East Reading Festival

There has been a festival in east Reading for a while now. In recent years it has been run and funded by the Council with support – sometimes a lot of support – from people in the community and various organisations.

As part of the Council's cost-cutting funding for the festival has been chopped in recent years and this year we will lose more and the officer support. This is both a threat to the festival happening and an opportunity for the community to really take ownership it.

Fortunately a number of people have stepped forward to ensure that the festival happens this year and in future years. Unfortunately we will be up against it, we are losing experience and deadlines are fast approaching.

The committee met earlier this week. Unfortunately I was unable to attend, but I am pleased to report that the festival will take place with small community events starting on June 7, 2012 and leading up to the finale in Palmer Park on Sunday, June 10, 2012. The theme for the festival will be "living on a budget".

If you are interested in getting involved with the committee, running a small event, having a stall at the finale or anything else get in contact and I can pass on your offer.

A new Facebook group has been set up here.

Latest on the proposed east Reading secondary school

Councillor Melanie Eastwood recently asked for an update from the Council on the possible new secondary school in east Reading and got the following back. She has also asked the College for an update.

In summary no more information is available, no decisions have been made and it has slipped back a year.

RBC: "The Department for Education has allocated a project team to work with Oxford and Cherwell Valley College with the ambition to open a University Technical College in September 2013. There are a number of hurdles to clear, not least of which are: securing a site; establishing a curriculum; agreeing a funding agreement and communicating the nature and ethos of the school to interested parents. All of this is the responsibility of the college."

How can we help you?

Cllr Melanie Eastwood and I will be holding the following residents' advice surgeries. No appointment necessary.

Friday, January 27 – walkabout surgery in the Orts Road (East) area, 3 PM to 3:30 PM

Friday, February 24 – outside Alfred Sutton school, Wokingham Road, 3 PM to 3:30 PM

Saturday, March 24 – outside Arthur Hill baths, King's Road, 11 AM to 12 noon

If you are unable to come along to any of these surgeries, but have issues you would like to raise please get in contact.

Labour hold up the white flag nationally

Below is a letter from Green MP Caroline Lucas on the Labour government's recent economic announcement:

In his interview with your paper on Saturday, Ed Balls effectively holds up a white flag and admits that Labour has given up any attempt to set out an alternative economic agenda (Beyond the hair shirt: Labour party can give Britain the tough love it needs, insists Balls, 14 January).

His capitulation before the Tory-led coalition's definition of economic credibility as meaning ever more fiscal austerity, and his jaw-dropping statement that "we are going to have to keep all these cuts" calls into question the very purpose of the Labour party.

Moreover, the choice he poses between higher public sector pay or growing unemployment conveniently ignores the fact that many public sector workers are on very low incomes, and falsely suggests that we can't afford to fund both. It is investment in decently paid jobs that generates income, and thus the tax revenues to pay for credit or borrowed money, not the other way round.

Instead of trying to outcompete the government in some kind of masochistic virility test to see who can threaten the greatest austerity, an opposition party worthy of the name would be making a far stronger case that austerity isn't working, and offering a genuine alternative.

A combination of more progressive taxation, a crack down on tax evasion and avoidance and, crucially, Green quantitative easing to deliver investment directly in the new jobs and infrastructure the UK urgently needs to make the transition to a more sustainable economy, would do far more to challenge the government than the Tory-lite policies set out by the shadow chancellor.

Caroline Lucas MP

Leader, Green party

Newtown residents' parking consultation results

The people of east Newtown – roads to the east of Cholmeley Road – have spoken and it would seem that a majority of people responding to the residents' parking consultation say yes they want one.

The report can be found here. It is item 6 on the agenda.

In summary, 221 (31%) residents responded. 185 (83%) said yes and 36 (17%) said no.

Residents favoured option one – one way Liverpool Road westbound with the other one-way roads remaining the same.

I will be attending the Traffic Management Advisory Panel on Thursday, January 12 to keep this scheme moving now that we have a decent mandate.

How busy has your councillor been?

Here is the latest Reading councillor activity information. Front Office is the system that councillor services uses to log requests from councillors – on a whole range of issues from a broken lampposts, to housing issues to education questions.

As others have pointed out this information should be taken with a pinch of salt but I still think it is useful and that the Council should publish it itself, but it doesn't.

So that it displays correctly on my blog I have hidden the columns for the months May to October leaving just the total from May to November and the November column. If anyone is particularly interested let me know and I can send you the whole spreadsheet.

