as a local authority.

It is also importan to ensure the process for applying for grant funding is opened up to ensure it is as accessible as possible to all groups - not just a select few who understand how the process works or who perhaps benefited from funding in the past.

It has been necessary to improve Council processes in relation to grant funding: when Labour ran the Council there was a woeful lack of transparency and accountability in the way in which grants were allocated.

Under the new approach to funding, subject to Cabinet's decision there will be 4 grant rounds for groups to 'bid' for - in June, August, November and February for revenue grants: and 2 rounds in August and February for capital grants.

Following each round, in the interests of maximum transparency and accountability a Decision Book will be published providing details of proposed grant awards. Each application deadline and the budget balances will be clearly publicised through the Council's website and Borough Council's Funding Digest publication.

Grants will be non-recurring (i.e. for one year only) and in order to be granted applicants must provide evidence to the Council of majority benefit to residents of Reading Borough Council and value for money:

Small Community Grants - Budget £20,000
Large Community Grants - Budget £81,000
Capital Grants - Budget £100,000

The first category of grants is designed to support small projects including start up costs and events at neighbourhood level.

The second category of grants will be allocated to groups that demonstrate they are helping to address the Council's priorities of reducing child poverty, increasing community capacity and celebrity diversity.

I am particularly pleased to see the Council supporting community efforts to reduce poverty - this is a critical issue for us in Reading and something that Labour did too little to address when they were in power.

As my colleague Cllr Kirsten Bayes said in the meeting, with 1 in 5 children in our area living in poverty we believe strongly that the Council must look at everything it does to try to reduce poverty. This is something that the Liberal Democrats are firmly committed to doing.

The third category is for capital grants to local groups that are responsible for not for profit buildings or wish to improve their local environment and quality of life. For example, funding could go to building alterations and extensions, building equipment, and local area enhancement of a capital nature.

When councils across England are cutting funding to the voluntary sector, it sends a very positive message that here in Reading the Lib Dem-Conservative Coalition is looking at new ways to support the efforts of community groups and volunteers who work so hard to improve local neighbourhoods and the lives of local people.

I really hope that local groups come forward and take advantage of these new opportunities.

Cabinet Agrees To Increase Supported Living Accomodation in Reading

2011-04-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening at Cabinet we took an important step in agreeing to enable officers to identify more properties in Reading to be converted into supported living accomodation for people with learning difficulties.

Officers will now look into converting four existing properties into supported living accomodation.

We have an urgent need in Reading for more appropriate accomodation to enable the growing number of adults with learning difficulties in our community to live more independent lives.

As an administration we are strongly committed to increasing choice, control and independence for all residents to help everyone get the most out of life.

This decision is not only good news for residents with learning difficulties themselves, but Council Taxpayers too. Supported living placements tend to be around 50% cheaper than residential placements so this move will help limited public funds go further, helping to reduce the need to increase Council Tax.

Win-Win For Residents As Reading Council Extends Repairs Service To Wokingham Council Homes

2011-04-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

Reading Borough Council, currently led by a Liberal Democrat -Conservative Coalition has entered into an innovative partnership arrangement with neighbouring Wokingham Borough Council to take over repairs and maintenance of Council housing in Wokingham..

RBC recently agreed to share legal services departments - saving residents in both areas money by improving effciency and use of resources.

This latest step builds on the work that the Council is already doing in relation on housing repairs.

Reading Council has its own in-house Housing Repairs service which is based in Darwin Close off Basingstoke Road.

I have been to meet staff in the service several times and the service they deliver is a credit to the Council and the town.

So how did this new arrangement come about? There are around 2,000 Council Homes in Wokingham which until recently were repaired by a private contractor.

Reading Council came to Wokingham Council's aid after Connaught, the private company providing repairs went into administration last September. Since then RBC has been repairing properties in Wokingham on a temporary basis for some weeks.

This builds on work the Council in Reading is already doing providing emergency cover to Catalyst Housing Group - a housing association which has a large number of properties in the Berkshire.
This new arrangement is good news not only for Council tenants living in Wokingham - who will benefit from a reliable repairs service which is based just down the road but it is also very good news for Reading residents - for the following reasons:-

This partnership will generate significant income for the Council in Reading over a three year period
This additional income will help make the Council's in-house repairs service more sustainable - safeguarding our excellent repairs service for tenants
This extra income will also help the Council in Reading to continue to provide vital services at a time when the Council is facing substantial reductions to its grant from government
This will also help safeguard and protect jobs in Reading's Council housing repairs service by providing additional work for a minimum of 3 years
Sharing local services will help the Council in Reading to increase buying power and efficiency thereby reducing costs to be borne by local Council Taxpayers
If successful, this partnership could be extended so that Reading Council offers repairs services to other local authorities or housing associations

Given the poor relations which are well known to have existed between Reading Labour Party and Conservative-controlled Wokingham Council for many years it is very hard to imagine this arrangement coming to fruition had Labour been running the Council here in Reading.

Labour councillors in Reading regularly put politics before local people when they ran the Council, failing to foster good relations with neighbouring councils which could have led to a better deal for residents.

As a result opportunities for local councils to work together were missed and residents in Reading and neighbouring areas have lost out.

I am delighted that I as an administration we have been able to bring this excellent initiative forward swiftly this year for the benefit of Council tenants and taxpayers in both Reading and Wokingham.

New Landlord Accreditation Scheme Benefits Tenants, Landlords and Taxpayers

2011-04-05T15:09:00.000-07:00

Last year under leadership of the Liberal Democrat-Conservative Coalition the Council signed up to a new landlord accreditation scheme (las) to help improve standards in the private rented sector.

We took the decision to join this scheme which is operated by the National Landlord Association following a review of the old scheme which was operated inhouse by the Council when it was under Labour control.

The review found that:

"'while LAS is a useful tool to stakeholders, the re-launch of Reading’s current LAS would not deliver outcomes in the most cost-effective way.'

It continued:

'The (previous)scheme did not drive up house conditions significantly because landlords attracted to LAS are generally those with property in good order already.

The soft outcomes of running the scheme are outweighed by the fact that the scheme had contact with only 2.3% of Reading’s rental market despite vigorous promotion and a cost of circa £34k per annum."

So not only was Labour's scheme ineffective but it was a big waste of taxpayer's money too.

Labour councillors opposed the move, despite the fact that their landlord accreditation scheme had stopped running a few years back.

Despite this when it came to the Budget meeting a few weeks ago Labour councillors did not put forward any proposals to fund landlord accreditation so I can only assume they would not reinstate their old scheme or if they did they would have to fund it by cutting funding for some other service to pay for it.

The new scheme we launched involved the Council signing up to a national scheme operated by the National Landlord Association.

This has enabled us to operate a high-quality scheme at minimum cost to Council Tax Payers and freeing up officers to focus their energies on tackling the worst offenders in the sector.

Since the scheme was launched last year 25 landlords have gone through the accreditation process and become fully accredited. I hope this will help increase tenant confidence in the sector. I also hope many more landlords go through the process and this helps to promote high standards in the sector.

