Redlands Liberal Democrats

Update on Action to Tackle ASB on Northumberland Avenue

Following the public meeting last week at South Reading Youth and Community Centre to discuss ongoing anti-social behaviour problems by the shops on Northumberland Avenue when I raised serious concerns with the Chief Executive of the Council and others I have received the following response from officers.

1.     Parking

 Several people said that there were issues with people parking anti-socially outside/opposite Northumberland Avenue shops and cars being dumped. Officers have confirmed to me that Streetcare officers will look at the abandoned car (and Affinity have confirmed they are aware and dealing appropriately). Officers will raise this matter with the Police.  It is believed that the planned controlled parking zone may deal with this issue if/when it comes into force.

2.     Criminal Damage

 There were several shopkeepers present and they raised the issue of damage to the rear of the shops and said it is a persistent issue.  Officers have confirmed that they have contacted PCSO Kelly Gosney to get an update on the local Business Action Group.  There is discussion about the shopkeepers potentially installing a gate.

3.     Anti-social behaviour.

 Residents and shopkeepers raised the issue of crowds drinking on Northumberland Avenue.  The idea of a dispersal order/drinking ban was raised.  Several people who attended the meeting asked why the local PCSO no longer works late.  Inspector Murray confirmed that the PCSO had been working alone but that another PCSO has been recruited and is in training at the moment. RBC officers have told me they will raise the issue at the next Anti-Social Behaviour Action Group (ASBAG) and investigate whether a dispersal order/drinking ban is feasible. I have also discussed the issue with licensing officers about powers the Council has to enforce licensing laws.

At the meeting a local Vicar raised the idea of the community pulling together to stop the problem in a scheme whereby several people would know the names of the perpetrators and could speak to them directly.  It was felt by the residents that this would be unlikely to work because of the attitude of some of the known parents.  Officers have confirmed to me that local authorities would not be able to share names with residents due to data protection.

 The issue of begging outside the shops was raised.  Officers have told me they will also raise this issue at the ASBAG.

 Several residents at the meeting had come from a local housing developmemtn and complained about anti-social behaviou. Officers are arranging a separate meeting with Affinity Housing, Neighbourhood police and residents from this development to address this issue. 

4.     Quad bikes/Motorbikes

Several residents raised issues with people riding anti-socially with no helmets in the area.  RBC offfficers will raise this at the ASBAG and discuss with Neighbourhood police team

5. Speeding

A number of residents who attended the meeting complained about speeding problems. Officers have agreed to pursue my request that a community speed watch campaign be launched. I will be contacting residents about this.

I am pleased that officers have responded quickly to the concerns that have been raised by residents and myself. I will be monitoring what happens next very closely to ensure that the Council and Police follows through on these actions.

It is not acceptable that law abiding residents living in the local community should have to put up with serious anti-social behaviour. Where the Council and Police identify that individuals are breaking the law or breaking tenancy agreements (i.e. if they are Council tenants) I will be insisting that firm action is taken.

Residents can assist in this by reporting issues when they occur. Residents living in the area with concerns about any of the above issues should call the Council's Community Safety team on 0118 937 4257 and the Police on 0845 8 505 505 (24 hours).

New fly tipping outbreak in Redlands

This morning we were knocking on doors around Christchurch Road. It was really nice to talk to residents and identify issues of concern we could assist them with. 

Issues that came up on the doorstep today included:

• People cycling on pavements on Christchurch Road - we are campaigning for more safe cycle routes around the ward to make life easier for cyclists and pedestrians
• Car crime on Cintra Close - I've written to Thames Valley Police to request more patrols from the Neighbourhood Team

We also collected a number of signatures as part of our campaign to improve road safety and parking problems on Cintra Avenue and Warwick Road. You can also print of the petition form and sign it here.

In an otherwise positive session I was sorry to come across a large amount of rubbish dumped by the entrance to Cintra Park on Whitley Park Lane.

