Redlands Liberal Democrats

Glass recycling on its way in Redlands...at long last!!

Just a quick note to say that we received confirmation today that the Council is finally going ahead with the installation of the FIRST EVER bottle banks in Redlands ward, after a successful campaign by the Lib Dems.

The new banks will be on Erleigh Road (pictured, on the edge of Donnington Gardens) and Hexham Road (by 116-122). They should hopefully be installed during April.

These bottle banks are arriving after a long campaign by Kirsten and I.

Local residents have been asking for local glass recycling facilities for ages. You only need to see how much needed they are by walking around the University area and seeing the glass mounting up on doorsteps.

I first gave the Council a list of possible sites in 2006. The introduction of glass recycling sites was supposed to coincide with the introduction of fortnightly bin collections...or at least that was the theory!

Anyway, there were smiles all round today and local residents I've spoken to have told us they can't wait.

We are not complacent, however.Glenn, Kirsten and I will continue for press for more banks by Cintra Park and the Upin Arms, which have been held up slightly.

This is just step one in terms of our recycling campaign. We will also continue to press for weekly collection of food waste and kerbside collection of glass. 

Please sign our petition if you haven't already done so!

Responsible drinking around the University

Students and responsible drinking is back in the national press today, with news that members of the National Union of Students are to table a motion calling for 'responsible drinking' on campuses this week.

An article in today's Observer highlights the organised pub-crawls in University towns run by a company called Carnage. These events have been set up in Reading and I know they are cause for concern of the local Police and local residents who live around the University.

The article also discusses cheap drinks promotions which are promoted on some campuses.

I am writing to Reading University Student's Union (RUSU) about this today to ask them to clarify their position on this issue, and to update me what they're doing to promote responsible drinking on and off campus. I've always found that RUSU has taken a mature approach and the work they did last year to ban initiation ceremonies at Reading University was excellent.

I know that noise caused by a minority of drunk students is still a problem around some of streets off Erleigh Road, but in general I feel things has got a little better and a lot of this is thanks to the joint effort of RUSU and the Redlands & University Neighbour Action Group (NAG).

If residents report problems, Kirsten and I raise issues directly RUSU and Reading University, and we now have strong relationship with both. I'm a firm believer that good communication helps in these types of situations and this was certainly lacking on all sides when I was first elected in 2006.

Borrowing from JS Mill for a second (burried at the back of my mind from a politics degree!) my view is that a balance clearly needs to be struck, to ensure that the 'harm' done to students and residents is kept to a minimum, while allowing students to have a good time at University. Many would argue we haven't quite managed that yet.

If you are a resident affected by this problem, please drop me a line and I would be happy to assist. With my NAG hat on I would also suggest you report any problems to the Police's asb hotline: 0845 8 505 505 so that they are aware of the problem.

Road safety concerns around Farringdon Court

Residents of Farringdon Court, off Erleigh Road have been in touch with me about road safety concerns. It seems that changes to waiting restrictions introduced in early 2006 have resulted in cars parking close to and opposite the junction of the access road with Erleigh Road. This has reduced visibility for drivers and pedestrians.

These changes were approved by the previous Labour councillors for Redlands. I have requested that this issue is examined by the Traffic Management Advisory Panel at the next available opportunity and that measures to reduce parking on the junction with Erleigh Road are investigated by RBC as a priority.

Food waste collection: Reading's Labour Council lagging behind

News today that the Labour government is now actively encouraging councils to introduce weekly food collections as a means of saving money and to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. This is already happening in Lib-Dem controlled Eastleigh and Islington, and the Lib Dems in Reading have been calling for it for ages.

Sadly  thanks to the crazy waste PFI contract Reading Labour signed us up to a few years ago, it will be very difficult for the Council to expand the amount of materials recycled in Reading.

Cllr Gareth Epps, our environment spokesman, successfully campaigned to get this contract on the agenda at last month's meeting of the Environment Scrutiny Panel. I don't think many residents in Reading realise how restrictive the contract is and the limitations it places on recycling in Reading. If they did, they might ask a few more questions like are we getting value for money from it?

