Labour Delivery in Reading
1. On the environment we have:
a. Published a Climate Change Strategy and promoted Reading’s Climate Change Pledge
b. Set up the Climate Change Partnership to work with neighbouring Councils and other partners to reduce our carbon footprint
c. Increased recycling in Reading to 34.4% in 2008-9
d. Endorsed the 10:10 campaign which aims to cut carbon emissions by 10% in 2010
2. On crime we have:
a. Working with the police and with local communities, seen an overall 4% decrease in crime in Reading in 2008-9, following a 20% decrease
over the previous four years
b. Supported a Veto Violence campaign jointly with the police and young people aimed at preventing knife crime
c. Supported Operation Falcon which has made a huge impact on the drug trade in Reading
d. Tackling hot-spots through Neighbourhood Action Groups, seen antisocial behaviour cut by a quarter
e. Launched a Stamp It Out campaign with our tenants to tackle antisocial behaviour on Council estates
f. Appointed a Domestic Abuse Co-ordinator to focus efforts on reducing violence against women in particular
g. Extended the ban on street drinking to cover the University area and much of West Reading
3. Working for our children, we have:
a. Got half-way through a programme to improve 22 play areas in the Borough’s parks, using funding from the Labour government.
b. Now got a network of twelve recognised and designated children’s centres across the town
c. Worked hard to bring our Safeguarding service up to standard, it now being recognised by the Inspectors as having “greatly improved”
d. Worked with children in the Council’s care to develop a new pledge offering them the best possible opportunities in their lives
e. Seen our schools continue to improve, with over half now judged good or outstanding
f. Invested over £100M in five new schools – and in new school buildings and major works for other schools – since Reading became responsible for education in 1998
g. Opened a brand-new learning centre at Reading Girls, a brand-new Vocational Education Centre at Prospect School and a brand-new sixth form block at Kendrick
h. Seen a huge 9% increase in the number of children meeting national targets at the end of their reception year, helped by the Council’s move to a single point of entry in September
i. Seen the number of children achieving 5 or more A*-C at GCSE increase from 58% in 2007 to 73.5% in 2009
j. Seen Reading’s A level students get A grades in 52.3% of their exams, almost double the national average
4. On housing we have:
a. Completed 294 new build Housing Association homes in 2008-9, with many more on the way
b. Rejected planning applications from developers that did not make a sufficient contribution to affordable housing
c. Used additional funds made available by Government to bring forward the achievement of Decent Homes standard for all our Council homes
d. Introduced a new Decent Neighbourhoods scheme to improve the environment in our Council estates
e. Launched the Heatseeker scheme to help inform people about how energy-efficient their houses are and advise them of help with
insulation and so on
f. Appointed a project officer to develop a new Landlord Accreditation scheme for student accommodation in particular
5. Working for elderly and other vulnerable people, we have:
a. Continued to help people whose needs are assessed as ‘substantial’ or ‘greater moderate’ as well as ‘critical’ – meaning over 2800 people are helped who would not be helped if they lived in Wokingham or West Berkshire
b. Introduced new procedures to help safeguard and protect older people from abuse
c. Consulted on and brought in A Big Voice in Our Lives, a new strategy for people with learning disabilities
d. Secured an assessment from the Care Quality Commission that our community care services are Performing Well
e. Successfully piloted a new reablement scheme offering 6 weeks free intensive care and therapy to help prevent people having to go into hospital and help prevent dependency on care when they leave hospital.
f. Picked up a national award for our Home Improvement Agency which assists older, disabled and other vulnerable people by carrying out repairs, adaptations and improvements to their homes
g. Started a major refurbishment programme for our sheltered flats for the elderly
h. Obtained planning permission for Extra Care Housing at the old Avenue School site and are now finalising funding for the scheme
i. Worked with developers to get another Extra Care Housing scheme off the ground at Green Park
6. Worked to reduce traffic congestion by:
a. Continued work on the massive scheme at Junction 11, expected to bring real reductions in congestion by next summer
b. Finalising a Transport Innovation Fund bid which will bring £300M+ investment to the town, including, we hope, the third Thames bridge, an HGV Low Emission Zone which will remove hundreds of the most polluting lorries from Reading’s roads, improved bus priority measures and lower fares, and better facilities for cyclists and pedestrians
c. Secured support from Oxfordshire for the principle of a third Thames Bridge, which they had long resisted
d. Promoted Commonwheels, a community interest company aiming to establish a network of car clubs across the Borough
e. As part of the upgrade in Reading Station, negotiated new bridges for Cow Lane to deal with the infamous bottle neck and get traffic out of the residential streets in west Reading.
