Leading the Way on Transport in Reading
The following is the text of an article I wrote which appeared in yesterday’s Reading Post:
Undoubtedly one of the hottest topics in local politics in recent years has been the whole subject of Transport. I am in the fortunate position of holding the portfolio for the Conservatives locally and and am very aware of the concerns many Reading people have about the way the Labour Council has sought to lead us. A couple of years ago Labour proposed to make the IDR into a one-way ring-road anti-clockwise around the town centre. Conservatives stood out strongly against this plan and when others told us the fight was lost we made it a central plank of our 2007 local election campaign. We were rewarded with 7 extra Council seats from both Labour and the Lib Dems and the crazy one-way IDR plan was dropped.
In 2008 we set out our vision for transport in Reading in a 42 page Transport manifesto which was supplemented by a 37 page Cycling Strategy. As a Group we have continued to press the Council to achieve as many of our plans as possible. We advocated a renewed Council Cycling Strategy, a Staff Cycle to Work Scheme, a Cycle Forum, introduction of the Bikeability scheme in schools, better signage of a new network of premier cycle routes. All of these have been, or are in the process of being achieved.
We pledged that we would retain ownership of Reading Buses and we supported the introduction of branded premier bus routes. However, we questioned the assumptions behind the decision to introduce bio-ethanol fuelled buses. Sadly we have seen recently that the bio-ethanol buses have been found to be far more expensive to run than was promised and they are now to be converted over to run on diesel at further cost. Labour claimed considerable credit for the introduction of what they called “green buses” and they must therefore now be prepared to take the flak for not having thoroughly checked out the exalted claims made for them.
Local Conservatives have a vision for transport in Reading and we will once again spell it out in detail prior to next year’s local elections. We will support public transport and environmentally friendly modes such as cycling and walking but not by penalising the car user. We believe that by providing the right facilities people can be persuaded to use the bus and bicycle rather than forced to do so. Labour seems to prefer to make life as difficult as possible for the car user, forgetting that for some it is still their only realistic means of transport.
We will review some of the major traffic-lighted junction schemes that have been introduced and where possible return them to roundabouts, which allow traffic to flow. We will investigate new schemes that by-pass congested parts of the town and provide better alternative routes for all road users. A Conservative Council will tackle congestion more effectively ensuring that there is never a need to introduce Congestion Charging for local people.
Under a Conservative Council we will always seek to be at the forefront of transport planning and innovation, learning from other local authorities and other countries. We want a Reading where all forms of transport can move around freely with the minimum of congestion and pollution.
Labour has run Reading since 1983. Next May there is the chance for a change of control and a change of direction for Reading’s transport. I very much hope that Reading people will seize that chance.
Reading Borough Council Report (Part 2)
I previously reported on the questions I submitted to the full Council meeting on 13 October and the answers I received. I promised to write a fuller report on the rest of the Council meeting but work and other things have prevented me from completing the second report until now.
The full Agenda for the meeting can be found here and I will follow the same format and Item numbers.
Item 3 – Petitions
There was a petition from Asif Rashid, a Hackney Carriage driver who was unhappy with the survey currently being undertaken by Reading Borough Council on Hackney Carriage conditions. There is a split within the Reading Taxi Association (RTA) which has caused many members to lose confidence in the current committee and its ability to represent their interests. The public gallery was packed as Mr Rashid read out his petition wording and made his presentation. Many in the gallery unfurled banners to protest at the actions of the RTA.
Item 4 – Questions from Members of the Public
Mr Tony Warrell asked the Council to give thought to health and safety at Waterloo Meadows Children’s Centre and Chestnut Walk and to provide the necessary life bouys.
- The answer given was that the Council is about to conduct a full audit of bouy locations and re-conduct risk assessments along the length of the waterways (something that was at my request at the Environment Scrutiny Panel)
A Lockey asked how many extra metres of cycle lane (not shared with buses or taxis) have been constructed since 1997.
A Lockey then also asked how many extra metres of cycle lane (not shared with buses or taxis) have been removed since 1997.
- Cllr Page gave a non-answer to both above questions in which he talked about the new Cycling Strategy and adding facilities but without saying how many metres had been added or taken away.
