Redlands Liberal Democrats

When a house is not a home...

I have been left feeling shocked and angry by what I have seen and heard today.

Shocked by yet another story of real hardship as experienced by a young family in my ward.

Angry, at yet another example of Labour politicians taking their eye of the ball on something important- or worse, neglecting the very people they were supposed to be elected to serve.

Let me set the scene for you: family x who live in the Hexham Road area are officially overcrowded - so much so that one of the parents is forced to sleep in a children's bunkbed in a room with three children under five.

They have done what the Council encourages tenants to do and have been bidding like mad for a bigger place. This family are not fussy and are happy to move anywhere in Reading - from Caversham to Tilehurst.

Four children have asthma and because they are young and inclined to be exuberant neighbours have complained about the noise.

But the trouble is they are not getting anywhere.

The mother,27, (who was given my details by another constituent I was able to help) is fed up of battling with the Council and has told me she has given up. Officers in Reading have indicated she has no hope of moving to a larger property and to be fair to them, their hands are tied.

Yet, she is encouraged to keep on bidding for a dwindling pool of properties along with hundreds of other families across the Town.

Thanks to the calamatous Right to Buy policy introduced by the Tories in the 1980s and the fact that the Labour government stopped building council houses, there are no larger 'family-sized' properties left in Reading any more.

Ms x would like her family to be able to stay in Reading - where she was born - but in desperation she has applied to go on the Council house waiting list in Oxford.

Somehow she has ended up higher up the housing waiting list there than in Reading. Crazy.

But overcrowding is not the only problem facing this family.

I was taken to look at the bathroom and saw ancient toilet and rotten radiator. If you switch on the boiler it shuts off all the electrics so they try not to use it.

They reported all these problems to the Council, over a period of years, but nothing has been done.

I was disgusted.

What's worse is that I know this situation is not unique. On my way home I bumped into another family who are also overcrowded.

I speak to families virtually every week who are stuck in cramped, unsuitable accomodation.

And this is just in one ward in Reading.

Across the Borough, who knows how many people are affected?

And I don't care what anyone says, many properties are frankly not fit for human habitation.

If decent homes and decent housing means anything it must mean an end to bathrooms like the one I saw today.

I would like to ask any local Labour councillors reading this: how would you feel if a member of your family was forced to live in accomodation like this?

One can only imagine what the impact bad housing is having on children. But we know.

Children's health in areas like Hexham Road is nowhere near as good as that found in wealthier parts of the Borough. This is why I will be leading a Scrutiny Review into the link between deprivation and children's health later this year.

I know from talking to people that the situation I encountered today is just the tip of the iceberg.

People who contact me are the lucky ones and usually I am able to help. I will not rest until the family I met today at a minimum have all outstanding repairs to their properties dealt with. That's my job.

But what about all the families who don't know who to go to, in wards where councillors do not respond?

Private landlords and housing associations are one thing (and I've been campaigning for better standards there) but when Reading Borough Council is the landlord I think tenants should expect better.

If any Council officers are reading this I would like them to hear what my constituent said to me today:

"The only time I hear from the Council is when they want to do a gas check"

This is not what the relationship between a local authority - the landlord - and its tenants should be like.

And this is the Council, run by Labour, for years, that wants to introduce new service charges for tenants like this.

It's true, many tenants will not pay anything (who are in receipt of housing benefit).

But for those that will have to pay, the question we need to be asking is why should tenants pay more when basic repairs are not sorted out efficiently and in a timely fashion?

RBC has been forced to introduce charging because it is short of cash after subsidising the Treasury to the tune of £5.5 million pounds this year alone.

The Labour government had 12 years to reform the appalling housing finance system in this country. And they did nothing.

They also had 12 years to help councils build new council housing. Instead, they allowed developers to build thousands of 2-bed rabbit-hutches and sat back while the waiting list for social housing grew and grew.

I have written today to the Head of Housing to ask her what she is doing to make sure that families and individuals are not waiting months and in many cases years for repairs to Council properties to be sorted out.

Sadly, I do not have the power as a local councillor to ask the Council to build larger family houses in my ward, where they are badly needed.

One thing is clear, a Labour government and a Labour-run Council has failed Council tenants in areas such as Hexham Road.