 
Talking to residents in the area today it appears that this is a relatively new problem. Three or four years ago I campaigned to get the Council to tidy up Cintra Park - including reducing the amount of litter. Historically there have been problems with trade waste building up in the a lane that runs behind the shops on Christchurch Road. Speaking to residents it appears that once again this is a problem with rubbish being dumped behind the shops and burnt. This is really anti-social in such a highly-residential area and I have written to the Council's Streetcare team to request an urgent clean up, as well as an investigation into how this problem can be tackled. From a ward perspective I am pleased that the Coalition Council recently agreed to refocus street-level services on combatting environmental crimes - something that has long been a major concern to residents in Redlands.

Finally, on a lighter note - check out our campaign video which we made a couple of years ago, highlighting the problem of fly-tipping in Reading.

 

Listening to residents on Bede Walk (and taking action)

Last month I knocked on doors on Bede Walk as part of our regular effort to keep in touch with constituents all year round. We have spent a lot of time helping residents in this area since 2006 as they tended to be overlooked by the Labour Council. This extended to me getting them a new road sign as before it was difficult for people making deliveries to find them! When I spoke to them last month residents complained about a number of issues and expressed their general dissatisfaction with the way that Labour is running the Council in Reading.I took up the issues residents raised with me directly with the Council and have summarised them briefly below:

Dog fouling

Dog fouling is one of the top issues of concern on the Walk (and across South Reading) and it’s something my colleagues and I have been raising with Reading Borough Council for a couple of years now, trying to get action taken to keep footpaths clean. I wrote to RBC to request a fence to protect residents’ gardens and to request a Dog Control Order (DCO) be brought in to cover the estate – this would give RBC the power to issue fixed penalty notices. DCOs are orders that the Labour government gave councils under the Clean Neighbourhoods Act 2005 (replacing earlier legislation) Labour-run has so far not brought in any orders. RBC officers are investigating whether or not this can be done. I have been told that the Council cannot afford to pay for fencing.

Fence next to Reading Girls School

The combination of this unsightly, broken down fence and overgrown trees has been a bugbear for local residents for many years. Several residents complained to me about this and I am very frustrated as I have been raising this issue with the School’s officers for about three years.I have written to the School once again seeking assurance that action will be taken to sort the fence out. I have received this response from Charles Ainslie at the School via Peter Kayes - former Labour councillor for Redlands and Governor at the School who has helped to push this forward:
“The fence we can’t do anything about until the new budget. It will be replaced with a chain link unfortunately as we can’t afford the weld mesh.
The litter is on a schedule with our litter picker to do once a week. I will make sure it is being done. However it is a constant battle.”

Garage Area
I noticed on my recent visit to the walk that a number of cobble stones have been removed as part of a pattern of anti-social behaviour over a period of months. I have written to RBC officers about this and the issue is now being investigated by the Garage Officer. I also reported a large amount of bulky waste that had been dumped behind the garage area to the Council for removal. We have campaigned over the past couple of years to get repairs to the alley gates to reduce break-ins and also to get tougher action taken against residents who dump rubbish.

Useful numbers

• If you have any concerns about your property, dog-fouling, fly-tipping the alley-way or garage area please contact Neighbourhood Officer Ashley Blackwood on 0118 939 0161
• Please help us keep your area clean and green please report any dumped rubbish or litter to Streetcare on (freephone) 0800 626 540.
• Crime and anti-social behaviour – the only way we can get action taken and more Police presence is to report any issues to Thames Valley Police. You can call the Police free 24 hours a day on 0845 8 505 505.

Because many residents on the Walk do not have access to the internet I will be writing to them about the action we have taken as well. If you live there and have any concerns you wish to raise with us - please get in touch!

Labour still failing to keep University area clean in eyes of residents

Regular readers of this blog may remember our campaigning last summer in support of residents living in the University area who's streets had become a dumping ground.

Every year around the end of the University term residents report problems to us about rubbish going uncollected, bulky waste being dumped in gardens etc.

We regularly raise this issue with Reading Borough Council and have been doing so since 2006 - but still the response on the ground has been lacking.

Reading University has got slightly better on this issue, working more closely with the Students Union, but we have consistently argued that there could be a lot more joint-working between the University and the Council to reduce the nuisance caused to local residents.

We have also actively campaigned for enforcement action to be taken against people who dump rubbish on our streets.Our local Police team have backed us on this issue which has been great.

