Reading Liberal Democrats

Greater Reading Liberal Democrats have selected Reading residents Janel Blattler, James Moore and Meri O’Connell to stand as candidates in Katesgrove, Redlands and Tilehurst wards in the Reading Borough Council elections in 2012.

Their selection follows individual decisions by councillors Peter Beard , Glenn Goodall and Warren Swaine not to seek re-election in the local Council elections in Reading in 2012.

• Cllr Peter Beard is retiring in May 2012 after representing Tilehurst since 2001.
• Cllr Beard represented Norcot ward between 1974 and 1982. His career as a local councillor included a very successful year as Mayor of Reading when he campaigned to improve the lot of the Reading Gurkha community.
• Cllr Warren Swaine and Cllr Glenn Goodall are stepping down at the local elections in May 2012 to focus on their professional careers after four years serving local people in Katesgrove and Redlands.

New candidates set to make a mark

Janel Blatter, Liberal Democrat Candidate for Katesgrove

Janel Blattler began campaigning with the Lib Dems in the run-up to the 2010 General Election.

A Katesgrove resident originally from Canada, she works full time as a designer for a local software company and is also pursuing a MSc in Human-Computer Interaction at University College London.

Cllr Daisy Benson and Liberal Democrat Candidate for Redlands, James Moor

James Moore lives in central Reading and works for a major software company in South Reading.

He is no stranger to being involved in the local community, having been a Scout Leader for six years in Runnymede, Surrey and sat on local Council forums and committees to represent young people of the area.

Cllr Peter Beard with Meri O'Connell, Liberal Democrat Candidate for Tilehurst

Meri O’Connell has lived with her husband in Tilehurst for 17 years.

They have 3 young children and Meri is a school Governor at Moorlands School. Recently Meri has been actively campaigning to stop the proposed changes to the retirement age requirement in Tilehurst’s sheltered housing communities.

Commenting on the news Cllr Daisy Benson, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Reading Borough Council said:

“We are very grateful to our outgoing councillors for all their years of service to their communities.

“James, Janel and Meri are energetic, enthusiastic, and committed campaigners who want to make a difference and give local residents in their area a voice on the Council.”

“All of them are already up and running in their wards and working alongside our councillors and I am confident they will make a fantastic addition to the hardworking Liberal Democrat team on Reading Borough Council.

An open letter to Tony Page, Lead Councillor for Transport & Planning from Councillor Ricky Duveen:

Tony,
I understand that you, as Lead Councillor, have agreed the increase in car park charges in the two car parks in Tilehurst run by NCP on behalf of the council.

I am not sure whether you realise the precarious nature of retail trade at the moment but Tilehurst shopkeepers are irate at the potential affects on their trade, not from increasing existing car park charges but from withdrawing the free first hour. When the charges were first introduced, the reason given was the necessity to prevent day commuters from filling up the then very heavily used car parks. We ran a campaign on behalf of the shopkeepers to allow a minimum free period for shoppers to use the shops along School Road without paying a parking charge. We were very grateful when the council agreed to waive charges for the first hour and this has enabled the car parks to be run for the shoppers they were intended for rather than for the benefit of commuters.

We cannot understand why you would now want to to depress trade in Tilehurst even further in the current poor trading conditions. Shopkeepers, and their customers, are angry at the introduction of this charge and fearful of the effects on shops in Tilehurst.

I do not have the figures from NCP about the expected income from charging for the first hour, but I do not believe that in the grand scheme of things this amounts to a large amount of income. If you do have the figures then I would very much like to see them.

I was shocked when I visited the local hardware store yesterday to be told by the shop assistant that new car park charges were being introduced without any form of consultation. A petition has already been drawn up and will be presented to the council at the first opportunity.

In short, can I ask you to reconsider your decision to do away with the free first hour in the interests of Tilehurst’s local shopping centre which we would all like to encourage rather than depress even further.

Regards
Ricky

Residents of Tilehurst are celebrating another victory over mobile phone giants Vodafone after the council’s planning officers rejected Vodafone’s latest application to install a 15 metre high mast in Lower Elmstone Drive. This is the second application in 18 months to be rejected as it would have an ‘unacceptable detrimental impact on the visual amenity in the surrounding area.’

Local Lib Dem Councillor Ricky Duveen has again organised and led residents to a resounding win over Vodafone after knocking on doors and collecting 272 signatures on a petition against the mast. Ricky commented, ‘this is splendid news, and the result of some hard work with local residents, knocking on doors, encouraging people to write in with their comments and also to sign our petition.’

