Got an idea to reduce crime or ASB in Reading – how to get it considered! #rdg

When you’ve seen antisocial behaviour or know about access to property that makes burglarly easier have you ever thought – if only they would make that wall harder for people to sit on or gate off that alleyway? The Reading Labour party is committed to the belief that politics works best when …

Reading Labour Back Shelter’s campaign on rogue lettings agents

Research by housing charity Shelter showed that one in four people across the country had been ripped off by unscrupulous agents charging unfair fees.  I’d recommend to anyone either affected by this or who is interested in fair business dealings (and that includes landlords – I know a number who …

Article 4 direction set to be confirmed in #rdg – ensuring new HMOs are of benefit to the area

Council press release:Residents in Katesgrove, Park and Redlands Wards are set to benefit from the introduction of new controls which will see landlords having to apply for planning permission if they want to convert their property into a small house of multiple occupation (HMO).Known as an Article 4 Direction, the …

Working together to make Reading town centre a safer place for all

Council press reelease:An innovative scheme aimed at providing reassurance to people with disabilities has been handed a Promoting Community Safety Award by Association of Business Crime Partnerships (ABCP).Reading Business Against Crime (RBAC) is a partnership between town centre shops, Reading Borough Council and the Police and given the award was …

A Co-operative working hub for voluntary sector and social enterprise in Reading

Reading Voluntary Action have asked me to publicise this.  It’s a great idea – a chance to set up a shared, cooperative working space in Reading – whether you are a small voluntary organisation and would like permanent office space, you are a home worker or social enterprise that needs …

More prosecutions of rogue landlords – shortly to be on @meridiantonight

I was interviewed by ITV meridian yesterday for a story they will be running shortly on private landlords.  Unfortunately it’s not about the positive service that good landlords provide but about two more cases of unsafe accommodation.  I was asked about the fact that it cost one of the landlords £4000 …

Landlords who want to provide decent accommodation are welcome in Reading!

I seem to post relatively often about poor accommodation in the private rented sector and action that Reading council is taking to change this (and I will have yet another update on a prosecution shortly!).  However as I always stress good landlords are welcome in Reading and provide an essential service to …

£20,000 fine for lettings agent – 3rd rogue prosecuted this year in #rdg

In Reading as I’ve blogged many times before we are committed to doing all we can to improve the private rented sector including ensuring a level playing field for good landlords. Extract from council press release below: Tenants had to live in overcrowded conditions with blocked toilets, exposed electrical wires …

Dee Park regeneration – next step demolition on Spey Road #rdg

The regeneration of Dee Park is approaching another important milestone with the launch of Phase 2, which will see a further 106 brand new homes built on the estate.Council press release:On Monday 9th July, senior representatives of Dee Park Partnership, together with Jo Lovelock, Leader of Reading Borough Council, councillors, …

@Shelter are right – time for bold action on affordable housing

Cameron is clearly in a different world to me when it comes to looking at housing policy.  When 93% of new housing benefit claimants are in work, attacking under-25s on housing benefit can’t be the solution to either the housing crisis or the alarmingly high unemployment amongst young people.In fact what is …

Police and Crime commissioners – get informed!

With the candidates for police and crime commissioners starting to come forward it’s becoming really important for everyone to ensure they are well informed about the issues that will matter in this election. Thames Valley Police have helpfully put together a report that gives information about the area they cover, the way they currently …

Your community – your cash: giving tenants real power to improve their neighbourhoods #ukhousing

Last year I was really proud to launch the pilot the “Your community your cash” scheme where decent neighbourhoods funding will be directly budgeted for by local residents.  I believe that the best way to ensure that money to improve neighbourhoods is spent wisely is to get local people involved. …

What would you do to improve housing in Reading or UK generally?

The Labour party is seeking the widest possible input into our policy both at a national level and locally.  The national party is continuing the ‘partnership into power‘ policy discussions.  The general direction of travel is therebut the national policy forum will be discussing more submissions.  Members and non-members, whether …

Housing in multiple occupancy – use of planning tools

Local residents have consistently been calling for the use of planning legislation to control HMO’s in Reading.  This is part of a wider picture as Reading’s Labour run council is determined to support good landlords, ensure decent homes for tenants and pleasant neighbourhoods for all.  You can read more about …

Streetclub by B&Q – a pre launch preview! #rdg the national pilot

Yesterday it was great to attend a pre-launch meeting for people interested in getting involved in Streetclub, a site for people to connect with their neighbours and organise things in their local area.  It’s only available in Reading at the moment, and only just become a live site as we …

Live in South Whitley, #rdg? Have your say on crime and ASB

Council press release:Safer Reading Partnership is inviting residents of South Whitley to have their say on which three crime and anti-social behaviour issues are concerning them the most.Residents can find and fill in surveys at various shops in the South Whitley area, as well as the Whitley Wood Community Centre …

Reading’s Labour Council installs 2,126 solar panels on public sector and community buildings

What a twisted tale this has been, but there is good news at the end of it.  It shows that ambition and vision can still pay off even in these tough times.The Labour group has been pushing this since October 2010 (when in opposition) on this and once back running the council …

Local solicitors are worried about cuts to legal aid

<!–[if !mso]>st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]–> Threatened cuts in legal aid will harm the most vulnerable in our society, unless the Government listens to a powerful coalition of charities and accepts House of Lords amendments when the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Bill returns to the House of Commons. …

New accessible housing in Hastings Close #rdg

Council press release:Disabled residents in Reading are celebrating the completion of three new accessible housing properties in Hastings Close, off Hatford Road, Southcote.A housing development site in Hastings Close, sold by Reading Borough Council to Ability Housing Association, has been developed to create three much needed disabled-adapted affordable homes.The accommodation …