The scrutiny review I led into private rented housing, in conjunction with my colleague Cllr Ricky Duveen (Lib Dem Chair of the Environment Scrutiny Panel), last year, made a number of recommendations to the Council and local universities in Reading in the area of improving our street environment.

The Labour Cabinet in Reading endorsed pretty much all of our recommendations. However, we are monitoring what the Labour administration does closely to ensure our recommendations are followed up for the benefit of residents.

Last year our long-running campaign for a cleaner, greener Redlands was boosted by the efforts of a great constituent of ours called Rebecca. Rebecca was sick to death of living in a rubbish tip - she persistently raised this with the Council, her councillors and her local MP.

Rebecca is attending full Council this evening to ask a public question to the Lead Member for the Environment. Her question is the first on the list of questions tonight and she is the second Redlands constituent who has raised Streetcare issues in Council in this way. Her question is as follows:

"Since the summer of 2009 Redlands ward has had issues with excess rubbish in front gardens and on the street due to the increase of tenanted properties in the area. There have been many complaints about this area turning into a slum directly to the Council via email or through the Call Centre identifying the addresses that are offending and causing an increase in vermin on the streets in some areas.

Despite all the promises by the Council to tackle these problems they are still ongoing and residents should not have to bear the brunt, as taxpayers.

What further action does the Council plan to take working with the University and landlords to ensure residents are not forced to live in these conditions every year and suffer the health and hygiene consequences of the increase in vermin?"

Great question, Rebecca. Over to you, Labour!

Mini-moto nuisance on Hexham estate: getting action taken

Residents on Hexham estate have been suffering in recent years with problems connected with motorbikes - both full size and so-called 'mini-motos' being ridden on public footways.

Problems like this damage the quality of life of many local residents so we are keen to see action taken by the authorities.

Some residents got in touch with me before Christmas to report serious problems with bikes and stolen cars being ridden dangerously on Stanhope Road.

I raised this with Reading Borough Council and the Police - but I got a very lacklustre response

Another hotspot over the years has been the footpath along side Stanhope Road and up the alley towards Staverton Road. This is the main route youths use to bring bikes on to the estate.

Residents and I have been reporting these problems for a couple of years and nothing has been done by the Police or the Council to tackle it.

Good news yesterday as we received an email from our excellent RBC Neighbourhood Officer to say that the Council and the Police had received more reports of problems relating to 'mini-mopeds' in this area and that they were considering bringing in preventative measures - at last!!

RBC is now considering installing anti-cycle barrier in this area to reduce the number of people riding bikes and also to reduce their speed - to improve safety for adults and children using the footpath.

We successfully campaigned to get these barriers installed on Bede Walk on Hexham estate two years ago and although anti-social behaviour is still a problem in the area they have reduced the speed of bikes.

Do you live on or near Hexham estate? What do you think of these plans? Please let us know.

If you see any mini-motos being ridden illegally on the estate please report this to the Police on 0845 8 505 505 and call our local Neighbourhood Officer Ashley Blackwood on 0118 939 0161 (email: ashley.blackwood@reading.gov.uk)

November community safety update

We know that crime and anti-social behaviour can have a really detrimental impact on the quality of life of local residents in the ward.

We take these problems very seriously so when local people contact us about these types of issues we do our best to get action taken quickly by the Council and the Police.

The pictures below were emailed in by a constituent today.

They illustrate the worrying anti-social behaviour residents are currently facing on Stanhope Road:

I wrote to officers calling for urgent action after several residents contacted me with concerns about arson, motorbike nuisance and speeding stolen cars by the roundabout on Stanhope Road. 

I am campaigning for action by the Council and Police to include, potentially, barriers to be installed on this roundabout.

A quick update on some other issues we are currently trying to get sorted in the ward:

• Morgan Road - I spotted some broken glass in the street (near the junction with Redlands Road), evidence of a break-in and reported this to RBC and TVP. Historically car break-ins and other asb has been a problem in this area. I wrote to officers earlier this week to request a lighting upgrade (it is a very gloomy spot).
  Officers responded today saying that crime data shows that this is a hotspot and they are investigating crime-reduction measures including promoting 'empty car' messages locally.
•  Bede Walk - following recent vandalism to cars in the garage area I am continuing to call for action by the Council to improve the security of this area. No solutions have been put forward as yet.