Mr Richard Royal asked for an explanation of the process by which the Council responds to requests for graffiti clean-up.
- Cllr Gittings explained that the call centre log calls between 10am and 4pm and these are pcked up by Streetcare the following morning. However, racist or obscene grafitti is prioritised.
Marion Livingstone asked about changes in Housing and Council Tax Benefit and their implications for children and pensioners.
- Cllr Lovelock gave a long answer which in essence said that from 2 November Child Benefit would no longer be taken into account as income for Housing and Council Tax Benefit purposes.
Matt Rodda asked for a list of works done in all publicly funded schools since 1998 and the approximate spend.
- I have the table if anyone is interested!
Item 5 – Questions from Councillors
There were 27 questions tabled by Councillors of which of had three down and I reported previously. There are too many to list in detail but I will try to get the full list of questions and answers to post in future.
Item 6 – Firm Foundations – Reading Borough Council’s Housing Strategy 2009-14
This was a technical report and was agreed unanimously by all parties.
Item 7 – Review of the Statement of Gambling Licensing Principles
Another technical report which was agreed unanimously.
Item 8 – Additional Meeting of the Council – Civic Headquarters Relocation
This was a fascinating debate on what should have been a purely technical motion. Readers may recall that the Labour administration was proposing spending around £120m of Council Tax payers money to complete just phase one of a redevelopment project that would build a new Civic Centre and may in later phases eventually include a new theatre and library. Conservatives stopped this massively expensive project in its tracks in 2008 and forced a rethink on cheaper options that might include placing the Council’s “back-office” functions in an existing out-of-town location, saving the tax-payers millions of pounds.
The Council has been looking at new options through a Civic Board which comprises representatives of all three parties on the Council. The Civic Board met recently and agreed to propose a special Council meeting on 1 December to review all options and decide on a way forward. However, only one (Cllr Warren Swaine) of the two Lib Dem members attended the last Civic Board meeting and he reportedly agreed with the two major parties that this special meeting should take place. However, at the full Council meeting he and his party criticised the proposed meeting, at the same time criticising the time taken to reach this point and then advocating delaying the decision until at least January next year. In the end the Lib Dems abstained on the proposal that Cllr Swaine had previously agreed to, while Labour and Conservatives voted to proceed with the special meeting.
Item 9 – Review of Electoral Areas and the Number of Wards, Councillors and Frequency of Elections in Reading
This resulted from the proposal of Independent Cllr Tony Jones, backed by the Conservatives, at the CCEA Scrutiny Panel, that the number of Councillors in each ward should be reviewed and a process started that would lead to the redrawing of electoral boundaries and consideration given to “all-out” elections every four years, rather than 3 out of every 4, as now. The Council considered a full report by the Council’s Electoral Returning Officer which indicated that this exercise could not be commenced before June 2010 due to the pressure of preparation for the local elections in May 2010 and the likely General Election around that time. It was agreed unanimously to defer further consideration of the matter until June 2010.
Item 10 – Standards Committee – 14 July 2009
The Council received a report from the Standards Committee which had considered (amongst other things) a complaint about Cllr Warren Swaine’s anonymous site “Muckspreading”. Whilst not found to have breached the members Code of Conduct (because it was an anonymous site) the “sub-committee, and the independent members in particular, had expressed strong reservations about the wording and content of the website, which they considered to be inconsistent with the general principles of Council service contained in the Code. The sub-committee, had, therefore directed the monitoring officer to draw it to the attention of the Standards Board for England.”
Interestingly whilst this report was passed unanimously by all Councillors present, at the time of the vote Cllr Swaine got up and left his seat and therefore couldn’t vote.
Item 11 – Audited Final Accounts 2008/09
Another technical report which was passed unanimously. However, it highlighted the interesting fact that the Council has received a £3.6m VAT windfall which has increased the General Fund balance from £4.7m to £8.3m.
I will post a “Part 3” later which will discuss the motions that the Council debated that night.
