Reading Liberal Democrats

Local parliamentary campaigner, Lib Dem Cllr Gareth Epps responded with derision to MP Rob Wilson‘s latest half-hearted attack on the government.

In a press statement Wilson criticised Labour’s early release scheme, under which prisoners are let out of prison up to 18 days early to reduce overcrowding, even though many of the problems are a direct result of his own Conservative party’s draconian crime policies in the 1990′s.

Liberal Democrats want to see crime reduced and have introduced many new practical solutions on the ground to acheive this in councils up and down the country. The one thing we know does not work – and the previous Tory government published a report demonstrating this – is to just lock people up.

Gareth said this week, “This is a cheap shot by Rob Wilson – and is ignorant of the facts. The Home Office’s own studies show that you have to increase the prison population by 25% just to get a 1% drop in crime. Keeping prisoners inside an extra few days isn’t going to cut re-offending. You can only do that by rehabilitating, educating and training prisoners so that they go back onto the streets ready, willing and able to get jobs and obey the law. Anything else is just shallow Tory spin.”

Liberal Democrats campaigning to save five Post Offices under threat in Reading have reacted with anger at the announcement today that the Government is to extend the term of Allan Leighton as Chairman of Royal Mail with the potential to receive up to £180,000 in ‘performance-related bonuses’.

Commenting on the news, Cllr Gareth Epps, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary campaigner for Reading East, said:- “This is another kick in the teeth for the thousands of people who have already signed petitions to save the five Post Offices in Reading which are under threat, as well as for Post Office and sorting office staff whose jobs may be lost.”

Patrick Murray, Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson for Reading West, added:

“This just goes to show the Labour Government’s attitude: take local services away on the one hand and give large bonuses to the people presiding over Royal Mail’s problems on the other.”

Editor’s Notes:-

1) A press release from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform is reproduced below.

John Hutton, the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform today announced that Allan Leighton‘s term as Chairman of Royal Mail, would be extended.

“Allan Leighton‘s reappointment will help provide the continuity needed for Royal Mail to make progress on its modernisation plans and to contribute to the review of developments in the postal services market announced today, and I am grateful to him for agreeing to extend his term of appointment.”

2) Allan Leighton is currently, Deputy Chair of George Weston Ltd, Loblaw Companies Ltd and Selfridges & Co Ltd. He is also a Non-Executive Director of BskyB.

3) His term will be extended to March 2009, and his remuneration will remain unchanged at £20k basic salary with the potential to receive up to a further £180k in performance related bonuses. Other terms and conditions will also remain the same.

4) Allan Leighton was originally appointed in March 2002 after an open competition. His current term was due to end in March 2008.

5) This an OCPA regulated post and this extension has been made in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public appointments. OCPA has agreed to the extension of Allan Leighton‘s term. Mr Leighton has no recent recorded political activity. He has held no other Ministerial appointments.

Just after 2.30pm yesterday Liberal Democrat acting leader Dr Vince Cable MP announced that Nick Clegg, MP for Sheffield Hallam has been elected the new leader of the Liberal Democrats with 50.6% of the vote. Clegg replaces Sir Menzies Campbell MP who served as party leader from March 2006 until stepping down in October.

Reading Liberal Democrats welcome Mr Clegg‘s election and look forward to working with him in forthcoming campaigns. Lib Dem deputy group leader Cllr. Gareth Epps sent warm congratulations saying, “Both Nick and Chris have run great campaigns over the past two months and I thank them both. Under Nick‘s leadership I am certain we’ll see a renewed energy in the party and we’re going to make full use of it here in Reading to really take the fight to Labour and the Tories. I echo his call to disillusioned voters who used to vote for us or the other parties to rediscover the Liberal Democrats”

Nick Clegg has been MP for Sheffield Hallam since entering parliament in 2005 before which he had been a member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands region since 1999. He has been Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Affairs spokesperson since 2006. He visited Reading in April this year as part of the local election campaign.

Cllr. Epps also paid tribute to Dr Vince Cable MP who, as acting party leader has overseen a rise in Lib Dem opinion poll ratings and delivered some first rate performances in the Commons, notably criticising the government’s handling of the Northern Rock affair and describing the Prime Minister’s “remarkable transformation in the last few weeks from Stalin to Mr Bean, creating chaos out of order rather than order out of chaos”. Cllr Epps described Dr Cable as “an incredibly able politician who has more than shown his worth. I’m sure he will continue to play a major role on Nick‘s front bench team.”

This week we found out how hard Reading will be hit by Labour’s latest round of Post Office closures. The town will lose five offices at Erleigh Road, Basingstoke Road, Wantage Road in West Reading, Hemdean Road in Caversham and Kentwood Hill in Tilehurst

Cllr Gareth Epps, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Campaigner for Reading East, described the cuts as “vicious”.