Labour politicians locally asked for their votes and promised them good quality housing and 'decent homes'.  Promises, that in many parts of Reading have not been fulflilled.

Despite all the money that has been spent by this Labour government and the pledges that were made at election time there are still families living in homes in Reading not to fit to live in.

We will keep working in Redlands to represent all the tenants and residents who have been let down by Labour.

A fresh start for Reading

Sorry for the slight hiatus on the Blog - I'm feeling tired but inspired after an excellent few days spent by the sea in sunny Bournemouth.

Personal highlights for me at this year's Conference included:

• Speaking in a debate on the Conference floor in support of a motion calling for urgent action to tackle youth unemployment - something I have been campaigning on throughout the Summer in Reading.
• Being nominated for an award by an expert panel of senior Lib Dem campaigners for my private rented housing e-campaign (I lost out to Jo Swinson MP - the first MP to tweet from the House of Commons)
• Catching up with fantastic campaigners from across the country to swap stories and share ideas among the young Lib Dem councillors who attended the Next Generation 3 course with me.
• Listening to fantastic speeches by Lynne Featherstone MP (child protection, equality), Chris Huhne MP (crime & civil liberties), Vince Cable MP (the economy) and Nick Clegg MP. FInd them all here.

I was joined at Conference by a number of councillors from our Council Group, Reading East PPC Cllr Gareth Epps, and a large number of students from our award-winning Reading University branch.

The group that attended participated in a number of debates, training sessions and fringes. We left feeling invigorated for the year ahead.

This year, the Lib Dem youth and student wing - Liberal Youth, under the energetic leadership of Elaine Bagshaw really made an impact speaking in a number of high-profile debates, tabling motions and generally shaking things up. They were a breath of fresh air and could give plenty of older politicians a run for their money!

These young campaigners are an asset to the Party and I love the fact that our democratic structure enables them to have a real voice in policy-making. 

My quote of the Conference goes to Chris Huhne during his keynote speech:

"Labour cannot win. Not even Labour thinks Labour can win. Gordon Brown is the only person who thinks it’s game on. Everyone else knows the game’s up."

I loved as well the way he nailed the Conservative record on crime, in the same speech:

"Look at our track record in all those great Liberal Democrat cities. Look at crime. Tackling crime depends, of course, on effective policing. On detection. On ensuring that criminals know that they will be caught. But it also depends on partnership with councils. Alley-gates in Liverpool stop burglars breaking into back yards. Durham’s Nightsafe scheme curbs drunken brawls. In Tory areas, crime has performed less well than the national average - falling 16 per cent since the peak. Over the same period, crime in Liberal Democrat councils has fallen by more than the national average at 20 per cent. Look at violent crime: down 6 per cent in Tory areas but down more than twice as much - by 14 per cent - in Lib Dem councils. Be proud of our record, because it shows we are ready for national power. Tories talk. Liberal Democrats deliver."

I took my laptop to Conference as part of a host of activists using social networking tools - somehow I made it into the top three Tweeters!

I predict that the use of tools like Twitter by political parties and bloggers will increase even further over the next year.

Blogging MP Lynne Featherstone spoke at a fringe about the future of campaigning - as ever, she is ahead of the curve on these things. Local blogger Mark Thompson won an award for his Blog - amazing given it has only been going for a year.

However, as my colleague Warren Swaine has pointed out our Party Conference is about policy making and I was delighted to see the party members approve comprehensive new policies on improving real women's lives, child protection and decent homes for all.

These are policies that will have a real impact on people's lives in Reading.

Locally, it has been the Lib Dems who have led the way on these important issues and it was gratifying to hear these causes being championed by activists, councillors and parliamentarians across the Party.

I listened to Nick Clegg speak three times during Conference and was impressed each time. It was great to hear him say that the successful campaign for justice for the Gurkhas was the highlight of his year so far.

I was pleased to hear him make the case for more fairness and equality in British society. Too often this gets overlooked by the other two major parties in the battle for votes.

Representing an urban ward in Reading I am acutely aware of the impact of inequality on health and wellbeing of children and families. Putting this right is what get's me out of bed in the morning after a long night of council meetings.