October Activity Report
My October 2009 activity stats are below. It was a quieter month than September. However I was away for almost a week at Party Conference in Manchester:
Ward Surgery – 1
Committees and Panels Attended – 2
Full Council Meetings Attended – 1
Community Group Mtgs Attended – 2
External Committees and Panels – 1
Briefings with Officers – 0
School Governors’ Meeting – 0
Political Conservative Group Meetings – 2
Front Office* Enquiries Submitted – 7
Apologies sent – 1
*The old “Acolaid” Councillor’s enquiry system has been replaced with a new system called “Front Office”.
The Lib Dems Are at it Again
We all know that the Lib Dems have a well deserved reputation for dodgy bar charts and only a passing acquaintance with the truth, well my colleague Cllr Dave Luckett has two interesting articles highlighting the point on his blog.
The first relates to one of the dodgiest Lib Dem bar charts (see below) I have ever seen. Not only is the bar chart dodgy but as he points out, it is based on some very out of date Reading Borough electoral statistics. Just look at the height of the respective bars and the percentages they purport to represent.
The second article exposes a Lib Dem master-class of deliberate inaccuracy. The headline in the Lib Dem newsletter talks about Kings Meadow being under threat due to a “Tory U-turn”, when in fact it was Labour that did the U-turn. They did this under pressure from a Conservative call in of their original decision at the CCEA Scrutiny Panel, at which the “heroic” Lib Dems abstained. Had the Conservatives not pressed the call-in the original Labour decision would have stood and we would be several steps closer to a huge hotel and overdevelopment of the Kings Meadow site.
It is reminiscent of their shambolic performance at the recent full Council meeting when the Lib Dems condemned having an extra Council meeting on 1st December to discuss the options for replacing the existing Civic Offices, despite one of their reps on the Civic Board, Cllr Warren Swaine, having agreed to the meeting and the other rep failing to turn up at all. They condemned the time taken to reach this point and then advocated delaying any further discussion to a later scheduled Council meeting.
As anyone who attends a Reading Borough Council meeting can see, the Lib Dems are divided and chaotic, and incapable of articulating a coherent position from one meeting to the next. The only place where they appear credible and coherent is through the artistic license used in their own literature. Despite voting with the minority Labour administration whenever budgetary matters are discussed, the Lib Dems are the object of repeated scorn from the Labour benches.
Philip Lee Wins Bracknell Selection
Many congratulations to Dr Philip Lee who has been selected to stand as the Conservative candidate for Bracknell. He took part this afternoon in an Open Primary process along with six other candidates, where any Bracknell registered voter could come along and choose their candidate.
There were a series of ballots of those present with candidates being elimated round by round. As a friend of Iain Dale I was rooting for him and I was following Iain’s progress through on his Twitter feed. I was almost as tense as he must have been and sorry to see him elimated in the fifth round.
I am sure that Philip will make an excellent MP and worthy successor to Andrew MacKay, who until his fall from grace was highly regarded by many local people as an excellent constituency MP.
I wish Philip every success.
EXCLUSIVE – Reading Transport to Scrap “Eco-Friendly” Buses
Reading Borough Labour group were very keen to trumpet the purchase by Council-owned Reading Transport Ltd of a number of “eco-friendly” bio-ethanol buses. Reading was seen as a UK pioneer of such technology and bus company directors and Reading Labour Councillors were asked to speak on this development across the country. These buses, purchased from Swedish firm Scania have been running on the Premier No 17 route down Oxford Road and have undoubtedly contributed to a reduction of the amount of pollution in the area.
We were told that the new buses would be economic to run and use only UK sourced bio-ethanol from sugar-beet waste grown in the UK. The Council invested around £200,000 of Council Tax-Payers money to ensure that the bus company would be able to store the new fuel and possibly supply other Council-owned vehicles.
In 2008 Reading Council press released the news of the new buses with statement from the then Environment Lead Councillor Steve Waite as follows “This scheme is using only bi-products of sugar beet from UK sources and is a welcome addition to the range of measures to help us mitigate climate change”.
The news today is that this is completely untrue. Reliable sources have told me that all of Reading Buses bio-ethanol has been imported from Sweden and none of it has been sourced in the UK. Also the economics of running the bio-ethanol buses has turned out to be far less efficient than anticipated. They are about 40% less efficient than a diesel bus and have far more time off the road for maintenance. The decision has therefore been taken to re-engine the entire fleet of bio-ethanol buses and convert them to run on diesel fuel.