“Post offices play a vital role in our local communities. These closures will hit local people, especially older residents, very hard indeed. The cuts are at the extreme end of what we feared might happen and they are going to have a seriously damaging effect.”

Last month, Lib Dem leadership contender Chris Huhne MP (in photo with Gareth inside Erleigh Road PO) met staff and customers at Erleigh Road Post Office– one of those scheduled for closure- where he launched Reading East Lib Dems’ “Save Reading’s Post Offices” petition. Chris said, “Labour and Conservative governments have decimated our Post Office network. Only the Liberal Democrats have a plan to save our local post offices and to open new post offices when needed.”

Liberal Democrats have pledged to invest £2bn in the Post office network and open new branches. Post Offices would be given more freedom to develop new business and become profit-making. Liberal Democrats want the government to have a legal obligation to maintain Post Office services in local communities.

Gareth Epps said, “Any downgrading of local services is unfortunate but to be losing three Post Offices in our local area at once is madness. Lib Dems and local residents will be campaigning strongly to Save Reading’s Post Offices”

Back in November, Gareth Epps successfully lobbied Royal Mail to extend the consultation on these proposed closures to the end of January. The original intention was for the consultation to run over the Christmas period.

Gareth Epps said, “Any downgrading of local services is unfortunate but to be losing three Post Offices in our local area at once is madness. Lib Dems and local residents will be campaigning strongly to Save Reading’s Post Offices”

The “Save Reading’s Post Offices” petition is available to sign online by clicking and following this link.

Residents who have opted into Reading Borough Council’s new green waste collection scheme are being reminded that final green collections take place on Friday December 21st as collections temporarily end for the winter.

Due to the popularity of the scheme and pressure brought by Lib Dem councillor Daisy Benson, this year Reading Borough Council has extended green waste collection well past mid-December.

Residents who are due a green waste collection in the week beginning Monday December 17 are being urged to make sure they put any green waste they have in their green bins or bags and they will be collected as usual.

The green waste collection service resumes on Monday January 21st.

The Council is also moving to reassure residents who may have concerns about rubbish building up over the Christmas period. Residents are being advised that for their first collection after Christmas, crews will be collecting any rubbish that is left in black sacks alongside their normal black bin.

Wokingham Borough Council has plummeted in the Government league tables for social care for adults. It is now one of the TEN WORST COUNCILS in England. Wokingham has dropped from a 2-star rating to 1 star and its prospects for the future are uncertain.

Cllr Stephen Conway (Deputy Leader of the Wokingham Lib Dem Councillor Group and Councillor for Twyford) says, “It can’t be a coincidence that this happened at the time the Conservatives have axed care services for many of our residents. The Liberal Democrats warned the Tories that the way they were planning to cut services would have devastating consequences for some of our most vulnerable people. They carried on regardless and now our worst fears are being realised.”

Gareth Epps, Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Reading East, added, “The decline in Wokingham’s performance on services used by the most needy and vulnerable people is shocking. Residents in Woodley and Earley deserve much better than this. Residents in Reading thinking of backing the Conservatives should be aware of the sort of services they will receive if they become needy under a Conservative Council.”

The Government report highlights the following failures:

• Wokingham Council spends more per person, but provides less of a service than similar councils
• Wokingham Council has failed to understand the impact of its cuts on vulnerable people
• Wokingham Council deliberately kept some crucial social services jobs vacant to save money
• Some people, particularly older people, do not get services that they would get elsewhere.

Cllr Prue Bray (Leader of the Lib Dem Councillor Group and Councillor for Winnersh ward) said, “Staff at the Council have made valiant efforts over the past few years to improve the Council’s social care services. Thanks to decisions made by the Conservative administration, all that good work has been undone and Wokingham now has its worst ever rating. The Liberal Democrats will be calling for an urgent review of adult social services at the next Council meeting.”

The Council ratings are provided by The Commission for Social Care Inspection and the full star ratings and reports are available on their website: CSCI link

Reading Liberal Democrats have renewed their call for action by an inert Reading Borough Council to reduce the disgracefully large number of empty homes in the area during National Empty Homes Week.

Following the Lib Dems successful call last October for Reading Borough Council to put in place a strategy to bring almost a thousand empty homes back into use. Lib Dem campaigner Cllr Daisy Benson said:

“At the October meeting of the Council the Lead Member for Housing, Cllr John Ennis agreed to make tackling empty homes a priority after Lib Dem members tabled a motion to Council and, as usual, 2 months later we are still waiting for the Council to investigate a number of empty properties that we brought to its attention months ago.”

“This week (3-7 December) is National Empty Homes Week of Action and we are still waiting for Reading Borough Council to use its powers to bring empty private sector homes back into use. The EHA campaign shows that other Councils are taking action, why can’t RBC?”