More networking and training events for landlords in Reading are planned for April - find details here.

Why Social Mobility Matters in Reading

2011-04-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

Even if you don't have time to read the whole document, the executive summary of the Coalition Government's Social Mobility Strategy makes salutary reading:

"There is a long way to go. The income and social class of parents continue to have a huge bearing on a child’s chances.
Only one in five young people from the poorest families achieve five good GCSEs, including English and maths, compared with threequarters from the richest families.
25% of children from poor backgrounds fail to meet the expected attainment level at the end of primary school, compared to 3% from affluent backgrounds.
Almost one in five children receive free school meals, yet this group accounts for fewer than one in a hundred Oxbridge students.
Only a quarter of boys from working-classbackgrounds get middle-class (professional or managerial) jobs.

Just one in nine of those with parents from low income backgrounds reach the top income quartile, whereas almost half of those with parents in the top income quartile stay there.

Only 7% of the population attend independent schools, but the privately educated account for more than half of the top level of most professions, including 70% of high court judges, 54% of top journalists and 54% of chief executive officers of FTSE 100 companies.
The influence of parental income on the income of children in Britain is among the strongest in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Parental income has over one and a half times the impact on male incomes in Britain compared with Canada,Germany and Sweden.

This is Labour's real legacy to the young people of this country and it is a terrible one: not to have improved the life chances of many of the UK's poorest children.

Nick Clegg has long championed the need to do something about the fact that in parts of the UK the poorest children overtaken by richer ones in education by the age of 7 and I'm delighted he is using the platform of Government to try and bring about change.

This is as important at local level as it is nationally. Here in Reading where you are born and your background continues to exert a powerful influence on your ability to succeed.

This is wrong and I am committed to doing everything in my power to improve the life chances of everyone in our community - whatever their background. This is one of the issues that gets me out of bed in the morning and drives me to put the crazy hours I do into politics at local level.

I am driven in part because I realise how lucky I have been compared to others in my own life and I want to help others who haven't been so lucky.

I am state-school educated but I freely admit I have benefited from the sort of opportunities that many others have not such as work-experience and access to social networks of family and friends.

The Pupil Premium will help us do that by investing in education of the poorest children in our community. Increasing apprenticeships in Reading also helps us do that as a Council.

At national level we will have for the first time up a joined-up cross-government approach that focusses resources on reducing child poverty - something Labour failed to do in 13 years.

Improving educational outcomes and social mobility is urgent in Reading where one in five children live in poverty.

In my role as Lead Member for Housing, Health and Community Care I take a keen interest in measures to tackle poverty and I was really pleased to see the role housing plays in the Government's new Child Poverty Strategy published today:

"Having a stable, good quality home to live in is a basic necessity. Children in bad housing conditions are more likely to have long-term ill health, slow physical growth and delayed cognitive development. A review by the British Medical Association highlighted the links between housing and a range of physical and mental health issues. Poor quality housing is associated with reduced mental well-being and housing conditions in childhood can have a long-term impact on health, even if conditions improve."

"The wider community in which a child grows up can also influence their future outcomes. The poorer the neighbourhood, the more likely it is to have high rates of crime, poor air quality, lack of green spaces and safe places for children to play.100 The report of the Government’s champion for active, safer communities, Baroness Newlove, demonstrates the contribution communities can make to keeping their neighbourhoods safe and how services can support communities to lead this work."

And I am proud that Nick Clegg is spearheading work across government to ensure that "birth is never destiny". I would like to add my own aspiration: better to try and fail to build a more socially mobile society in Reading using the tools we have available than never to have tried at all.

Bin Collections in Reading: One Size Does Not Fit All

2011-04-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

Next week at Cabinet we will be considering a report on plans to re-introduce weekly black bin collections in some narrow terraced streets in central Reading to help residents who have faced disruptions to their bin collection service to get a better service from their Council in the future.

This is something we pledged to do in our published local Coalition Agreement with the Conservatives.

The list of streets where additional collections are to be considered identified by officers working in Streetcare and to be discussed next week can be viewed here

As the press release issued by Reading Borough Council explains:

"The Council's Streetcare Team have identified a total of 47 streets – more than 1,800 properties – which could benefit from a weekly collection of their household waste.

Under the plans residents in these areas would put out their household rubbish in black sacks, rather than bins, and have them collected weekly, rather than fortnightly as is currently the case. Recycling collections would however remain fortnightly in these areas.
The streets were selected according to strict criteria, which are:
Where pavements are narrow – 1.2 metres or less – and where bins regularly block pedestrians, prams or wheelchair users passing safely, and where storage for black bins in front gardens is limited and binmen can't easily get to the bins;
Where crews are experiencing operational difficulties in collecting bins because of parked cars blocking access to rubbish trucks, streets having limited storage space and other access problems.

If adopted at a Cabinet meeting on April 11, the next stage is for Reading Borough Council to consult with these residents to see if they are happy with the proposed changes and the switch to weekly collections."

That last bit is very important: the Council will consult with residents before making any changes.

This is precisely the opposite of the approach taken by Labour councillors when they implemented alternate weekly bin collections in Reading in October 2006.

I remember - I was there, having recently been elected on to the Council. And I remember the chaos the introduction of alternate weekly collections caused for residents in the University area in my ward who didn't have space for two bins.

The problem was compounded when rubbish built up at the end of University terms - something I successfully campaigned to sort out working with the University and Streetcare teams.

I made the point at that time that one size does not fit all in Reading when it came to bin collections and that still stands.

But deaf to any criticisms of their scheme Labour councillors attacked any opposition councillors who dared raise any objections to their scheme.

It's also worth noting that Labour introduced alternate weekly bin collections across Reading just weeks after the local elections - denying residents a chance to have their say on the plans via the ballot box.

And as the Cabinet minutes of the June 2006 meeting confirm Labour councillors did not consult residents before introducing the scheme:

"That the changes required to implement an alternate weekly collection of residual and recycling waste and the introduction of a green waste collection from 2 October 2006, as outlined in paragraph 5.1 of the report be approved;

(2)

That the Environment Scrutiny Panel be asked to monitor the scheme’s implementation and any specific problems that the changes to the collections may cause, and report back to Cabinet as appropriate."

Monitor the implementation of a scheme is rather different to asking residents if they want it or not, don't you think?

After the scheme was implemented without consultation I submitted email after email to the one off scrutiny review from residents disgusted with the way that Labour had blanket introduced the scheme and detailing problems it was causing local residents particularly in narrow streets.

