Category: Wokingham and West Berkshire Issues

On Saturday 20 th October at 7pm Wokingham Conservatives are holding supper evening at Victory Hall, Church Road, Farley Hill.

I will give an illustrated talk on the battle of Trafalgar, asking how England managed to win against such long odds, what the wider significance of the battle was, and what it tells us about leadership.

Everyone knows that England defeated France thanks to the inspired leadership of Admiral Nelson, who died in the battle. Fewer realise how long the odds were or how comprehensive the win. The English engaged with a fleet that was almost a quarter more powerful. Each ship in Nelson’s fleet as the attackers sailed slowly in very light winds towards the enemy. This  exposed  themselves to heavy raking fire for around half an hour before each English ship could get into position to use its own guns back.

Tickets are available through Bob Hamer dbobhamer@btinternet.com or 01189 733422

I recently called in with local Councillors to meet the Head, pupils and staff at the school.
The school is in need of some additional money for decorating and improvement works, which the Councillors agreed to assist with.
The children were enthusiastic about what they were doing and the teachers engaged with their pupils. I would like to thank all involved for the work they do.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon in Burghfield accompanied by three West Berkshire Councillors to talk to people about local and national issues.
Mostly people wanted to talk about local matters, including the state of pavements, overhanging trees, the future for local shops and questions about local schools.
I promised to take up again the level of business rates and its impact on retail businesses, where rates have got up following the revaluations at a time when retail competition is intensifying from new stores and more particularly from the internet.

Today I met with my constituent, Paul Carless, Ambassador for Bloodwise, the UK’s leading blood cancer research charity, to discuss their work.

Blood Cancer is the 5th most common cancer and the 3rd biggest cancer killer. More people die of blood cancer each year than breast cancer and prostate cancer yet there is comparatively little public awareness of it.

During September, Blood Cancer Awareness Month, they seek to raise further awareness of the key issues affecting the 240,000 people in the UK living with a blood cancer. They also provide information and support services for those affected by blood cancer. You can find out more on their website https://bloodwise.org.uk/

The Secretary of State has written to me advising that the Government has allocated £1.6 million to the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust as part of a scheme to help deliver improvements to A & E services this winter. With the cold weather approaching this extra investment will be welcome.

Dear John,

Improved emergency care, new beds, and enhanced equipment as part of major funding boost for hospitals ahead of winter

To make sure the NHS performs as well as it possibly can this winter we are funding hospitals to deliver improvements in their A&E performance.

A total of 81 new schemes, totalling £145 million of capital investment, have been prioritised from within the Department’s capital budget for hospitals across the country to help staff prepare ahead of winter.
This funding will enable the NHS to deliver additional beds, redevelop A&E units and upgrade wards, enhance bed management systems, and improve ‘same-day’ emergency care.

I am delighted to inform you that your local NHS trust will benefit from this funding as part of the action the Government is taking in advance of winter.
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust has identified a scheme that can help with its bed capacity, and has been allocated £1.6m.

Last winter was challenging, but thanks to the efforts and dedication of hard working frontline staff, over 500 more people were seen in A&E and admitted or discharged within four hours every day. This further investment in the NHS will help those staff to deliver the best possible care for patients this winter.

Yours ever,

MATT HANCOCK

The government today has announced help for 83 Council areas with rough sleeper problems. West Berkshire is in the list, and will qualify for £264,820 from this budget. The government is determined to work with local authorities to provide an alternative to anyone sleeping out on the streets.

I have had a complaint from a local medical practice about the way the new EU General Data Regulation is working. Under its terms the surgery can no longer charge the administrative costs of supplying information to insurance companies or legal firms wishing to pursue claims against the NHS. As a result I am told the number of such requests has gone up, and the GPs are having to spend more of their time on this work and therefore less on treating patients. I have agreed to take this up with the government.

Over this summer of road closures and temporary traffic lights Councillors have assured me that the plan is to get the works finished during the school holidays so people can get around more easily again when they both have to take children to school and get themselves to work in the morning and to get home in the late afternoon. I have just written again to the Council asking them to remove temporary lights and take blocks away from closed traffic lanes in good time for the return to school wherever they can. We have experienced troubles with prominent junctions like the Winnersh Crossroads, the Finchampstead/Wellington Road roundabout and with the closure of Denmark Street and Broad Street in Wokingham, town centre.

There was plenty to talk about when Conservative members assembled for a summer lunch last week-end. We reviewed progress with getting more money for Wokingham’s schools, social care and road improvements. We talked to Councillors present about the need to re open the roads in time for the return to school and the end of many people’s summer breaks. And yes, the topic of Brexit did come up.
No-one present spoke up for the Chequers proposal. The majority view was to press the Prime Minister to move on from Chequers, and to see what kind of free trade deal might be possible. This was not a formal political event with votes or decisions, but it was interesting to see such a broad measure of agreement from a good audience. There was a general wish for the UK to be firmer in negotiation and to talk more about the benefits of leaving.

I was the guest speaker at the Wokingham Lunch Club today. I would like to thank the organisers led by Barbara Houghton, and the 90 who turned up for the event.  We had a good range of questions following my comments. I covered local issues, education, transport, law and order, taxes, the economy and the general state of play on Brexit and the negotiations.