Improved Southcote Community Centre Set to be Confirmed

Plans to improve facilities for local residents at Southcote Community Centre are set to be given the go-ahead at a meeting of the Reading Borough Council’s Cabinet later this month. If approved the centre, on Coronation Square, will be re-modelled, re-decorated and refurbished inside and out and fitted with improved …

Improved community facilities in #Southcote #rdg – have your say

We are getting really close to improve the community hub for Southcote residents.  Local people along with the ward councillors, including our wonderful Mayor Deborah Edwards, have been tireless in campaigning for this for years now.  By bringing council services together and seizing the opportunity to redevelop the derelict Happy Prospect site …

VIDEO: First day of spring! Bulbs looking great in Southcote #rdg

I am delighted with the positive impact the flowers and plants have had in neighbourhoods right across Reading. Feedback from resident’s through “Let’s talk” confirmed how much we all care about the  way our neighbourhoods look and feel and the importance of green space, which is why the spring plantings are so valued. This is funded …

Step forward for @TimebankingUK @ReadingCouncil #rdg to fund new schemes

I’m very excited about this. Press release below: Reading residents are set to be offered the opportunity to take part in an innovative ‘time bank’ pilot in a move which will help forge an even stronger sense of community spirit in the town. People who sign up to the planned …

Details of proposals to improve Housing in #rdg coming to cabinet tonight

The full reports are available here – item that are labelled agenda item 15.  However a summary is in the press release:Plans to improve Reading’s private housing sector by providing further support for tenants, house owners, landlords and local communities, will be considered by the Council’s Cabinet on 12 March. …

VIDEO: Major plans to improve private rented accommodation in #rdg

Reading’s Citizen’s Advice Bureua’s Director and I are interviewed on some major plans to improve the private rented sector in Reading.  You may notice it’s quite windy today in Reading.  I’ll blog on the details of this further but you can read the full reports here[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3fZmzvJStk]

Action on sub-standard rental properties and #emptyhomes

One of my priorities this year as the council’s lead on housing and neighbourhoods has been to look at how we can improve the private rented sector in Reading.  While obviously most private rentals work well and are managed by responsible landlords there are a minority of landlords who don’t …

Tackling overcrowding through helping tenants who want to downsize

A win-win that I hope will benefit residents in both situations!Reading Borough Council will be increasing the range of voluntary incentives and support for tenants living in larger properties who are considering downsizing.Assisting tenants in this way will also enable the Council to release family size accommodation to help tackle …

10% increase in decent neighbourhoods fund

Even more tenants in Reading are to benefit from improvements to their neighbourhoods, thanks to the Council increasing its investment into community led initiatives by 10%.Reading Borough Council is to boost its spend on Decent Neighbourhood Fund projects this year, meaning £440k will be invested into programmes to provide a …

#Rdg council’s Labour cabinet recommends below inflation rise in council rents

Although a decision for full council the council’s cabinet has to recommend a rent increase for council tenants.  As I outlined at the council cabinet meeting earlier this is not something that can be done easily at the moment.  Inflation is still over 5%, the government is recommending a 7.2% …

Proposals for improvements to sheltered housing in Reading

After a thorough and wide ranging consultation with tenants, potential tenants, families and other interested organisations we will be considering proposals to improve our much valued sheltered housing service further at the cabinet meeting a week on Monday (16th January).  There are 5 key proposals and together the aim is …

Management savings at #Rdg council and good news for housing and neighbourhoods

As probably many already know the council recently agreed to reorganise the senior management team.  This was to both improve service delivery and join up working and also to save money at the senior level, to help protect to the extent possible the key services that residents rely on. From …

New starts of Affordable housing down 99% in the South East

Across the country and in the South Eastwe’ve seen a 99% fall in housing starts (which is the Tory government’s prefered figure for measuring housing activity) for affordable housing being built in the 6 months to September 2011. Jack Dromney has called it a disaster, and I don’t think that’s …

#Tories are creating homelessness so #Labour councils need to act

We know that the Tory led government policies are forecast to increase homelessness substantially, with national forecasts showing scary figures. Here in Reading we are already seeing an increase in homelessness and we are worried about what the new year will bring. As an administration the Labour group is committed …

Extra care council housing close to completion in #rdg – 1st photos

It’s really nice to have tangible evidence of the future of sheltered and extra care housing in Reading (more photos on Whitley news).  Today I ‘topped out’ Cedar Court the first council housing to be build in Reading for over 20 years.  We got funding for this from the then, Labour, …

Housing policy

I’ve been using today as a catch up on various council matters including ensuring I’m as briefed as possible on various issues. Some of those are very local and some are not yet public.  However two very useful papers I’ve been reading are from the Joseph Rowentree Foundation, one a …

Paying to make people homeless – more dangerous Conservative incompetence

In Reading and I imagine in many other councils, especially here in the South East, it is no secret that we, as a council, have been worried by the benefits changes.  We know it will hit not just families and individuals but also to the council’s resources.  In other words …

Inflation

We’re all feeling the pinch at the moment, but increasingly I’m hearing from people who can’t make ends meet and I believe other councillors are too.  The high inflation and squeeze on wages is affecting everyone but for some it can mean choosing between food and fuel.  This radio report …

Dee Park launches!

With members of CRAG Today was the official launch of the Dee Park show homes (although apparently they’ve already sold 3 properties!).  Below is a copy of my speech “As Reading’s lead councillor for housing and neighbourhoods it’s a real pleasure to be here today to celebrate the next step …