Category: Wokingham and West Berkshire Issues

I have been asked to remind residents about the state of play on M4 motorway noise and improvements.

The central government is responsible for the M4 as it is a national route. Wokingham Council is responsible for the A329 M and other local roads. This year the government has announced its intention to turn the M4 junctions 3 to 12 into a managed motorway. This will entail converting the hard shoulder into an additional lane and putting in information and speed control systems like the M25 western section. Variable speed limits will be used to improve traffic flows.

 

I attended one of their formal consultation exhibitions to speak to the staff and have followed up with written and oral submissions to the Highways Agency and the Secretary of State. I stressed the need to take noise mitigation measures, to include resurfacing with noise reducing materials and to place noise reducing barriers where these would cut the noise in people’s homes.

 

I received a letter from the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency confirming that their consultation “will identify any (noise) mitigation measures required. This may include the use of noise barriers made of materials which absorb noise like those close to Junction 10, and low noise road surfacing.” I also received a later confirmation that they would use noise reducing materials for a resurfacing.

 

I have kept residents up to date with these developments through these local pages. There are entries on March 28^th, May 20^th and June 19^th with the details. I also urged people to write in to the Highways Agency to respond to their consultation on the managed motorway idea, as it always helps to have confirmation that many people are worried about highway noise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the last financial  year 1830 people locally started apprenticeships. This takes the total to 8580 since April 2010.

Unemployment in the  Wokingham constituency is below 1%. It is good news that many more young people are gaining access to skills and job opportunities through the expanded apprenticeship schemes. The Conservatives wish to provide 3 m apprenticeships in the next Parliament if they win the election, compared to the 1.9 million apprenticeships started so far in this Parliament.

I have received the enclosed letter from the Communities Secretary:

Leaders of local authorities
Affected by winter 2013-14 flooding

22 October 2014

 

Dear Colleague,

Flood Recovery Progress

Last winter was the wettest for 250 years, and large areas of the country experienced flooding on an unprecedented scale. Local authorities, households and businesses were all affected and in many cases it has taken several months to return to normal.

In response to these extreme circumstances, the government made a range of financial support schemes available to help those affected get back on their feet. Two key schemes are the Repair and Renew Grant, and the Business Support Scheme. The Repair and Renew Grant provides up to £5,000 to homeowners and businesses whose properties were flooded between 1 December 2013 and 31 March 2014 to help enhance the resilience of properties which may be at risk of further flooding. The Business Support Scheme, worth £10 million, provides hardship funding for SME businesses in affected areas that suffered significant loss of trade are able to apply for support. Details on both schemes can be found here: Support Scheme Guidance Note.

My officials have been monitoring recovering progress since the floods. We have been asking all affected local authorities to provide fortnightly returns via an online portal on a number of key indicators, including take up of the Repair and Renewal Grant, and the Business Support Scheme. However engagement with the portal has been inconsistent; while some authorities have returned information every fortnight, others have provided nothing. Clearly, this makes it impossible for us to compile an accurate national picture.

I intend to publish a Recovery Progress Report in November which will contain the data provided to us by all affected areas. In order to ensure that this reflects the latest position in your authority, I would be grateful if your officials could send us the very latest data by 31 October. For any queries relating to this portal, please email dclgrecovery@communities.gsi.gov.uk.

Where data is available, we have identified several areas where the take-up rate of both the Repair and Renew Grant and Business Support Scheme is far lower than the reported number of properties flooded, indicating that there are many more people eligible for one or both grants, than have actually applied. I am asking for your help in ensuring that you are doing all you can to promote the support available.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that people who have been flooded may be reluctant to apply for the Repair and Renewal Grant, because of a perceived fear that either the application or receipt of the grant will cause their insurance costs to rise. We have worked closely with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) on this issue, and they have reassured us that premiums are not affected by the application or receipt of the Repair and Renew Grant. The ABI’s most recent letter on this is published on our website (ABI Repair and Renew Grant letter), which you may wish to direct your residents to, in order to help get this important message out.

I am also copying this letter to local MPs.

THE RT HON ERIC PICKLES MP

I have received a letter today from South East Water:

There’s only a few days left for charities, community groups and not-for-profit organisations in Wokingham to apply to South East Water’s Community Chest Fund.