The latest research by the goverment-funded WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) on attitudes to food waste collection found increasingly positive public attitudes:

* widespread support for separate food waste collection - 78% agree the environmental benefits are important to them; only 1 in 10 households don't see the point;

* Two in three households (65%) use their food collection regularly, but 23% have never tried it;

* Dedicated food-only systems capture more food waste than food waste mixed with garden waste. Overall, weekly food combined with fortnightly residual waste collection generates the highest kilogramme amount of food recovery per household;

* People take part because they think waste is bad and like to do their bit for the environment;

* People who don't do it tend to be the 'bad' recyclers and can be seen by others as letting everyone else down.

So Reading Labour councillors (if you're reading this), Isn't it time residents in Reading were offered a food waste collection service?

If you support the Reading Lib Dem campaign for kerbside glass recycling and weekly food waste collection please sign our petition here.

A typical mixed bag

First thing this morning I reported offensive graffiti in the public toilets on Cintra Park for removal following a report from one of the local PCSOs. This should be removed within 24 hours according to Council policy. We have a very close working relationship with the local Police team and it helps to share information to ensure issues get sorted quickly.

Later on I got in touch with RBC about the continuing problem of Erleigh Road's worn out road surface. A constituent who cycles I spoke to today pointed out the problems potholes etc cause cyclists in particular i.e. increased punctures. The Lib Dems have been campaigning to get the Council to invest in the local road network (instead of simply patching up the holes). On a separate note I heard today that the Council will be installing additional bollards on Corbridge Road to protect the grass verges there, following our campaign.

Over the weekend I noticed several properties (particularly in terraced areas) clearly struggling to cope with fortnightly bin collections around Kings Road. I contacted the Council about one such property which had a number of black bags outside only to be told by an officer that there may be up to 12 adults living there- and  only one bin! I'm glad to say that following my initial contact RBC's waste support team have been round to visit the household to offer advice and assistance.

As warmer weather approaches, the Lib Dems will continue to press the Labour Council to introduce weekly food waste collections and kerbside glass recycling. This will help reduce the amount of waste in people's bins and deal with the issue of smells. To quote the Council's PR blurb "we can't go on like this!"

Mini-motos around Hexham estate and Longbarn Lane Rec

Youngsters riding mini-motos and full size motorbikes are becoming a real nuisance at the southern end of Redlands and into Whitley. Residents on Bede Walk contacted me totally fed up with the bikes whizzing past their doorsteps on the footpath.

I was in the Northumberland Avenue area over the weekend and I saw a number of teenagers riding bikes on Longbarn Lane Recreation ground. Worringly, at least one child I saw was not wearing a helmet.

Apart from being a real danger tothemselves, youngsters riding mini-motos are a massive danger to pedestrians. For this reason it is illegal to ride mini-motos on roads, pavements or public parks. You can find out more about the law regarding mini-motos on the Thames Valley Police website.

There have been some very sad deaths connected to mini-motos in South Reading in recent years . A few weeks ago I met the mother of young person who was killed riding a motorbike on Shinfield Road. She was adamant that more needed to be done to education children in schools about the risks.

Katesgrove Councillor, Gareth Epps and have contacted the Council and the North Whitley Police Team about this problem asking them to take action urgently. I would like to see Reading Borough Council re-launch it's campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of mini-motos amongst children and adults.

Part of the problem I think is that parents are buying these machines for their children and condoning their use. If parents knew the risks attached to riding these bikes I can't believe they would encourage their kids to ride them.

The Police are keen to try and find out the names and addresses of youngsters riding the bikes, which is obviously easier said than done! Residents can help by reporting any sightings of mini-motos being ridden via the asb hotline: 0845 8 505. Please also contact me if this issue is a problem in your area.

We will certainly be raising this at the next meeting of the North Whitley Neighbourhood Action Group in April.

Regeneration of Eldon Square Gardens continues

I had an update today from the Council's Parks team about the project to regenerate Eldon Square Gardens. This project is very close to my heart. I have been campaigning for the RBC to restore these Gardens since 2005 and I'm delighted to see the hard work now going in to do just that.

Since I last posted, a number of large and overgrown shrubs have been removed and trees pruned back. This has made the Gardens a lot more open and in keeping with the traditional design. As part of the new layout, 7 new trees have also been planted.

One of the best things to happen recently has been the installation of new lighting around the Gardens. This is something I have been asking the Council to do for a long time. I hope the lighting will make people feel safer and in turn attract more visitors to the Park.

There is a lot more work to be done on the Gardens before the restoration is complete including hard and soft landscaping. Care needs to be taken with the timetabling of further works as the bird nesting season will soon be upon us. We are very lucky to have someone managing the project at RBC who is incredibly concientious and sensitive to these types of things, so I'm sure everything will go well. 

