Ricky said ‘by charging the utilities up to £2,500 a day for working on the roads at peak times the government hopes that they will timetable more such works for off peak times and weekends rather than disrupt rush hour traffic. With roadworks congestion costing the country £4bn every year, a charging regime makes sense.’

A number of experimental permit schemes are already in operation in London and elsewhere. This new measure is intended for areas where permits are not working as anticipated to reduce congestion.

Councillor Warren Swaine first raised matters in September with David North, Communities and Government Director for Tesco about their Tesco Express store applications in Reading and more recently, after Liberal Democrat success in securing the dismissal of the Whitley Street appeal, with Michael Kissman, Head of Property Communications.

Liberal Democrats have a track record of community engagement over new Tesco stores. Cllr Swaine said: “We held a public meeting in 2008 about the Crown Street application to gauge residents’ views. As a result we raised their concerns over deliveries and noise.

“Unfortunately neither the council or Tesco acted on them, which all too predictably led to a noise abatement order and a new lay-by which is only now being constructed after three years of delivery vehicles blocking a bus lane. It would have been far better for long suffering residents if legitimate concerns raised by ward councillors at the time had been taken into account. This is why I decided to speak directly with senior people in Tesco.”

After Cllr. Swaine, who is also a member of the planning committee, raised concerns about their record of community engagement, Tesco acknowledged that their pre-planning consultations with residents could be better and gave Cllr. Swaine assurances that from now on Tesco would seek the views of ward councillors of all parties at the earliest opportunity in order to reduce potential future problems.

Janel Blattler, the Lib Dem candidate for Katesgrove said: “We have always stood up for the community and won’t sit on the fence and allow things to happen. I’m pleased that residents and businesses across the town will now benefit from our hard work in Whitley Street.”

Named after chemist James William McBain, the McBain Medal is awarded annually by the Royal Society of Chemistry and Society of Chemical Industry to ‘honour a younger scientist who has made a meritorious contribution to colloid and interface science.’

Dr Khutoryanskiy’s research focuses on the development of new materials to help in the administration of drugs, the treatment of wounds, and technology to contain innovative treatments such as proteins, bacteria and living cells such as stem cells, which could all help in the fight against disease.

Sharon, a Chemical Physics graduate of the University of Reading who campaigned to save the university’s Physics Department from closure, said:

“At a time when science teaching at universities is facing cutbacks, it is important to trumpet the achievements of those who continue to strive in the field of scientific research and innovation.

“Sadly, efforts to keep the University of Reading’s Physics Department open were not successful but this award will go some way to highlighting the success of the university, which remains on the cutting edge of science research.

“I am very pleased for Dr. Khutoryanskiy and hope to be there for his Medal lecture in 2013.”

Originally published by Sharon Bowles MEP

Last month Jamie Wake informed myself, and other key activists in the Local Party, that he would be resigning his membership from the Liberal Democrats. We consider this a great loss, and Jamie shall be missed by many people. We are already feeling his absence from our team. Although no longer officially one of our members, we shall still be working closely with him in order to continue to support Reading’s LGBT community. Jamie has agreed to work with us to advance the motion he put to our AGM in November further in our democratic policy making. His insight into the LGBT community in Reading is invaluable to us. We also look forward to his input about issues that Kennet Island residents put forward, as it still an area of Reading that gets little to no political attention. This is a great injustice to a growing part of our population.

We wish Jamie all the best in his new roles on the committee of the Kennet Island Residents Association and as a Trustee of Reading Pride, an event very close to the hearts of many of our members.

Georgina Hughes
Chair of Greater Reading Liberal Democrats

There would be a loss of parking space in an area already beset by parking problems and an escalation in deliveries which will cause serious traffic safety issues and a detrimental effect on the viability of the shopping district.

Katesgrove Councillor and local resident Warren Swaine said: “When Labour were in control of the ward, the Whitley Street district shopping centre was in danger of collapsing.

“Shops were being left empty and trade moving to other parts of Reading. Your local Lib Dem councillors worked hard to change it by standing up for local businesses.

“Lib Dems made the council change parking times in the car park opposite to a more convenient 90 minutes which suited the restaurants, opticians, dental centre and gym far better than the 30 minute restrictions we inherited. When we were in control of the council we ensured that Whitely Street was on the priority list for extra cleaning and moved the shops into the police patrol area for Katesgrove from the university area which has a completely different crime profile.”

Cllr. Warren Swaine also spoke with Tesco’s Community and Government Director David North about the planning application in September.

Yet Labour seem intent on turning Reading into a Tesco town. Their Caversham based ward councillor tells residents “I want to hear residents’ views”. Too late. The boat has sailed as the public hearing was a month ago! Only the Lib Dems were there to speak up for residents and businesses and specifically invited to submit extra details to the planning inspector.

It’s quite simple. Only Katesgrove Lib Dems are on the ball and know what’s going on in the area. Because we live here!

For 2012-13, the Premium will be worth £1.25 billion in total.

As a result of this next year, more than half a million additional children will qualify for the Pupil Premium.

These are England’s most disadvantaged pupils, including looked after children, and they are set to benefit from £600 each after the Department for Education announced next year’s Pupil Premium will increase by £112 for each pupil.

• In Reading 4,412 are expected to be eligible for the Pupil Premium, meaning that our schools are set to benefit from an extra £2.7 million pounds to support disadvantaged pupils.