Needless to say it took years for changes to be made to make Labour's flawed scheme work for residents in many parts of central Reading:-

One year after the scheme was introduced officers identified a number of problems with Labour's scheme in terraced areas and areas with high numbers of flats. Lines of red wheelie bins on London Road drew complaints from residents so as a result we successfully got the Council to swap unsighly bins for single bins on so-called "gateway" streets
Ward councillors in Redlands and Katesgrove reported large numbers of missed bin collections mainly in narrow terraced streets which occured after the scheme was introduced.
In 2008 the cross-cutting scrutiny review Cllr Ricky Duveen and I led into the tackling issues in the private rented sector identified the need to make improvements to waste collection in areas with high numbers of rented properties including flats and Houses of Multiple Occupation.
That same year, in response to our scrutiny review and one month before the local elections the Labour-run Council belatedly responded to problems by reintroducing weekly bin collection services in Oxford Road, London Road, Basingstoke Road and Southampton Street" to help address similar issues in these areas such as garden litter, bins on streets and overflowing bins."

Introducing weekly collections in priority areas is about ensuring all our residents receive a good waste collection service regardless of what type of property they live in.

We are absolutely clear that we will consult with and listen to what residents in affected areas tell us before taking a decision.

And we will continue to take no lessons whatsoever from Labour councillors when it comes to managing bin collections in the town. After all, their record on waste management is not a good one.

Lib Dems Lead Improvements on Hexham Road Estate - And More Planned!

2011-04-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

This morning I spent some time in Hexham Road Estate with a couple of fantastic officers from the Council's Housing Department.
I remember all too clearly what this area looked like when it was represented by three Labour councillors. It was badly neglected by them when I first got involved in campaigning in Reading: abandoned cars, graffiti, fly-tipping and other forms of anti-social behaviour were all big problems for residents. The estate could not look and feel more different now - thanks to the work led by the local Lib Dem team and much-needed improvements funded by our local Decent Neighbourhoods Fund.

I was elected in 2006 and was the first person to actively campaign both inside and outside the Council chamber for this estate to be improved and for the voices of residents to be listened to. Residents I spoke to back then were deeply dissilusioned by the Labour-run Council and their local councillors.
Since then I have been joined by two outstanding advocates for the area in Kirsten Bayes and Glenn Goodall who have worked with me to get stuff done.Our campaign is an ongoing one and as local councillors for the area we work hard all year round to ensure the estate is as clean, green and safe as it can be for residents.
We have led successful campaigns to improve the security of flat blocks and alley-gates across the estate to reduce burglary and anti-social behaviour. We also ran a successful campaign in 2009 to get the Council to bring in measures to reduce mini-moto nuisance on the estate. This led to anti-cycle chicanes being introduced and new more secure doors being fitted.

Throughout our campaigning we have worked hard to increase community involvement in Council decisions - including the first ever survey asking residents what changes they would like to see which has since driven much improvement.
Today I had a tour of some of the improvement works carried out over the past few months across the estate including overhauling of all the fire safety works, redecoration of blocks and replacement of windows. A couple of the flat blocks used to be really intimidating places until recently and feel much safer since changes were made.
Walls have been painted Magnolia to make them lighter and more inviting. New lighting has been installed, flooring throughout flats has been replaced and new ceilings installed. A new state of the art fire alarm system has been installed to help keep tenants safe.
RBC Housing have used funding from our unique Decent Neighbourhoods Fund in Reading (from the Housing Revenue Account) to make improvements to the communal areas in the estate. It was these areas which were so badly negelected by Labour as a result of their focus on meeting national Decent Homes targets and little else.

Outside the flat blocks themselves we have led lots of real improvements on the estate. In 2009 parking areas were resurfaced and repainted. Bin room doors have also been replaced, metal fences painted and bin stores introduced to make the area look more neat and tidy.We have got the Council to introduce more dog litter bins around the estate to help reduce dog fouling. We have also got action taken to reduce Pigeon nuisance on the estate.

Residents told us they would like to see Council ASB officers work more closely with the Police. This is now happening with the ASB team co-located in the Police HQ. RBC Housing and ASB officers now hold regular Surgeries between 10am and 12 noon on Monday mornings. You can also contact them by phone on 0118 937 37 57 (Housing) or 0118 937 2147 (ASB).
One of the more visible improvements we have made to the estate is getting more trees and greenery planted. As a result of our campaigning 10 new trees have been planted in the estate in addition to hundreds of Daffodil bulbs. These have really brightened the place up. I'm proud of what we've been able to achieve on behalf of residents so far but I know there is plenty more to do. The Council is launching a new survey soon to find out what improvements residents would like to see. I look forward to reading responses and acting on them quickly.

£400,000 has been set aside in this year's housing budget to fund further improvements not only on Hexham Road but across Council estates in Reading.
Labour voted against our plans to invest in Council houses and estates so residents can have no guarantee if they vote Labour that this vital work will continue into the future.

If residents living in estate areas in Reading want to see neighbourhood works in their neighbourhoods continue the message is simple: vote Liberal Democrat on May 5 because locally in Reading we are leading the campaign for better estates for all.

Andrew Stunell MP Praises 'Influential' Lib Dems in Reading

2011-03-31T15:09:00.000-07:00

The Evening Post's Linda Fort interviewed Andrew Stunell MP when he visited Reading earlier this week - worth a watch:

Council Agrees Plan to Transform Adult Social Care in Reading

2011-03-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

Other Reading councillors may wish to comment on their blogs or elsewhere on the politics of yesterday's Council meeting.

However, from my point of view the most significant issue on the Council's agenda yesterday was in relation to Transforming Social Care - a programme I have led since May 2010 and written about here extensively.

The meeting where our proposed new policy was to be debated was the culmination of many weeks of deliberation and consultation, in which over one thousand individual responses were submitted by the public and over 27 consultation meetings held by Council officers.

This is the beginning rather than the end of a long process to make Reading's social care policies fairer and more sustainable.

I am pleased that this plan was agreed by Liberal Democrat and Conservative Councillors so we can move forward and ensure our services can meet the needs of the local population.

The response from Labour councillors was depressingly predictable as they attempted to use this sensitive issue to score political points ahead of the local elections rather than work with us to plan for the future.

Labour tabled a series of ill-conceived, ill-considered amendements which failed to help the Council meet its objectives in relation to adult social care and which were I'm pleased to say roundly rejected by Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors.

Overall I found the lack of understanding of the subject matter demonstrated by so many opposition councillors in their contributions yesterday evening deeply disappointing considering these plans have been known for some time and have gone through two scrutiny meetings, public consultation and more recently Cabinet.

Even if councillors couldn't be bothered to attend briefing meetings they would have found most if not all the answers to their questions in the detailed report to Council.

The debate inside the Council chamber at least is now over for the time being.

My priority from now on will be focussing on ensuring the implementation of these policies is carried out as flexibly and sensitively as possible by the Council's Community Care team which I lead.

For the record, the speech I made last night to introduce the report to Council is attached below:

"This report concerns one of the most important steps we as a Council must take: to Transform our community care services in Reading.

To ensure our services protect the most vulnerable
To ensure our services are sustainable
To make best use of public money and local resources
And to ensure our services are fair as possible to all

I believe there is a consensus across this Council that moving in this direction is the right thing today.