Ironically the wood pulp based Swedish fuel was actually more eco-friendly than fuel based on sugar beet waste but that did not account for the costs of importation from abroad.
At the time when these buses were introduced Conservatives challenged Labour Councillors on the economics of the bio-ethanol engines and were assured that this had been carefully investigated and the economics stacked up. Serious questions now will be asked about how such misleading and inaccurate statements were made by leading Labour Councillors and what this does to Reading’s Environmental credentials. I suspect that this won’t exactly help Reading Transport’s chances of winning an innovation award on 12 November for the introduction of the bio-ethanol buses.
The bus company has been going through a series of problems recently and this is the last thing they needed as Chief Executive James Freeman struggles to tackle numerous deep seated issues within the organisation. However, if the conversion of the buses to diesel helps them become more efficient and economic, that will be a beneficial outcome. However, there are still major hurdles to overcome along the way.
Reading Borough Council Report (Part 1)
At last night’s Full Council Meeting I tabled three questions (the maximum allowed by one Councillor):
QUESTION NO. 14 in accordance with Standing Order No.10
Councillor Willis to ask the Lead Councillor for Culture and Sport:
Outdoor Works of Art and Monuments
Could the Lead Councillor provide me with a list of the number and location of outdoor Council-owned public works of art or historical monuments, the budget for their maintenance and cleaning, and the frequency of inspection?
REPLY by Councillor Hoskin (Lead Councillor for Culture and Sport):
The details of the outdoor public art or historical monuments are detailed below:
The maintenance and the cleaning are carried out as required. The exceptions are:
Lyon Square – inspection is bi-monthly
- Broad St. West Seating – inspection is weekly
- Central Club mural – Annual inspection
- Oscar Wilde Memorial Commission – Inspection is monthly
The costs of maintenance and cleaning are met from wider departmental budgets and are not specifically allocated.
|
Title
|
Artist |
Date |
Location |
| Plaque to Hugh de Boves | W.S.Frith | Chapter House, Reading Abbey Ruins | |
| Plaque – Sumer is icumen in | W. Ravenscroft | Chapter House, Reading Abbey Ruins | |
| Plaque –Hugh Faringdon’s execution | W.S.Frith | Chapter House, Reading Abbey Ruins | |
| Sculptural freize | Charles May | Town Hall facade | |
| Small figure of Queen Victoria | Charles May | Town Hall façade | |
| Gargoyles | Abbey Gateway | ||
| Rustic Fountain | Unknown | Forbury Gardens | |
| 1st Marquess of Reading (Rufus Isaacs) | Charles Sargeant Jagger | Eldon Square Gardens | |
| Plaque – Mary Mitford | 39 London Road | ||
| Plaque- Laurentius Braag | Outer wall of St. Mary’s Church | ||
| Plaque – Goldwin Smith | 15 Friar Street | ||
| Plaque Fox Talbot | 8 Russell Terrace | ||
| Christchurch stone | Redlands Road | ||
| Obelisk | Designed : Sir John Soane | 1804 | Market Place |
| Drinking fountain | Designed: Poulton and Woodman | 1860 | South wall of St Laurence’sChurch |
| Jubilee Fountain | G.W.Webb | 1887 | The Butts |
| George Palmer | George Blackall Simonds | 1891 | Palmer Park |
| Queen Victoria | George Blackall Simonds | 1897 | Town Hall Square |
| King Edward VII | George E. Wade | 1902 | Station Square roundabout |
| Memorial Cross to Henry I | W. Ravenscroft | 1909 | Forbury |
| 2 Commemorative tablets | 1923 | Reading Bridge | |
| Commemorative tablet – 4Plaques | 1926 | Caversham Bridge | |
| Horse Troughs | St Mary’s ButtsNr Central Pool
Nr Arthur Newbury Park Scours Lane |
||
| Inscribed table | c.1937 | King’s Bridge over Kennet | |
| An Archangel | Eric H Kennington | c1953 | Geoffrey Field School |
