Reading Liberal Democrats

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Reading Lib Dems have welcomed long overdue plans to upgrade outdated street lighting but urge the Council to go further and review lighting across the town in areas such as the University area and South Reading.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

The Government’s data disaster over child benefit records shows why plans for Identity Cards must be scrapped, say Reading West Liberal Democrats.

Following the revelation that the personal details of 25 million parents and children have been lost by the Government’s Revenue and Customs department (HMRC), and may have fallen into the hands of identity fraudsters, Reading West Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson Patrick Murray has written to Martin Salter MP urging him to withdraw their support for the ID cards scheme and a National Identity Register in which the Government want to store the personal information of everyone in the country.

“The fiasco at HMRC has shown the dangers of the Government holding huge amounts of information about each one of us whilst being slipshod in the way that same information is kept,” said Patrick Murray.

“This whole saga of incompetence has been shocking and families in Reading are now rightly asking whether their personal details are safe.

“The National Identity Register, which the Government are setting up as part of the Identity Card scheme, will hold vastly more information on each and every one of us than Customs and Revenue managed to lose.

“The possibilities for the loss of that information, either accidentally or through illegitimate means must make the Government stop and think again very seriously about their plan to store all the data they can on us on a central register.

“This is a clear illustration of the real dangers of a big brother centralised state. State control of personal identity details is a real threat to our civil liberties. The Government should respond to the anger and now abandon its ID card scheme. It is clear that the Government cannot be trusted to manage effectively mass databases of personal information.

”Martin Salter voted for Identity Cards when the scheme went through Parliament despite some Labour MPs taking a principled stand and joining the Liberal Democrats in voting against the Government’s big brother plans.

“But a debacle on this scale must surely give Mr Salter cause to think again. I have written to him calling on him to press the Government to end the Identity Card scheme for good and to ensure that we do not risk a personal data disaster on an even more catastrophic scale.

Editor’s Note: For more information call Patrick Murray on 07891 330778

At a meeting last Friday Liberal Democrats in Reading West selected Patrick Murray as their Prospective Parliamentary Candidate to take on both Labour and the Tories at the next general election, whenever it is called.

Patrick is a mature student from Oxford where he is the Executive Member for Housing on Oxford City Council. Patrick was elected to Oxford City Council in 2004 by capturing a safe Labour seat with a 23% swing. At the age of 27 he is already a seasoned campaigner who intends to bring his experience to bear in Reading West

Patrick will concentrate on three key themes :-

• Civil Liberties

Patrick will support bringing the troops home from Iraq. He will oppose ID cards, extending detention without charges and the other Labour attacks on civil liberties at home and abroad.

• Social Justice

Patrick will oppose tuition fees that deter potential students from fulfilling their potential at university. He will defend the NHS against creeping privatisation currently being engineered by both Labour and the Tories.

• The Environment

Patrick will lead the Lib Dems in Reading West in taking on the tokenism being pushed by Labour and the Tories. Lib Dems are committed to providing a sustainable future for our children and grandchildren.

Coling Lawley, Chair of Reading Lib Dems said, “Patrick has set out his stall and we will campaign on these three key issues over the coming months. We look forward to working with Patrick and breaking the current Labour hold on Reading West.”

Editor’s Note: For more information call Patrick Murray on 07891 330778.

The Post Office has today (14 November) bowed to pressure from Liberal Democrat campaigners; Cllr Gareth Epps has received written confirmation from them that they are extending the consultation period on the proposed closure of up to one-fifth of Reading’s Post Offices.

Gareth wrote to them after it emerged that the closures would be announced on 11 December – followed by a consultation period over the Christmas and New Year holiday period. At the suggestion of Wokingham Lib Dem council group leader Cllr Prue Bray, Wokingham Borough Council wrote along similar lines demanding a rethink to the timing.

Post Office Ltd have confirmed that “a decision has been taken to extend all consultations [on proposed branch closures] that cover this period by 10 calendar days and therefore consultation will commence on 11 December 2007 as planned but will now end on 31 January 2008.”

Commenting, Gareth said:

“The extra time for residents to respond to the Post Office closure plans is welcome. However, the refusal of the Post Office to delay the bad news makes a rotten Christmas present for local residents.

Post Offices play a vital role in our communities. These closures will hit local people, particularly older residents, very hard.

My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I will be fighting the closures and protecting local facilities.”

Editor’s Note. The Photo shows from left to right Gareth Epps, Redlands Councillor Daisy Benson and local campaigner Neal Brown at the Crown Colonnade Post Office in Cemetery Junction.

Gordon Brown’s green policies were thrown into confusion yesterday after ministers confirmed that they would be pushing ahead with pilot schemes for controversial new “pay-as-you-throw” bin taxes.

Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, announced that powers to set up pilot schemes for charging households who put out more waste would be included in the Climate Change Bill.

Commenting on the Government’s proposal to allow for the pilot schemes, Cllr Gareth Epps, Liberal Democrat PPC for Reading East, said:

“It makes a welcome change for Whitehall to allow councils to experiment. Given the ridiculous degree of central control, it is typical that it should take such a controversial issue to let go.

Of course in Reading we are light years away from such a scheme. Under Labour in Reading and the Tories in Wokingham our Councils are too far behind on recycling or waste minimisation.

Our priority must be to sort out the waste PFI which risks leaving us behind on recycling for the next 25 years.”