Why Social Mobility Matters in Reading

Even if you don't have time to read the whole document, the executive summary of the Coalition Government's Social Mobility Strategy makes salutary reading:

"There is a long way to go. The income and social class of parents continue to have a huge bearing on a child’s chances.

• Only one in five young people from the poorest families achieve five good GCSEs, including English and maths, compared with threequarters from the richest families.
• 25% of children from poor backgrounds fail to meet the expected attainment level at the end of primary school, compared to 3% from affluent backgrounds.
• Almost one in five children receive free school meals, yet this group accounts for fewer than one in a hundred Oxbridge students.
•  Only a quarter of boys from working-classbackgrounds get middle-class (professional or managerial) jobs.

• Just one in nine of those with parents from low income backgrounds reach the top income quartile, whereas almost half of those with parents in the top income quartile stay there. 

• Only 7% of the population attend independent schools, but the privately educated account for more than half of the top level of most professions, including 70% of high court judges, 54% of top journalists and 54% of chief executive officers of FTSE 100 companies.
• The influence of parental income on the income of children in Britain is among the strongest in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Parental income has over one and a half times the impact on male incomes in Britain compared with Canada,Germany and Sweden.

This is Labour's real legacy to the young people of this country and it is a terrible one: not to have improved the life chances of many of the UK's poorest children.

Nick Clegg has long championed the need to do something about the fact that in parts of the UK the poorest children overtaken by richer ones in education by the age of 7 and I'm delighted he is using the platform of Government to try and bring about change.

This is as important at local level as it is nationally. Here in Reading where you are born and your background continues to exert a powerful influence on your ability to succeed.

This is wrong and I am committed to doing everything in my power to improve the life chances of everyone in our community - whatever their background. This is one of the issues that gets me out of bed in the morning and drives me to put the crazy hours I do into politics at local level.

I am driven in part because I realise how lucky I have been compared to others in my own life and I want to help others who haven't been so lucky.

I am state-school educated but I freely admit I have benefited from the sort of opportunities that many others have not such as work-experience and access to social networks of family and friends.

The Pupil Premium will  help us do that by investing in education of the poorest children in our community. Increasing apprenticeships in Reading also helps us do that as a Council.

At national level we will have for the first time up a joined-up cross-government approach that focusses resources on reducing child poverty - something Labour failed to do in 13 years.

Improving educational outcomes and social mobility is urgent in Reading where one in five children live in poverty.

In my role as Lead Member for Housing, Health and Community Care I take a keen interest in measures to tackle poverty and I was really pleased to see the role housing plays in the Government's new Child Poverty Strategy published today:

"Having a stable, good quality home to live in is a basic necessity. Children in bad housing conditions are more likely to have long-term ill health, slow physical growth and delayed cognitive development. A review by the British Medical Association highlighted the links between housing and a range of physical and mental health issues. Poor quality housing is associated with reduced mental well-being and housing conditions in childhood can have a long-term impact on health, even if conditions improve."

"The wider community in which a child grows up can also influence their future outcomes. The poorer the neighbourhood, the more likely it is to have high rates of crime, poor air quality, lack of green spaces and safe places for children to play.100 The report of the Government’s champion for active, safer communities, Baroness Newlove, demonstrates the contribution communities can make to keeping their neighbourhoods safe and how services can support communities to lead this work."

And I am proud that Nick Clegg is spearheading work across government to ensure that "birth is never destiny".  I would like to add my own aspiration: better to try and fail to build a more socially mobile society in Reading using the tools we have available than never to have tried at all.

A couple of speeches from Lib Dem Spring Conference I liked

First, our fantastic new Party President, Tim Farron MP - who has long been a conference favourite. I voted for Tim to be our Party President because no-one in the party campaigns or does fighting talk better.

And secondly Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg MP. I have heard all Nick Clegg's conference speeches live and I think this was his strongest speech yet.