Anyway, very soon I will have details of the first meeting of the Friends of Eldon Square Gardens, which will be open to everyone who is interested in preserving this unique space for future generations to enjoy. I think it it's really important that local people who use open spaces can input into the way they are managed, which is why I campaigned for the group to be set up.

Contact me if you want more details of the regeneration of Eldon Square Gardens or if you want to get involved in the Friends group.

Holding FGW to account...

I attended a meeting of the Council's Corporate,Community and External Affairs (CCEA) Panel this evening, of which I'm a member.

Following last month's successful Lib Dem motion to Council on First Great Western's poor performance, tonight we were discussing how a public meeting might be structured.

I disagreed with Labour councillors the majority of whom seemed to want to keep public participation and this event to a minimum (why?) and argued that Reading commuters should be allowed to have their say. For some reason these councillors seemed to think that the meeting should comprise of experts and pre-submitted questions from members of the public who would be given 'a slot'.

I argued that any meeting should not be allowed to become a PR presentation about the future of Reading Station by Network Rail, but that it should stay focussed on the key issue of the day: the shocking performance of FGW. Rail travellers in Reading are always being promised 'jam tomorrow' of one form of another, whether it be Crossrail or improvements to Reading Station. This doesn't necessarily make people feel any better when they are having to put up with poor performance now. 

The meeting secured by the Reading LIb Dems is the first chance Reading commuters have had to put FGW on the spot and it is this accountability which has been fundamentally missing so far. I declare an interest here as an 'angry commuter' myself, but I feel strongly that it is in the public interest for this issue, which effects thousands of Reading's travelling public, to be debated in public.

I also pointed out in the meeting to those councillors (both Labour and Tory) who fear a heated meeting on this subject, that it is actually in the Council's interest to be seen to be leading public debate and discussing those issues which really matter to people in Reading (rather than appearing to be insular and self-serving which is alway a risk in politics). 

There was consensus however that any public meeting should be followed by a kind of action plan by FGW detailing improvements (if any) they would be making to performance to benefit Reading commuters, with a view to a further report perhaps 3-6 months hence. Monitoring will be important to ensure that FGW honours any promises.

Interestingly, the Tory councillors continued with their 'what will a public meeting with FGW achieve?' line. Maybe they should talk to the thousands of Reading residents who use their services every day and who feel they have little say over these services. I think most would argue that it's about time FGW faced the music (after all most other public services have to), and as Ruth Kelly and Alistair Darling have said, FGW are on the last warning to improve or lose their franchise. Even if RBC is not in a position to make acutal demands of train companies or other private bodies, it can make it's presence felt as the representative body of the Reading population as a whole and add it's voice to the chorus of disapproval across the Country about FGW's services.Privatised or not, our rail services are still pretty much public services and accountability must come with that. 

Our transport spokesman, Cllr RIcky Duveen, ended the discussion by pressing for the FGW public meeting to be held in a suitable venue (i.e. one large enough!) and at a suitable time (so that Reading's beleaguered commuters are able to attend!)

I will post the date of the meeting and other details here when I have them.

New Road parking problems

Recently I've been picking up concerns from residents about lack of parking in New Road. This road like a number of others in Redlands suffers from overspill parking from visitors to the Royal Berks Hospital and Reading University. Parking is currently unrestricted and acts as 'free parking', which is obviously highly unsatisfactory for people who live there.

I raised the issue with RBC last Summer and was told that New Road would be put on the list for the next round of minor traffic schemes (they are taken together annually to save the Council money - the public consultations for individual schemes are very expensive). The latest list (which included New Road) was approved last November. 

It all seems to have gone a bit quiet since then. I have asked the highways department to update me asap about the state of play concerning a scheme for New Road, so we can get the parking problems sorted for local residents as soon as possible.

In the longer term, I would like to see RBC being much tougher on both the RBH and Reading University about problems of overspill parking. Both these organisations attract large numbers of car drivers which they cannot seem to accomodate within their own grounds and this is not sustainable both on environmental grounds, and in terms of the negative impact it has on local residents' quality of life.

Empty homes in Reading- chance to have your say!

Last night the Council's Cabinet approved the draft empty homes strategy 2008-2011. A public consultation has now been launched which is open until 31 May.  Read the strategy and have your say online.