f. Consulted on a package of road safety measures in the Shinfield Road area and reduced the speed limit there as a first step
7. In promoting public transport, we have:
a. Continued to invest in bus passenger information systems now provided at more and more bus stops across the town
b. Designed and publicised a network of radial cycling routes which will be colour-coded alongside Reading Buses’ premier routes
c. Worked with Network Rail and other partners on the massive £644M scheme to redevelop Reading Station and provide a new concourse, which has now got planning permission
d. Pressed for work on the new station to start as early as possible, so that Reading can reap the benefits and Reading people get the jobs
8. In regeneration, we have:
a. Granted planning permission to Sackville Developments for a huge scheme including commercial, residential, retail and leisure uses, coordinated with the new Reading Station scheme, and stretching down to Friar Street
b. Seen Phase 1 of Affinity’s refurbishment of 1350 Council homes in Whitley completed nine months ahead of schedule
c. Come to an agreement with the Dee Park Partnership to secure a £150million regeneration of the Dee Park estate, replacing all the 60s sub-standard flats with decent homes, and given that scheme planning permission. Work will start before March 2010.
9. To protect the town’s open spaces, we have:
a. Persuaded the Government to drop the proposal to build on Kennet Meadows from the South-East Plan
b. Started a drive to turn Kennet Meadows into a trust to give it longterm protection
c. Resisted plans to bring back the scheme for a Cross-Town Route which would have destroyed Kennetmouth
d. Rejected planning applications which conflicted with the Open Spaces Strategy
e. Under the BBC’s Breathing Spaces scheme, worked with schools,
community groups and others to enhance the town’s green spaces and provide additional habitats for wildlife
10. In promoting access to sport for all, we have:
a. Got on track to get 85% of young people taking part in two hours of sport a week, and three further hours by 2011
b. Extended free swimming for the under-16’s from just school holidays to throughout the year
c. Introduced free swimming and a wider “Smile” sports programme for older people in the town’s sports and leisure centres
d. Seen the Sports Reading Partnership pick up a top prize for best practice in the Government Business Awards
e. Now got a Quality Assured benchmark for Rivermead, Palmer Park Stadium, Central Pool and Meadway
11. Working with local communities, we have:
a. Seen the successful implementation of neighbourhood policing across the Borough, with Neighbourhood Action Groups making a real difference in many areas
b. Developed proposals to bring Neighbourhood Action Groups and Safer Communities Forums together in a new and more efficient structure with access to funds to address local needs
c. Greatly developed tenant participation on our Council estates, with hundreds of tenants now involved in a “sounding board” and other mechanisms
d. Spread the Thriving Neighbourhoods programme to more parts of town, consulting local people in detail on what matters to them
e. Ensured that committees dealing with planning, traffic management and licensing listen to and take account of the views of local people
12. Supporting the voluntary sector, we have:
a. Continued generous funding for the voluntary sector, with over £2.5M committed this financial year
b. Supported Reading Community Welfare Rights Unit in moving to a new and very central base on Oxford Road near the IDR
c. Worked with the African Caribbean Community Group on plans which should see Central Club re-open in 2010 as a base for a wide range of black community groups
d. Agreed plans with the Muslim community to provide land at Green Road for a new mosque
e. Started talks with Warren & District Residents Association to find a way of redeveloping the Mapledurham Pavilion
13. To improve our enforcement capacity, we have:
a. Funded additional officers in Planning and brought a number of high-profile planning enforcement cases to a satisfactory conclusion
b. Brought in new tough measures to tackle rogue landlords in the private sector, particularly in East Reading
c. Continued, in co-operation with the police, the fight against graffiti, and brought several prolific taggers before the courts
14. To help Reading through the economic downturn, which was not foreseen in the resolution last June, we have also:
a. Run a series of credit crunch summits with partners, local businesses and the voluntary sector to focus on what could be done to support local people
b. Provided advice on Beating the Credit Crunch for Reading residents, with pointers about where to go for help
c. Provided extra money for Reading’s CAB and Welfare Rights Unit to help them deal with increased demand.
d. Supported Reading Credit Union, a new means of offering support to people who can’t get a bank account
e. Brought in expert help to tackle loan sharks and prevent them exploiting Reading people
f. Signed an accord on joint working with the Federation of Small Businesses, and worked to ensure their invoices are paid within 20 working days
g. Pushed for more apprenticeships to give young people a start in work, with Council departments providing a lead by promising there will be 50 by April 2010
h. Built on the successful Local Labour schemes to ensure local people have the first opportunity to get jobs and gain skills on projects such as Dee Park.