Don't let anyone tell you it can't be different

This week has been one of the busiest of the campaign so far. As well as my daily diet of campaigning I took part in two hustings - one organised by Reading Faith Forum and another by the Argyle Road Community Church. I was interviewed by BBC Parliament's education service for a video to be shown in schools after the election and I also found time to pen an article for the Reading Chronicle's election series on Lib Dem policies for tackling crime and anti-social behaviour. We've been campaigning all over the constituency and we are continuing to find plenty of Lib Dem supporters wherever we go. Delivering leaflets in Southcote earlier in the week several people stopped me in the street to say they were fed up with Labour and would be voting Lib Dem. Out and about in Whitley Wood and Kennet Island yesterday I received a very warm reception and it was encouraging to hear people say they were thinking long and hard about how they would be voting this year, with many of them seriously considering voting Lib Dem in many cases for the first time. I've had a steady stream of emails from undecided voters who are keen to find out more about our policies, as well as emails from people seeking my help on various issues after being let down by Labour politicians nationally as well as locally. We are finding support for Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats in Reading West showing no sign of abating. This picture is mirrored nationally with many polls continue to show Labour in third place. The Reading Chronicle has picked up the fact that the odds on me being elected as Reading West's first Lib Dem MP have been dramatically reduced. In the last 24 hours The Guardian and Observer newspapers have both said they are backing the Lib Dems as the best chance to reform our political system.
There is no doubt that the Leaders' debates have helped spark more interest in the upcoming election locally. I can honestly say many people I've spoken to on the doorstep continue to be unconvinced by David Cameron, despite his slick campaign. There is only one person less popular than him on the doorstep...and that's Gordon Brown. He was very unpopular on the doorstep in Reading West before the Rochdale moment, now his name is mud in many places and I wouldn't want to repeat some of the language people have used to describe him here! Sadly for Labour visits to Reading by celebrities such as Eddie Izzard are not going to change people's minds at this late stage in the campaign. People base their decisions on more fundamental issues than that. This Party Political Broadcast by the Liberal Democrats shown a couple of days ago featuring Nick Clegg encapsulates really effectively the huge opportunity facing voters in Reading West. The chance for real change - change to our politics , our tax system and our economy. The two old parties (Labour and Conservatives) have so much to lose if our political system changes - they are based on vested interests. That's why they are hoping that people vote for them to help ensure things stay the same. Labour have fought a depressingly negative campaign in Reading West and I fear that as they get more and more desperate their leaflets will get even worse. My feeling is this style of campaigning will backfire. The reaction we are getting on the doorstep says that this year many people want something different from politics and politicians - a promise of something different, something better. It's really positive that thousands more people have registered to vote ahead of this election. I hope as many people as possible use their vote on 6 May to vote Lib Dem for real change. Still need convincing? Check out this ace video:

Anyway, there's only a few days to go now until Polling Day - apologies in advance for lack of posts between then and now. Our campaign is not backed by trade unions or wealthy donors and we rely on help from local volunteers. If you have some time to spare between now and Polling Day to help my campaign in Reading West and get the vote out on the day please post a message via my Facebook page, send me a message on Twitter or email me daisy@daisybenson.com.

People in Reading West saying "I agree with Nick"

Sorry for the lack of updates I've been campaigning pretty much flat out. But it's all good. I took part in an enjoyable & lively radio debate with the Labour and Conservative candidates on Friday in between canvassing, delivering leaflets, chatting to residents and supporters across the constituency. It seemed to go well (when I got home I had an email from a caller who had asked a question saying she liked my answer to a question which was nice!) I reported a few weeks back about the positive reaction me and members of my Lib Dem team are getting on the doorstep here in Reading West. And that was before Nick Clegg's brilliant performance on the first Leaders Debate on ITV! I was confident Nick would pull it off but he surpassed even my optimistic expectations.I've heard Nick speak in the flesh a few times - including at the highly-successful Town Hall meeting he held in Reading two years ago and always found his direct, straightforward style and the fact he listens to people really impressive. But it's not just the way he says things but what he says that matters. And on content he won hands down I thought. Seems like thousands of other people agreed with meI lost count of the number of times I heard the other two Party leaders say "I agree with Nick" (I hear GB said it 7 times!). What a pity Labour and Conservative MPs didn't agree with him when it mattered - in Parliament when the Lib Dems tried time and again to clean up British politics and the other parties blocked reform.
In case you missed it, here is Nick's compelling closing statement again - in all it's power:



Nick visited my ward a few years ago and came to Hexham Rd with me and we spoke about my campaign to improve the quality of life for local residents after years of neglect by Labour and to meet some of my constituents. His down to earth, easy and relaxed manner went down really well with everyone he spoke to. The last time I heard Nick speak was at Lib Dem Spring Party Conference in Birmingham in March and it was the best speech I'd ever heard him give - full of passion and conviction. He spelled out how vitally important the General Election is for the future of our country and how much is riding on it in terms of delivering fairness and a new politics. I've always thought that the more people got to hear Nick the more they would like what he had to say, and I was right. With the Lib Dems being given equal coverage in the media during the election people are getting the message that we offer something different. The Leaders Debate has opened people's eyes in Reading West to the fact that this election is not a two horse race between Labour and the Conservatives. The Lib Dems are very much in the race and we are the only Party offering real change, not more of the same from the Labservatives or "the two old parties" as Nick calls them. On the doorstep, right across the constituency people of all ages and backgrounds have been saying "let's give the Lib Dems a go". Or "I've been thinking about voting Lib Dems for ages and I'm going to now". Many of them have told me they watched the debate. The change they are being offered by David Cameron is fake change and many people I've spoken to are seeing right through it. Campaigning in Whitley and Oxford Road on Friday, Pangbourne, Kentwood, Southcote and Calcot on Saturday, and Tilehurst and Theale on Sunday we got really positive reactions from people wherever we went- all of them ex-Labour and ex-Conservative voters. It was like someone had switched a light on. Nick had managed to cut through all the spin and rubbish that is written about Lib Dem policies in opposition Parties' leaflets and many newspapers and connect directly with people. Since the programme I've had phone calls, emails and Facebook messages from people wanting to help our campaign which has given us a real boost. I am confident that this is not a one off but just the start. This genie cannot be put back in the bottle by Labour or Tory spin doctors. Sadly Labour have kept up with their nasty personal attacks on me in their latest literature and the Labour candidate for Reading West Naz Sarkar has still refused to sign up to the clean campaign pledge. Playing dirty isn't going to persuade the thousands of people who've given up on Labour in Reading to go back. Gordon Brown's Labour government is discredited and tarnished by the expenses scandal and Labour's failure to deliver political reform. Locally people complain of phone calls and emails not being answered by senior Labour councillors and they are fed up with it. Attempts to smear my excellent record as a councillor by Labour is not going to help people stuck waiting for years for affordable housing in Reading or children living in poverty. In this election people want to hear positive messages about what politicians and political parties will do to help change their lives (like the Lib Dem fair tax policy) and change politics (like our plan to enable people to sack their MPs) and they are hearing that from the Lib Dems, not from Labour or the Conservatives who are stuck in the past, dealing with the politics of fear not hope. Check out this short film "I believe in fairness" for more info about the Lib Dem campaign for change that works for you.

Finally, Tuesday 20th (tomorrow) is the final day when you can register to vote in the general and local elections here in Reading and West Berkshire. Visit the RBC website, download the form, sign it and take it in to the Civic Offices 5pm tomorrow to ensure you have a chance to vote for real change in Reading West! Must go I've just had another email from somone wanting to help our campaign in Whitley...

