Reading Liberal Democrats

Lib Dem councillors in Reading have helped deliver a budget which protects services to people who need them most whilst also responding to concerns expressed by residents over the state of streets.

Lib Dems on Reading Borough Council tabled an amendment to the Labour administration budget:

• Enhancing the Council’s graffiti-removal service
• Increasing the number of Dog Wardens in the Borough to help tackle the problem of dog fouling
• Scrapping Labour’s planned 25% rise in charges for a second Residents Parking permit

Lib Dem proposals were within budget and meant that Council Tax could be frozen for another year in Reading.

Lib Dem Group Leader, Cllr Daisy Benson said:

“Our top priority remains protecting services to vulnerable children and adults in Reading and we are prepared to work with any party who can help deliver that.

“However, these are not the only services which matter to local residents.”

“Council survey after Council survey makes it clear that people in Reading want to see their council tax money to pay for cleaner streets, which is why we put forward our proposals to beef up graffiti cleaning teams and dog wardens – to make a visible difference to the street scene and neighbourhoods.”

“In addition, when family budgets are already stretched we did not feel Labour’s proposed 25% increase for second residents parking permits was justified.”

Today Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg will announce £8,854,098 to get young people in our part of the South East who are not in employment, education or training (NEET), earning or learning again.
 
As part of Nick Clegg’s Youth Contract, the Coalition Government will, for the first time, target funding through tailored support on a payment-by-results system to 16 and 17-year-olds with no GCSEs at A* – C who are at the highest risk of long-term disengagement.
 
Commenting, Councillor Rebecca Rye, Education spokesperson for the Reading Liberal Democrat Group said:

“Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government are doing the right thing and supporting young people in the South East who have had difficulty finding a job or training when they’ve left school.

“Today’s announcement will ensure they receive personal, targeted support from experts to help them develop the confidence and skills that the need to stay in education or find a job.”

Commenting further, Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg said:

“Sitting at home with nothing to do when you’re so young can knock the stuffing out of you for years. It is a tragedy for the young people involved and a ticking time bomb for the economy and our society as a whole. This problem isn’t new, but in the current economic climate we urgently need to step up efforts to ensure some of our most troubled teenagers have the skills, confidence and opportunities to succeed.
 
“Many of them will have complex problems: truancy, teenage pregnancy, a lack of GCSEs and health problems. So helping them onto their feet will not be without challenges and Government cannot do this alone. But we all have a duty to reach out to the young people who can be hardest to reach. That’s why today I am calling on charities and other organisations at the coal face to work with Government to help tens of thousands of lost teenagers onto a brighter path.”

Information released this week shows that secondary schools in Reading need extra support to help pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve their full potential.

In Reading, only 31.9% of pupils on Free School Meals achieve 5 A*-C grades in their GCSEs, including English and maths.

To turn this around, Liberal Democrat Children’s Minister, Sarah Teather recently announced that from April, schools in Reading will be receiving £3,403,000 as part of the Pupil Premium.

The Pupil Premium gives extra money to schools to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds, for example by providing extra one-to-one tuition, more teaching assistants or after-school activities.

This year, the amount available for the Pupil Premium will be doubled to £1.25bn and this will increase to £2.5bn by 2014-15.

Commenting, Councillor Rebecca Rye, Education spokesperson for the Reading Liberal Democrat Group, said:

“Unfortunately, how wealthy your parents are in Reading has been a deciding factor in a child’s chances for too long. As a Liberal Democrat, I believe we cannot let this continue and that is why we must help children reach their full potential.

“As this data shows, children in Reading who have been eligible for Free School Meals have consistently lower educational attainment than those who have never been eligible. It is unacceptable that we are failing our children in this way.

“I am proud that thanks to Liberal Democrats, the Coalition Government is doing the right thing to end this shameful legacy with the Pupil Premium.

“This is extra money for our schools to support children from less well-off backgrounds. I know this will make a real difference in our schools and for our children’s future”

Commenting further, Liberal Democrat Children’s Minister, Sarah Teather said:

“These figures reveal that children from deprived backgrounds have been let down by previous governments. All too often, children from disadvantaged backgrounds do not get the same opportunities as their more well-off peers, leaving their talents wasted.

“As a Liberal Democrat, I believe we have a duty to ensure we turn this shocking legacy of the last Labour Government around. That is why the Coalition Government is doing the right thing by giving schools extra money to focus on supporting these pupils.

