Category: Wokingham and West Berkshire Issues

To the George and Dragon in Swallowfield we wended our way last night. I donned my red tie and white shirt along with my sceptered isle and blessed plot cufflinks to enter into the spirit of it. We enjoyed our celebration of England’s national day. It was special, coinciding with the 450th anniversary of England’s greatest poet and playwrite, William Shakespeare.

Happy birthday to In Toto kitchens, who celebrated their ten years in business locally last week-end. I visited them in their Peach Street shopand saw a good display of new kitchen items.

On Friday I enjoyed a home made hot cross bun and the warm welcome given to me at Norreys Church, followed by the service. We then walked to the Market Place where we witnessed an energetic and interesting drama based around the death of Jesus Christ. I wish to thank all involved in organising and performing.

Today produced great news. Unemployment in Wokingham is now down to just 1% of the working age population. There are 330 fewer people out of work than a year ago, and just 550 left without a job. I wish them every success in finding something soon, in a local economy that feels much stronger and capable of generating more activity.

Wokingham is in the top ten constituencies for low unemployment nationwide. That is a tribute to the hard work and business sense of many in our area who are making work for others out of supplying our community with their goods and services.

On Friday 11th April I gave out certificates to a group of energetic and enterprising people in Wokingham Town Hall. They had just completed a 12 week course, providing them with practical training to run their own businesses. Last Friday they each presented their business idea to a Dragon’s Den, pitching for some financial assistance as they move on to the next stage and start trading.

Wokingham Borough has been a sponsor of the scheme. David Less, the Leader of the Council , spoke enthusiastically about what has been achieved so far. I was pleased to see so many people full of confidence and keen to get on with establishing their businesses. I wish them all well with winning clients and moving on to the next phase.

 

Several constituents wrote to me saying that Mrs Miller should resign from the Cabinet. Other soundings I took showed this was a common view. I made sure the leadership of the Conservative party were informed of the strong feelings, as did many other MPs from their constituencies.

Mrs Miller has now resigned. She did so before the meeting of the 1922 (Conservative backbench) Committee where further representations to the Prime Minister were likely on the mood in country about this matter.  The Prime Minister will now attend the meeting this afternoon with this issue resolved. It is time to concentrate on explaining and reinforcing the good economic recovery now underway, and seeing through improvements and reforms to our public services and welfare systems.

The package includes:

 

• a new £1,000 business rates discount for small shops, restaurants and pubs for 2014-15 and 2015-16;
• a further extension of small business rate relief;
• a new reoccupation relief to help get empty shops back into use;
• the opportunity for firms to choose to pay bills over 12 month instalments to help them with their cash flow; and
• capping the annual indexation at 2% this year.

The £1,000 discount applies to eligible businesses with a rateable value of £50,000 or less, and is being delivered by local billing authorities using their Localism Act powers to provide new local discounts.  In this case the entire cost will be met by central government.  Local authorities are locally determining eligibility, given the diversity of different types of retail hereditament.  The Department for Communities and Local Government published guidance on 29 January to assist local authorities in ensuring that eligible local firms receive the support they deserve.

Guidance to assist local authorities in their administration of the new reoccupation relief was published on 1 April.  Ratepayers that move into retail premises that have been empty for 12 months or more will be eligible for an 18 month 50% discount off their rates bill.  This reoccupation relief is intended to encourage reoccupation of shops that have been empty for a long period of time and to reward businesses that make this happen.  Businesses moving into previously empty retail premises between 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2016 should be eligible for this relief.

 

On Friday 28 th March I visited the Willink School to talk to the 6th Form  about Parliament and some topical issues. They had heard a Lib Dem representative the previous week.

I briefly sketched the evolution of Parliament, why it came about and what it seeks to do. I mentioned the recent debate on the UK’s role in the EU and Parliament’s powers vis a vis Europe.

I answered questions on a wide range of subjects, including migration, student tuition fees, social policy and jobs.

 

I visited the recent exhibition given by the Highways Agency to consult on  its proposals for a managed motorway on the M4 from London.

The plan includes converting the hard shoulder into an additional lane for traffic, widening  bridges over the motorway, putting in new lay bys for vehicles in trouble, putting in speed and traffic sensors and a communications system to allow reduced speed limits where needed for safety or to improve running on a heavily congested road. The system will be similar to the M 25 western section and will run from Junction 3 to Junction 12.

I stressed to the Highways Agency that many of my constituents living close to the current motorway now experience an unacceptable level of motorway noise. This has grown much worse in recent years with higher volumes of traffic and more heavy traffic. I want to see the motorway resurfaced in these areas with noise reducing materials, as previously promised. I also want noise barriers installed near settlements, as at the moment we have only partial noise barriers installed, causing worse noise  problems on the opposite side of the road to the barrier where the barrier is only on one side but the homes are on both.

I will follow up my oral representations in writing. I suggest all constituents who are concerned about the motorway noise should also independently write to  the Highways Agency at

 

M4 Scheme

Highways Agency

The Cube

199 Wharfside Street

Birmingham B1 1RN

 

or email to M4J3to12SmartMotorways@highways.gsi.gov.uk

 

On Saturday evening I was the guest of Wokingham Choral Society at All Saints Church.

The choir sang unaccompanied with great style and passion. They filled the Church with their voices and did justice to a complex work in a difficult language.

I would like to thank all involved for an excellent evening.