| Robed Figure | Elizabeth Frink | Abbey Gardens | |
| Cartwheeling Boys | Brian Slack | 1981 | Outside Civic Centre |
| Reading Piece 2 | Peter Sainty | 1982 | Kennetside |
| Girl and the Swan | Lorne McKean | c1984 | Arundell House |
| Adam, Libby and Karen | Liz Mulchinock | c1985 | Guardian Royal ExchangeBuilding |
| West Reading Railway Bridge | William Brown | 1988 | Oxford Road |
| Guardian (at the Gates of Sparta) | Eric Stanford | 1988 | Courtyard of 21 South Street |
| Central Club Mural | Alan Howard | 1989 | Central Club |
| Inner Light | Liliane Lijne | 1992 | Outside Prudential offices |
| Oscar Wilde Memorial Commission | Bruce Williams | c2000 | Chestnut Walk |
| The Compleat Angler | Kevin Atherton | c1992 | Chocolate Island |
| Bagged | Jenny Eadon | c1993 | Originally King’s Meadow Woodland, now in storage |
| Save our World | Jo Kennedy | c1994 | Inside Civic Centre |
| Broad Street seating | Matthew Fedden | 1997 | Broad St West |
| Lyon Square public art scheme | Free Form Arts Trust | 1998 | Lyon Square, Dee Park Estate |
| New Century Place | John Ravera | 1998 | New Century Place |
| Hexham Road Tree | Bhajan Hunjan | 1998 | Hexham Road Community Centre |
| Bridges & Canopy | Whitby Bird & partners | 1999 | The Oracle |
| Crystal Beacon | John Gingell | 1999 | The Oracle |
| Heritage Trail | Guy Paterson | 1999 | The Oracle |
| Holy Brook entrance | Anne Smythe | 1999 | The Oracle |
| Link Block windows | Martin Donlin | 1999 | The Oracle |
| Riverside floors cape | Simon Read | 1999 | The Oracle |
| Water feature | Simon Read | 1999 | The Oracle |
| Tree grilles | Jon Mills | 1999 | The Oracle |
| Time Piece | Wendy Ramshaw | 2000 | Entrance foyer to Town Hall |
| The Gateway | Clare Bigger | 2000 | Reading International Business Park |
| Untitled sculpture | Jens-Flemming Sorensen | 2000 | Abbey Ruins |
| Oscar Wilde Memorial Commission | Bruce Williams/Paul Muldoon | 2000 | Chestnut Walk |
| Banners | Mark Camille Chaimowicz | 2003 | Broad Street |
| Operation Owl Club | Adam Dant | 2004 | Reading Explorer units – various town centre locations |
| Dwelling | David Ward | 2005 | Friar Street – various windows |
| Ambulatiuncula sound trail | 8 sound artists | 2006 | Forbury Gardens |
QUESTION NO. 15 in accordance with Standing Order No.10
Councillor Willis to ask the Lead Councillor for Culture and Sport:
War Memorials
Could the Lead Councillor provide me with a list of the number and location of War memorials, the budget for their maintenance and cleaning, and the frequency of inspection?
REPLY by Councillor Hoskin (Lead Councillor for Culture and Sport):
The details on the War memorials are listed below:
The maintenance and the cleaning are carried out as required. Due to the nature of the memorials and the very public locations, the inspections are carried out when issues are reported. This means that the budgets are not specifically allocated and are made available when required.
|
Title |
Artist |
Date |
Location
|
| War Memorial WW1 | J.H.Benyon | 1932 | Entrance to Forbury gardens |
| Maiwand Lion | G.B.Simonds | 1886 | Forbury Gardens |
| War Memorial | E.L.Gunston | 1932 | Forbury |
| Requiem | E.Sandford | Circa 1992 | Outside Civic Office |
| Colliers Brickworks War Memorial | Made by Colliers company to commemorate their own employees | C1919 | Tilehurst (near Prospect Park) |
| The Tilehurst Triangle | Tilehurst (adjacent to the main shopping area) | ||
| Caversham War memorial | Dedicated on 05/05/1928 | Christchurch Meadows |
QUESTION NO. 16 in accordance with Standing Order No.10
Councillor Willis to ask the Lead Councillor for Planning and Transport:
Motorcycle Parking
Could the Lead Councillor for Planning and Transport inform me how many motorcycle parking spaces there are in the Borough and where they are located? What plans are there to expand provision?
