Lib Dems warn of a "postcode lottery" for health checks
The Liberal Democrats have today warned of a “postcode lottery” as official figures reveal only 52% people in Reading have been offered a health check over the last 5 years, significantly below the national average of 85.21%.
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A Holiday in the Library
Services in Caversham that support families have been hit hard in recent years. Our children’s centres have closed, and our schools are not properly funded. Other crucial services used by families such as buses and libraries have been cut.
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Palmer Park Consultation
We welcome the publication of the RBC proposals to develop and improve the Palmer Park recreation complex, a major leisure facility for East Reading. You can find full details of the proposal on the Council’s website here. The consultation ends on Friday 22 February.
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Caversham buses underfunded by the Council - then cut
The bus services in Caversham keep getting cut on the grounds of unprofitability, but new information indicates that Reading Borough Council may be at least partially responsible for the funding shortfall.
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Two-thirds of plastic in packaging pots and trays unrecyclable
Manufacturers must scrap the “smorgasbord” of plastics which are used in packaging for key foods so that councils can reduce waste sent to landfill and increase recycling, local Lib Dems are warning.
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Latest figures show care crisis is getting worse, say local Lib Dems
A survey released by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), of councils across England has found that nearly one in three had seen home care services close or cease trading in the past six months, while slightly more had seen residential and nursing homes go under.
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Hospital admissions due to falls by older people set to reach nearly 1,000 a day, warn Lib Dems
Local Liberal Democrats have warned that the number of hospital admissions due to an older person falling, is set to rise to nearly 1,000 a day by the end of the decade.
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More than 423,000 homes with planning permission waiting to be built
More than 423,000 homes have been giving planning permission but are still waiting to be built, according to new research published by the Local Government Association.
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£3.5 Billion Right-To-Buy 'Firesale' threatens socially rented council housing
Liberal Democrats are warning that the number of homes still owned by Reading Borough Council is continuing to fall.
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National roads receiving 52 times more government funding than Reading’s roads
It has been revealed that the Conservative Government’s funding for local roads maintained by Reading Borough Council will be cut by £287,000 in the next year.
Liberal Democrat campaigner, Ricky Duveen, is calling for the Conservative Government to reverse its funding cuts to Reading’s road maintenance budget and to tackle the difference in funding it provides for national and local roads, so that councils can tackle the £12 billion repair bill to bring our local roads up to scratch.
And across the country, national roads – motorways and major trunk roads – will receive 52 times more government funding per mile by 2020, compared to local roads maintained by councils.
New analysis by the Local Government Association (LGA) reveals the Government plans to spend £1.1 million per mile to maintain its strategic road network between 2015 and 2020. In comparison, it will provide councils with just £21,000 per mile for the local roads they maintain over the same period.
This is despite an increase in the number of cars travelling on local roads, average speeds falling and local roads making up 98 per cent of the country’s road network.
There are now 125 cars per mile on our roads compared to just 101 cars per mile in 2000. Councils say this is ratcheting up the pressure on local transport, causing congestion and road maintenance issues such as potholes, wear-down of road markings, and increasing general wear and tear.
Many people are now calling on the Government to deliver a radical new strategy to provide a fully-funded plan for the growing number of vehicles on the nation’s roads. The LGA believes this should include reinvesting two pence per litre of existing fuel duty into local road maintenance, which would generate £1 billion a year for councils to spend on improving roads and filling potholes.
Ricky said: “Local Liberal Democrats will continue to fight for Reading Borough Council to do more to fill in potholes on our local roads. The Government also needs to do far more to help councils with long term funding, to help motorists and cyclists up and down the country.
“The Conservative Government must reverse funding cuts to roads in Reading.
“It is also wrong that funding for local roads is miles behind that of the strategic road network. Very few journeys begin and end on a motorway or trunk road. Spending 52 times more on improving our national roads while starving local roads of investment will only serve to speed vehicles up between increased delays and congestion on local roads.
“Our local roads form vital arteries for our communities. But with almost 30 per cent more cars now on the nation’s roads than in 2000, they are under more pressure than ever before.”
