Category: Wokingham and West Berkshire Issues

 

          I have been asked to write about the plan for a new freeschool in Evendons.  You can see the details of it on www.evendonsfreeschool.co.uk. The idea is to set up a new primary school for 4-11 year olds. It would welcome children of all faiths.  It would emphasise good English and the STEM subjectsm, science, technology, engineering and maths.

           The supporters  say “We will engage with the wider business community to ensure that we embed a culture of enterprise and entrepreneurship to complement academic achievement”. They would run a House system.

           The proposers would welcome responses from people with children who might want to go to such a school, so they can assess potential demand. Wokingham is short of primary school places, so new ones will need to be provided somehow.

 

               We marched as usual to All Saints Church for 3pm, and marched back at 4pm to the War Memorial in the Town Hall.  The All Saints service was well attended, as we sang well known hymns including  I vow to thee my country and Now thank we all our God.

               As we placed wreaths in the Town Hall and held the silence between the bugle notes I could only think of Afghanistan. How many more deaths will our forces suffer there? How much longer before the policing tasks can be undertaken wholly by local personnel? 

              It was a bitter blow to learn that on the very day we remembered all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, another of our brave soldiers was killed in Afghanistan.  We need to draw our involvement there to a close. As Northern Ireland showed, deeply troubled countries need political initiatives to stop or limit the violence.

              Many people turned out for Remembrance Day. We all felt we wanted to say a big thank you to past generations who had to fight for the freedoms and very survival of our country. We will also have had our own  thoughts about the current conflicts.

               I would like to thank all who organised the event and who participated to make it such a moving occasion.

 

We assembled before 10 and marched from Hatch Gate to St Mary’s Church. At 10.40 the familiar sound of the Chinook came overhead. The noise and power of that aircraft reminded us of pain of war, and the  losses our country has experienced  in recent days and years in Afghanistan.

We were fortunate that the sun shone as we joined in our out door service. The Church is undergoing refurbishment.  It was a moving occasion, as we placed wreaths on the Memorial in the Churchyard.

I would like to thank all who organised it, and the many hundreds of people who turned up to j0in in the march or to watch the spectacle. Burghfield acknowledged its special relationship with today’s armed forces. The dangers they face were uppermost in our minds. People wished to thank our armed forces for their courageous sense of duty.

Images courtesy of Kevin Butler:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    This morning in Earley I was out with Councillors delivering leaflets and talking to voters about the Police Commissioner elections.

       Some were disappointed that so far they had received no literature. We were able to offer them a four sided newspaper about the purpose of the post and the Conservative candidates, and to remind them about the website offerings that characterise this election.

      Some could not see the point of the position. I reminded them that someone has to set budgets, establish priorities and appoint the Chief Constable. it is also a good idea to have someone independnet of the police handling complaints. These roles are now to be undertaken by the new Commissioners.

        Some said they want the police to be independent. So does Parliament. Commissioners will not be able to interfere in collecting evidence, bringing charges and the other matters that require a warranted officer.

          Some said they did not want party politics in policing. Nor do I. However, we have party politics in charge of budgets and senior appointments at the moment , in the form of the Police Committees of elected Councillors, and the elected Mayor in London. The new Commissioners will perform the same political roles as the Mayor of London and the Police Committees currently perform.

 

           I am receiving numerous emails concerning this planning application.  This is a matter which will be decided by West Berkshire Council. As MP I have no role in the decision  and no power in the matter.  Local residents who feel strongly about it should write directly to the Planning Department of the Council with their representations. You could also contact  the local Councillor for Beenham , Councillor Keith Chopping, who can represent residents on such issues.

 

       I have had several emails opposed to the badger cull and in favour of vaccination programmes to deal with TB in cattle.

      Yesterday I attended the debate in the Commons. I used that opportunity, and a briefing meeting with Ministers a day earlier, to make representations directly to Ministers  on this issue.

        I explained how many people want to see vaccination rather than culling being used to control this outbreak. Ministers reply that under EU rules milk and meat from vaccinated cattle cannot be sold or used, as the authorities cannot distinguish between a vaccinated cow and an infected one.  When pressed, Ministers agree that work is underway to be able to test cattle to distinguish between the effects of vaccine and the disease, but this has not yet reached a point which satisfies the rule makers in Brussels. I suggsted they press on with this work as quickly as possible.

        Some have suggested vaccines for the badgers. Ministers point out that  trying to catch and vaccinate them all would be extremely difficult as they are wild and shy animals. Vaccinating the current badger population would  not cure infected badgers, who would still be free to roam and infect cattle.

        Ministers accept that more disease is probably transmitted from infected cattle to other cattle than from badgers. They have taken stricter measures to combat this, by placing infected herds in quarantine and requiring slaughter of infected animals. That is why so many cattle are now being slaughtered before the end of their normal working lives.  

         I have urged them to use the year’s delay  that results from the deferred cull to see if a  better solution can be found. Yesterday some MPs carried a motion against the government policy, but the government made clear the vote is not binding.

I was asked to attend a Question Time at Emmbrook Juniors. They asked a good range of questions about Parliament and famous people in it, before offering me tea and biscuits. One of the testing questions was what is my favourite biscuit? I had to answer it before knowing what type of biscuits they had on offer. Fortunately on this occasion I chose Bourbon, and there was one on the plate when it arrived.

On Friday I visited Emmbrook School. I was invited to give a lecture on the functionings of Parliament to a sixth form group studying government and politics.

I explained to them the role of the Queen in Parliament and the structure of the bicameral legislature. We discussed reform of the Lords and its current membership. I explained the three readings, committee and report stages in each House to secure the passage of a bill, and what happens when the Lords and Commons disagree about legislation. I set out the broad numbers of public spending, borrowing and taxation. We talked about the main functions of modern government.

The Group will hear from party representatives in future weeks explaining the viewpoint of their different parties.

The sad death of Katie Haines from Wokingham from carbon monoxide poisoning has led to the establishment of a charity, The Katie Haines Memorial trust.

The attached video records its work. I support these efforts to highlight this threat, with a view to cutting the risks for others.