Category: Wokingham and West Berkshire Issues

On 17th October representatives of South West Trains and Network Rail came to see me in Westminster. We covered the following topics:

1. Ufton Nervet crossing. They do wish to replace and improve this crossing soon. They have done a preliminary study which suggests a bridge would be a better option. They will now consult with landowners and the Council.

2. Wokingham Station. They assured me the plans for the new station are now finalised, and the contract signed. They tell us to expect works to commence next month on site.

3. Frequency of services to and from London. They promised two extra trains early in the morning from Reading via Wokingham to Waterloo. I have been stressing the need for more peak capacity for some time, and think this is helpful but not the whole answer.

4. Tackling congestion caused by the Wokingham level crossings. I explained the Council’s wish to have a new bridge to take through traffic over the railway line to the east of the town. I asked them to co-operate, as they have been threatening  to make a charge for the privilege of briding their tracks! They made no promsies. They did say they were looking at whether they could improve existing bridge heights for traffic to reduce jams caused by the curent inadequate heights and spans.

I met representatives of Thames Water on 16th October at Westminster. I reviewed with them progress on water pipe renewal, flood prevention, and the adequacy of water supply.

I will be following up on the pipe renewal issues. They promised that they do now have ways of keeping more of the local roads open when carrying out replacement. They have some less intrusive ways of repairing pipes, which help when they can be used. They also have systems for placing plates over the holes in the road at busy times so the roads can be used at peak hours when works are underway.

 I urged them to use Wokingham as an example of how pipes can be placed under verges or away from the roads in new developments in in redevelopments, and asked them to work with the Council in Wokingham where opportunities were coming up for such schemes.

They agreed they do need to provide more water to cater for rising populations and water use. They are still considering an additional reservoir at Abingdon. New or repaired pipes will also help by cutting down on water loss.

 On Sunday 7th October I attended the annual Animal blessing service in All Saints, Wokingham. I would like to thank the organisers for inviting me,and for all involved. Many fine dogs turned up on the day and added new tones to the singing.

It is clear from the figures that Wokingham Borough needs extra primary school places. I am glad the Council is now consulting on where the extra school should be located. I hope interested constituents will respond to the Council consultation. The details are on Wokingham Borough’s website. As I understand it it is an entirely open quesiton, where the Council needs to take soundings on what would be the best place. Please write to the Council rather than to me, as they are the Planning and Education authority, and they have the staff to handle the consultation replies.

I also hope interested parents and educationalists will consider the possibility of a new free school to make available the necessary places. I am happy to help with the necessary co-operative working with the Department for Education, should the Council and community decide on a suitable location for a free school. As Oakbank has shown, it is possible to get a school up and running quickly where there is the will to do so.

I was unable to stay in Birmingham for Mr Cameron’s speech as I wanted to attend the Oakbank School Founders’ Day.

I was impressed by the way a small team have organised the renovation of a substantial part of the old Ryeish Green school and have it working as a school for 62 pupils in Year 7. They aim to expand the numbers of the intake next year, and progressively enlarge the school year by year.

The pupils read and sang for the audience. We heard of the work the Founders, staff and contractors have undertaken in recent months to get the school ready and open this September. The school would, I am sure welcome gifts of equipment, books and other items to help it build up its facilities. The Business Manager could give you guidance if you would like to help.

I was pleased to be invited back to the Space Centre. It was good to learn that all their small and starter units have tenants. They even have a waiting list. They offer smaller units for a range of uses for business, to be hired by the month. Many small businesses like this flexibility.

I met the latest tenant to sign up. The company is supplying keyboards to the NHS that are easier to keep clean and sterile because the keyboard has a smooth cover over it which can be easily wiped. It looked like a winning idea which is catching on with various hospitals and surgeries.

I was asked about how they could scale up the property business model to provide similar facilities in other Thames Valley towns. I suggested they looked at a range of options to raise the money, as I could see the possible attractions of these facilities elsewhere.

There was some good news yesterday. South West Trains responded to pleas that the coffee shop at the station be kept open for longer. They have agreed to extend the licence of the current shopkeeper from November, when they threatened closure. Thank you to them for seeing sense, and understanding that people do want some continuity of service whilst the station is being improved.

I was pleased to be told by local reporters that Wokingham has come out top of another annual survey of where it is best to live. It is my job to handle complaints and to help where the central government can make things better. It is good to know that many do like a lot of the features of our local environment. As I said to the newspapers who asked, it is down to the people who live here. It is their hard work which provide the good shops, schools and other services. It is our efforts that maintain their homes and gardens and help create a safe and friendly society compared to many elsewhere.

I was pleased to join the Macmillan cancer fund raising coffee morning on Friday. I was invited by the Wokingham Barclays Bank to try their home made cakes and coffee in a good cause.

I would like to say a big thank you to all who held such events and helped raise money for Macmillan. In Barclays there were some very tasty and professional looking home made cakes, and a good flow of people to enjoy them and make a contribution.

I also had an opportunity to say hello to many of the staff, to see behind the scenes, and hear a bit more about one of our local banks. They assured me they do have money to lend for business and house purchase.

I have been receiving a large number of individual emails from pupils at both primary and secondary schools wanting my views on issues, and wanting me to help them in their coursework on a range of topics.

I am of course happy to respond to sensible enquiries that relate to my views and duties as an MP where this cannot be easily discovered by normal research. Very often the issues raised are nothing to do with an MP, or are items which can easily be checked from accessible internet sources. It would be helpful if, for example, a student checked my website first, as very often I have written on the topic if it is one of relevance to an MP. If they are truly interested in my views, they will find plenty to be interested in on the website. I am happy for any student to quote from my website and take my comments there as a fair statement of my view. They might also like to get to know the Parliamentary website, as this gives a handy guide to what an MP has been doing and saying in recent debates.

Many of the queries relate to

Local planning
Local roads and cycleways
Local waste collection and recycling
Wokingham Town Centre redevelopment
Local schools
Caring for local people

These are all matters handled by Wokingham Borough Council. It would be courtesy to Councillors to ask them, as they are responsbile for these matters. They will have more detailed information available than I do. They also have access through their officers to the information of the whole Council.

Others write about a number of issues in poorer and developing countries. Whilst there are some things the UK government can do through aid programmes and diplomatic pressure, it is important that students understand that foreign countries usually do not welcome external interference or interventions. There are limits to what the UK government can and should do in other countries who may not live according to the style and standards we seek to uphold at home.