Category: Wokingham and West Berkshire Issues

I have been working closely with Wokingham Borough and some of the Parishes on the issue of development. Wokingham has an agreed local plan with ample provision for new housing, and does not wish to see additional planning permissions granted on appeal outside the approved areas of the plan.

The Council had granted 9500 permissions  by March 2017 for new homes to be built over the years ahead. The agreed requirement is for 850-900 new homes a year, so this represented more than a ten year supply. Under government rules a Council has to make available a five year supply of permissions to give developers and builders some flexibility. On this basis Wokingham should not lose on appeal unless the application was for homes within the agreed plan.

Some Inspectors in the past have ignored or looked through the high level of outstanding planning permissions, and have concentrated on the actual build rate. If this has been below the agreed rate they have sometimes granted extra permissions. This is damaging to the Plan led process, and makes it far more difficult to plan for schools, roads and other infrastructure, introducing more uncertainty into where extra homes might be built.

Together the Borough and I have urged the government to tighten the rules over what Inspectors can do when a Council has made available many more permissions than the number required. the Secretary of State has agreed to work with the Borough on trying to secure a better build rate on the many sites where permissions are already outstanding.

Wokingham is working hard to put in the extra schools, roadspace and other public facilities so much development needs.  A  better enforced local plan would help with this work, which requires Inspectors to support the Council.

Anyone working for Carillion or for one its suppliers or contractors should go to the PWC website, as they are  now in charge as the special managers to the Liquidation.

Their website makes clear that employees should turn up to work as usual and will  be paid from the introduction of the Liquidation. Suppliers should carry on under their existing contracts, and they will paid for goods and services delivered to the company in liquidation. They will be contacted in due course once the Liquidator has reviewed their contracts. The website gives the contacts if people need to clarify these statements or wish to have reassurance about the financial position from here. There are some stories in the media that the position for suppliers and sub contractors may be more difficult than this implies.

The website says to employees:  “Notwithstanding the liquidation the company will continue your employment on the same terms and conditions as before. You should continue to attend for work and you will continue to be paid as  normal.”

It says to suppliers and sub contractors  “Unless otherwise advised, all agents, sub contractors and suppliers should continue to work and provide goods and services as normal, under their existing contracts, terms and conditions. You will get paid for goods and services you supply from 15 January 2018”.

So please check with the Liquidator via the Special Managers  on www.pwc.co.uk/carillion

David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II has done much to focus public attention on the estimated1 million birds, and 100,000 other sea mammals and turtles which die every year from eating and getting tangled in plastic waste.

In the UK alone, during its recent Great British Beach Clean Up, the Marine Conservation Society found 718 pieces of litter for every 100 metre stretch of beach surveyed, and of this rubbish from food and drink made up at least one fifth.

The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan addresses this most pressing problem. The measures include extending the 5p carrier bag charge to all retailers, working with supermarkets to encourage them to introduce plastic-free aisles in which all the food is loose, and investing new money in plastics innovation.

The Government will also encourage manufacturers to take responsibility for the impacts of their products and rationalise the number of different types of plastics they use.

Indeed, one major supermarket chain has just announced it will go plastic-free within six years. The current plastic packaging would be replaced with paper and pulp trays and paper bags, which would be recyclable through domestic waste collections or in-store recycling facilities. It can only be a matter of time before other supermarket chains follow suit.

However, the Government recognises that tackling the use of plastic cannot be done in isolation. The sustainable development of our oceans will be on the agenda when it hosts the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in April. It will work to create a Commonwealth Blue Charter and push for strong action to reduce plastic waste in the ocean.

In addition, the Government will direct its development spending to help developing nations reduce plastic waste, increase our own marine protected areas at home, and establish new Blue Belt protections in our Overseas Territories.

The solution to this global problem will require change and effort from all countries around the world, which the UK will work to achieve.

A number of constituents have written concerning the Parole Board’s decision in the Worboys case to express concern about his release. I have explained that Parliament too has expressed concern and has asked the government to reconsider.We have an independent Parole Board to make individual case decisions where Ministers do not intervene. Following the concerns expressed in the country and in Parliament we learn today that the government is seeing if there is any basis for them to intervene in this case through a Judicial Review. That will require evidence that the decision has not been properly made by the Board.

During last week’s statement on the winter pressures in the NHS I asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social care to look again at the money coming to West Berkshire and Wokingham Councils for social care. The settlements have been tight, with a dispute over our entitlement when the system of calculation changed. He gave a friendly reply, and I will follow up again in writing to see if we can do  better in future years. I am glad there should  be more co-ordination of social care and health care, given the need to provide good quality care to  elderly patients on discharge from hospital.

Before the last election a number of voters contacted me and asked for my  view on foxhunting. I explained that I was not pressing for any change in the current law and regarded the matter as settled. I was not seeking a new vote on it.