REPLY by Councillor Page (Lead Councillor for Planning and Transport):
There are 52 parking spaces in the Borough.
These are the existing motorcycle parking bays in the Borough:
1. Greyfriars Road (4 parking spaces)
2. St. Marys Butts (12 parking spaces)
3. Blagrave Street (11 parking spaces)
4. Kings Road (8 parking spaces)
5. Oxford Road (2 parking spaces -one on the IDR bridge, one outside the motorcycle shop 257)
6. Oxford Rd on IDR overbridge (15 parking spaces)
We are reviewing motorcycle parking provision as part of the town centre re-organisation and will be consulting with relevant groups on extending the number of spaces.
I will post a fuller report on the rest of last night’s Council meeting in the next day or so. There were some extraordinary scenes of farce and incompetence on the Lib Dem benches which are worthy of further discussion. In the meantime my colleague Cllr Dave Luckett has posted a short account here.
Reading Borough Council Meeting
Tonight at 6.30pm the full Council will be meeting to discuss a range of reports including the Housing Strategy, the Civic Offices relocation, and cutting the number of Councillors. We will also debate motions on Climate Change 10:10, the Council’s £3.6m VAT refund and Child Protection.
I will be asking three questions although it is unlikely we will get to them in the oral section and I will therefore receive a written answer which I will publish here later.
The full agenda can be found here.
If you would like to come along and watch the public are welcome in the public gallery from 6.30pm.
September Activity Report
My September 2009 activity stats are below. It was a very much busier month than August:
Ward Surgery – 1
Committees and Panels Attended – 11
Full Council Meetings Attended – 0
Community Group Mtgs Attended – 1
External Committees and Panels – 1
Briefings with Officers – 1
School Governors’ Meeting – 0
Political Conservative Group Meetings – 1
Front Office Enquiries Submitted – 5
Apologies sent – 1
The old “Acolaid” Councillor’s enquiry system has been replaced with a new system called “Front Office”.
“Iain Dale for Bracknell” Website Launch
With the final short-list of seven Conservative prospective candidates chosen to go to an Open Primary Selection process, fellow blogger Iain Dale (left) has been quick to launch a campaign website. He has the usual biographical detail and contact information but has already amassed an impressive list of endorsements from across the political spectrum. He has also given what he describes as an “integrity pledge” with 10 promises to the people of the constituency as to how he will conduct himself as their MP if selected and subsequently elected.
Any Bracknell constituency resident on the electoral register can call 01344 868894 (by 5pm on 12th October) to register to attend the final selection meeting and vote for Iain or any of the other candidates. The meeting will take place in Bracknell at 1.30pm on 17th October at the Blue Mountain Golf Centre.
Meet the Mayor
Reading’s Mayor Cllr Fred Pugh is launching his monthly Meet the Mayor ‘open house’ sessions today (Tuesday 29 September).
He’ll be on hand to welcome visitors to the Mayor’s Parlour at the Civic Centre offering them a cup of tea and the chance to look behind the scenes and find out more about what the Mayor does.
Visitors can take a look at the Mayor’s robes, chain and the Mace and also view a selection of gifts received by Reading’s Mayors over the years. These include a large beautiful silver Indian jewel box received by the 1st Marquis of Reading when he was Viceroy of India, a Chinese good luck charm, an opera make up box from Peking, Japanese dolls, pictures, cut glass and items marking Reading’s links with Clonmel, Dusseldorf and Reading, Pennsylvania.
The open house sessions are on the final Tuesday of each month and run from 11am to 1pm. Everyone is welcome to come along.
‘I’ve had a very busy time since being made Mayor earlier this year. It’s been wonderful to meet so many friendly people and to find out more about some of the very impressive work being done by Reading folk to make the borough such a great place to live, work and visit.
‘The ‘Meet the Mayor’ sessions are my opportunity to share with people what I’ve been doing and what is planned,’ said Cllr Pugh.
Cllr Pugh has chosen Sue Ryder Care and Diabetes UK as his charities during his year in office and will be holding a number of events to raise money for these organisations.