The water company opened its community giving programme last month and is getting ready to donate £30,000 to local good causes after the deadline closes at midnight 31 October.

But it doesn’t want the Berkshire town to miss out.

Michelle Doyle Wildman, External Affairs Manager at South East Water, said: “We are proud to serve the people and businesses of Wokingham and are committed to supporting the community in as many ways as possible.

“A total of £60,000 has been given away to 62 good causes since the launch of the Community Chest Fund in 2012, and there’s still time to apply for a donation this year.

“If you’re an organisation, group or charity in need of a financial boost or help developing a project, visit the website for details on how to apply for up to £2,500.”

Applications are open to group projects within the water company’s supply area that are water or environment related, or help the young, old or disadvantaged. A group of staff from the water company will review the entries before announcing the winners on 18 November.

For more information, to view the criteria and to apply, visit www.southeastwater.co.uk/communitychest

I attach a reply from the CEO of Heathrow Airport about the current flight path trials.

You can view the letter here: Heathrow – Future Airspace Strategy.22.10.14.

 

 

A  number of constituents have sent me a copy of an email arguing in favour of the Zac Goldsmith amendments to the Recall Bill.

Today we have a Second Reading  debate of the government bill, drafted under the supervision of Nick Clegg. I think the present draft needs amending. Today, however, I will vote for the Bill as without a second reading there will be no bill to amend. The amendments will be considered later if the Bill passes this  first hurdle. I do support the general proposition that if enough constituents think an MP’s conduct has been unacceptable there can be a by election, maybe  following a  confidence vote in the MP.

When the House comes to consider the amendments on report stage I will study carefully which amendments will give the best answer. I do think the recall mechanism should be more about what voters think and less about what a committee of MPs think about the conduct of a sitting MP and will wish to support amendments with that in mind.

It is too early to say whether the Goldsmith amendments will be the best we can do. The government itself might produce amendments given the public reaction to the Clegg draft. Other MPs may come forward with a better version. It will also depend on which amendments are debated by the full House, and the arithmetic on the divisions.

The Defence Ministry has written to me to confirm that the Atomic Weapons sites at Aldermaston and Burghfield remain on the list of possible sites  to undertake work in connection with dismantling retired  nuclear submarines.

They are now consulting widely to decide which is the best site of the five on the shortlist. They will assess public opinion, the environmental impact,  planning, costs and operational issues.

Any constituent with a strong view either way on this work should  set  out  their views to the Ministry of Defence. There will be public consultations on 18th November  at the Burghfield Village Hall, Recreation Road and at the Community Sports Association in James Lane on 20 November and 22 January.

The Aldermaston consultation which may also affect some of my constituents  will be on 17 November at the AWE Recreational Society, Plantation Road on 17 November and on 22 November and 23 January at Tadley Community Centre, Newchurch Road.

Yesterday I attended the debate and vote on the EU referendum bill. The bill was the same as the one which we put through the Commons in the previous session, only to see it blocked by the Lords and by Labour and Liberal Democrats who do not n wish the public to have a say on our relationship with the EU.

We are doing it again because this time we can use the Parliament Act to avoid the Lords. That still requires rapid progress to be made with this bill before the end of this Parliament. Labour and Liberal Democrats may still use procedural devices to try and hold it up and block the popular will.

The Conservative party is fully committee to an In/Out referendum, and will give one if elected to government next time with or without the passage of this Bill.

I was sad to learn of another  serious accident at the Ufton Nervet rail crossing. I will chase up the authorities again to see why there has been delay in putting in the bridge they promised, or providing some other improvement to avoid further disasters.

 

 

I attended a FSB Business breakfast at the Cantley House Hotel on Friday morning. The idea was a surgery for smaller businesses in the area.  Just five small businesses came, plus two from the FSB and myself.

I promised to follow up a Council matter over noise, and a question of what apprenticeship related courses our local College provides in the catering trades.

I provided information from the government about Libya where one of the businesses has interests. I had to confirm the dangerous state of many parts of Libya today.

We also had a general discussion of what would improve if the UK left the EU, ranging from having more of our own tax revenue under our control through energy prices and  regulatory burdens to control of our own welfare system.