Category: Wokingham and West Berkshire Issues

I was a guest at the Burghfield British Legion Queen’s birthday lunch today. It was good to have an opportunity to meet members and to thanks them all for their work for this important charity. Burghfield does a wonderful job on Remembrance Sunday each year, with a good service and well attended parade.

Mortimer is the first place in West Berkshire to prepare a Neighbourhood Development Plan. This morning I was briefed on where they have reached in making proposals and consulting the village. The two main issues being tackled are where new house building should take place, and how St John’s C of E primary school should be modernised and expanded.

Those interested can see the plan in the Parish office or on the website.(www.mortimer-ndp.org.uk). The survey has indicted that a majority favour a single location for new housing south of St John’s School.

Tomorrow I will be in Mortimer to discuss the local village plan. I would welcome any comments from residents as background to my meeting with those guiding the parish work on this important document.

I have received a letter from the Chief Executive of Heathrow Airport:

21st May 2015

John Redwood MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Dear Mr Redwood

We have always greatly appreciated your support and I want to ensure we maintain that.

I am sorry that we did not communicate better with your constituents around the airspace trials last year. We let you down and I apologise.

We have since set up the Community Noise Forum, which is working well in improving understanding and communication. We are also working with NATS to ensure they take into account the impact on residents when changing operational procedures.

I would like Heathrow to be a good neighbour. Since I took over as CEO, last summer, I have challenged my team to do more to reduce the impact of noise on local communities and improve air quality. We recently announced our “blueprints” on noise and air quality, which will lead to planes flying higher, fewer old and noisy planes and encouraging airlines to retrofit A320s with a device that prevents the whistling sound on these aircraft. Many of the additional improvements you want to see such as aircraft flying higher will be introduced as part of the changes being made to airspace through the Government’s Future Airspace Strategy (FAS) which my team briefed you about when you met with them.

I believe that expansion of Heathrow can offer unique economic benefits locally and nationally and keep Britain where it belongs – right at the heart of the global economy. But it can only happen within strict environmental limits.

I hope that we can meet soon so that I can understand how we can serve you better. I will ask my PA, Tina to try to arrange a meeting.

Yours sincerely

John Holland-Kaye
Chief Executive Officer

Now that the new Station link is in place and some of the road works have lifted, I am interested I hearing from you about your daily journey and if things are now a bit better. I am also planning to talk to the Councils about congestion, improved junction layouts for better traffic flows and safer use, and Wokingham’s ambitious road programme going forward. It would be good to get some more responses before I do so, to add to the doorstep conversations and emails I have received on this hot topic.

I have been approached about a possible planning application to build new homes to the east of the village, on the edge of the settlement.

I would urge all those concerned about it to tell the Parish Council and West Berkshire of their views. The Parish Council is about to offer its advice, and then West Berkshire as Planning Authority will make the decision.

Further details can be found on the Parish Council’s website: http://www.stratfield-mortimer.gov.uk/Stratfield-Mortimer-PC/Default.aspx; and West Berkshire Council’s website: http://info.westberks.gov.uk/

Yesterday a letter arrived in my email box from the Chief Executive of Heathrow. He wants my support in case Heathrow emerges as the preferred location for an extra runway from the imminent Report.

I have written back to him reminding him that recent changes to flight patterns have increased the noise over my constituency. This took place with no advertisement or public consultation. I have held meetings with both Heathrow and NATs to complain. I am awaiting answers to my questions about what measures they propose to take to reduce the current noise levels and to reconsider the flight paths.

I have asked the Chief Executive himself to look into this important matter, which has reduced support for Heathrow in the Wokingham area. I want to know if the flightpaths can be changed back, if the planes can climb and descend more steeply so they are higher over us, if pilots can be required to fly in less noisy ways, if future capacity increases could remove the need for stacking and circling, and  if more use can be made of quieter planes.

I will pursue these issues with Heathrow, NATs and Ministers.

I have now been sent the final figures for the costs of running my Parliamentary  office in 2014-15.

The staff costs were £58,022 compared to a maximum permitted budget of £138,600   (41.9% of budget)

My London accommodation costs were £3970.01, compared to a maximum budget of £8850   (44% of budget)

My other office costs were  £2292 compared with a budget of  £23 250.   (9.9% of budget)

 

The total costs were £64,284 compared to maximum budget of £170,700  ( 37.8% of maximum permitted budget)

I aim to keep my costs at under half the average cost of running an MP’s office. These figures imply I have done so.

I would like to thank my staff members for their excellent work and for providing a good value service with me to the people we serve.

Yesterday’s unemployment figures brought the welcome news that unemployment in the Wokingham constituency is now down to 334 people or just 0.6% of the workforce. This is 185 fewer than in April 2014. Wokingham is the seventh lowest unemployment rate in the country by constituency.

The Borough Council has launched two consultations on new leisure and community facilities for Wokingham. It has set out a redevelopment of the Carnival Pool area, with a refurbished pool, new leisure space, and an improved car park. In addition it has proposed youth facilities for Elizabeth Park. There are developer contribution monies available to provide additional community facilities. The Council would like to hear from residents on how best to spend this.

Anyone interested should go onto the Council’s website to see the plans, and to send in their comments and suggestions.