Reading Liberal Democrats

Well they have been a long time coming but we can now report that our local Neighbourhood Police Team in Tilehurst now have access to the speed guns purchased by the Council after Ricky Duveen, backed by the rest of the Lib Dem Group managed to get them included in this year’s budget. Not bad for a minority party that had to fight both Labour and Tory opposition to get this measure adopted.

Tilehurst Lib Dem councillors Ricky Duveen and Chris Harris have already been out with local PC Ashley Smith to see the speed guns in action in Westwood Road.

Up till now there has been no real way of enforcing 30mph speed limits and it has been ignored on many of our roads. Now we have a way to crack down on speedsters and get them to understand the need to stick within the speed limits in the interests of our safety. The speed guns are now available to all the local neighbourhood police teams in Reading.

PC Smith has already used the guns, issuing several tickets and pulling over a few more motorists before giving them a warning to control their speed.

We did notice that the Tories have produced a leaflet for Tilehurst proudly announcing the purchase of the speed guns. What they did not mention was the fact that they voted against our budget proposals which included money for speed guns. It was the Lib Dems that forced Labour into accepting this proposal whilst the Tories sat on their hands.

We know from being out with Ashley that residents do appreciate the presence of speed guns and the effective deterrent to speeding motorists that they can provide. We have received numerous calls over the years for help to stop speeding traffic which is why we pushed through Ricky’s idea of buying speed guns. We are keen to spread the word round Tilehurst and indeed the rest of Reading that it is no longer ‘safe’ to roar round our streets and ignore the speed limits. We would like all motorists to drive safely and keep within the limits.

You have been warned!

Liberal Democrats in Reading have slammed the contents of today’s Queen’s Speech as a ‘self-serving charade’.

Commenting on the legislative programme, Cllr Gareth Epps, Liberal Democrat prospective MP for Reading East, said:-

“The Queen’s Speech has been shamelessly turned by Labour into a self-serving political charade. At a time when Parliament has lost its authority following the expenses scandal, all it can do is give its successor a fresh start. Confidence and trust in the political process and faith in the Government’s capacity to change things has never been so low.

“An emergency programme of political reform is the duty of this Parliament, in order to clear the way for its successor. Instead, we see Bills proposed that in most cases will never see the statute book and in some cases are political posturing of the most vacuous kind.”

The Liberal Democrats are putting forward a programme of emergency political reform:-

1. Recall power for MPs suspended for misconduct – so we never again have to wait months and years to get rid of people who have betrayed the people they represent
2. Code of conduct for candidates in the next election, including declaration of financial interests – so everyone elected can command full public confidence
3. House of Lords reform – so only elected representatives have the power to make our laws
4. Party funding reform in time for this election – so big money and the whiff of corruption it brings are removed from politics for good
5. Fixed term Parliaments – so the voters can never again be toyed with by a Prime Minister planning an election timetable to save his own skin
6. Legislation to establish a 100-person Citizens’ Assembly, on the Canadian model, to agree a new voting system for Parliamentary Elections
7. Changes to House of Commons procedure to reduce executive power – so never again can a government use the power of the whips to ride roughshod over the views of Parliament.

Reading Lib Dems have posted objections to the Traffic Orders advertised by Reading BC for closing Station Hill as part of the planned Sackville development opposite the station.

The traffic orders would allow the permanent closure of Station Hill/Station Approach, preventing through traffic following a transfer of Council land to Sackville Properties as part of the Station Hill development. The publishing of the Orders – done in a way that failed to make the public aware of this major change – has been slammed by the Lib Dems.

Transport spokesperson Cllr Ricky Duveen objected as the station area plans did not include facilities for bus passengers.

“Bus passengers will be queuing in the streets around the station rather than at any new bus station with facilities like an information desk, public loos etc. They will also have to walk in the open quite some distance to get to and from the station.

“The council’s use of the word ‘interchange’ is a misnomer when you look at the details of their plans.”

Reading East PPC, Gareth Epps, agrees and added:

“The poor facilities for bus passengers, taxis and private hire vehicles will lead to more traffic pressure on roads around the station. The lack of passenger facilities is being pushed forward for the benefit of the Sackville development and will produce chaos for travellers rather than provide a 21st century transport interchange.

“The way the Council have given minimum publicity to this massive change is a disgrace. This decision could forever shut off through bus travel outside Reading Station – but Reading’s Labour bosses do not want to breathe a word about it.”

Reading East’s Liberal Democrat prospective MP and one of the leaders of the Jollydarity campaign to reopen Newtown’s Jolly Anglers, Cllr Gareth Epps, has hailed as a ‘massive victory’ the news that Enterprise Inns has lifted the restrictive covenant on the community pub, closed in brutal fashion in June – permitting it to reopen.

Gareth has been heavily involved with negotiations with the pub’s new owners and prospective publicans on behalf of Jollydarity. He has been in regular contact with the owners, their agent and others, and has led attempts to persuade them that the Kennetside pub can reopen and be viable as a pub. The news was confirmed last night (Thursday 5 November).