Reading Labour’s Kings Meadow U-Turn
Tonight at Reading Borough Council’s Cabinet meeting the ruling Labour Executive reversed their previous vote on developing the Kings Meadow baths and voted to award a two-year exclusivity agreement to the community-based Kings Meadow Campaign (KMC). Lead Councillor Graeme Hoskin did his best to spin the volte face as a logical decision but in truth it was forced upon Labour by the “call in” of the Cabinet’s original decision to go with developer Askett Hawk.
Conservatives on the Council’s CCEA Scrutiny Panel rejected that decision earlier this year and called for the Cabinet to give both sides more time to come up with a scheme that met financial and planning development criteria for the sensitive site. I proposed the motion which Conservative colleagues supported. The Lib Dems abstained.
Cllr Hoskin gave three arguments to support his U-turn:
- The length of the lease demanded by Askett Hawk – they wanted 250 years.
- There was no guarantee of public access to the pool with Askett Hawk.
- Askett Hawk required the ability to appeal against any refusal of planning permission, which since their original scheme was over-sized and outside planning criteria was unacceptable.
He also made it clear that there would be no Council funds to support either group’s proposals, which could be a show-stopper for the KMC bid. At least now the KMC has time and the exclusivity agreement to bid in a meaningful way for lottery and other funding to achieve their aims.
I wish the KMC every success. If they cannot get sufficient funding, the Council will be left with a decaying listed building for which it has ultimate responsibility.
EXCLUSIVE – The Bracknell Conservative Shortlist
I am told that Bracknell Conservatives have selected their short-list of seven to replace sitting MP Andrew MacKay who is standing down. I am seeking final confirmation but I believe that they are:
Iain Dale – top Conservative blogger, author and publisher. Iain stood in Norfolk North at the last election.
Rory Stewart – author and former Army officer. I worked with Rory in the Foreign Office after the Iraq invasion. He was appointed Governor of Di Qar province in Iraq and is also famous for walking across Afghanistan in 2002
Kate Lindsay – was previously shortlisted for Hampshire East
Julia Manning – stood in Bristol East at the 2005 General Election
Fiona Kemp – stood in Truro and St Austell in the 2005 General Election
Philip Lee – a Doctor and project director of Conservative Friends of Bangladesh
Ryan Robson – an investment banker and Chairman of the Centre for Social Justice’s Looked After Children Working Group.
Margaret Doyle – a Westminster Councillor
It is an interesting selection of candidates with some very strong characters. I am also told that a small group of Bracknell Forest Councillors failed in their bid to have Bracknell Forest Council Leader Cllr Paul Bettison added to the short-list.
The seven will now go through to an Open Primary selection meeting on 17 October.
If anyone has any further information about members of the short-list please let me know.
CORRECTION: Two people have contacted me to tell me that Fiona Kemp was not short-listed and that the correct finalist is Margaret Doyle.
Reading Children’s Services – An Exclusive Update
Local readers will recall that Reading was the subject of a damning Ofsted report earlier this year which found that Reading’s protection of vulnerable children was “Inadequate”. The then Lead Councillor for Children’s Services was forced to resign in the face of a Conservative “no confidence” motion which was about to be moved against him.
I understand that Ofsted conducted a surprise second inspection at the end of August which found that there were improvements since their last report and no areas requiring immediate priority action. However, they also found a number of continued failings. They found that core and initial assessments are not always being completed on time. These are the vital assessments that help to determine the level of support that a child needs. They also found that some of the cases that social work assistants are carrying are too complex to be able to ensure confident service provision. There has also been a failure to meet the target for a reduction in the use of expensive and often transient agency staff.
There is undoubtedly improvement from the desperate state that Council’s Children’s Services department was found to be in 2008 and the trend is in the right direction but it is concerning that despite all the attention, extra funding and scrutiny since the previous Ofsted report that there are still continued failings.
Yesterday I was given an internal Labour Party briefing document which indicates that the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) is expected to report shortly on a very serious case review into a tragic event. The LSCB report is expected to provide further damning findings about the previous state of Children’s Services in Reading. I am told that the Labour Group are so scared of the anticipated findings that they intend to try to spin the matter by publishing the new Ofsted inspection letter as quickly as possible in order to try to mitigate the anticipated damage resulting from the LSCB report.