For this reason these words in Nick's speech really resonated with me:

"To build a fair society, you have to start with children. And you have to start young. In Britain today, a poor, bright child will be overtaken by a less intelligent, but wealthier child by the time he is seven. This has to change. The first few years are the most important in determining a child’s future. Those first few years when their character, their personality are being shaped."

I enjoyed the last section of the speech where Nick Clegg articulated the real choice facing the electorate at the next General Election, so I've attached it here:

"Labour is lost. They haven’t the ideas, energy or vision to start again. If you voted for them in the past, you have a choice. You can give away your vote to a fringe party. You can stay at home in despair. Or you can join with the Liberal Democrats and make the difference.

If you supported Labour in 1997 because you wanted fairness. You wanted young people to flourish. You wanted political reform. You wanted the environment protected. Or you simply believed in a better future. Turn to the Liberal Democrats. We carry the torch of progress now.

The choice at the next election is fake change from the Conservatives. Or real change from the Liberal Democrats. At a time like this.

A time of real crisis. Britain cannot afford to be taken in by David Cameron’s illusion of change. Britain needs leadership from a party with real passion, and it’s the Liberal Democrats.

There is hope for a different future, a different way of doing things in Britain, if we are brave enough to make a fresh start. So let today be the first day of the future of British politics. It may be only the beginning. But it is the beginning. The beginning of real change in Britain.

If you want things to be different, really different, choose the party that is different.
Choose the Liberal Democrats.

Now, back to delivering real change for the people of Redlands!,

The week so far: Part II

Well, it's nearly the weekend and there is still a lot going on in here in Redlands. I'm pleased to report that after a strong response from residents and councillors to plans to turn a hotel on Kendrick Road into a HMO officers are now seriously considering rejecting the planning application due to a number of issues.

I have also called in an application relating to an HMO on Alexandra Road which is a major cause for concern for local residents.

And yesterday evening at a meeting of HHCC Scrutiny Panel I won support for a stronger focus on promoting decent neighbourhoods, not just decent homes - something I have been campaigning on for several years now.

This is all about getting the Council to invest in improving the fabric of estates - long neglected by Labour over the past decade.

You only have to walk around any of the Council estates in Reading to see what I mean - whether it's environmental issues or low level anti-social behaviour these are places where Labour councillors have turned a blind eye for too long. 

If these problems are left unchecked they undermine people's confidence in the Council and the Police and they are damage to the fabric of local communities 

Earlier this year I highlighted our success in getting the Council to invest more money into improving the look and feel of estates.

After all, how people feel about their neighbourhoods is about more than just bricks and mortar.

Councillors who attended the HHCC Scrutiny Panel meeting on Wednesday supported my proposal to ask the Labour Cabinet to request that officers develop a 'decent neighbourhood standard' . 

All Members present agreed that we need to move beyond the Labour government's focus on 'Decent Homes (internal improvements) towards a situation where residents feel safe and comfortable in their local area.

This extra cash is already delivering real benefits for residents in Hexham Road - on the back of our local campaign for improvements to the estate.

We received an inspiring report from RBC's empty homes officer who is doing an amazing job bringing long empty properties back into use.

Listening to the Lead Member for Housing, Cllr Deborah Edwards and assorted Labour councillors praising the work of the EHO you would have been forgiven for thinking that empty homes had always been a priority for Labour-run RBC.

Sadly history shows this not to have been the case. Until last year Reading Borough Council had no strategy or resouces for reducing the hundreds of homes lying empty across Reading.

There remain significant numbers of empty properties in the town centre, and other parts of town too, so plenty of work still to be done.

A particular problem we face in Reading is newly-built flats lying empty - notably in the Muse and Chatham Street developments. 

However, we would be in a lot worse position with out a strategy for bringing properties back into use and dedicated officer resource.

As expected we had an interesting discussion in the meeting about the implementation of service charges. I pointed out thattiming was pretty lousy (in the middle of a recession), particularly for those tenants not in receipt of housing benefit.

Cllr Edwards said that the charges had to be introduced.

I asked why tenants should be called on to pay extra charges when money to plug the gap in the HRA could be found if the tenant tax was abolished.

Cllr Edwards stated that all tenants' rents are spent on stock in Reading.

