Category Archives: Wokingham and West Berkshire Issues

The government has offered some money to 3 local Councils to carry out a feasibility study into placing a settlement of 15000 homes at Grazeley. I am in favour of Wokingham Borough seeking a local plan revision for the future with a considerably lower housebuilding rate than our present one. I have not supported any […]

The government has reviewed its troubled families programme. This is a policy to offer more support and staff time to help families prone to difficulties in order to reduce the  incidence of adult and juvenile crime, family break up, joblessness and other problems. The report suggests that every pound spent on the troubled families programme […]

Today I am meeting the Secretary of State for Communities and local government in the Commons to put Wokingham’s case for a slower rate of building. Last year the housebuilding rate shot up to more than twice the required amount under the local plan, with obvious strains on our road network and local communities living  […]

I made my way to Wokingham town centre on Saturday to participate in High Street day. Parking was easy and I found a good choice of food for the weekend meals. It is encouraging to see the growing range of shops emerging from the big redevelopment.

On Friday I visited the new Cobbs at Englefield food shop and restaurant. I was most impressed by the modern facilities, the positive and friendly approach of the staff and the enthusiasm of Tom Newey who runs the overall business that  has made this investment. The shop offers a butchers, a delicatessen with a good […]

I have received an update from the Home Secretary on the measures the Government is taking to tackle serious violence: “Tackling serious violence is a top priority for the Government. We must do whatever we can to stop the terrible murders and stabbings we have seen on our streets. The Government’s Serious Violence Strategy, published […]

I am delighted to learn that Emmbrook Infant School has been judged Outstanding by Ofsted following its inspection in January. Many congratulations to the Headteacher Corrina Gillard, the governors and all of the school’s staff for their achievement and I hope that they have a wonderful ‘Ofsted Celebration Day’ on 2 April.

Some constituents have written to me asking about CO2 levels in the UK. The latest figures show that the UK since 1990 has cut carbon emissions more rapidly than any other major economy. They are now estimated to be 39% below 1990 levels. The biggest falls have come in power generation, through the ending of […]

The government has announced that in future 270,000 disabled pensioners who receive Personal Independence Payments from the state will no longer face a regular test to check their continuing eligibility.  PIPs are amounts up to £145 a week as a supplement to pension and other income made available to people with disabilities and long term […]

At the AGM I thanked all the outgoing officers of the Association for their hard work over the previous year and wished the new team under David Edmonds well for the year ahead. I said that the overwhelming response from voters over Brexit was to get on with it. The country and the Wokingham constituency […]