Cllr Gareth Epps, Parliamentary Campaigner for Reading East said:

“The Lib Dems have highlighted a number of empty private properties in Reading that could make good homes for families and local people. There is huge pressure on back gardens to make room for new properties and yet these properties are lying empty when they could be put to good use.”

Editor’s Notes –

1. For more information about the Empty Homes Agency goto The Empty Homes Website
2. 35 Christchurch Rd has been empty for almost 5 years. Cllr Daisy Benson asked the Council to investigate it back in 2006 and the Council is not doing anything to bring it back into use.

The Reading Chronicle article [MP: we must be asked about Heathrow, 29 November] shows Reading’s current MPs doing a passable impression of Tweedledee and Tweedledum, while ignoring the fundamental issue at stake.

Gareth Epps Liberal Democrat Parliamentary spokesperson for Reading East has written to the Chronicle saying – “There is no justification for a third runway at Heathrow and the destruction it will cause, not only to the communities it will obliterate but to the impact on Reading of vastly more flights. Given the impact of climate change, and with air travel the fastest growing source of carbon emissions, doubling the capacity of Heathrow is the last thing we want or need.

Worse, Rob Wilson as quoted seems to misunderstand the concept of consultation. The word means asking the public for their view, as opposed to the Labour Government’s proposal to inform the public about a decision they have already taken. So calling for the ‘roadshow’ to be brought to Reading is meaningless.

For far too long Labour and Tory politicians have ignored the environment and allowed the expansion of air travel while failing to promote solutions such as high speed rail. Liberal Democrats would not expand Heathrow, and all the posturing in the world about consultation can take nothing away from that.

Reading Lib Dems have welcomed long overdue plans to upgrade outdated street lighting but urge the Council to go further and review lighting across the town in areas such as the University area and South Reading.

Daisy Benson, Lib Dem Councillor for Redlands ward and Safer Communities Spokesperson has today called on the Council to extend their plans and improve lighting around the University area to address ‘legitimate safety concerns’.

“Students and residents have often told me how unsafe they feel walking in the streets around the University because the Council has used the old-fashioned ‘orange glow’ low pressure sodium lighting. Lighting in parts of East and South Reading is also badly in need of an overhaul.

The Council must review lighting in these areas and upgrade it for better, more energy efficient lighting.”

Bob Green, Leader of the Lib Dem Group on Reading Borough Council will raise the issue at Cabinet meeting on 3 December:

Bob said:

“The Council has finally admitted street lighting in parts of Reading is not up to scratch. Poor lighting contributes to fear of crime, and adds to the Council’s carbon footprint. It is important that the Council’s review involves ward councillors who work closely with local residents and are well aware of where the problem areas are.”

Sally Pearman, President of Reading University Students’ Union said:

“I’m so pleased that the Council are looking at the issue of lighting in Reading. I would urge them to extend their review of lighting to the roads around Campus. Whether it’s because of lectures, socialising, clubs or part time jobs students are always out and about in the evenings and any move to make Reading safer at night would be greatly appreciated by all of us.”

Cllr Gareth Epps, Parliamentary Campaigner for Reading East said the time to get streetlights fixed seems to be going up.

Gareth said: “Reading residents seem to be getting a bad deal from the Council’s contract. Too many lights in Reading are simply not working and do not repaired quick enough. This review must include plans to get better value for money for local tax payers.”

Editor’s Notes:

On November 20th Tory Cllr Richard Willis made a number of remarks on the public website politicalbetting.com following the death of the former ruler of Zimbabwe (then Southern Rhodesia) Ian Smith.

These remarks included comments that were wholly unacceptable, damaging to community cohesion, and inappropriate for an elected representative in any party to make.

Particularly inappropriate was the statement that:

“I refuse to submit to the prevalent ideology that a government that delivers stability and economic success is inherently evil just because the elite were of a racial minority.”

Coling Lawley, newly re-elected chair of the Greater Reading Liberal Democrats said “As Richard Willis is a Reading Borough Councillor, Parliamentary Assistant to Rob Wilson MP and on his party’s list of approved candidates, I have written to both the Tory Leader at the Borough Council Cllr Fred Pugh and the Reading East MP Rob Wilson demanding that they publicly disassociate themselves from his remarks. Further, I would expect them to take the appropriate disciplinary action.

I feel that it would be damaging to their party to continue to be associated with and be prepared to accept these views.

My challenge is: “Has the Tory party really changed its ‘nasty party’ image or have they merely gone through a cosmetic exercise in the hope that the public will believe them?”

Editor’s Background Notes:
Ian Smith, who died last week, held power in Rhodesia for 14 years after declaring independence from Britain in 1965. When he was forced out in 1979 following a bitter civil war with nationalists and an effective trade embargo by Britain, Robert Mugabe took control, leading to the creation of Zimbabwe.