I pointed out that quite the opposite is the case: currently millions of pounds of rent go straight back to Whitehall and are then spent on housing stock across the UK.

I asked her what she was doing to about this and she seemed a little fuzzy on the details.

I requested a report to a future Scrutiny Panel meeting assessing the impact on tenants of the new charges and to check that we are getting value for money from our lighting contract

An interesting piece of information officers revealed in the meeting was that the botched rent reduction imposed on the Council by the Labour government resulted in over 300 calls to the Council from tenants utterly confused by the move.

We learned that the u-turn also cost the Council several thousand pounds.

We spent some time on Wednesday evening discussing the impact of delays to the development of the long-awaited Battle Health & Well-being Centre at the Scrutiny meeting.

In addition, I suggested and got support for a meeting of Whitley councillors (both North and South) and the PCT to put pressure on health officials to deliver much-needed health facilities for the community in South Reading.

I have pledged to keep both these issues on the agenda for future meetings - the lack of progress is a real worry.

Anyway, that's it for now: I'm off to Conference later today, which should be interesting.

Lib Dem Voice Blog of the Year Awards 2009

I found out earlier today that I have been nominated for the 'Best use of blogging/social networking/e-campaigning by a Liberal Democrat' award in the national Lib Dem Voice Blog of the Year Awards 2009.

This came as a complete surprise to me.

I have been nominated for my innovative use of Facebook and Twitter as part of our local Lib Dem campaign for better standards in the private rented housing sector in Reading which was also featured in The Times earlier this year.

Facebook was the obvious medium for me to use for this campaign (given that many people living in private rented housing tend to be young and in the case of Reading, attending University).

For this reason it was important we engaged with this particular audience in it's natural home - social networking sites - rather than via traditional media.

I took the initiative inviting residents to have their say via Facebook- much to the chagrin of Council officers(and some other councillors).

Coincidentally, I attended a conference today held by Local Government Chronicle on using social networking to improve government communications - or on a more basic level, how to improve relationships between governments and the governed.

I would like to see Reading Borough Council embrace the opportunities these tools provide rather than shying away from them. We need to move away in local government from one way communication whereby the Council talks at residents and residents often fail to be heard.

It was really exciting to hear at the Conference today what places like Barnet Council are doing now with Facebook, Twitter and Flickr to local people much more actively involved as citizens rather than simply 'consumers' of council services.

In Islington, Council officers are using Facebook to tap into communities of residents with particular interests like recycling.

In these councils feedback is welcomed - encouraged even, and is used to help improve services and neighbourhoods.

I think for some councils, councillors and council officers, there is a fear about ceding too much power to people and a fear of loss of control.

I personally think that would be a positive thing and might encourage greater participation in the democratic process.

This has to be the way forward.

If you are interested in finding out more about this area visit FutureGov and DavePress which are useful reference points for this stuff I learned today.

Anyway, I am delighted to have been nominated for this award - and am surprised to find myself alongside some very experienced campaigners including two MPs!

I have a lot of respect for the Panel who are judging this award and it includes one of the people who inspired me above all others to get involved in campaigning and blogging: Lynne Featherstone MP.

The results will be announced at Lib Dem Party Conference on Sunday...

The week so far: Part I

Well, it's only Tuesday but it feels like the end of the week already: I've had meetings coming out of my ears again.

On Monday I attended my first meeting of the LGA Safer Communities Board where topics for discussion included the forthcoming Policing White Paper and plans by the Home Office for a new strategy to stop violence against women.

It's difficult to know how much of this stuff will get implemented by the government with a General Election expected within the year - but we had an interesting discussion nonetheless.

You can find the agenda and minutes of the last Board meeting here.

My LGA role will give me the opportunity to visit other councils and learn from the best on safer communities policy. I am keen to pick up ideas about how to deliver effective Neighbourhood Policing as well as how to tackle anti-social behaviour at ward level - and bring this knowledge back to Reading.

Yesterday I met a senior officer from Berkshire West Primary Care Trust for our regular update meeting on health issues affecting Reading. Despite being the Chair of the main Health scrutiny committee in Reading I don't feel health services are particularly accountable either to councillors, or more importantly, to residents who use them. As I've said before I don't feel we do justice to health issues on HHCC mainly because we only have 5 meetings a year and our agendas are usually pretty packed.