If you are a resident living in any of these roads who has been affected, or if you have any crime problems in your bit of the ward please do get in touch with us so we can follow it up with the Police and Council.

Low crime reporting is still a major issue locally and without the crime data to back up what we hear from residents it can be hard for us as councillors to get action taken.

I led a high-profile campaign last year calling for a better Police response to local crime reports after receiving lots of complaints from residents who felt they were not being listened to (and as a result they stopped reporting issues).

For example, Council spending on crime-reduction measures (from the Safer Reading Campaign pot) have to be linked to crime stats.

We would like to urge any residents reading this who are affected by crime and anti-social behaviour to please contact Thames Valley Police with the details via the anti-social behaviour action line on 0845 8 505 50.

Finally, I'm grateful to constituents from the Marlborough Avenue/Elmhurst Road Neighbourhood Watch who drew my attention to the problem of distraction burglaries which are apparently on the increase in parts o Redlands.

I attach the Police advice they have given me below:

 The tactics used are as follows:

1. Bogus water board or other utility callers.

2. A boy calls to say he has lost his ball in your garden.

3. "I'm working in your street and notice you've got a slate lose" etc etc.

4. "I've broken down and don’t have my mobile with me can I come in and use your phone"?

All such tactics employ two people, one acting as the decoy whilst the other one gains entry, steal keys, or mobiles, or wallets or check the place over for valuables.

DON’T Let anyone into your home under any circumstances unless they have previously arranged an appointment with you and have official photo identity, or are family or friends.

The estate we're in

This week I've spent some time speaking to a number of residents on Hexham Road estate about a range of issues that need sorting out. I really enjoying catching up with constituents - many of them are good friends now as I've spent a lot of time in the area over the years.

First some good news.

The Council has just completed a public consultation on plans to plant more trees, flowers and plants on the estate. This was the result of a very successful local Lib Dem campaign to improve the local environment.

We welcomed the plans but made it clear that whatever is proposed must be what residents want. We encouraged residents to have their say and as a result some of the plans will be subtly changed.

The tree and bulb planting is due to get underway in early December - can't wait!

On the back of the consultation I picked up concerns from residents about motorbike nuisance and arson near the roundabout on Stanhope Road.

Motorbikes are being ridden illegally by youngsters up and down the road at speed and cars are being dumped and sent on fire on the roundabout. I have raised this matter urgently with Thames Valley Police and RBC and hopefully action will be taken to catch the culprits. We are also looking to see if the roundabout

I was also contacted by a resident on Bede Walk about more anti-social behaviour by the garages. A car was broken into earlier this week.

This area has been a hotspot for crime problems over the past few years and we are calling once again for more Police patrols in the area (and potentially CCTV). I really hope residents are listened to.

It's really important that residents continue to report crimes to the Police so we get the Police coverage we need. Any issues should be phoned in on 0845 8 505 505.

I went down to the estate yesterday after work to speak to residents about these issues and reported the following problems while I was down there:

• Faulty streetlight on Hexham Road (by the Community Centre)
• Damaged door to flats (Kielder Court)
• Fly-tipping by the garages on Bede Walk
• Empty RBC property on Bede Walk

There is still a lot of work to do on the estate to make things better for residents but I am confident things are now heading in the right direction.

Labour in Reading forced to review failed approach to community safety

Regular readers of this blog will be aware that I've long been critical of the approach taken by the Labour administration in Reading to reducing crime and anti-social behaviour at a neighbourhood level.

Officers involved in this area at RBC work hard but they are stymied by diktats from Labour nationally and lack of leadership locally.

Labour's approach to community safety has been heavily critcised in recent years and led many residents to stop reporting crime in their areas.

This is damaging as it means that many issues in the local area are not getting tackled simply because the authorities don't know about them.

I led a campaign on this issue last year after meeting many residents deeply frustrated by the lack of response to crime reports. We have made some progress but talking to officers recently it is still a major issue in parts of town including South Reading.

Little things don't help in Reading such as having more than one telephone number to report anti-social behaviour: one for the Police, one for the Council.