Cllr Orton who has been a councillor for far longer than I have said at Cabinet agrees “on principle” with what we are proposing tonight.

And during the Budget meeting he said that our plans “would protect the vulnerable”.

The report contains carefully considered plans to move to a system of care focussed around the needs of individuals in our community where:

People who need social care in Reading receive it quickly and easily
Elderly and vulnerable people are enabled to lead the most fulfilling lives they can
Carers who selflessly provide care get the support they need
And those who can afford to pay for care make a fair contribution towards their care

In developing our plans we have consulted widely and listened carefully to what people have had to say.

We have undertaken a detailed Equality Impact Assessment to ensure our policies do not do harm to any individual or group.

We have listened to comments from service users and carers – over 1100 of them and changed our plans accordingly.

I have held individual meetings people with specific concerns including Freda Potten and Tina Barnes from the Friends of Albert Road Day Centre.

Change

I understand that even if it is the right thing to do, change can be hard particularly for older people and carers.

So we are committed to being flexible and sensitive about the way we implement new policies.

Councillors should remember 40 % of people who receive care including day care will not charged under our plans – not even £5.90.

Our charges reflect well when compared to neighbouring authorities and the private sector.

4.1 in the report sets out the delegation agreed at Cabinet to the Director of Housing and Community to develop an implementation plan.

This is not a cliff edge and there is a safety net :

We will prioritise financial assessments for people already using Day Care services.

Residents who are assessed a no longer being eligible for care will be supported for up 6 months to find alternative support in the community.

This Council takes safeguarding seriously If residents needs increase or their condition deteriorates this will be picked up straight away.

For too long this Council when it was under Labour control operated policies completely oblivious to the financial realities.

This administration operates policies within the Councils’s means.

This year the Council has had to find £19 million pounds worth of savings.

Despite this I have balanced the Community Care Budget– for the first time in many years.

And working with Liberal Democrat and Conservative colleagues helped keep vital services such as libraries and leisure service open – where Labour councils have closed theres.

By changing our policies in the way described in the report:

This Council will save £600,000 over three years.
And avoid growth pressures which would have cost this Council £1.5million pounds.

This is not about cutting services to the vulnerable because the vulnerable will be protected.

This administration has increased support to the voluntary sector which supports thousands of needy residents in Reading to £1.7million.

We will still spend around £40 million pounds on social care this year.

£400k to provide more advice, breaks and support for carers.

And we will continue to fund Integrated immediate care services.

There is only one compassionate, sustainable and equitable option on the table this evening.

I urge members across this Council to support it."

Local Government Minister Backs Reading's Lib Dem Team

2011-03-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

Today was not a typical Monday for me (usually I spend Mondays running around campaigning, doing casework and working on Council matters.
Today we were lucky enough to get a visit from Andrew Stunell MP - Lib Dem Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Communities and Local Government Department.

I have built up a good relationship with Andrew and his office through my involvement in the national empty homes campaign led by David Ireland at the Empty Homes Agency.

Andrew came to Reading see some of the great work Lib Dems on Reading Borough Council have been doing for the people of Reading - the word has clearly got out to Government!.

We have had a series of ministers visit us in Reading over the past few months - including Norman Baker MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Transport and Danny Alexander MP - Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Andrew is responsible for housing, regeneration and community cohesion among other things so there were plenty of things to interest him in Reading.

As a former councillor and someone who was present during the Coalition negotiations he is a fascinating person to talk to and learn from. First stop was Reading Station - site of £9.6 million investment by the Coalition Government which will do so much to stimulate growth and improve life for Reading's travelling public.

Then on to nearby Katesgrove where the Coalition administration of the Council recently granted £220,000 funding to the Afro Caribbean Community Group to reopen the iconic Central Club - something that Labour promised to do but failed to deliver.

Andrew is pictured here talking to Mark Bartley from ACCG and Margaret McNeill who lives nearby and is standing for Katesgrove in the forthcoming local elections. Andrew welcomed news that Reading Borough Council has increased financial support to the voluntary sector thanks to the innovative approach taken by the Liberal Democrat-Conservative Coalition.

Then we went over to the Dee Park regeneration scheme in West Reading which recently benefited from £3.7 million pounds additional investment from the Coalition Government which will help develop 76 new affordable homes. Andrew had the chance to meet three local residents including a youngster who are working on the site and developing new skills.

After that it was a short hop to Tilehurst Triangle where Andrew met Cllr Peter Beard and Cllr Chris Harris members of the hard-working Tilehurst Lib Dem team who have not only kept libraries open but extended opening hours!

We talked to him about how we had frozen Council Tax for the first time in many years without cutting frontline services - as we had committed to doing in our local Coalition Agreement.

Then we took Andrew over to visit the former Avenue School site on Basingstoke Road in Katesgrove to see the first new development of extra-care Council Homes in Reading for 20 years brought about as a result of a successful campaign by myself and local MP Rob Wilson - something he was very pleased to see.

Then we took Andrew to Addington Road in Redlands to talk to students about the new Landlord Accreditation Scheme which we have recently implemented to help improve the standard of student and private rented housing in Reading - replacing Labour's failed scheme.
We spoke about the need to tackle problems in neighbourhood with high numbers of rented homes without dividing communities - something that locally Labour do not seem to get.
Like me Andrew is passionate about improving housing and increasing the supply of housing so I took the opportunity to talk shop with him!

Finally we took him to Christchurch Road to talk about our successful empty homes strategy which is bringing long disused properties back into use - an issue very close to my heart. I am delighted that the administration have found resources to keep doing this vital work going despite huge pressures on our budget as a result of Labour's mismanagement of the public finances.

I spoke to Andrew about the New Homes Bonus which will incentivise councils to build more homes and bring empty homes back into use among other things.

I explained to him that in Reading we had ruled out introducing fixed-term tenancies in Reading for Council tenants and he confirmed that this would be down to the discretion of locally elected councils. Andrew characterised the previous Labour way of ruling local government as being all about compelling councils to do things - he is a confirmed localist which is a refreshing change for a minister based in Whitehall!

Kirsten and Andrew spoke in depth about extending apprenticeships even further in Reading and localising business rates - something we are very keen to see happen so local people and businesses see the benefit of the endeavours.

All in all it was a really positive day and a chance to showcase the work we the Lib Dems on Reading Borough Council have been doing to improve the lives of local communities we represent.

And the sun shone!

Which Services Would Reading Labour Cut?

2011-03-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

I read online this week that Labour councillors in Reading are opposed to the Coalition Council's plans to charge residents for Green Waste Collections.

This service isn't free to deliver. So how would they pay for it?

They say they care about local services but how would they fund them?

Over the past year Labour councillors in Reading have opposed every single saving we have identified and every charge we have sought to introduce which when taken together help protect services to the most vulnerable.

In their mindless opposition to everything Labour councillors have not differentiated between bulky waste charges and day centre charges: they are opposed to them all.

When pressed as to what they would do to fund services the Labour Group Leader stated that "we wouldn't start from here".

So no alternative Budget was tabled.