Fair taxes will help ordinary people in Reading West

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg today launched Lib Dem proposals for fair taxes. Readers of this blog and people that have spoken to me will know that I am passionate about the need to reduce inequality in Reading so that everyone can thrive wherever they live and whatever their bank balance. This is because since moving to Reading seven years ago I was struck by the real poverty I saw in a so-called 'boom town'. The Economist confirmed this picture in this article a few weeks ago.I was disgusted that under a Labour government and Labour council areas of the town had been allowed to get so rundown and so many people left to struggle. People who had been told time and time again that Labour was on their side. So I'm delighted that Nick has put fairness at the centre of the Lib Dem manifesto leaving up to these important elections. Currently the poorest 20% of people in our area are losing more of their income in tax than they did in 1997 and the richest 20% are paying less. The gap between rich and poor neighbourhoods around Reading has widened and the number of children living in poverty has gone up. Nick today pledged that the Lib Dems would raise the tax threshold to £10,000 so that people would not pay tax on the first £10,000 they earn. This would help millions of people on low incomes including pensioners and also cut most people's tax bills by £700. We would pay for this by closing tax loopholes that Labour have allowed to continue for years. We'd also introduce a new tax on homes worth over £2.5 million pounds (bearing in mind the average house price in Reading is £221k) and introduce 'green taxes' on aviation. Anyway, enough from me - watch this video to hear Nick setting out these radical plans much more eloquently than I ever could!

Lib Dems' practical plan to cut crime vs Tory spin

Earlier this week the Conservative Party made the headlines for all the wrong reasons as they were roundly criticised for misrepresenting figures on violent crime for political gain.

I caught a bit of Chris Grayling, Shadow Home Secretary being interviewed on Radio 4's Today programme and I cringed. He said something about how if you talked to people on the streets they would confirm crime had risen - hardly very scientific! The point there is that what people feel about crime is based on people's perceptions not hard data: and I would agree that fear of crime is an issue.

Let's not forget the key point that Louise Casey reminded me of recently: 80% of crime goes unreported. So we need to be very careful about how we use and refer to crime data.

If you've been reading this blog and my ward blog you'll know that one of my big issues is the need to radically improve public confidence in the Police and the Council's ability to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

I have actively campaigned for a more effective approach in Reading which involves more regular communication and a better dialogue from the authorities with the public.

Political stunts like the one launched by the Conservatives are highly damaging to public confidence (which is already low when it comes to crime) and I was pleased to see the response by the Chairman of the independent UK Statistics Authority which pointed out the folly of a politician attacking official statistics.

The British Crime Survey has been around since 1981 and although it may not be perfect I would suggest it is more credible than a certain political party when it comes to crime figures!

In stark contrast to the crude politicking of the Conservatives on crime this week (which was nothing other than damaging both to public confidence and to the Conservative Party's standing), I was really pleased to see Nick Clegg and Lib Dem Shadow Home Affairs Spokesman Chris Huhne set out the practical ways in which a Lib Dem government would make communities feel safer.

It's simple: Lib Dems would scrap ID Cards and spend the money on 3,000 more Police on the beat.

The plans called 'Safer Streets - more and better Police' include proposals to publish detection rates as well as ward level crime data.

It chimes in very much with the way we have campaigned to get crime tackled more effectively here in Reading and I think these proposals would be a very positive step towards making people feel safer and to improve public confidence in Policing.

Research published by the Lib Dems at the same time as the policy revealed:

• Police numbers have fallen in 18 out of the 43 police forces (42%) in England and Wales since 2005. Two thirds of these police authorities are currently controlled by the Tories and one third by Labour
• The new officers proposed under Liberal Democrat plans could be expected to make an additional 27,500 arrests and solve more than 24,500 extra crimes each year in England and Wales alone

Contrast these pledges with the actions of Conservative Mayor of London, Boris Johnson this week - who campaigned on a crime ticket then announced he would be cutting 450 Police officers in the capital!

I look forward to finding out what local people in Reading think about these proposals when I talk to them on the doorstep over the coming weeks.