Crazy.

The Lib Dems in Reading have long been campaigning for a more joined-up approach from Thames Valley P olice and RBC and one which is more effective at reducing anti-social behaviour and listening to local people.

And it seems at long last the Labour administration of Reading Borough Council might have finally got the message, as we learn that a review of community safety has been launched.

This was launched out of the blue at a meeting of the Safer Reading Campaign on Monday evening.

This development follows the publication of damning statistics back in the Summer which showed that local people lack confidence in the Police and Council's ability to tackle crime in Reading.

And this was on top of news that a Home Office task-force was being sent to Reading which was identified as one of the worst places in the entire country for anti-social behaviour.

Some background.

The main mechanisms we have in Reading at the moment for dealing with local crime issues are Neighbourhood Action Groups  (NAGs)and Safer Community Forums (SCFs).

The former is run by Thames Valley Police, the latter by Reading Borough Council.

There are currently 7 SCFs and 13 NAGs (covering 16 Neighbourhood Police areas).

One of the main problems I see when I attend meetings of the Forums and NAGs in my ward in my capacity as councillor is a lack of involvement of local people.

Often these meetings consist of a handful of councillors and officers discussing what they believe to be the key issues, rather than local people setting the agenda.

I have disagreed with RBC officers in the past who have argued that SCFs should not be public meetings (but should be invite only). 

I Chair the South Reading Forum and it is disappointing how few members of the public attend our meetings.

I am very grateful to those residents who do attend -they are in the minority compared to most residents.

That said, I fully understand the reasons why local people don't come. It's most probably because they aren't aware of this group's existence.

If I wasn't a local councillor would I attend my local Forum?

Honest answer - probably not. It's not clear to residents what the objectives of these meetings are and why they should attend.

And, what's worse, is that I know for a fact there are areas of Reading where anti-social behaviour and crime is a real problem and local people are not able to get their voices heard by the Council and the Police.

However, given these Forums have around £80,000 pounds a year (in total) at their disposal to spend on community safety initiatives around Reading every year, the I think the lack of community involvement is a missed opportunity.

I wonder how many residents across Reading know they can bid for this money?

Councillors can submit bids on behalf of residents but I do not feel that enough residents are made aware by the Council that they can request funding for things like better streetlighting and alley-gating.

Also, how can residents and councillors be sure we are getting value for money for every pound of taxpayer's money that is being spent on these local crime-reduction projects?

When I was community safety spokesperson for the Lib Dems (between 2006-09) I was successful in getting officers to scrutinise spending on Safer Reading projects for the first time -  to see if they made a difference and were value for money.

Not exactly rocket science. But very necessary.

As councillors in Redlands we have been very successful in recent years in getting funding for a range of projects to cut crime in the local area.

An independent inspection of RBC's Community Safety department in January 2008 found:

"The role of the Safer Reading Forums is not sufficiently clear in relation to other neighbourhood groups, and they are not representative of Reading's diverse and changing local communities."

And with the advent of Neighbourhood Action Groups which arrived in Reading a couple of years ago as a concept, I have detected further confusion in the local community about the roles and responsibilities of these different groups.

As I've said before this is not helped by the fact that Neighbourhood Policing Boundaries and Council ward boundaries are not coterminous.

How many of my neighbours know they are in the Newtown Neighbourhood?

Not many I would argue (given this area is not part of Newtown!) Redlands has been carved up into a number of Police Neighbourhoods none of which mean much at all to local residents.

My colleagues over in Katesgrove have made this point on numerous occasions.

My impressions were borne out by the Labour government's own statistics which showed very few people know who is in their local Police team.

A damning indictment of former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith's vision of Neighbourhood Policing, I'd say.

The Audit Commission in its inspection picked up the same problems in its inspection report:

"There is confusion among stakeholders aboutthe roles of the seven Safer Reading Forums and the 12 Neighbourhood Action Groups. It is not clear to stakeholders which is open to all residents and which is by invitation. The issues which each group is intended to resolve are not clearly understood."

NAGs don't have a budget...but Safer Community Forums do. Safer Reading Forums have a publicity budget...NAGs don't and so on.