This near silence has left me in no doubt at all that were they running the Council now Labour would be cutting more jobs and axing more services than the Coalition Administration has.

So the question then becomes not if but what would Labour cut and which services would they axe.

Libraries? Leisure Centres? Sure Start Centres?

Labour councillors are always quick to point the finger at us but more reticient about offering solutions..

Under the Liberal Democrat - Conservative control of Reading Borough Council none of these services in Reading will close, and in the case of libraries the reality is quite the reverse with opening hours being extended across the town.

So in Reading politics the real political gap that is opening up is one of credibility.

As former Labour minister Hazel Blears commented earlier this week: it's time Labour got real and told the public what they would cut.

We know that former Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling's plans planned in massive cuts in public spending:

"Darling’s three-year cash freeze, to begin in 2011, will mean big cuts in real spending for government departments. Compared with this year’s expected £387 billion total for spending by departments, the equivalent by 2013-4 will be £351 billion"

And outgoing Labour Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liam Byrne helpfully confirmed his Party's financial legacy when on leaving office he announced "there is no money left".

So how would Reading Labour councillors have dealt with this?

Locally It has been widely known in that in setting this year's budget the Council needed to find in the region of £19 million pounds worth of savings in one year as a result of reductions in government grant.

Finding these savings was far from easy but Lib Dem and Conservative Councillors did what had to be done to balance the budget in order to fund services that local residents hold dear including libraries, leisure services, children's services and care for the elderly.

As part of this process in January this year the Council’s Cabinet considered a report setting out saving targets and income proposals to help set the budget for the financial year 2011/12.

One of the proposals agreed by Cabinet was to introduce charges for the collection of green waste.

Labour councillors opposed the plans in their entirety failing to put forward any alternative.

And it gets worse.

Once again by burying they heads in the sand and favouring the "doing nothing" Labour councillors are once again defending unfairness.

Under Labour's Green Waste collection service Council Tax payers living in properties without gardens, for example flats, or those who are unable to take advantage of the green waste collection service have been subsidising those who could.

Not very fair, is it?

At a time when the Council must prioritise spending charging people who use green waste collections rather than cutting essential services would seem to me to be a fairer way of approaching savings.

Many Local Authorities currently impose a charge for the collection of green waste and many more will be in the future.

So the question is - if Labour are opposed to raising revenue through fees and charges what services would they cut to balance the Council's budget?

You don't need to look very far to see what Labour-run councils have done when faced with budget pressures.

In Manchester Labour closed five libraries, cut bin collections and closed leisure centres.

Down the road in Sheffield (run by the Lib Dems) councillors had to make identical savings (more than 8 % of their total budget) but there they kep every swimming pool, library and Sure Start Centre open.

In Camden Labour closed two SureStart Centre and cut library services.

Across England not one Sure Start Centre has closed where Lib Dems control councils.

So what would Reading Labour do?

Their previous record in local government is a useful guide:

When they ran the Council Labour habitually increased Council Tax.

In 2000/01 – the Band D council tax in Reading was £848. By 2010 it had risen to £1,500.

This is a 77% increase – meanwhile over the same period inflation increased by 26%.

Over a 10 year period, when Labour ran the Council in Reading Council Tax rose at three times the rate of inflation.

We have calculated that by opposing all our savings proposals, if Labour were in control they would increase next year’s Council Tax by 30%.

With elections coming up it's about time local Labour councillors came clean with Reading residents about how they would pay for services: Council Tax hike or slash and burn?

Lib Dems Help Reading Residents Recycle More

2011-03-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

Locally the Lib Dems have long led the campaign to increase the range of materials that can be recycled by residents. The environment is something we care strongly about hence we currently hold the Environment and Sustainability Portfolio on the Coalition Cabinet.

In the Coalition Agreement we signed with the Conservatives last May we agreed to review recycling with a view to increasing recycling and reducing waste being sent to landfill.

The latest positive step in our campaign was taken today with news of the introduction of Reading's first battery collection service.

From the Council's website:

"Residents will soon be able to leave their used household batteries out with their recycling bin and have them collected by the Council, as part of a new doorstep service set to be launched next month

At the moment anyone wanting to recycle spent household batteries needs to take them to special drop-off points located in places like local libraries, the Civic Centre, the Household Waste Recycling Centre at Smallmead, or shops which have collection containers in store.

A new doorstep collection service for old household batteries will roll out across the borough during April.

All residents will need to do is leave any spent batteries they may have in a sealed clear sandwich/freezer bag on top of their red recycling bin. Bin crews will collect them and take them away for recycling.

The initiative will make it easier for residents to recycle household batteries, which supports Reading Borough Council's overall aim of reducing items that go to landfill."

This is a small but nonetheless important step on the way towards reducing harmful carbon emissions in Reading. When they ran the Council Labour councillors signed the Council up to a restrictive waste PFI contract which has made it very difficult to change recycling arrangements and increase the range of materials residents can recycle. We are not fazed by this and are fully committed to exploring all options to increase household recycling and help residents reduce waste.

Government Invests More Cash to Help Fix Reading Roads

2011-03-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

Back in February I blogged the welcome news that Reading Borough Council was set to benefit from £400,000 additional funding from the Coalition Government to mend potholes. Today as part of the Budget settlement the Department of Transport announced that the amount of funding going to councils to repair roads was being doubled from £100 million to £200 million pounds. This cash injection comes as a response to the severe weather experienced across England in recent months which caused massive damage to the road network.
In Reading the Council will be receiving an additional £295,344 specifically to help the Council fix potholes and road damage . The investment means the Council will not have to increase Council Tax or reduce spend elsewhere to fund these much needed road repairs. This is good news.
As part of this additional funding, the Department of Transport is requiring local highway authorities to publish a brief note on their website by 30 September 2011 so local communities can see how this extra funding has been spent. It is good to see the Government continuing to invest in vital local infrastructure which will benefit all road users.

Council Delivers New Affordable Homes for Disabled People in Reading

2011-03-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

More positive housing news today when it was confirmed that the Homes and Communities Agency would contribute £120,000 towards the construction of new affordable homes for disabled people in Reading.
Reading Borough Council will be putting in £150,000 towards the development of three new purpose built bungalows on a disused former mobile home site in Hastings Close, Southcote by Ability Housing.
Labour comprehensively failed o deliver the affordable housing that is needed in Reading and locally I have led the campaign to increase the supply of housing. Bungalows suitable for people with physical disabilities are in short supply in our area so this news is really welcome. These new homes will give more people with physical disabilities the opportunity to live independently in a home of their own choosing. The bungalows, designed in accordance with the Wheelchair Housing Design Guide, will feature adjustable height kitchens and fully wheelchair accessible wet rooms with a bath or shower option. They will also include future provision for ceiling track hoists, covered wheelchair car parking spaces with transfer areas and assistive technologies to meet the individual needs of the tenants. With a one, two and three bed option, all available for affordable rent, these bungalows will be suitable for a range of tenants with physical disabilities.The homes will be available to applicants on the Council’s waiting list and will be allocated through the bidding system.
As I have said before, competition for funding for affordable housing is fierce with the squeeze on public finances so it is fantastic that the Government via the Homes and Communities Agency has once again decided to invest in Reading.
The Lib Dem - Conservative Coalition running the Council has an excellent record on delivering new affordable housing including the first ever new Council houses for twenty years on the former Avenue Site, and more recently securing funding for 76 new affordable homes in Dee Park.
As Lead Member for Housing I will continue to campaign to get more affordable homes built for the thousands of local people of all backgrounds and ages who so desperately need them.