As a local councillor I have heard many complaints from residents over the years that there are not enough Police in their areas - right across Town.

I'm really pleased as a parliamentary candidate that I will be able to say hand on heart that I am standing for a Party ready and able to offer genuinely practical solutions to cutting crime.

Simply scaremongering as the Conservatives have done this week will do nothing other than damage what little confidence people have in the ability of the Police and councils to tackle crime.

Labour's plans to help young people are a drop in the ocean

Well, lo and behold after Nick Clegg outlined ambitious plans to help young people badly hit by the recession Labour ministers have been shamed into coming up with more cash to tackle youth unemployment.

But the proposals set out by Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper today constitute a drop in the ocean - and will go nowhere near helping all young people affected.

And they won't help all young people right now. And they are unlikely to reach many young people in West Reading who are out of work.

• Labour ministers promise that their package will help 470,000 unemployed young people 'over the next 15 months'
• But as I pointed out yesterday the government's own figures published last week revealed that there are currently approaching 1 million youngsters out of work
• Dig deeper into the details of Labour's plan and only 100,000 youngsters would be set to benefit immediately
• Labour's Future Jobs Fund will only create a possible 16,000 apprenticeship places (UK wide)
• But the Future Jobs Fund is no panacea. As I revealed on my Redlands blog last July the number of jobs this was set create across the South East region last year was predicted to be less than 5,000!

Yvette Cooper said today that each young person would be given their own named Jobcentre Plus personal adviser. I'm sure this will have young people jumping for joy. This won't provide young people with hope it's designed to get them more used to the idea of being long-term unemployed. Is this the message we should be sending young people?

As Ms Cooper acknowledges in her own press release thousands of young people have been unemployed for 6 months or longer - school leavers and graduates.

Why did Labour leave young people to languish on benefits for all this time before announcing today's long-overdue 'Guarantee'?

Contrast these plans with the proposals that Nick Clegg outlined last week which include:

Investing £900 million pounds which would:

• Go towards supporting ALL young people into training or paid work just 90 days or 3 months after they have been looking for work
• Guarantee the creation of thousands of extra higher education and training course places
• Fund a commitment to pay young people on an internship or training course £55 per week

It's clear for all to see: the Lib Dem proposals will help more young people into work, skills and training more quickly.

Young people in West Reading - let down by Labour

The latest official unemployment statistics were published earlier this week.

It is good to see the number of people out of work has fallen by approximately 7,000 - however the number of people currently out of the work is still far too high - at over 2.4 million.

This is Gordon Brown's real legacy.

The number of young people not in education, employment, skills or training (NEETs) has also fallen - this is a real credit to all the people and organisations in Reading who are working to support young people in the area.

But I am still concerned about young people who despite all the strategies and initiatives adopted by Reading Borough Council and Connexions Berkshire continue to struggling.

One young person struggling alone in Reading is one too many, in my view. We cannot afford both as a society and as an economy to overlook any young person.

Young people like Nathan - a young man from Dee Park estate who has been trying to find employment in Reading for months and who was interviewed by BBC South on Friday.

I was asked what the Lib Dems would do - you can see the piece here:


I'm delighted local and national media are finally picking up on this issue and joining the campaign for action.

Unemployment peaked in Reading last October and seeing the impact for myself on people living in my ward spurred me on to campaign on this issue.

I visited Reading Job Centre Plus in October and spoke to staff. At that time 1,000 people were coming through the doors every day and they were looking at ways of expanding to cope with demand.