I am looking forward to the next stage of our scrutiny review into children's health due to take place next month where we will be looking specifically at what action the Council and the PCT are taking to tackle health inequality in Reading.

I'm Chairing a meeting of the Housing, Health and Community Scrutiny Panel tomorrow so I spent a good few hours on Sunday preparing for that. We have a number of important housing items on the agenda this time - including pre-scrutiny of the Labour administration's plans to introduce service charges for lighting in communal areas on estates. These charges are due to be rubber stamped by Cabinet in a couple of weeks time and charging will begin in November.

The decision to introduce these charges was taken by Labour in 2006 as part of the Council's Business Plan to retain control of the housing stock. The Plan is predicated on an element of charging being introduced - without which there would be a major cash shortfall in the Housing budget in the future. 

The Labour leadership of the Council had a choice, however, as to when they introduced these charges - and it seems to me fairly obvious that they have delayed doing this over the last few years for fear of the political fallout that would result.

The downside - for residents - is that these charges are now being introduced - on top of council rents -  in the middle of a deep recession when many people are finding their household budgets are already under immense pressure.

I am particularly concerned about the impact these charges will have on tenants not in receipt of housing benefit - around 30-40% of all tenants who rent homes from the Council in Reading. Many people in this category are on low incomes. 

I will be pressing officers to ensure that tenants facing financial difficulties are supported, that steps are taken to ensure that the level of lighting charges is reasonable, and that the service tenants receive is value for money.

At the end of the day, RBC tenants should not be forced to fork out extra charges on top of their rent and they wouldn't have to if Labour politicians nationally and locally had worked to put a stop to the appallingly iniquitous system of "negative subsidy" whereby millions of pounds of tenants' rent goes into Whitehall coffers rather than into improving and retaining housing stock in Reading.

The Lib Dems in Reading have been campaigning for action on this issue for ages and we got cross-Party support for reform back in January. 

In July, after bowing to sustained pressure from the Lib Dems, councils and tenant groups,the Labour government finally got round to announcing plans to change the way council housing is financed.

However, it's unlikely these changes will ever see the light of day with a General Election approaching.

And the changes, if they do occur, will be too late to stop service charges being introduced in Reading.

On a lighter note, last week I was featured on satirical website Glum Councillors. As regular readers of this Blog will know there are plenty more photos (of me looking grumpy) where that one came from! Well, as a famous person once said, it's better to be talked about...

Normal service is resumed

Apologies for not updating the Blog for a while...I've been up to my eyes!

The Council diary is back in full effect, although my casework (and campaigning) never really stopped over the Summer and August ended up being very busy. Unlike MPs, councillors don't get an official recess period.

Unlike some councillors I don't feel the need to produce an 'activity report': I would have thought my activity in and outside the Council speaks for itself.

It is interesting, however, that activity reports started appearing when the Council's 'Acolade' statistics for measuring casework logged by councillors were made public a couple of times .

When I get the time I blog what I've been up to (usually around particular local campaigns I am involved in) but 80% of the work I do on behalf of constituents I don't even mention here, and I'm happy with that.

After all, there's a lot more to being an effective councillor than showing up to meetings and signing the attendance sheet.

On Friday, I attended my induction into the Local Government Association following my election to the Safer Communities Board a few weeks ago. It was great to meet Cllr Duwayne Brooks and Cllr Anita Lowther who will be joining me on the Board representing the Lib Dems.  We are all really keen to bring a fresh perspective and energy to the Board's activities. 

Looking around at the other Parties' represented at the event I could see why the officials we met were so excited about us joining the LGA: the Lib  Dem Group is 70% women with a number of young and BME councillors in the Group. We're all looking forward to shaking things up a bit!

The first Board meeting is taking place on 14 September. I'm really pleased to see Policing is on the agenda with an opportunity to influence the Labour government's Policing White Paper on issues such as improving Neighbourhood Policing, Police accountability and joint working at a local level: all areas I have campaigned on a lot in Reading.

We will also be discussing what councils can do to help stop violence against women (the government is planning a strategy on this issu). Sadly research has shown that women have very little confidence in the criminal justice system which should be there to protect them.