The fact that local residents didn't hear from NAGs (because they had no means of publicising their activities) lots of residents didn't come to meetings.

This is why I led a successful campaign last year to get the Council to offer financial support to NAGs which ended up with £50k funding coming out of this year's Council Budget. I heard recently that Police forces in other areas provide the cash.

Since then we have been disappointed at the time it has taken RBC and TVP to sort out how best to support NAGs to help them communicate with residents. Hopefully progress is now being made on this.

But it's not just about publcising the work of NAGs to get people to attend: once people are involved in meetings they need to feel they can influence local decision-making. The Police are trying hard to get this right but I don't think we are there yet.

Capacity is also a problem.

RBC officers have worked out there are 156 meetings of NAGs and Forums that they and TVP need to attend every year.

As councillors we struggle to get to all these meetings and you do wonder whether they are the best use of everyone's time.

It's also tough on residents who have busy lives too. There must be better ways of engaging local people.

So, those are some of the current problems we face in Reading at the moment.

These problems are clearly getting in the way of reducing crime and anti-social behaviour and more importantly building community confidence. Fear of crime is still to high in many parts of town.

My Lib Dem colleagues and I will be looking into the details of the community safety review with interest to see if what is planned will address some of the problems we have identified.

Details of the proposals outlined in the review are  going to all the Safer Community Forums for discussion and it is likely that these plans will go through Council for a final decision early next year.

The review document is not currently up on the Council's website - I have emailed officers to point this out  and will attach it on the Blog here when it is.

Crime in Reading in the news again

It's little over a fortnight since the last set of bad headlines about Reading which highlighted high levels of anti-social behaviour we are facing locally, today the town is at the top of another dubious chart: burglary.

getreading has the story, reporting that Reading is third in the country for burglary behind Manchester and Nottingham.

Of course this is not really news, it's sad to say.

Back in April I highlighted the big increase in burglary that the Police were reporting to us.

Although today's article is the result of a national Conservative party press release there is no comment made in the piece by any of the local Conservative representatives about what they would do to tackle burglary problems in Reading, so we are still none the wiser.

At the April meeting of the Safer Reading Campaign as I mentioned in my blog, Superintendent Steve Kirk said:

the only thing he thought could make an impact on reducing crimes such as burglary was increasing the number of Neighbourhood Police officers in some parts of Reading.

This came after Cllr Chowdhary suggested that more CCTV was what was needed to reduce burglary.

I understand why the Tories say things like this: it certainly is the type of thing people want to hear. But tackling crime isn't that simple. 

Many local residents say to me they would like to see more CCTV in their areas as they hope it will put an end to crimes occuring but I point out to them that a) the Police don't have enough officers to monitor all the CCTV we have now b) we would need additional Police officers to go out and arrest the people caught on camera (with our local teams very stretched as it is).

Additional CCTV appears to be the only solution the Tories have in mind despite the fact, as I blogged in Febuary, research by the Police themselves has found CCTV to be ineffective at tackling these sorts of crimes.

Today Steve Kirk was forced to defend Thames Valley Police's record online in response to comments from residents on the getreading site, saying:

"Reading has a number of active burglars and too many burglaries which is why working to reduce this crime has been my top priority for the past five years. Last year we saw a 25% reduction comapared to 2003/4. So far this year we are experiencing a further 13% reduction on last year, we arrest on average 5 burglars a week.Sorry for quoting statistics but that is what the story seems to be about. I will continue to do my utmost to either deter or convict burglars. The police can't do it alone and we have had great assistance from the Council, Probation Service, Neighbourhood Action Groups, Neighbourhood Watch and Crimestoppers. We still have some way to go so if you want to help, contact me at Reading Police Station"

 

I would back up what Supt Kirk says here - it is all about local agencies working together to cut crime and it is not simply the responsibility of the Police to do it. Most burglary is caused by known repeat offenders and they need to be managed by a range of bodies as Supt Kirk outlinies above.

However, it isn't just burglary that requires a more intelligent approach from local agencies. 

As the Lib Dems highlighted only a few weeks ago, thanks to poor local leadership by Labour politicians in Reading local people have lost faith in the ability of the Council and the Police to tackle things like asb and the result is crime and fear of crime is still a problem in parts of Reading.

