Category: Wokingham and West Berkshire Issues

 

In response to my complaint to Oxfordshire about the long delay in mending the road approach to Sonning Bridge from the north, and the threatened road closure for further repairs, I have now been told the Council agrees they should keep the road open whilst undertaking works.

However, the local radio tells me that they still have not tabled a proposal to rebuild the road elevating it above likely flood levels. Will they please get a move on?  This is an important route and it needs some attention.

 

I am pleased to report that following my lobbying and the lobbying of others about the new noisier routes being trialled to and from Heathrow, the airport has decided to curtail the trials.  They were to run to 26 January but will now stop on 12 November, giving us a quieter Christmas period.

I have stressed in my representations that we want the airport to adopt new routes and timetables that cut the noise footprint, avoiding hours when people are usually asleep. There are ways of getting planes into and out of the airport with steeper flight paths that can help. Quieter engines will help over time.

We also need to tackle the shortage of runway capacity so we do not need night flights, and have sufficient space for planes to land promptly on arrival in UK airspace.  It does look as if all the main political parties now agree we need decisions on airport capacity quickly after the General Election.

I welcome Heathrow’s announcement last week that it will end the current airspace trials on 12 November, rather than run the trial through to 26 January as previously planned.

Heathrow also announced that it would postpone until Autumn 2015 the additional trials that were due to begin later this month.

Any permanent change to how airspace is used requires Government approval.  The Government has to fulfil its commitments under the Single European Sky project to modernise UK airspace by 2020.  I will continue to press for an outcome that lowers the noise impact on my constituency rather than increasing it.

On Tuesday night I spoke in Burghfield on the topic of “Do we fight too many wars?” I am grateful to Burghfield for organising the event, and for all they do to remember the sacrifice made by many in our armed forces in successive conflicts.  When I chose the subject some months ago I thought it might be topical. It turned out to be a particularly hot topic.

I began by stressing our debt of gratitude to all the service personnel who have fought for our country in many conflicts. They have offered brave and loyal service, and have often performed great feats of arms. Sometimes they have been placed in mortal danger by poorly thought through strategy or political direction. Sometimes they have been placed in winning positions and have delivered.

Over the long sweep of English and British history there can be no finer sign of how good our armed forces are than the simple fact that our island country has not been successfully invaded by a hostile force since 1066. (in 1485, 1688 etc the invaders were invited or local). Our forces saw off the threat of Spain when she was the world’s superpower, culminating in the defeat of the Armada. Our services dealt with the continuous threats from France during her period of military dominance, ending with the great victories of Trafalgar and Waterloo that freed the smaller countries of Europe from French threat. In the twentieth century the UK with her allies twice fought murderous wars to prevent German domination.

I am no pacifist, and believe we need to have good defence forces to keep our island safe and to undertake international expeditions where the cause is just or where we need to contribute to the international community and the UN.

I also think we have fought too many wars in recent years. Our interventions in the Middle East have often not resulted in a political and diplomatic strategy to settle democratic countries after our armed forces have helped achieve regime change.

I raised the question of why we have in the past committed ourselves to wars before we had the proper forces to win them. Our small skilled expeditionary force in 1914 soon had heavy casualties and had been beaten back to near Paris. It would take the recruitment of a mass citizen army and substantial rearmament to give us the forces needed to hold and eventually defeat the Germans. In 1939-41 we did the same thing. We sent too small an army to Belgium, put it in harms way and almost lost it, leading to the remarkable evacuation at Dunkirk.

Plan before you fight. Be realistic about what your armed forces can achieve. Do not run down your defences too far if you might need them.

 

I have had some complaints about new patterns of aircraft noise and different flight times in the constituency. The UK government is currently consulting on a new “Future Airspace Strategy” to fulfil its requirements under the large European skies project. This project requires member states, divided into airspace areas, to respond with revised flight plans to cut delays, encourage more direct routes and make other improvements.

