On Thursday, I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon 'walking the ward' with the most senior officer at Reading Borough Council, Michael Coughlin. Michael joined RBC as Chief Executive earlier in the year. Once in post, he pledged to meet every councillor in the Borough and visit their ward.
Given theLib Dem record of action and hard work in the ward since we first got councillors elected in Redlands in 2006, and with so many indvidual issues and campaigns going on locally It was hard to know where to start the ward tour. I wanted to squeeze in as many things as I could...well, it's not often you have the chance to bend the ear of the Chief Executive!
We began by walking along London Road where Michael couldn't help but notice the problems of leaves unswept on the pavement. We've been pressing the Council to do more regular sweep ups for over a year. We walked past the Royal Berks Hospital and discussed our recent meeting with senior officers and the possibility of a mini-recycling facility on site.
Our route then took us through beautiful Eldon Square Gardens and I talked him through our local campaign to get the Council to restore the Gardens and the launch of the Friends of Eldon Square Gardens to boost community involvement in their care and management.
As we walked down Fatherson Road, Michael couldn't fail to notice the eyesore that is Alexandra House on the edge of London Road. I talked him through my long-running campaign to get the landlord to bring this property back into use. After initial works to make it secure, It looks as though the developer has downed tools again, perhaps due to the market downturn. We'll need to get on to them again to make sure the drug-related anti-social behaviour doesn't return. With the credit crunch in everyone's minds at the moment, Michael and I discussed the Council's newly-revived empty homes strategy which I campaigned long and hard for, and the need to put the strategy into action.
Following a cup of tea and a chat with Elaine and Howard, constituents, and a discussion about the positive value of Environmental Visual Audits (which they had been involved in with as part of the Newtown Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG),and the perennial problem of bins on pavements, we crossed the London Road towards Erleigh Road.
We then met up with local resident Graham on Donnington Road and discussed the problem of fly-tipping of bulky waste in front gardens, poor levels of street cleaning, and the growing number of HMOs in the area.
Graham pointed out a two bed-roomed property which had been converted into a 9 bedroom HMO! We discussed this and the associated parking problems in this part of Redlands (which wasn't really designed for 2+ cars per house!) . It was very useful for Michael to see and hear about these issues for himself and he promised to raise them with senior officers at Reading University.
Time was running on so we got in the car and drove up Elmhurst Road (noting the nose to tail parked cars), drove past the overfull skip on Christchurch Road, and past the green space on Cintra Avenue. At which point we discussed our local battle to stop traveller incursions. (Incidentally, I'm pleased to say that since we spotted it the skip is on its way to being sorted).
Anyway, on towards Hexham Road estate where we stopped in to have a coffee with local resident Kay and Judith, North Whitley Neighbourhood Action Group.
Before sitting down, I took Michael for a walk down Bede Walk and Stanhope Road. He noticed the shocking vandalism of the doors of one of the flat blocks - something we've been trying to get the Council to put a stop to, but sadly it's stll going on.
I'm pleased to say while he was there Michael had a look at the alley gates on the Estate and shared our concerns about their effectiveness, particularly when I mentioned the problems residents are facing with dumping and security.
I felt Michael was certainly not complacent about the work that needed to be done to make things better on Hexham Estate. He certainly seemed very keen to put more impetus behind Council initiatives to improve opportunities and quality of life for people on the Estate and places like in Reading. This is good news as it is also one of our top priorities for the ward.
Over a cup of tea, the three of us then sat down and discussed with Michael a range of issues including anti-social behaviour faced by local residents in the area, and the way we would like to see the Council and Police work together to tackle it more effectively. We all agreed that more community engagement was really necessary, but that more Police on the streets would help!
Kay gave the example of motorbike nuisance on Bede Walk to describe the frustration some local residents currently feel about the way local agencies deal with anti-social behaviour, and the difficulties around reporting crime.
All in all I found it a very enjoyable, worthwhile afternoon (and I think Michael Coughlin found it pretty interesting too!). I was deeply impressed by his willingness to listen to local people, and to accept criticisms and praise of Council services in equal measure.
I hope Michael will be able to raise one or two of the issues that cropped up during the afternoon with relevant officers and agencies at a senior level. Just to make sure I emailed him afterwards with a list of the specific ward issues we would like some action on!
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