Before Labour Ministers start slapping themselves on the back I think it's important to point out some pretty bleak facts that these figures conceal:

• There are currently over 8 million people currently classed by government as 'economically inactive'
• The employment rate is at its lowest rate since 1996-7 (the number of vacancies has fallen)
• There are currently an estimated 927,000 16-24 year olds out of work in the UK (down fro 943,000)

So what's the picture like here in Reading? (figures quoted available on the NOMIS website)

• There are currently just under 4,000 people claiming Job Seekers Allowance
• 40% of people currently claiming JSA live in West Reading: in Whitley (395), Battle (360), Norcot (350) and Minster (320)
• The majority of JSA claimants in Reading are in the 20-24 age group (690 people)
• There are currently 330 young people aged between 17-19 out of work and claiming benefit -

Yet more evidence, as I wrote earlier this week, that despite rising wealth and standards of living in some parts of town, Reading continues to be a very divided place economically.

It's a place where many people have not benefitted from years of a Labour government or a Labour Council.

And to an extent our assumptions are based on the official statistics. But we know that there are more examples of 'hidden jobless'.

This interesting article which appeared in the The Independent earlier this week has more about the rise in 'hidden jobless' including the big rise in the number of people being forced into part-time work due to a shortage of full-time roles.

This recession is having a disproportionate impact on young people and in particular young black people. Research carried out by the Institute of Public Policy Research and published in The Guardian this week revealed that 1 in 2 black youngsters (48%) aged between 16-24 are currently out of work.

This is a shocking statistic and a damning indictment of 13 years of a Labour government. Labour ministers like Harriet Harman and David Lammy claim that equality matters to the Labour Party but young black kids growing up under a Labour government have not found themselves better off or with an equal chance of success in British society today.

Nick Clegg has described the plight of young black people struggling in the recession as 'completey unacceptable' an this week he pledged that a Lib Dem government would work to dramatcally increase opportunity for young people of all races currently out of work.

You can find out more about Nick's plans to help young people in my post earlier this week.

I am committed to providing a strong voice for people all colours, races and faiths who have been let down by Labour in this recession.

If you have been badly affected, or you know someone who has I would love to hear from you.

Please get in touch.

Nick Clegg gets it on youth unemployment (and social media)

This is entirely my view and I couldn't hope to speak for others but I couldn't be happier with the way the national Lib Dem campaign is going at the minute and with the direction taken by Nick Clegg and his team over the past two weeks.

Since I was selected as a PPC for Reading West on 8 January Nick has outlined two key pledges firstly - action to reduce the number of empty homes, and secondly, today, plans to throw a much-needed life line to young people.

Anyone who knows me will know these are two of the issues that mean the most to me in my campaigning - probably in my top 5!

In parts of Reading - notably Whitley the number of youngsters who are not in work or education is a real cause for concern and Labour locally and nationally have run out of ideas of how to tackle this. If I was a family member affected by this I would be really angry.

Last October I forced local politicians to engage on this issue: I got Reading Borough Council to hold a special summit meeting on how we can better support local youngsters.

I wrote to RBC again this week calling for a follow up meeting to ensure that this issue does not slip off the agenda and I gave an interview to BBC South on the subject.


I wrote to Nick last summer calling for urgent action after seeing the figures on youth unemployment in Reading.

And because I felt so passionately about this issue last September I overcame my nerves and spoke at Lib Dem Federal Conference to ensure that the Lib Dems had a policy on this issue:

You can check out my speech here:




Nick will be launching the Lib Dem policy to help support young people badly affected by the recession at 4pm today.

He will be talking directly to young people using social media - what else?

Earlier today he said:

"Facebook, YouTube and Twitter play as an important role as TV or newspapers in young people's lives. Politicians can't ignore new or social media if they want to connect with the next generation of voters"

At last, a UK Party Leader who actually gets it!! I will continue blogging and tweeting even more fervently now (not that I needed any encouragement).

I have been using social media as part of my campaigning in Reading for the past couple of years. I am keen to get children and young people involved in a scrutiny review I am leading on children's health - we can't expect that they will want to come to council meetings (especially when very few adults do!)



On the subject of YouTube, check out this video that Nick and his team have produced:



Nick Clegg will be holding an online question time at 4.30pm today.