Ricky added that ‘it was high time that Vodafone realised that the idea of a 50 foot high mast in a quiet residential area would be a real eyesore. It would be visible for miles around and was always going to rouse stiff opposition from local residents. In planning terms it was a monstrosity sticking out like a sore thumb. It was a great shame that Vodafone had simply not listened to local people 18 months ago during the first application but had gone ahead and presented a second plan with an even taller mast. Thankfully that has now been rejected and we can all breathe a sigh of relief.’

Having seen off Vodafone’s previous attempt to install a giant mast in Lower Elmstone Drive some 18 months ago, Tilehurst residents were aghast at the news that Vodafone are preparing a new planning application for an even bigger mast, 15 metres tall (that is about 50 feet) on the opposite side of the road. At least this application will be further away from houses but even so it will be a huge eyesore, visible for miles around. Cllr Ricky Duveen is again, along with local residents, leading the campaign to have this new application rejected. Vodafone are currently doing a pre-application consultation, asking for views from local residents.

We do not need this monstrous sore thumb sticking up in a residential part of Tilehurst. Please help us by sending in your comments to Voadfone’s agent:

Robert Baker, Mono Consultants Ltd, Office 1, Patchway Hall, The Common, Patchway, Bristol BS34 6AS
The email address is: robert.baker@monoconsultants.com

Don’t let Vodafone spoil Tilehurst – Write in NOW

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!

Council officers have decided to reject the application from Vodafone for a 14 metre high mast on the corner of Lower Elmstone Drive and Elmstone Drive.

Local residents, 229 of whom signed a petition against the mast application, are delighted with the news. Petition organiser and local councillor, Ricky Duveen said, ‘this is a good decision for Tilehurst where we have clearly demonstrated the depth of feeling about plans to erect this monstrosity in our residential neighbourhood.’

‘I would like to thank all the residents who signed our petition and I would also like to say a special thank you to Nerys and Andrew Wilkinson who helped with the petition and also provided a lot of excellent publicity for our cause.’

The council’s rejection is based on planning grounds in that the mast and its base cabinets would be obtrusive structures that do not fit with the surrounding environment.

However, Vodafone can appeal against this decision and they have three months in which to do so. Given the amount of time and money they have already spent on this case, an appeal is very likely. Any appeal will be heard by an independent Planning Inspector and both sides will be able to put their case.

Ricky added, ‘Despite this threat that will hang over Tilehurst for a few months yet, this is a splendid win for Tilehurst in Round 1.’

Local residents were appalled when they heard about Vodafone’s mast application, especially since they sent off a barrage of protest letters to Vodafone last July when the company first tried to consult local residents.

The news last week that Thames Water were deferring their plans to implement a scheme to alleviate the effects of flooding in Keswick Close, Tilehurst, was greeted with dismay by local residents.

Local Councillor Ricky Duveen said, “after all the planning and consultation that has already gone on and raised hopes that something might finally be done for the residents of Keswick Close, this is a major blow.”

He continued, “Thames Water have told me that they do not have the resources to carry out the scheme in their current round of works and it will be put back until at least 2010.”

“They have given no information yet as to what other schemes are also being postponed.”

“Given the events of July 2007 I would like to know why Thames Water are slackening off their efforts to alleviate flooding in Reading. It is difficult to understand why such a big company would go through all the preparatory works and then postpone the scheme for lack of resources when they made £427m profit last year (before tax) and another £283m in the first six months of this financial year. Also last year they paid out over £0.5bn in dividends to shareholders.”

“I think they have got their priorities very wrong and the residents they serve are being short-changed.”

Ricky Duveen won a resounding victory for the Lib Dems in Tilehurst in yesterday’s by-election. When the votes were counted this morning it became clear that despite a lower turnout than in May, Ricky had increased the Lib Dem percentage of the vote and was elected councillor with an increased majority.

Ricky commented, “The Tories had fought a tough campaign, with their eyes on the key marginal Reading West parliamentary seat. In the end large numbers of former Labour voters switched to the Lib Dems, many citing Iraq and sleaze as major reasons, plus the acknowledged reputation of the Lib Dems for working hard locally in Tilehurst.”

Ricky added “this was a fantastic victory for the Lib Dems in Tilehurst and I would like to thank the small army of local helpers who have supported me in this campaign, and of course, the electors of Tilehurst themselves.”