We can all be pleased that Children’s Services in Reading appear to be improving but there is no room for complacency and certainly no room for political spin on the matter. We should not forget that only about two years before the “Inadequate” assessment, Ofsted found Reading’s Children’s Services to be improving and praiseworthy!
Labour Announce Candidates for 2010 Local Elections
The Reading Labour Party has confirmed most of their candidates for the May 2010 local elections as they attempt to cling onto the levers of power in the Civic Offices as a minority administration:
Abbey – Cllr Bet Tickner is standing again and will seek to retain the seat against what is likely to be a strong Conservative challenge.
Battle - As previously reported here, Sarah Hacker, daughter of Battle ward Councillor Chris Maskell will be attempting to claim back for Labour a seat that is currently occupied by Cllr Tony Jones who became an Independent after leaving Labour last year. Tony has announced that he will not stand again.
Caversham – no candidate announced.
Church – former Councillor Malcolm Powers has been selected in Church ward. Malcolm has considerable experience and will hope to wrest what was until recently a safe Labour ward from Conservative Cllr Tim Harris. Malcolm is a former Battle ward Councillor and currently Labour’s Regional Director. He was known in the Council chamber for his sharp tongue and willingness to make personal attacks.
Katesgrove – rumours of Cllr Richard Stainthorp’s decision to stand down have been rife for some time and Labour have selected defeated Caversham candidate Matt Rodda to replace him. Rodda is Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for East Surrey (although they don’t seem very keen to promote his candidature) and he will not be able to fight meaningful campaigns in both Kategrove and East Surrey. However, if he is an absent candidate it is arguable whether Katesgrove residents will notice, as Stainthorp has not held a ward surgery and submitted few Councillor enquiries in the last year.
Kentwood – no candidate announced.
Minster – Marian Livingston has been selected to fight the highly marginal Minster ward. Livingston who has been beaten twice in recent elections in Church ward, is also a Church ward resident.
Norcot – Sitting Councillor Peter Jones will be seeking to retain this safe Labour ward.
Park – As rumoured, Cllr Shirley Merriott is standing down reluctantly to make way for former Kentwood Councillor Richard McKenzie. It has been suggested elsewhere that her reluctance is considerable and that McKenzie was determined to get back onto the Council following his humiliation in the Henley by-election where he managed just 3% for Labour and lost his deposit.
Peppard – no candidate announced.
Redlands – Kelly Edwards will stand for Labour in Redlands, a ward that they have lost to the Lib Dems in recent years. Edwards failed to be selected for the Reading West Parliamentary seat, losing out to “gaffe prone” Naz Sarkar.
Southcote – sitting Councillor John Ennis will seek to defend Southcote for Labour. Ennis became Lead Member for Children’s Services earlier this year when former lead Cllr Pete Ruhemann was forced to stand down after a damning inspection report.
Thames – no candidate announced.
Tilehurst – no candidate announced.
Whitley – Sitting Councillor Mary Singleton-White is standing down to be replaced by Rachel Eden. Rachel is a governor of Wilson Primary School and Reading Labour’s Womens’ Officer.
So only three of the ten are sitting Councillors standing again, with two former Councillors seeking a come-back in different wards. Five of the ten are women but not a single one is from an ethnic minority. Of the remaining five wards yet to announce their candidate there is not one in which Labour has any serious prospect of winning. I am told that this is where Labour will put its ethnic minority candidates and that they have already identified the following:
Jagdeep Ahluwalia
Sawarn Singh Bal
Mohammed Haji Banaras
Dayapal Singh
It seems that Labour have pretty much given up on the wards North of the Thames and on Kentwood and Tilehurst wards. As in previous recent elections it is likely that their candidates will be a token presence only.
Jane Griffiths used to have some interesting observations about Malcolm Powers and Richard McKenzie on her old blog until it was mysteriously sabotaged and it will be fascinating to read her thoughts on these selections.
About Richard…
Richard is a Conservative Councillor on Reading Borough Council representing Peppard ward since 2007. He previously represented Thames ward from 2001 to 2004. He is currently Conservative Shadow Cabinet member for Transport. 