You can find full details of the event and how to submit a question here. You can submit a question via Twitter - @Nick_Clegg #asknick.

Nick Clegg unveils bold plans to tackle empty homes

Great news today: Nick Clegg, Vince Cable and Sarah Teather have set out radical new plans to reduce the number of empty homes in the UK.

Nick has set out plans which will help bring thousands of empty homes back into use (providing more homes for people that need them).

These plans will also help create around 65,000 new jobs.

What a great idea!

David Ireland, Chief Executive of the Empty Homes Agency, the charity which is leading the national campaign for action on this issue responded to the news as follows:

"This bold policy would transform the scale of England’s empty homes crisis, enabling a very significant proportion to become affordable homes for people.” He added, “This sends out a challenge to the government and other opposition parties to say how they would help create more homes from England’s empty property.”

This is an issue really close to my heart.

People who know me will know that I have been campaigning on this issue since 2006 in Reading.

I led a successful campaign to get Labour-run Reading Borough Council to take action to bring homes back into use.

As a result of our campaign the Council now has an empty homes strategy and RBC issued a press release today which revealed that homes in Whitley, Norcot and Caversham have all been renovated and sold to become family homes as a result.

There is a long way to go in Reading but the Lib Dem plans set out today would help reduce the number of empty homes much more quickly.

You can visit my Redlands blog for more details on our local empty homes campaign.

Some facts:

There are around 500 long term empty homes in Reading and an estimated 5,000 people waiting for affordable housing to rent.

This is a scandal. And the number has increased this year due to the impact of the recession.

Families in Reading are having to wait on average 20 months for family-sized social housing to become available.

As a result, thousands of families and children in Reading are currently living in badly overcrowded conditions.

I am campaigning to get help for these families and to get the Council to build more family-sized social homes.

Nick Clegg's plan would make more of these types of houses available for families to rent in Reading and it would help reduce the pressure to develop sensitive sites for new housing - a big issue for many people living in West Berkshire.

Labour's policies for tackling empty homes have not worked and the recession has made matters worse here in Reading.

Parts of West Reading empty homes are a real problem: notably Battle where there is a particularly problem of empty flats above empty shops.

I know from my campaigning in Redlands how an empty house can also blight an area - as in the case of 35 Christchurch Road - a source of frustration to residents for miles around.

Often the reason people leaves their homes empty is because is it cheaper for them to do so. Under the proposals outlined by Nick Clegg today, people who own these homes will get a grant or a cheap loan to renovate them so they can be used: grants if the home is for social housing, loans for private use.

I am delighted Nick Clegg has put action to tackle empty homes at the heart of the Lib Dem manifesto for the upcoming elections and I look forward to seeing how it goes down on the doorstep.

Check out this video for more info:

Getting started

Hello, welcome to my new online campaign diary.

I was selected to be the Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Reading West last Friday and it feels like I haven't really stopped since.

Although I already have a blog which I write with my lovely ward colleagues Cllr Glenn Goodall and Cllr Kirsten Bayes, I wanted to have a space where I could post updates from the campaign trail as we get closer to the General Election.

I also wanted to give people living in West Reading and West Berkshire a way of finding out more about our local and national Lib Dem campaigns, and what I stand for.

I'm not promising I will always have time to post updates - but I'll try and post them when I can
in between campaigning, working and grabbing time to relax with friends and family.

A bit about me: I've lived in Reading since 2003 but I was born and raised in North London (and as a result I support Arsenal!)

I studied English Literature and Politics at the University of Edinburgh and like many people I came to Reading originally for work.

I love living in Reading (although I don't love commuting to work in London). When I'm not campaigning I love going to the cinema although I don't go as often as I would like. The last film I saw was Nowhere Boy (about John Lennon) although the last film I loved was the excellent Avatar in 3D.

I got elected as a councillor on Reading Borough Council in 2006 and I've spent most of my time since then campaigning and getting things done for local people.

