I went to visit residents on Bede Walk today to discuss local issues that needed sorting. This area has sadly been a hotspot for anti-social behaviour of various kinds, and as a result I have got to know residents there very well. I'm sorry to say despite a huge amount of effort from residents and myself some of the longstanding issues remain and the Council still hasn't really got the message in many cases.
On the positive side the area has a great community spirit with some real local heroes who regularly keep me and the Council on our toes.
Fly tipping continues to be a real problem (I've been raising this with RBC for months). Alley gate security is still a concern (two of the gates we came across today were unlocked and it's still possible to fit your wrist through the bars and open them anyway), despite the Lib Dem campaign calling for action several months ago.
Some residents I spoke to today were not happy to receive a letter from the Council in response to these problems (which I reported) which said:
"There are a number of items that appear to have been dumped (in the alleyway)...the Council is not responsible for the arranging the removal of items that been left in this area. This is because the alleyway is restricted to those in properties served by the alleyway and not possible for people from other areas to dump items."
The Council's response misses the point completely:
- Alley ways are not secured or secure. As I revealed earlier this year gates are regularly vandalised, broken into or not locked. As a result people from other areas can and will dump rubbish there.
- The alley ways are accessed by RBC officers each week...to empty wheelie bins!
- The Council currently pays for a team of two officers to remove bulky waste from housing land. Why should Council-tax payers of Bede Walk and Hexham Road receive any less?
The letter urges residents to report to the Council 'details of anyone who regularly dumps items in the alleyway.' While this is good advice, reporting fly tipping is something residents and I have been doing consistently for the past year at least. I seem to remember little or no enforcement action was taken against indviduals we identified.
As I have mentioned before, the Lib Dems on Reading Borough Council have submitted a motion to Council calling for a total rethink of the Labour Council's current policy of charging residents too much for bulky waste collection. You only have to walk around parts of Redlands to see the results of this disastrous policy.
Changing the subject slightly, one of residents' biggest concerns today was the continuing problem of youngsters and adults riding full-sized motorbikes at speed between Bede Walk, Staverton Road and Northumberland Avenue.
I have campaigned for joint action by RBC and Thames Valley Police to tackle this problem throughout this year and it's disappointing to find the problem is as bad as ever.
Residents are not reporting the problem because a) they don't see the point (i.e they've reported it before and nothing has been done), b) bikes are whizzing past at speed so it's impossible for them to give a clear description of the riders.
I have written to senior Council and Police officers today calling for CCTV to be installed, at least on a short-term basis. I've also asked for the anti-moto barriers to be improved as they are not slowing the bikes down at all.
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