I have taken all this up with the Heathrow authorities at party conference. I explained that my constituents do not want earlier flights in the morning or later flights at night. They would welcome changes which reduced the numbers of planes held in low flying stacks, and would welcome any change to the approach and take off paths which cut noise at ground level.

Heathrow itself will not rule out adverse changes to aircraft movements as a result of the new rules and consultation. They point out that these decisions will be taken following the consultation by the UK government, which in turn will have to satisfy the EU government that its measures are appropriate. The UK’s airspace is grouped with Ireland’s, so the Irish government too will be involved.

I have made strong representations, and may do so again as the consultation and trials progress. I recommend that constituents also lobby the Department of Transport directly with their response to the trials. A westerly departure trial and an easterly departure trial are currently underway and last until the new year. (Jan 26th)

I attended the opening ceremony of the refurbished Padworth Hall on Friday. I am grateful to my colleague, Richard Benyon for the charitable contribution one of his charities made, and to all the other sources of money for the project. The Hall now is in very good shape, well decorated and ready to host many village activities.
I thank all those who have worked to ensure the project was on budget and the improved hall ready for service this autumn.

 

IPSA have just published the annual costs of each MP for the year 2013-14. As I have promised my constituents to keep my own costs of running an MP’s office down well below the average, I publish my figures below:

Office costs budget        £22,750

J Redwood spend            £2716

Amount of budget unspent    88%

Staff costs budget             £137,200

J Redwood spend                 £57,263

Amount of budget unspent  58.3%

Accommodation budget (where providing own flat)   £8850

J Redwood spend                £5216

Amount of budget unspent  41%

(If an MP rents a flat the budget is over £20,000)

Travel

Budget        uncapped

J Redwood spend   £1629

Total spend (excluding travel)  £65,195

Total budget (excluding travel)  £168,800

Total spent as percentage of budget  38.6%

The most expensive MP last year claimed £229,262 including travel costs.

 

 

 

I held a review meeting with Anthony Stansfeld this week.

He had good news to report. Overall crime is at its lowest level for 25 years in the Thames Valley.  Over the last two years recorded crime is down by 14%. Last year domestic burglary fell by one fifth. TVP were able to deploy additional police to child protection and to helping vulnerable people.

I asked him to make sure that Thames Valley  police have read the report into Rotherham social services, and are alert to any local problems in these very sensitive areas which need to be investigated promptly and thoroughly. I have no knowledge of any general local concerns, but it is most important that all are vigilant to protect children from abuse and exploitation.

 

On Monday 8th September John Redwood spoke at the launch of Elevate Wokingham in the town’s library on Denmark Street.

Elevate is a service for young people to help them make choices on education, training and jobs. Based in Wokingham library, young people can read materials and receive advice on employment and careers.

The service is open to all, though it is designed primarily for young people. Unemployment is very low in Wokingham, at under 1%. Some people still need somewhere  and somebody to turn to  find out more about job opportunities and career needs. There will be a special focus on construction opportunities, in view of the substantial building in the local area.

John said thank you to all those who are helping young people. He said “There are two things above all I would like you to communicate to young people. The first is try to build your career or future employment around interests you already  have, as this will help make you positive about your work. The second is to aim high and set yourself high standards. That way you will often find better opportunities and more rewarding employment”

 

Many of us in Wokingham are in two minds about new homes. We want more people to own their own home and we want people to have the opportunity to buy a new homes to a modern design. We also wish to keep our countryside, protect our natural environment, and avoid over stretching local facilities.

The Council has decided the best way to achieve these two main aims is to allow building in a few concentrated locations, where schools, surgeries and roadspace can be made available and where the incursions into our countryside are limited.

Nationwide the new building rate has risen in recent years. In 2012 it was 103,739 new homes started. Last year it went up to 122,691. In  Wokingham  327 were started in 2012, and last year 338 were started. Wokingham is adding more homes than the average of constituencies around the country, so we are contributing generously to  the national housing drive. Indeed, the Council should remember when considering future plans  that in 2012 twice as many homes were started in Wokingham as in the average constituency, so we are more than doing our bit.