“With the Pupil Premium we are giving schools the resources they need to make a difference. Schools can decide what works best for their pupils, whether it is giving extra tuition to struggling pupils, peer support or helping with additional IT kit. This will help whole classes work better together and move forward faster.”

New figures reveal that in Reading, 720 people benefited from an apprenticeship last year, an increase of almost 73%.

This news comes as the Coalition Government has launched the National Apprenticeships Week, which will seek to build on last year’s success with events in schools and businesses.

Commenting, Councillor Rebecca Rye, Education spokesperson for the Reading Liberal Democrat Group, said:

“This dramatic growth in apprentices is welcome news for young people in Reading. Apprenticeships equip our young people with the skills needed to get jobs and build prosperous careers.

“Our apprentices are putting businesses on stronger ground to be successful and create jobs and growth in our area.

“As a Liberal Democrat, I believe that the Coalition Government is doing the right thing by giving employers even further encouragement to train young people and create opportunities for apprentices.”

“They are essential in our efforts to rebalance the economy away from financial speculators in the City of London, as we clear up Labour’s economic mess.

Commenting further, Liberal Democrat Business Secretary, Vince Cable said:

“National Apprenticeships Week is the time to celebrate the countless achievements of learners and employers, and to call on more firms to hire an apprentice and enjoy the competitive advantage they can bring to a business.

“I am very proud of the fact that at a time of financial constraint this Coalition Government has prioritised investment in apprenticeships. This has led to the creation of record numbers of apprenticeships combined with tough new standards to drive up quality.

“Apprenticeships are at the centre of the Coalition’s skills policy because we know that they work. Not only do they provide individuals with the skills they need for prosperous and rewarding careers, they also boost businesses’ profits and drive growth in the wider economy.

“We are providing extra help to enable small employers to hire their first apprentices. We will also continue to develop new advanced and higher-level apprenticeships to deliver the world-class skills individuals and firms need to get ahead.

Councillor Daisy Benson, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group in Reading has written to Ed Davey – newly appointed Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change – regarding Government mishandling of the feed-in tariff review. Her letter is reproduced below.

Dear Ed,

Congratulations on your appointment.

As Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Reading Borough Council I look forward to working with you on the challenges and opportunities ahead.

On 25 January the Court of Appeal confirmed the High Court’s previous ruling that last year’s announcement to cut the feed-in tariff for solar panels 11 days before the consultation closed was unlawful. They have also refused permission to appeal.

I am writing to ask that you urgently act to put the solar PV industry on a stable footing, support green jobs, and help more people to reduce energy bills by tapping in to green energy.

I wrote to Chris Huhne MP last November to protest about the government’s decision – details of my remarks can be found here:-

http://www.readinglibdems.org.uk/2011/11/reading-lib-dems-raise-concerns-with-ministers-over-solar-cuts-double-whammy-for-sustainable-energy-and-green-jobs/

The Government’s mishandling of the feed-in tariff (FIT) review has severely impacted solar projects in Reading where the Council set aside £5 million pounds investment solar projects in council and school building.

These plans would have created jobs, saved energy and cut fuel bills for many people in our Borough and they are now threatened.

Current plans for prohibitive restrictions on collective projects and harsh energy efficiency requirements will – according to the Government’s own impact assessment – reverse the success of one of the good-news stories in the last 18 months and reduce the levels of solar deployment to as little as 10% of its current size.

That means up to 29,000 people could lose their jobs when, if handled properly, our green economy could be thriving.

The Government now has an opportunity to protect jobs and put solar on a stable footing.

Please use your new post to act urgently to:

• Accept the rulings of the High Court and the Court of Appeal, and focus on putting solar on a sustainable footing.
• Remove prohibitive restrictions that prevent collective not for profit projects, such as social housing projects, and community projects such as panels on village halls, from going forward.
• Call for a lifting of the Treasury cap – top up the budget using taxes already generated by solar jobs and VAT receipts from solar panel installations.
• Consult on a stable policy framework to support growth in the industry while allowing tariff rates to be reduced in a planned fashion as the costs of solar fall.

As well as helping to reduce carbon emissions and move to a more decentralised energy system, the success of the feed-in tariff has generated 30,000 jobs and helped reduce consumer fuel bills.

It is also a visible Liberal Democrat success – local ownership of clean, green energy is something Lib Dems championed in opposition have been delivering in Government.

I look forward to hearing from you and working with you to help ensure this Coalition government is the greenest ever.

With best wishes

Daisy