Council Tax Frozen and Key Services Protected

2011-03-18T08:12:00.000-07:00

Council Tax in Reading is not rising for the first time in many years as a result of the decisions taken by Liberal Democrat and Conservative Councillors.
We have delivered on our pledge to the public which we agreed via our Coalition Agreement last May.
At a time when household budgets are under huge pressure this is one bill that will not be going up over the next year giving some respite to families and elderly people in particular.
And despite the need to find over £18 million pounds worth of savings from the Council's budget, unlike some other councils :

we have not closed any libraries or leisure services
we have protected care to vulnerable children and adults.
we have increased financial support to voluntary groups
we have increased the number of trees in the Borough
we have launched a new warden service to tackle environmental crime
We have increased support to carers
we are continuing to improve Council homes and estates
we are continuing to take action to reduce empty homes - a discretionary service

It is worth pointing out that the Labour opposition group on the Council opposed all the above measures and failed to put forward an alternative budget of their own.

A Labour administration would seriously threaten many key services we have sought to protect. Labour have shown time and time again they cannot balance the books and overspends in areas such as social care could break the Council's budget in future years.

Residents in Reading should consider these facts they come to vote in the local elections in May.

A couple of speeches from Lib Dem Spring Conference I liked

2011-03-18T07:19:00.000-07:00

First, our fantastic new Party President, Tim Farron MP - who has long been a conference favourite. I voted for Tim to be our Party President because no-one in the party campaigns or does fighting talk better.

And secondly Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg MP. I have heard all Nick Clegg's conference speeches live and I think this was his strongest speech yet.

Coalition Council wins £3.7m to build more affordable homes in Dee Park

2011-03-18T05:36:00.000-07:00

Great news today as it has been confirmed that Liberal Democrat-Conservative controlled Reading Borough Council is set to benefit from £3.7 million pounds to held build more affordable homes in Dee Park.

From the official Homes and Communities Agency press release:

"The funding from the Homes and Communities Agency will support the creation of 76 new affordable homes in later stages of the regeneration scheme, bolstering the £10.4 million the HCA put towards the project in March 2009.

The original investment supported the first phase of the regeneration, which includes 111 homes for homes for social rent, including 60 brand new extra care housing flats for the elderly. Work on the extra care housing facility is well underway and is expected to be completed by the end of 2011.Many of the homes for private sale are also in the process of being built.

Sections of road are being renewed improving access around the area, and residents will also benefit from new outdoor sports facilities at Ranikhet Primary School, which can be used by both the school and also the wider community."

This is great news for residents in Dee Park and Reading as a whole. Competition for public funding to build new affordable housing is intense so the fact that the Council has secured this funding shows the Coalition Government recognises what an important regeneration scheme Dee Park is not just to Reading but across the South East as a whole.

We have worked hard to make the case to the Homes and Communities Agency that this scheme is not just about investing in bricks and mortar - it will help deliver better life chances for all residents living in the area and help support economic growth in Reading. We also have won the argument that this scheme represents excellent value for money for taxpayers which is important in the new economic climate.

Every pound invested by Government will go to investing in the community not just now but in the future - improving housing for elderly people, as well as community facilities such as the local school.

Ministers have already pledged that they will build affordable homes during this Parliament than Labour (arguably not difficult given Labour's parlous record when it came to building enough affordable homes when they were in government).

I am especially proud to have overseen the construction of Reading's first new council homes in 20 years during my first year as Lead Member for Housing. With thousands of people in Reading on the Council's waiting list for affordable housing it is essential we build homes for people that desperately need them.

I am really grateful to everyone on the project team at Reading Borough Council and the Dee Park Partnership - a joint venture between Catylst Housing Group and Willmott Dixon Group for all their hard work on this project over many years and more recently in securing this funding.

I would also like to thank in particular local MP Alok Sharma who after I contacted him lobbied the HCA on the Council's behalf earlier this year. His support has been vital keeping this project moving forward.

When it comes to housing I will always put politics aside to work with all parties to ensure that we get the best possible outcomes for local residents. This issue is too important for party politics.

Finally and most importantly I would like to thank all the residents who have worked with the Council for many years to get this project of the ground. Thanks to the awful mess Labour left the public finances in public funding for capital projects is in short supply and I am grateful residents for continuing to actively support the scheme alongside councillors and MPs.

But our campaign does not end here. We need to win the argument for sustained investment in Dee Park by Government and housing associations to ensure residents get the full benefit of the regeneration project and I will continue to champion the scheme at every level.

Local businesses invited to lend vulnerable residents a helping hand

2011-03-17T11:26:00.000-07:00

Do you or anyone you know run a business or voluntary group in Reading which might be able to help elderly and vulnerable residents in Reading with practical tasks?

If so the Council's community care team would like to hear from you.

As I have said many times in Reading an increasing number of people need help around the home, due to illness, disability or old age so they can stay active and independent as long as possible.

This increase is putting a huge pressure on the Council's budget which is why Cabinet agreed earlier this week to move to a more sustainable system of social care which protects the vulnerable.
The Council can no longer afford to provide services in the same way and there is a need to expand the range of services available to residents in the community.

Aside from affordability, the Council is not always best placed in the community to provide services to residents.

We want to encourage a range of providers to develop services to help improve choice and value for money for residents.
With this in mind the Council's fantastic community care team has organised 'Helping Hand' – an event for local organisations to find out how they can develop their businesses to support vulnerable people in Reading with practical tasks and other jobs around the home such as shopping, laundry, gardening and cleaning.

People who need assistance are looking for trustworthy, friendly and reliable firms to help them live their lives more independently.

The event will give local organisations the opportunity to talk to the Council about the services they may be able to offer, and how to market these effectively to customers with care and support needs.

The Council would also like to hear from residents who are thinking of starting up a new business venture and will discuss with them how they can attract customers and ensure residents have a wide range of services to choose from. .

Helping Hand takes place on Thursday, April 7th, in the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Reading, from 10am-1pm. The event is free, but places need to be booked by Friday, March 25th.

For more information or to book a place contact, housingstrategyteam@reading.gov.uk or call 0118 937 2383.

Towards Sustainable Adult Community Care Services in Reading

2011-03-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

I was pleased that yesterday evening the proposals I have been leading in recent months to put social care in Reading on a more sustainable footing were agreed by Cabinet and won support in principle from Labour councillors.

