A New Local Blog Hits the Streets

I am delighted to welcome my colleague and friend Cllr Wazir Hussain to the blogosphere. I know that he has wanted for a while to have his own blog to promote the excellent work he is doing for the people of Park ward and to counter some of the untruths that his opponents have been propagating.

It is interesting that Green Councillor Rob White has been regularly attacking Wazir in recent weeks, suggesting that he sees him as his real competitor in Park ward, rather than the Labour candidate. Unfortunately Cllr White has adopted some of the tactics which have become the stock in trade of the Reading Labour Party i.e. smears and personal attacks. His recent leaflets and blog articles have featured partial and inaccurate accounts of private conversations and attacks on Wazir for not living in Park ward. He conveniently ignores the fact that Wazir is a long-term Reading resident who spends a great deal of his time in Park ward working with and for local people and visting local community centres.

I have known Wazir and his wife since I first moved to Reading more than 15 years ago and I have always found him to be a decent and modest man who loves meeting people and works hard for their interests. He has been very active in lobbying me on transport issues in Park ward, asking for more roads to be covered by 20mph zones, more Residents’ Parking, potholes and kerbs to be repaired, and for those roads which he recognises should be exempted from the new verge and footway parking enforcement powers.

One of the undoubted highlights for me of the 2007 elections was not my own election but seeing Wazir beat Labour in Park ward by just 7 votes. The choice on 5th May is between an unknown Green Party candidate, a defeated former Councillor, and a hard working and popular local Conservative Councillor. I look forward to the people of Park ward re-electing Wazir to carry on the good work he has started.

Have a look at Wazir’s new blog here.