The Results were:-

LIB DEM 919 votes which is 47.81% of turnout

CON 586 votes which is 30.49% of turnout

LAB 317 votes which is 16.49% of turnout

GREEN 79 votes which is 4.11% of turnout

IND 21 votes which is 1.09% of turnout

Total Turnout was 1922 which is 28% of electorate

On a much smaller turnout of voters the Liberal Democrats increased their majority to 333 despite a tough campaign from the Tories.

Questions can be directed to Ricky on 07770 303736 or by email to Ricky

Across Tilehurst ward, residents are backing Liberal Democrat candidate Ricky Duveen – a campaigner against Labour’s plan to turn Reading’s IDR one-way – to continue the 40-year tradition of local action on the Borough Council – rather than the Tories whose record of action in Tilehurst is non-existent.

Ricky says: “People recognise the excellent service the Lib Dem team has given residents and the hard work your councillors put in – all year round. I will be proud to continue that record of service started by Jim Day back in 1963, and will work hard for all residents as your new Councillor.”

Park Lane School

This is the most significant change in Tilehurst for many years. We have worked hard and patiently to find a solution for a new Park Lane School. The new proposals will come out for local consultation in the New Year. The key points are:

• A new school, health centre, library and Nursery school on the Laurels Site
• The land of the present nursery school will be returned to Blagrave Recreation and the large swing areas and the Horticultural Hut will be part of the new school’s grounds. This means a slight increase in the size of Blagrave Rec.
• The Council has yet to decide what it does with the existing Junior School site and playing field. Some of it will need to be developed to help fund the project.
• Part of the School Annex in Downing Road will become an office for Police and Police Community Support Officers in Tilehurst as part of the move to neighbourhood policing. Another part of the Annex is proposed to be a replacement facility for the Tilehurst Horticultural Association.

The Triangle

The Triangle is very important to the people of Tilehurst. For this reason we opposed the Labour Council’s plan to use part of the Triangle as a turn around point for buses.

Making the Community Safer

We work closely with the Police to help improve the safety of people living in Tilehurst. In particular this has included:

• Provision of CCTV cameras at the Triangle
• Pressure on the police to bring us up to a full complement of police officers;
• A sustained campaign for the provision of wardens or Community Support Officers for Tilehurst;
• Full support for the provision of a police support office in Downing Road (see proposals for Park Lane School).

Keeping Tilehurst Clean & Green the Lib Dems have:

• Put constant pressure on the Council for regular street cleaning. We think this service has improved significantly in the past 3 years
• Taken the problem of graffiti into our own hands – Cllr Peter Beard (shown in action – photo top) has been trained to remove certain types of graffiti. We have had a campaign to rid Tilehurst and to identify those responsible.
• Campaigned for over four years for the Council to introduce recycling of Garden Waste. We are pleased to see that the Council are now offering this service.
• Regularly trying to get more trees planted to improve Tilehurst’s environment.

Open Spaces and Games Improvements include:

• Improvement of Childrey Way play area in conjunction with West Berks Council;
• Support for the improvement of the play area in Church End Lane as part of the Meadway Development;
• Support for the retention of Blagrave Rec.

Keeping You in Touch – All Year Round

We regularly produce Council Topics leaflets four times a year to keep you in touch with developments in the Council. We’ve been doing this for over forty years!

We don’t just produce this at election time. We conduct residents’ surveys twice a year to find out what you think – and we hold monthly surgeries at the Triangle. We believe that this record is unsurpassed in Reading.

Our Local Reputation

The Lib Dems reputation for supporting and helping Tilehurst residents wins plaudits around the village. Former councillors Jim and Paddy Day urged the electors of Tilehurst to vote for Ricky as the Lib Dems are the party that will best look after the interests of local people.

Even Labour MP Martin Salter acknowledged the reputation that Lib Dems have locally when he said outside the count last May “I would vote for the Lib Dems in Tilehurst.”

The campaigning for the by-election called for 16th November 2006 in Tilehurst, occasioned by Jude Fry’s resignation to live in Switzerland, is hotting up.

The Liberal Democrat Prospective Candidate for Tilehurst & Vice Chair of the Greater Reading Liberal Democrats, Ricky Duveen, has been on the campaign trail all this month. Ricky asks that anyone who feels they would like to help give him a call on 0118 961 4027.