I speak on housing issues on behalf of the Lib Dems on Reading Borough Council and I also Chair a scrutiny panel which covers housing, health and community care. Details of my campaigning in these areas over on my ward blog.

I care passionately about better housing for all and have spent the last few years campaigning for cleaner, greener, safer - and healthier neighbourhoods here in Reading.

These are bread and butter issues that are all about helping to improve the quality of life of ordinary people.

I feel honoured to be chosen as the Lib Dem candidate and I pledge to throw my energy into campaigning for a better quality of life for everyone living in Reading West.

With the retirement of Martin Salter - a popular, hard-working local MP a vacancy has arisen for a new local champion - someone to who is unfraid to speak out for local people and get things done.

I would like to thank everyone who has been in touch to wish me luck and to offer their support.

There will be plenty to do between now and the elections.

Would you like to get involved in the campaign to elect a new local champion for Reading West?

Whatever your skill or interest we'd love to hear from you. Please visit our campaign website and leave us your details.

The friendly team behind the Lib Dem campaign in West Reading is made up of local people of all ages.

It doesn't matter if you haven't been involved in a politics before - now is a great time to get involved with so many issues that need action, and very important elections only months away in Reading.

Back to this week and I've been very busy since I was selected.

The recent freezing weather has made a lot of people's lives very difficult in Reading - particularly the elderly and those on low incomes - and I have been doing my bit to support them and keep them informed.

Yesterday I succeeded in getting the Council to extend a public consultation about introducing unfair service charges for Council tenants. These charges won't now be introduced now until April.

So far this week I've been interviewed by the Reading Chronicle, Get Reading and the Newbury Weekly News about my selection.

There was a nice article and editorial in the hard copy edition Get Reading today (which made up for the unflattering picture of me they printed on the website earlier in the week!)

Oh well, you have to get used to that kind of thing in local politics - especially in Reading.

I have been regularly tweeting about my activities both as a councillor and Reading West PPC since I was selected on Friday. You can follow me here.

Twitter divides opinion but I love it and would encourage everyone to try it before they dismiss it.

Last week TV presenter Anne Diamond interviewed me on her BBC Radio Berkshire lunchtime show about the way I use social media tools to engage. You can listen to our chat here.

I also heard today that I've been shortlisted for a national award for my online campaigning.

I was delighted to see our Party Leader announce he will be taking part in an online public question time on Twitter on 20 January where he will be asking young people what issues they face. I have actively supported the Youth Cabinet and championed issues affecting children and young people in Reading.

On Monday evening I was interviewed by Phil Kennedy on BBC Radio Berkshire about my selection and Nick Clegg's speech this week on fairness.

I was delighted to hear Nick pledging to put fairness at the heart of our manifesto.

As I said in my hustings speech, fairness is very important to me and the sense of injustice about the state of things on my own doorstep was what first attracted me to the Party.


I was also pleased to hear Nick say it was time politicians started treating voters like grown-ups and not pledging to do things they cannot deliver. Gordon Brown and the Labour Party have left the public finances in a total mess and to quote Nick again "the politics of plenty are over".

Nick has spelled out his four steps for a fairer Britain in this short video:



I got a call from BBC South yesterday keen to interview me to do a piece about the problems many young people in Reading are facing during this recession.


The high number of 16-19 year olds who are not in education, employment in training in Reading is an issue I have been actively campaigning to highlight over the past year.

A few months ago I got the Council to hold a special summit to find out what more could be done to help and support young people.

I also campaigned to ensure Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems developed policies action to tackle youth unemployment. I spoke out at the last Lib Dem Conference in support this issue.

You can watch my speech here:




I am very excited about the local Lib Dem campaign for a fairer Reading and I can't wait to get out and about meeting more local people.

I am keen to find out what issues local people in West Reading and West Berkshire are concerned about.

Please get in touch - I'd love to hear from you. Email me at daisy@daisybenson.com