Commenting, Cllr Rebecca Rye said:

“We are delighted that despite very difficult financial times Liberal Democrats in Government have taken the decision to increase spending on the poorest children in our communities in Reading.”

“This will help all children in Reading achieve their full potential regardless of their background.”

“Children who have been eligible for Free School Meals at any point in their school career have consistently lower educational attainment than those who have never been eligible. Of students gaining three As at A-level in 2008, 30 per cent were privately educated, whereas only 0.5 per cent were eligible for Free School Meals.

“That is why thanks to Liberal Democrats, the Coalition Government is doing the right thing by supporting schools with additional money to support children from less well-off backgrounds. This will help whole classes work better together and move forward faster.”

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

“As we come to the end of the second term of the Pupil Premium we are seeing across the country how these extra funds are making a difference. Additional tuition, better IT resources and closer work with parents are all examples of how the Pupil Premium is being used to support the most disadvantaged pupils.

“That’s why I’m so pleased that, next year, we’ll be extending the Pupil Premium to another half a million children, and increasing the money that schools get to £600 per pupil. This means that, as a result of Liberal Democrats in government, more children will get a better start in life”.

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.

Andrew Stunell with Cllr Daisy Benson and local Lib Dems on a visit to The Avenue Extra Care Housing Development on Basingstoke Road earlier this year.

The money means councils are rewarded for building new homes and bringing empty homes back into use.

In Reading the Coalition Government has awarded the Council £1.2 million pounds for delivering 392 new homes and bringing 26 empty homes back in to use.

Commenting, Cllr Daisy Benson said:

“ With over 8,000 people currently stuck on the housing waiting list in Reading there is an urgent need for more affordable housing particularly for families.”

“At the same time, hundreds of homes in Reading are standing empty for six months or more.

“After 13 years of Labour’s failure, Liberal Democrats in government are determined to tackle these problems.”

“Thanks to funding from Government we are already seeing new homes being built and empty homes being brought back in to use in our area– including on Dee Park and at the former Avenue School – where the first new Council homes are being built in Reading for over twenty years.”

“This is something the Liberal Democrats have long campaigned for and we are now delivering in Government.”

Commenting further, Liberal Democrat Communities Minister Andrew Stunell said:

“These are very pleasing figures, showing that the New Homes Bonus is acting as a spur to get councils building new homes and bringing more empty homes back into use.

“It’s a win-win situation for local communities – £430m of extra funding for frontline services and 159,000 extra homes for local people.

“Labour’s top-down approach to building homes just didn’t work. It was unrealistic and ineffective, and didn’t take into account local needs or wishes.

“Instead the New Homes Bonus is introducing a culture change – making it easier to persuade local people to go for development, and rewarding communities that go for growth.”

Dear Penny,

I was disappointed to read that Berkshire West PCT was placed 93rd out of 105 local authorities for spending on carers services by the recent Princess Trust for Carers Report.

The fact that the Trust had earmarked only 0.018% of its £658m budget for carers I find pretty shocking – given the increase in spending by this Government on carers.

I really welcome the extra spending that has been announced – an extra £150,000 to help carers as reported in this week’s Reading Chronicle.

However, given Reading Borough Council estimates we have between eleven and sixteen thousand carers in Reading – an significant increase on previous years I am concerned that this spending is still not at the level it is needed – given the demand that we know exists in our community.

I would like to know how this money will be spent and how much of it will be spent on services in Reading.

Reading Borough Council and partners have done significant work in recent years on a Carers Strategy. This has been tailored to deliver on the priorities identified by local carers – the top one being getting access to breaks.

Last year when I was Lead Member for Adult Social care I approved an extra £50,000 from the Council’s budget to expand the Carers Opportunities Fund which was set up to give carers access to breaks and other additional support of their choosing and as far as I know my successor Cllr Orton has done the same this year.

I would be most grateful if you could outline for me how you plan to support carers in the future and how you will be working to ensure that the £400 million pounds that has been committed is spent on what it was intended – breaks for carers.

Best wishes

Daisy

Cllr Daisy Benson
Leader, Liberal Democrat Group, Reading Borough Council
Liberal Democrat Councillor, Redlands ward

Chocolate maker Nestlé has pledged to clampdown on children working on cocoa farms supplying its factories.

Catherine Bearder, MEP for the South East, welcomed news the global food giant will work with the Fair Labour Association (FLA) to tackle the problem.

Nestlé is one of the biggest cocoa buyers in the world, but bosses have acknowledged slow progress on wiping out child labour.

Executive Vice President Jose Lopez said: “Child labour has no place in our supply chain. We cannot solve the problem on our own, but by working with a partner like the FLA we can make sure our efforts to address it are targeted where they are needed most.”

It comes as the European Parliament works towards a new international cocoa agreement, which aims to regulate the industry. Moves are also being made to address the problem of child labour in cocoa fields as part of the agreement.

Catherine Bearder meets Nestle assistant vice president Pascal Greverath

Catherine said: “This is good news. Nestlé is waking up to the fact more needs to be done to stop the use of child labour in its supply chain. We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to child exploitation.”

Last year Catherine called on the European Commission to stop human trafficking in the West Africa cocoa industry. She also wanted to make sure children were not being used on farms in countries such as Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Catherine added: “The EU is doing great work to try and stop exploitative child labour. But we also need to deal with the problem of child trafficking at the same time, otherwise children will continue to be exploited.”