Category: Wokingham and West Berkshire Issues

My recent visit to the shops saw good trade in Waterstones where I found a good present for a family member, and saw plenty of people trying out Gail’s Bakery where bread is baked on the premises and where people can get a good café service including lunch menus. I would encourage more to come and try the new Wokingham in the run up to Christmas. There is free parking on the Saturdays before Christmas in the Council car parks.

Last Wednesday I met my constituent Dr Antoni Chan of the Royal Berkshire Hospital who received the award for ‘Best Care by a Rheumatologist’ from the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society. Voted for by patients, the Patients’ Choice Awards recognise those health professionals who have gone above and beyond to help people with axial spondyloarthritis including ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Dr Chan received a large number of nominations describing him as “inspiring” and “amazing”, going “above and beyond his role”.

The award was presented at the Houses of Parliament on 3 December, to coincide with the launch of NASS’ new campaign Every Patient, Every Time.

Many congratulations to Dr Chan for his outstanding work.

I am pleased that Wokingham Borough Council will be offering free parking in council owned town and village centre car parks all day on Saturday 8th, 15th and 22nd December.  This will be welcomed by shoppers and businesses alike.

It was wonderful to hear the massed choirs of Wokingham primary schools, to the accompaniment of the very professional Berkshire Maestro Orchestra. It is an important part of the early Christmas season for me, and this year lived up to expectation. It is good to see many supportive parents proud of their children, and to see the musical talent on display. The solo orchestra pieces were played to a high standard, with a Christmas merriment and verve in them. This year we were in a new venue, at Greenfields in Arborfield. I am grateful to those who laid on the hospitality and made us all feel welcome.

I was pleased to see yesterday when I went to Wokingham to shop that the town centre was looking much better with more shoppers and an active street market again. It was also good to see the new Waterstones open for business. I do hope many of you will come into the town centre to see what is on offer in the shops before Christmas and to enjoy a coffee or a meal at one of the restaurants, cafes and bars that now offer us considerable choice of food and drink.

I was pleased to learn that the works to repair the pipes in Whiteknights Road have now been completed. I am told the full water supply has been restored. The Water company has apologised to customers and to road users for the inconvenience caused.

I met with several constituents today who are worried about the Inland Revenue’s wish to re open their past tax years. They say they took good advice at the time and were assured these schemes were legal. They notified the Inland Revenue, and were not subject to tax enquiries or additional tax charges when they filed their returns. They regard later government action as retrospective taxation, when they deny any legal liability.

Other MPs have also taken this up for constituents. I sought a letter from the Treasury clarifying the law for them, but the result has led to a further disagreement between the taxpayers and the Treasury. I have agreed to take it up again with Ministers.

Meanwhile any constituent affected would also be wise to go back to the professional advisers and firms that recommended and arranged these matters for them to see what they have to say and to pursue with them why their advice has led to strong queries by the Revenue and possible large bills that were not expected. As this is a nationwide issue, the lobby group involved is I believe looking into undertaking a test case in the courts where it will need to receive good legal advice and assess the advantages from spending money on such an action.

Mrs May is consulting the party and the wider electorate about her Withdrawal Agreement. I have been taking soundings for some time, ever since the Chequers climb downs exploded into the media. On Friday I had the opportunity to sound out 100 Conservatives at a party lunch, on top of the many conversations, emails and comments I have received in recent weeks.

The opposition to the Withdrawal Agreement is very strong, and there is overwhelming support for the stance I am taking in proposing to vote against the Agreement. Very few party members believe this is the best we could do, and a majority of enthusiastic leavers think leaving without an Agreement will be considerably better. The minority in the local party that regret the decision of the referendum are also against this Withdrawal Agreement, but want a return to negotiations or a delay in the Article 50 process following the vote against the Agreement.

Opinion on Mrs May herself has been more mixed, but recently the majority has moved against her continuing in office. There is a general feeling that she should not continue if the Agreement is voted down, a mood I have voiced in interviews. I would assume she would want to resign if her Agreement is defeated by a substantial margin. Were she not to I expect more MPs would send in letters requiring a vote on her continued leadership. I have urged her not to proceed with the Agreement in the interest of the nation, the party and her own future. I did not vote for Mrs May to be the Leader of the Conservative party and do not support the course she is taking.

I was pleased to welcome Minister Perry from the Business Department to Wokingham to see the new Peach Place development and to meet new tenants taking shops there. She was full of praise for the new development and talked about business rate reductions and other measures to promote stronger High Street shopping. Leader of the Borough Council Julian McGhee Sumner also attended.

We met and talked to some of the builders of the scheme, saw the new Waterstones and spent time discussing the outlook for the Leafy Elephant, a new Gin bar that should be opening in March after fit out.
I wished all involved every success with their ventures, and hope the Council will be announcing more tenancies soon. This development should add to the range and choice Wokingham provides, and help create a bigger platform for events and community activities as well as shopping.

I have taken up the issue of imposing new noisy train whistles in Wokingham with Network Rail. I agree with the residents who think this is a bad change which the railway does not have to make.

Residents are going to hold a meeting on Monday evening at 18.15 at the Salvation Army Hall, Sturges Road Wokingham RG40 2HD. I encourage those who are concerned to attend.

I will not be able to get to the meeting as Parliament is in session until 10 pm on Monday, with votes expected that I need to attend. I look forward to hearing a report of the meeting, and will reinforce any messages from residents to Network Rail.