As a result RBC will be visited by an 'action squad' from the Home Office focussing on helping the Council to reduce anti-social behaviour.

Labour politicians have been invisible on these issues locally on many occasions despite the fact they are supposed to be in charge of measures to reduce crime.

On Reading Borough Council in recent years it has been the Lib Dems who have been campaigning the most actively of the three political parties for a better response to crime problems:-

- We succeeded in getting extra cash and support for Neighbourhood Action Groups (NAGs) as part

of this year's Budget to help NAGs communicate better with local people

- We put pressure on Thames Valley Police to improve the response from its call centres to crime reports from Reading residents

- We called for more effective local strategies to tackle anti-social behaviour

- We have campaigned for more Police on the streets in areas which have historically been neglected such as North Whitley and Katesgrove.

And locally in the ward we have successfully won extra money for local crime reduction measures across Redlands.

Tomorrow I am attending the re-launch of the Council's nuisance team. I'm hoping those in charge of this service will have listened to some the concerns we have raised about the need for the Council to be more joined up in the way it responds to anti-social behaviour reports from the public.

Issues we have faced in the ward such as mini-moto nuisance on Bede Walk could be better handled I think.

That said, the presence of the wardens and nuisance team on Hexham Road - something we campaigned for - is having a very positive impact and is an example of where things are working well in Reading.

UPDATE:

Chief Constable Sara Thornton has responded to yesterday's news report on burglary. Local MP Rob Wilson thinks the situation is "disappointing", saying "change is needed now".

Still no details on what the Tories would do differently if they were in charge which I have to say I find...disasppointing.

Labour still failing to tackle anti-social behaviour in Reading

Another day, another offical report telling us what we already know: that between them the Labour government and the Labour-run Council are failing to sort out anti-social behaviour in Reading.

Today we read that Reading is one of the 16 worst places in the UK for anti-social behaviour.

The Home Office announced yesterday that government 'ASB Action Squads' will be sent to Reading as one of the areas of the country where anti-social behaviour is not being tackled well enough.

This intervention will be highly embarassing for Labour politicians in Reading who like to claim that crime is falling and problems are being dealt with.

Last week the Lib Dems highlighted news from the government's offical Place Survey which revealed that less than a quarter of people living in Reading have confidence that the Police and the Council together are dealing effectively with nuisance behaviour.

In 2007,independent inspectors of the Council's Community Safety service published a highly critical report of the Labour-run Council's approach to reducing crime.

As the Lib Dem's Safer Communities spokesperson between 2006 and 2009 I have been actively involved in campaigning for a more joined up approach to tackling anti-social behaviour and crime.

ASB continues to be an issue that local people living across Reading are very concerned about and as a Party the Lib Dems in Reading have led the way in campaigning for more effective action to tackle crime problems.

We have campaigned for more Police on the streets in Reading and more funding for Neighbourhood Action Groups to help get their message across and help get local people more involved in reducing anti-social behaviour in their areas.

Cllr Gareth Epps who is now leading for the Lib Dems in Reading on crime and communities issues (as well as being Lib Dem PPC for Reading East) had this to say on today's announcement and plans for a new 'Residents Charter':

"After all the warnings, it really is a damning indictment of Labour's policies in Reading that the Government has designated the borough as one of the worst hotspots in the country.

"We must praise the hard work of all those trying to tackle these problems, and particularly the work of police Neighbourhood Action Groups which have made a real difference.

“The problem, though, is that action in Reading is insufficiently well-targeted and suffers from a lack of resources.

"A problem I frequently find is that communities have simply given up reporting problems.  This happens far too often with Housing Associations in particular - some are good, but too many of them fail to meet their legal responsibility to take action. 

“For this reason I am proposing that the Council draws up a charter, so residents know what they can expect, and Housing Associations can be held to the standards they should be following."

UPDATE:

A spokesperson of the Safer Reading Partnership has responded today, blaming Reading's poor showing on 'out of date data' 

But as I've pointed out on this Blog before, the Council's own annual residents' survey has clearly shown that anti-social behaviour is one of the top concerns people in Reading have.