Labour's Hidden Agenda

The agenda for the next Cabinet meeting on 6 June makes interesting reading:

ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION IN PUBLIC SESSION



ACTION


WARDS AFFECTED


PAGE NUMBER


1.


CHAIR’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
-
The Chair to inform the meeting of relevant issues.


-


2.


DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
-


Councillors to declare any personal and prejudicial interests they mayhave in relation to the items for consideration in public session.


-


3.


MINUTES


-


To confirm the Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 11 April 2011


To receive the minutes of the meeting of the Mapledurham Playing Fields Management Committee held on 1 March 2011.


B1


B20


4.


QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS


To Receive any Questions from Councillors and the Public, and any petitions from the public.


-


5.


MATTERS REFERRED BY THE CORPORATE, COMMUNITY AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS SCRUTINY PANEL AND COUNCIL


To consider any matters referred by the Corporate, Community and External Affairs Scrutiny Panel and Council.


-


6.


DECISION BOOK REFERENCES


To receive any Decision Book call-ins.


-

LEADERSHIP ITEM



7.


CABINET PRIORITIES FOR THE COMING YEAR


Councillor Lovelock


BOROUGHWIDE


To Follow


Report by the Leader.


8.


LEAD COUNCILLOR PORTFOLIOS


Councillor Lovelock/Head of Central Administration


BOROUGHWIDE


To Follow


To agree the Lead Councillors’ portfolios.


ADULT SOCIAL CARE ITEMS


9.


DEVELOPING A COMPREHENSIVE PREVENTATIVE POLICY IN ADULT SOCIAL CARE


Councillor Orton/Director of Housing and Community Care


BOROUGHWIDE


To Follow


Report to follow.

So much for Labour having a fully-worked out plan for leading the Council!

They clearly have absolutely no new ideas and are planning to revert to type.

Labour are already promising Council Tax freezes without even having studied the budget figures.

When they do get round to working out what their priorities are for the year they will realise they will not be able to deliver on them (because of the financial situation) and will have to make cuts.

Where will Labour find the savings?

Your guess is as good as mine but I fear it will be frontline services given they are opposed to raising revenue to protect services.

As I pointed out their local manifesto was full of holes and uncosted commitments they can't deliver.

I am particularly alarmed by Labour's plans to halt our reforms to social care which could bankrupt the Council and threaten the survival of key services many people depend on.

Delaying these plans will cost the Council £100,000 - per month.

When we took control of the Council last May in coalition with the Conservatives we published a detailed coalition agreement which was agreed by full Council at the 29 June meeting.
We were open about our priorities for the town and  we didn't wait for Cabinet to announce what we plan to do.

When will Labour publish the full details of their deal with the Greens, rather than the edited highlights?

It hardly looks as though they have hit the ground running,

New Funding Opportunities for Local Community Groups Agreed

Yesterday evening the Cabinet of the Liberal Democrat - Conservative Coalition of Reading Borough Council agreed new criteria and process for allocating £181k of new funding to voluntary and community groups in Reading £81k of the grant funding will be revenue and £100k capital funding.

This follows the decision on 17 January to agree the budget allocation for grants 2011/2012 and the setting of the overall budget of the Council on 22 February 2011 when the Coalition administration of the Council agreed to increase funding to the local voluntary sector - in marked contrast to other councils across the country.

This approach has won praise from the National Association of Voluntary and Community Associations and The Spectator magazine which recently described Reading as 'a model council'.

New revenue and capital funding streams have been created to distribute funding to community and voluntary sector groups in Reading which support the priorities of  the Council which include:

• Better value for our residents
• Fairness for all our residents
• Pride in our town and ambition for its future
• Innovation in all aspects of the Council to bring about positive change

I was involved in 2009 in a CCEA Scrutiny Panel Review of the way Grant Aid was allocated to voluntary organisations in Reading. This called for greater transparency and flexibility in the process. It also concluded that funding decisions should be more closely linked to the Council's overall priorities.

As I said at Cabinet last night, I am strongly in favour of this revised approach to grant funding decisions - after all, it is public money and we need to be able to justify every penny and pound that we spend locally.