I have been working day and night to develop these proposals and taking these decisions is never easy. I believe they form part of a planned transition from an outdated, unsustainable way of doing things towards a better future for services to our most vulnerable residents.

I pointed out to Cllr Orton and other public detractors who have criticsed me as heartless and uncaring that I came into politics not for any love of public finances but because I care deeply about people.

I responded to two petitions at the meeting - one from the Green Party (which I previously published here) and one from Freda Potten. I went to meet Freda in the morning with officers and I have promised to keep talking to her to ensure that concerns she has around Albert Road Day Centre are addressed in the future.

I also responded to questions from Reading Mencap about how we will be supporting carers.

Below are snippets from the presentation I gave:

Coalition Priorities

Work to develop appropriate policies and high quality funded services to address the increasing service needs of the ageing population in Reading
Retain the current eligibility criteria for social care for the rest of the financial year

Key Questions

In developing community care policies in Reading I have continually challenged officers around the following questions:

Will this policy protect the most vulnerable in our community?
Will this policy be financially sustainable in the longer term?
Does this policy deliver value for money taxpayers?

I am satisfied that the direction of travel of our policies addresses these key questions.

One size does not and must not fit all

Transforming community care services is about building services that fit local people's needs
Subsidising services is both costly and unfair
We must extend the user of personal budgets to increase choice and control for carers and service users
We are maintaining and extending community and voluntary support
We are improving and extending support carers as well as service users

We have listened

We had a tremendous response to our community care consultation
I would like to thank each and every person who responded with their views
Feedback showed that services for vulnerable adults in Reading are highly valued
There is a good understanding amongst residents of a need to make changes to our policies to make them more sustainable
Specific problems were raised in relation to charges
Respondents identified that more help and support is needed for carers
The report and recommendation to Cabinet reflects this

Who will be affected by changes to community care policies?

Around 40% of service users will not have to pay anything under the new system (if they are assessed as being unable to afford to pay)
This will include a proportion of people who are currently paying for services
More than three quarters of people currently classed as with moderate care needs are likely to move into substantial or critical need after assessment so will continue to receive support
We estimate that less than one third of service users who are assessed as moderate will be signpost to other services in the community

How will the new system work?

We have produced a full equality impact aassessment of these proposals and I am satisfied that all potential risks can be mitigated
Individual assessments for care and finances will be carried out for everyone currently assessed as moderate
Everyone in the moderate band will receive access to ou free reablement service. 60 % of people who use this successful service have required no further services from the Council
Ther will be free signposting advice about voluntary and community sector activity they can access
All cases where a possible safeguarding issue are detected will be treated as critical
New charges for services will be phased in over a period of 6 months to help people adjust

A more sustainable service

More people with more complex needs are approaching the Council for help
Our plans save nearly £1.5 million pounds over 3 years
Lower demand means a more sustainable future
If we did not tackle growth pressures we would have to cut services elsewhere
This helps us to protect valued services provided by the Council

The Council's overall budget position

We need to make savings next year of over £18 million pounds
We have maintained our commitment to discretionary spend e.g. carers, libraries, parks and leisure services
We have increased our budget for voluntary and community groups
We are still spending over £40 million pounds next year on adult social care services

In responding to my presentation, rather than attacking my vision or the broad principles I set out Reading Labour councillors chose to criticis our implementation plan. This was not tabled as a detailed plan will be developed by officers in consultation with me as lead councillor. I am not a trained social worker so I will be taking professional advice from my officers about the safest way to implement these changes. It is obviously important that we get the implementation of these policies right and I will be keeping a close eye on things to ensure we do.

I stressed several times that we could not make definitive plans for services without knowing what the service needs of all our residents are. But we would continue to work to ensure that during the transition they and their carers get the support they need.

Given Labour ran the Council in Reading for 23 years I found it a bit strange that they did not attempt to defend the way they funded services in the past. In fact they didn't put forward any counter arguments at all.

This is sad as it highlights the fact that in the main their criticisms have been politically motivated rather than motivated by any real desire to improve services.

I pointed out that given that Labour failed to put forward any kind of credible alternative budget last month (and only identified £500k of savings in next years' Budget) the Council will only be discussing one set of proposals to transform social care in Reading when it comes to approve these plans at full Council on 29 March.

Cllr David Stevens asked me how our planned charges for services compared with neighbouring authorities and the private sector. I pointed out that in both Wokingham and West Berkshire charges were almost double and that in one private sector day service in Reading the day rate was £200 per day - so I am confident our charges of £43 are not excessive.

I am confident that the plan I put forward and that was agreed yesterday by Cabinet represents the safest, fairest and most sustainable future for adult care services in Reading. I am personally responsible for adult safeguarding so I will be working overtime to ensure that the transition is carried out as safely and humanely as possible.

Reading leads the way on tackling local health inequalities

2011-03-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday at Liberal Democrat Spring Conference I voted in support of an amendment put forward by Dr Evan Harris, Baroness Shirley Williams and other Liberal Democrats expressing concerns about the Health and Social Care Bill currently going through Parliament, championed by Andrew Lansley.The amendment was overwhelmingly carried by voting party members.

Before voting I reflected carefully on the issue. I voted the way I did as I have some concerns about aspects in the Bill which open up the NHS to greater competition. However, I do support the proposals contained within Bill which aim to increase local accountability, clinical engagement, and the involvement of local authorities in improving public health. I voted for an amendment that aims to strengthen accountability mechanisms contained in the Bill which I think will be important. The devil is in the detail and I will be watching with interest to see what changes are made.

As I said yesterday, I am pleased that as a member of a democratic party I have the power to shape Party policy in this way and register my concerns with the Party leadership on this issue.

At Lib Dem Conference I attended a meeting with Lib Dem Minister Paul Burstow MP and other Lib Dem Councillors about the Government's health and social care reforms. Paul listened carefully to all the issues that were made and promised to investigate them further. I have taken part in several of these informal discussions in recent months and I welcome the opportunity to have an open dialogue with Lib Dem ministers in government.

This evening Reading Borough Council's Cabinet agreed plans for the creation of the first ever local Health and Wellbeing board. The Board will:

Play a leadership role in driving out health inequalities
Ensure the effective use of health and social care resources
Deliver a different 'offer' to the public that integrates health and social care for both adults

Reading Borough Council has been accepted as an "early implementer" by the Department of Health. This follows local GPs in our area who were recenly become pathfinders for GP Commissioning.

We will be joining the first group of councils developing health and well-being boards in shadow form their area well over a year before they area formally set up.

Being involved from the start as plans develop at national level puts the Council in the driving seat to improve health services and health outcomes in our area rather than waiting for things to be done to us, and meaning we have the best possible chance to improve health outcomes for local residents.

For years the Council has lacked any real power to influence the decisions of health partners in our area. As I have commented many times health inequality in Reading is a major issue - with life expectancy and children's life chances varying widely between neighbourhoods.

Health inequality in Reading got worse under Labour - we must never forget that. So we must change the way we do things.