Back in Reading last Tuesday I chaired a meeting of the South Reading Safer Community Forum which covers bits of Redlands, Church, Whitley and Katesgrove wards.

From what we heard at the meeting Neighbourhood Policing in South Reading is really starting to have any impact, with crime down around 20% on two years ago. A lot of this is down to the hard work of Inspector Kevin Sinfield and his team. Kevin won Thames Valley Police's neighbourhood bobby of the year award earlier this year: it was really well deserved.

Other good news we heard is that the Police and Council are working together (at last!) to tackle anti-social behaviour problems on Northumberland Avenue. This has long been a concern for residents across the area (and has been reflected in Police surveys).

The increased Police presence in Whitley is clearly working and the Council plans to support this work by improving security lighting at the South Reading Youth & Community Centre and fencing is going to be improved to stop youths hanging around intimidating people.

There is still more work to be done to help support the two Neighbourhood Action Groups in Whitley. We successfully campaigned for extra cash to help NAGs communicate with local residents and the Council now needs to target support where NAGs most need it. Cllr Gareth Epps and I are in discussions with officers to make sure this happens.

We also heard about the great work the Youth Service is doing in South Reading. I touched on the  work Kevin Black is doing on Hexham Road a couple of months ago: it's not rocket science but it's really important that meaningful activities are put on for young people (and these services may well be under threat come Budget time if we do not stand up for them).

Last Wednesday I attended a meeting of the CCEA Scrutiny Management Panel where we planned the agenda for the next meeting.

A big item that came up is the fact that significantly, councils (including Reading) now have the power to scrutinise Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs): the bodies which set the community safety/crime policies in local areas, in public.

This is a big step forward: at present, opposition councillors are not represented on the Reading CDRP although I hear this is set to change (for years Labour politicians and officers agreed policy behind closed doors).

I hope these changes will make these partnerships more accountable to the public. They have a lot of power and I feel strongly that the public have a right to know what decisions are being taken in their name.

I have campaigned on the need for greater transparency before, notably around the process for approving grants to voluntary organisations in Reading. Until I raised the issue millions of pounds of tax-payers money had been effectively rubber-stamped by one councillor (who currently happens to be Labour). My motion resulted in a cross-Party working-group being set up to look into improving the arrangements. This is due to report later this year.

The reforms in CDRP scrutiny means that next year we will be able to quiz the Chair,  Michael Coughlin (who is also Chief Exec of RBC) and the Police Superintendent on their strategies for tackling crime in Reading.In public - for the first time.

In between meetings and work I've also been actively supporting a couple of families in the Hexham  Road area on some housing issues. I have managed to move things along which is great because in at least one case the delays were causing not inconsiderable distress to a family.

Yesterday I attended a residents' meeting to listen to local concerns about plans to convert a small hotel into an HMO on Kendrick Road.

Down the road on Alexandra Road residents have contacted me with concerns about a not dissimilar planning application.

I have managed to get both applications 'called in' to the Council's Planning Applications Committee to ensure that they get proper attention from Members. 

I am also supporting residents on Eastern Avenue with concerns about plans to redevelop a small site for housing.

The one thing these three applications have in common is a concern on behalf of residents about the impact these developments will have on Conservation Areas and neighbourhoods.

As I've said time and time again,  Labour-run Reading Borough Council needs to do more to ensure people living within Conservation Areas are given more of a voice on planning matters.

As I explained a few weeks ago, there is widespread concern amongst residents about the spread of HMOs in Redlands: myself, Kirsten and Glenn have our work cut out to ensure that these developments do not have a negative impact on the area. It's sad to see residents raising the same concerns repeatedly with planning officers and yet the applications continue to go in.

One further thing I did this week was to meet David Ireland Chief Executive of the Empty Homes Agency. We are currently discussing ways we can work together to campaign  nationally on the issue of empty homes and to bring down the number of long-term empty homes in the UK.

The current figure stands at over 1 million, which is frankly unacceptable when thousands of families are in need of housing. I hope to have some exciting news to report about this relationship soon.

Well, it's only Wednesday and there is still plenty to do. Next week I will be chairing scrutiny, so I need to prepare for that. Time to sign off for now.