		FRONT OFFICE ENQUIRIES 2011/12
Councillor	Ward	No of enquiries	Nov
ANDERSON, James	KENTWOOD	6	2
AYUB, Mohammed	ABBEY	10	0
BALLSDON, Isobel	THAMES	41	7
BEARD, Peter	TILEHURST	12	1
BENSON, Daisy	REDLANDS	64	5
CHOWDHARY, Jamie	PEPPARD	51	1
CUMPSTY, Andrew	CAVERSHAM	29	1
DUVEEN, Ricky	TILEHURST	32	1
EASTWOOD, Melanie	PARK	24	11
EDEN, Rachel	WHITLEY	59	3
EDWARDS, Deborah	SOUTHCOTE	31	4
EDWARDS, Kelly	WHITLEY	20	0
ENNIS, John	SOUTHCOTE	44	3
GAVIN, Jan	REDLANDS	66	13
GITTINGS, Paul	MINSTER	21	5
GOODALL, Glenn	REDLANDS	35	2
HACKER, Sarah	BATTLE	41	5
HARRIS, Tim	CHURCH	19	1
HARTLEY, Jon	PARK	49	0
HOSKIN, Graeme	NORCOT	7	0
JANJUA, Azam	CHURCH	27	12
JONES, Peter	NORCOT	6	0
KHAN, Gul	BATTLE	27	5
LIVINGSTON, Marian	MINSTER	5	0
LOVELOCK, Jo	NORCOT	79	9
LUCKETT, Dave	CAVERSHAM	18	1
MASKELL, Chris	BATTLE	15	3
ORTON, Mike	WHITLEY	33	2
PAGE, Tony	ABBEY	88	12
PUGH, Frederick	MAPLEDURHAM	5	0
RALPH, Mark	PEPPARD	43	1
RODDA, Matt	KATESGROVE	40	6
RUHEMANN, Pete	SOUTHCOTE	31	5
RYE, Rebecca	KATESGROVE	30	0
RYNN, Jenny	KENTWOOD	24	2
SKEATS, Jeanette	THAMES	1	0
STANWAY, Tom	CAVERSHAM	15	3
STEVENS, David	THAMES	0	0
SWAINE, Warren	KATESGROVE	8	2
TICKNER, Bet	ABBEY	27	8
VICKERS, Sandra	TILEHURST	37	5
WARMAN, Emma	KENTWOOD	16	10
WATSON, Debbie	MINSTER	12	1
WHITE, Rob	PARK	289	27
WILLIS, Richard	PEPPARD	29	4
WOODWARD, Paul	CHURCH	28	1
	TOTAL	1594	184

New Town Primary School Solar Schools Project

A few weeks ago I visited the Newtown primary school Christmas fair. As well as enjoying a number of tasty snacks, I was delighted to find out that they are taking part in the 10:10 solar panel project. See below for more information. I have a book of tickets if you want to buy one in person.

"New Town Primary is engaging in an ambitious fund-raising project over the next few months. We are trying to raise £15,000 to pay for the installation of solar panels on the roof of the school.

This will save us in energy costs, will provide us with some much-needed extra income through the ‘feed-in tariff’, and will help to raise awareness of energy and environmental issues within the school and the local community. The scheme is a pilot being tested by the 10:10 charity which has led a national campaign to get people to reduce their carbon emissions.

The aim of the fund-raising is for people to buy virtual tiles or panels on a virtual school roof – the money then being used to pay for the actual installation of solar panels. Each tile costs £5. Each panel costs £100. The equivalent to sponsoring an individual who was running the London Marathon at £1 a mile could raise £25 or 5 tiles.

The cause is a worthy one. The kids are great. The school is raising money itself, and within the local community. However, New Town is not a wealthy area. We help ourselves, but we need the help of the wider community as well.

If you wish further information, for example about sponsoring tiles or a panel, please use the web link to the Solar Schools site below, or contact the lead governor, Susan Rippon or myself, at: newtownsolar@gmail.com

If you are able to support the project, the easy way to make a donation is via Pay Pal.

Do this via the web site: http://www.solarschools.org.uk/newtown

The site gives further information on the scheme. If you wish, you can track the progress of the project and customise your tile(s) or panel.

If you don’t like to use Pay Pal you can send a cheque, payable to New Town Primary School, to the Bursar at the school.

Solar School Project,

New Town Primary School,

School Terrace,

Reading, RG1 3LS.

Thank you in anticipation for your help and support. It is very much appreciated by everyone connected with the school.

Malcolm Morrison

Malcolm F. Morrison

Chair of Governors"