This is unacceptable so I welcome plans by the Coalition to democratise health and give locally-elected councils more say over health decisions.I also welcome plans for a dedicated public health budget calculated according to health need.

In Reading our health and wellbeing board will be lead by the Leader of the Council. The Lead Member for Health and the Leader Councillor for Education and Children's Services will also be members. On the officer side the Chief Executive will be joined on the board with senior officers from community care & housing, and education & children's service. To improve democratic oversight two shadow lead councillors can be appointed to the Board. The Board will also include a representative of the Local Healthwatch organisation, the director of public health for the Council, and a representative of each relevant GP commissioning consortium.

I have led a series of meetings over the past few months looking at how our HWB should be structured. The Health & Social Care Bill gave councils flexibility over how boards should be structured. I took the decision early on that we needed a board to cover Reading - not a wider area because I felt strongly that Reading has particular health issues and needs that need to be addressed by a board focussed on Reading.

I am glad the Coalition Government is giving us the freedom to decide what is right for our area. I will be working hard over the coming months to ensure that this new Board delivers better health services and health outcomes for residents in Reading.

The Lib Dem Difference: Policy-making and internal party democracy

2011-03-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about being a Liberal Democrat is that Party Members agree and develop our policies by voting on them at our Conferences. This is not the case in either the Conservative or Labour party. And to the continual surprise of attending national media Lib Dem Conference is not a stage-managed rally, like Labour or Conservative Party conferences, it is a democrat policy-making forum.

The only difference about the Lib Dems now as Nick Clegg acknowledged is we have moved from policy-makers to law makers in government:

"The Coalition Government is shifting power from state to people: restoring civil liberties, protecting personal freedom and privacy, crushing the ID database, we’re ending the house arrest of Labour’s Control Orders, guaranteeing freedom of the press, undertaking the biggest devolution of financial power to Scotland since the formation of the United Kingdom, tearing up the Whitehall rules that dictate to Town Halls how to spend local people’s money, running a successful referendum to give more power to Wales, putting public health in the hands of local authorities, reforming party funding, giving voters the right to sack corrupt MPs, creating an elected House of Lords, finishing the job this party started a century ago.

We passed the policies, conference after conference

Now, finally, we’re passing the laws."

Today I voted in a favour of a motion that asserts our independence as a Party and sets out a way in which individual Party members can continue to exert real influence over the future direction of Party policy both in this Parliament and beyond.
As has been said, we did not win the last election so we should not be surprised that all our manifesto has not been implemented in full. As Party President Tim Farron pointed out during the debate, 64 % of our 2010 Manifesto made it into the Coalition Agreement. This is despite the fact that the number of Lib Dem MPs in Parliament is vastly outnumbered by Conservatives.
We need to ensure that in future years we continue to have a mechanism to develop meaningful policy and feed into the Government's policy programme. Our current policy-making processes were developed in opposition and they need to be strengthened now we are in government.
The direction of travel set out in this motion helps us do this but as Tim Farron said motions alone will not define us as a party. In the words of Chris Huhne MP we will be judged as a Party not on what we say but what we do in Government.

Conference notes:
1. The Liberal Democrats decision after the 2010 General Election to join a coalition government with the Conservative Party in order to take the action needed to deal with the severe financial and economic crisis.

2. The inclusion in the Coalition Agreement of many Liberal Democrat policies from the Liberal Democrat 2010 Election Manifesto and the subsequent success by Liberal Democrat Ministers in implementing these policies.

3. The continuing strong and effective leadership of the Party’s Leader and his team.

4. The importance of communicating to the public the distinctiveness of the Liberal Democrats and our contribution to the programme of the coalition Government.

Conference asserts that:

A. The Liberal Democrats will fight the next General Election in Great Britain as an independent Party without any pacts or agreements with any other party and presenting our Manifesto as the clear and distinct basis for liberal government.

B. The Liberal Democrats will fight elections as an independent Party for the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, the European Parliament and local authorities throughout Great Britain.

C. The Liberal Democrats intend to enter the next General Election campaign with no preference for potential future coalition partners.

D. Following the next General Election, the Liberal Democrats will decide on their position in relation to government bearing in mind:
i) The will of the British people expressed at the ballot box.

ii) The Party’s Manifesto.

iii) The political position and capacity to govern of other parties.

iv) Where relevant circumstances apply] the ability to reach an agreed programme of acceptable policies to ensure a stable Coalition Government.

Conference endorses the five key goals of the Federal Executive’s Strategic Plan for the Party, specifically:
I. To build the Party’s appeal for the 2015 General Election, ensuring and communicating the effectiveness and distinct identity of the Party both as part of an effective government and as a strong and distinctive voice inside and outside the coalition.

II. To win elections in 2011 and beyond, including the referendum on the Alternative Vote, elections to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly, local authorities and the European Parliament.

III. To reflect more effectively the diversity of the Party and the country in our elected representatives at every level.

IV. To build further and to maintain a cohesive Party, building capacity, membership and support and communicating effectively with all members and leaders.

V. To widen and build the Liberal Democrat movement, recognising the wider support in communities and interests for liberal ideas and principles.
To assist in the party projecting a distinct and effective identity, Conference:
1. Urges all Liberal Democrats, including parliamentarians and ministers, to demonstrate to the wider public the specific contribution that we have made to the programme of the Coalition Government by identifying:
a) Those policies which derive from the Liberal Democrat’s existing and emerging policy platform.

b) Those aspects of Government policy which Liberal Democrats have changed to be more consistent with our principles and beliefs

c) Those aspects of Government policy which originated from the Conservative party policy platform.
2. Calls for the programme of the Coalition Government in the second half of the Parliament to include Liberal Democrat priorities drawn from our manifesto and policies, and for such a programme to be agreed by the Federal Executive and Federal Policy Committee.
3. Calls for there to be appropriate consultation through the Federal Executive and Federal Policy Committee, when significant new Government policies are proposed, which are not included in the Coalition agreement and which conflict with Liberal Democrat policy or principles.
4. Calls on the Federal Executive and the Federal Policy Committee to:
a) Review, in consultation with the Parliamentary parties, the challenges of coalition which have an impact on the independence of the party, its policy position or its freedom of political movement.

b) Report back on whether the existing constitutional provisions and other arrangements are sufficiently democratic.

c) Propose recommendations, for any constitutional amendments or other protocols which may be needed, in time for debate in September 2011.

5. Calls for the development of a radical distinctive and progressive set of Liberal Democrat policies for the next election, and such policy, although informed by the programme and record of the coalition Government, should be derived totally independently of the views of our coalition partners.

6. Requests the relevant party Committees and departments to develop ways of working that enable us to campaign effectively on a national level against all our future opponents well before the next general election.

Conference re-asserts that the UK Liberal Democrats are based firmly in the historical and global traditions of the liberal and social democratic philosophy and beliefs and commits the Party to developing a promoting the clear narrative setting out what modern liberalism is and can do.

Applicability: Federal