Katesgrove Lib Dems

Sofa So Good

No, it's not an April fool's joke. From April 1^st Reading residents on a low income can get bulky waste items like fridges, mattresses and sofas taken away by the council for free thanks to your local Lib Dems.

Fly-tipping has reached epidemic proportions in Reading and Katesgrove is not immune from it. Something had to be done and you would still be waiting if you left it to the other two parties.

Half of the problem was the cost of getting the council to pick things up with a flat rate for everyone bar pensioners. This led to the completely ridiculous state of affairs where people with little or no money simply could not afford to dispose of items properly which in turn led to the expense of clean up teams having to remove the items from the streets anyway for which council tax payers have to pick up the tab for.

Now thanks to your local Lib Dems, people on a low income will be entitled to two free collections per year and, with the green team we also forced the council to set up to police illegal fly-tipping, this particular growth industry will hopefully be stopped in its tracks.

We don't just talk about getting things done, we do it!

Graffiti

It looks like there has been an outbreak of graffiti in Katesgrove, most it seems on the route from the town centre running out down the Basingstoke Road.

Gareth and I report all that we find, but recently no sooner have we got one area cleaned up than another has been tagged.

We'll obviously carry on reporting any we spot, but you can also ask the council to remove it either by filling out a form on the web or telephoning the freephone number:

• Council's Graffiti Removal Form
• Telephone: 0800 834 035

Potholes

One of the common complaints we get as councillors is the shocking state of some of the roads and cycle paths in Katesgrove. It's rare to see whole streets being resurfaced and with this year's cutbacks even less likely. And even when they are, that is not always the end of the matter. Surrey, Lincoln and Winchester Roads were resurfaced last year and in less than a week had been dug up by the water board!

I recently asked for the number of road repairs in Reading and there have been 8219 repairs since April. The cold weather has also led to an increase in poor road surfaces. However, the council does have a duty to fix potholes that are classed as dangerous and I've managed to get a few particularly bad ones filled in Highgrove Street so I can vouch for the fact that it is being done.

If anyone knows of any they'd like to have inspected, then you can contact the council direct (Tel: 0800 626 540) or drop either Gareth or me a line and we'll take it up for you.

Whitley Street Building Works

I am currently dealing with complaints about the building work above 79-81 Whitley Street. If you would like to look it up the planning application reference it is: 07/01652/FUL. 

Working hours for the site should be 8am-6pm Monday-Friday and 8am-1pm Saturday. Work outside these hours should be referred to Environmental Protection. or you can contact us if you wish. I am aware of the work last Sunday and the planning enforcement team are looking into it. I've also had a query about the safety about the scaffolding which is not fenced off and accessible from the street.

There is also a planning request to turn the old HSBC bank unit into a fast food outlet. If you wish to object then you can do so online at: Planning Application Contact Form. The address is 81, Whitley Street and the planning application reference is: 09/00202/FUL.

It is worth noting that if an application is referred to Planning Application Committee then the total time to speak for all objectors is limited to 5 minutes, so if 5 people object and want to talk they will get one minute each. However, it is entirely up to you if you want to inform us of your objections so that we can help co-ordinate them. 

Update 18-03-2009: The application to turn the old HSBC bank into another fast food outlet has been recommended for refusal, so those of you who wrote or emailed the council have got a result. We'll keep an eye out in case it is appealed or resubmitted.

Council Tax 2009/2010

You'll probably see a lot of stuff about the setting of the council tax for next year in the local papers, but we thought it might be a good opportunity to tell you a few things about the recent settlement.

• A council has to set a legal budget
• We were told by the Director of Finance that a rise less than 3.99% would put council services in jeopardy
• We believe that there are waste and inefficiencies in this council

So what does the new budget actually meant to the people of Katesgrove?

• Did you know that Katesgrove has 4 Neighbourhood Action Groups which set the police priorities for this area? No, we didn't think you knew either. NAGs have no communications budgets, so we demanded that NAGs have a budget to canvass and improve community participation. Conquering the fear of crime and making the police understand local priorites is half the battle won.

• Wondered why there is so much fly-tipping in Katesgrove? It's because the council doesn't take into account any difference between a retired banker and someone on housing benefit when it comes to the cost of removing fridges, cookers, mattresses and sofas. No wonder people dump things on the streets.

• And when things are are dumped, who is going to sort it out? Well, no one actually. It's why we need a dedicated and properly co-ordinated 'green hit squad' that will pick up trash and fine miscreants.

• Wondered why the Carlos Fandango runs of Kendrick Road and Northumberland Avenue have the rat running speed demons racing past schools? It's because the speed cameras don't work and there are not enough speed guns for the police. Forget the revenue earning cameras, because we don't think they should be there other than to catch dangerous drivers, but there are places where speed really needs to be checked and speed guns are the way to do it. Our budget has provided the means.

Admitedly there are also some that don't agree with us that the council should have reserves and that monies should be given back to residents, but this is false economy. All the smart money is on this council spending more than they have budgeted for this year, what with the recession and the call on the council's resources in this economic crisis. To not have a reserve means that next year there will have to be vicious cuts and job losses, not as part of a planned process but as a necessary slash and burn budget.

If there are savings to be made we want it to be as part of a properly planned and costed programme. It's why we also demanded a deep and wide ranging review of council budgets. The people of Reading deserve to know what they are getting for their money.

If you have specific questions please feel free to email either Gareth or Warren. We have nothing to hide and are happy to talk about our group's position and explain exactly why we have done what we have done. I suspect that any responses to the same questions from the other parties will be met with mealey mouthed platitudes and bullet dodging.