The news has national implications as this is possibly the first time Enterprise Inns has agreed to lift a restrictive covenant it has imposed. The news will be welcomed by CAMRA and groups campaigning for an end to restrictive covenants that see often viable community pubs forced to close. The all-party Commons Business & Enterprise Committee in May urged the Government to outlaw this use of restrictive covenants – the Government is due to respond to the Select Committee report.

Gareth has campaigned for changes in the law to give publicans a fair deal. He conducted a pub survey across Reading East in the summer and has worked with leading pub campaigner Greg Mulholland MP (Lib Dem, Leeds NW) on taking action on the conclusions, published in September. The survey gained national coverage for the picture it gave of life working for Enterprise Inns and other ‘pubcos’.

Commenting, Gareth said:-
“This is a massive victory for the local community in Newtown. From the night the Jolly Anglers closed, it was clear people wanted their pub back and were prepared for a community campaign like no other. That campaign has been a spectacular success, and I am delighted to have been part of it. Every Newtown resident and every CAMRA member who helped Jollydarity should be feeling really proud, and I thank them all.

It is a victory of national significance. Enterprise Inns’ about-turn in lifting its restrictive covenant will give pub campaigners hope all across the country. The covenant should never have been imposed in the first place.

Now we just cross our fingers and hope we will be able to celebrate news of a new tenant shortly. There remain many issues to be addressed for publicans to get a fair deal. Wholesale price rip-offs, aggressive rent reviews and other pubco behaviour puts pub tenants working for pubcos in a situation where they’re running their pub with both hands tied behind their back. In many ways the news for Jolly Anglers is even better than expected, as it looks like the pub will be free of the pubco cosh.”

Gareth also commented on the actions of Reading East’s Conservative MP in prematurely announcing a deal before it had been signed – leading to much anger being directed against the MP for potentially placing the deal in jeopardy:-
“The Conservatives, notably, did got get involved in Jollydarity events. The way their MP has behaved – announcing a deal had been signed when those involved told him and me that it had not – was tawdry and unacceptable. The behaviour of the Conservatives, sadly, potentially put the deal in jeopardy; it does them no credit.”

Commenting on the publication of the Kelly report proposing radical reform of MPs’ expenses, Cllr Gareth Epps, Liberal Democrat prospective MP for Reading East, said:-

“MPs must accept this report in full. We need MPs of all parties to come together and agree them without argument, and we need the new independent Parliamentary standards body to implement them without delay. The public must see action taken before the forthcoming General Election.

Gareth continued “I have pledged not to take a second home as Reading East’s MP, and to publish all my expenses in the interests of transparency. I back Kelly in full, and want to see results well before next May.

“There is still a need from David Cameron and Gordon Brown to take action against their MPs who have benefited substantially in financial terms at the taxpayer’s expense. David Cameron in particular must stop picking and choosing who is disciplined.”

Cllr Gareth Epps, Liberal Democrat prospective MP for Reading East, has reacted with anger to the news that the Planning Inspector has allowed a massive development on the controversial Sandford Farm site in Woodley in the constituency.

Development on the site has for many years been opposed by residents in the area and by the Loddon Valley Action Group. Liberal Democrat councillor for Loddon, Phil Challis, has been among the leadership of the campaign for some years and presented planning evidence to the inquiry.

Commenting, Gareth says:

“This is a devastating decision for residents of Woodley and the wider area surrounding Sandford Farm. The Loddon Valley Action Group has long worked with great courage and tenacity to protect the safety of residents from these dangerous plans.

Unfortunately their work has been undermined from two sides. Central Government planning policies ride roughshod over environmental concerns and allow development on environmentally damaging sites such as this. Compounding this was the decision of Wokingham’s Conservative Council to allocate the site for development – a decision that pulled the rug from under Woodley.

I and Woodley’s Liberal Democrat councillors will continue to support LVAG and local residents in fighting this wrongheaded plan by any means possible.”

Editor’s Notes:

Click here for the Loddon Valley Action Group information site.

Cllr Gareth Epps, Liberal Democrat prospective MP for Reading East, has asked for calm following intense speculation over the future of the Jolly Anglers pub in Newtown. Gareth has been closely involved from the start with the Jollydarity campaign to save the pub.

Following wild speculation issued in a press release by Conservatives unconnected to the Jollydarity campaign, Gareth contacted those directly involved with the current status of the pub.

Gareth has issued the following statement:

“Any speculation about the pub reopening is only speculation (at this stage), and it would be irresponsible to say anything that could put negotiations in jeopardy.

If it is true that Enterprise Inns have released the restrictive covenant, that is fantastic news – it means the Jolly can reopen. More than that, if there is any news, it will be a tremendous success for Newtowners and for the campaign, and possibly the first time Enterprise has willingly released a covenant anywhere in the UK.”