It was a surprise to find one proposed in the Conservative Manifesto but that did not alter my view. I am pleased to report that the government, on reflection, has decided there is no need for a new vote and that they are happy too with the settlement arrived at in the previous legislation.

I was invited to visit Acante Solutions, a member of the Unilink Group, on the Heron Industrial Estate on Friday 5th January.

This local business has grown well over the 23 years since its foundation. It assembles kiosks and terminals that allow people an electronic means of ordering meals, managing payments and organising their time and visits. It has been adopted widely by the Prisons service but can also be used in other contexts like a student campus, an immigration and visa centre or shopping centre.

The company has grown to employ 80 people, and exports to Australia and New Zealand where there are similar needs and systems. It is currently seeking 6 more people to help assemble the kiosks.

.

I am grateful to those who sent me Christmas cards from local schools and added a message that our schools need more money. I agree, and have been pressing the government for this for sometime. I have been an active supporter of Fairer Funding for Schools at Westminster where a group of MPs has pressed for more money overall for schools budgets and a fairer funding formula between different local authorities and schools. As a result Wokingham schools will be receiving more next year, and I will keep pressing for further improvements.

I have also received a number of messages written in capital letters on  various pieces of coloured paper also advising me of the shortage of money in some school budgets. As there is no name or address unfortunately I cannot reply to each of these. It is helpful if people do add their name and address, allowing me to reply and to seek further information where this would be useful. It appears these messages were all written by the same person using the same pen. I would judge them to come from a school source and to be from an adult. It would  be good to know who sent them so I can reply properly.

The government has  asked each local Highways authority to identify and improve a strategic network of main local routes. It is making money available for highways improvements to this network. Part of the rationale is to reduce use of the national strategic network for shorter trips  through use of a motorway for just one or two junctions instead of using more direct local roads for these purposes.

 

The first task for Wokingham Borough is to define its strategic network. I have put together some  draft suggestions on how Wokingham might identify its local strategic network and would be interested in your thoughts.

 

The nature of the Boroughs main roads

 

Wokingham’s routes are busier east west than north south. This refects the need of many to travel into the County centre at Reading or to go to Bracknell, to  the cluster of towns west of London and to London itself in the east.  East-west travellers have a choice of A329 M, A 329, and A4 as well as having the M4 to the north and the M3 to the south. North south travel is badly impeded by the east west railways lines from Paddington to Reading and Waterloo to Reading, and by the west east flowing Thames to the north of the Borough. The network has only one two way bridge over the river at Henley, where capacity is badly impeded by traffic lights at the north end of the bridge, and a one way at a time river bridge in Sonning. In Wokingham there is only one underpass bridge to  the train line to Crowthorne on the A321 and that is not wide enough to take two lorries at the same time. There are 3 level crossings which cause major congestion.

 

The main  North-south A road, the A321 should be included in the network, as it connects the Borough to Oxfordshire by the only adjacent two way river  bridge starting in the Borough  at Henley. It goes down to the Blackwater towns, the A 30 and by extension the M3 to the south. .

 

The A329 M and its extension, the A3290 should also be included. It is the heaviest used local road with two lane capacity in each direction. It runs between east and west, connecting Bracknell to east Reading. It ends at the river where Berkshire has always wanted a river crossing, but Oxfordshire has not.

 

The A 327 runs from Fleet in Hampshire with a western  tilt to Reading going through Arborfield and Shinfield, two expanding villages. It is currentky subject to by pass upgrades and will be an important route for travel into and out  of Reading. It warrants inclusion.

 

The A329 east west road  links Bracknell to Reading via Wokingham Winnersh and Earley, all busy settlements. This is also being upgraded and warrants inclusion given the usage.

 

The A 4 is another east-west route that used to be a trunk road. Since adoption as a local road its capacity has been cut by traffic management measures and speeds slowed. As this is not in my constituency I do not express a view on whether this should be included.

The A33 Southampton to Reading road has been detrunked and runs to the west of the Borough into Reading. It has already attracted substantial investment upgrading to  its Berkshire section to dual carriageway. It should  also be part of the local strategic network.

I was delighted to see the government wants to improve the lot of young pets  by tightening controls on breeding and selling kittens and puppies.

The government wishes to ensure that all dog breeders are licensed and only sell animals they have bred themselves. They need to keep young dogs and cats with their mothers for at least eight weeks before sale. They plan a better clampdown on smuggling animals, and on breeding pets with genetic problems.  The law will be strengthened to offer more protection to the animals.

Like many of my constituents I want to see pets treated well, and to ensure they are bred and sold by decent local businesses that care about them. I have lobbied for higher standards and voted to end the use of tamed wild animals in the circus.