This is important to increase public confidence in what the Council does both as a public body and as a local authority.

It is also importan to ensure the process for applying for grant funding is opened up to ensure it is as accessible as possible to all groups - not just a select few who understand how the process works or who perhaps benefited from funding in the past.

It has been necessary to improve Council processes in relation to grant funding: when Labour ran the Council there was a woeful lack of transparency and accountability in the way in which grants were allocated.

Under the new approach to funding, subject to Cabinet's decision there will be 4 grant rounds for groups to 'bid' for - in June, August, November and February for revenue grants: and 2 rounds in August and February for capital grants.

Following each round, in the interests of maximum transparency and accountability a Decision Book will be published providing details of proposed grant awards. Each application deadline and the budget balances will be clearly publicised through the Council's website and Borough Council's Funding Digest publication.

Grants will be non-recurring (i.e. for one year only) and in order to be granted applicants must provide evidence to the Council of majority benefit to residents of Reading Borough Council and value for money:

• Small Community Grants - Budget £20,000
• Large Community Grants - Budget £81,000
• Capital Grants - Budget £100,000

The first category of grants is designed to support small projects including start up costs and events at neighbourhood level.

The second category of grants will be allocated to groups that demonstrate they are helping to address the Council's priorities of reducing child poverty, increasing community capacity and celebrity diversity.

I am particularly pleased to see the Council supporting community efforts to reduce poverty - this is a critical issue for us in Reading and something that Labour did too little to address when they were in power.

As my colleague Cllr Kirsten Bayes said in the meeting, with 1 in 5 children in our area living in poverty we believe strongly that the Council must look at everything it does to try to reduce poverty. This is something that the Liberal Democrats are firmly committed to doing.


The third category is for capital grants to local groups that are responsible for not for profit buildings or wish to improve their local environment and quality of life. For example, funding could go to building alterations and extensions, building equipment, and local area enhancement of a capital nature.

When councils across England are cutting funding to the voluntary sector, it sends a very positive message that here in Reading the Lib Dem-Conservative Coalition is looking at new ways to support the efforts of community groups and volunteers who work so hard to improve local neighbourhoods and the lives of local people.

I really hope that local groups come forward and take advantage of these new opportunities.

Andrew Stunell MP Praises 'Influential' Lib Dems in Reading

The Evening Post's Linda Fort interviewed Andrew Stunell MP when he visited Reading earlier this week - worth a watch:

Local Government Minister Backs Reading's Lib Dem Team

                                                                                     Today was not a typical Monday for me (usually I spend Mondays running around campaigning, doing casework and working on Council matters.
Today we were lucky enough to get a visit from Andrew Stunell MP - Lib Dem Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Communities and Local Government Department.

I have built up a good relationship with Andrew and his office through my involvement in the national empty homes campaign led by David Ireland at the Empty Homes Agency.

Andrew came to Reading see some of the great work Lib Dems on Reading Borough Council have been doing for the people of Reading - the word has clearly got out to Government!.

We have had a series of ministers visit us in Reading over the past few months - including Norman Baker MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Transport and Danny Alexander MP - Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Andrew is responsible for housing, regeneration and community cohesion among other things so there were plenty of things to interest him in Reading.

As a former councillor and someone who was present during the Coalition negotiations he is a fascinating person to talk to and learn from. First stop was Reading Station - site of £9.6 million investment by the Coalition Government which will do so much to stimulate growth and improve life for Reading's travelling public.

Then on to nearby Katesgrove where the Coalition administration of the Council recently granted £220,000 funding to the Afro Caribbean Community Group to reopen the iconic Central Club - something that Labour promised to do but failed to deliver.

Andrew is pictured here talking to Mark Bartley from ACCG and Margaret McNeill who lives nearby and is standing for Katesgrove in the forthcoming local elections. Andrew welcomed news that Reading Borough Council has increased financial support to the voluntary sector thanks to the innovative approach taken by the Liberal Democrat-Conservative Coalition.

Then we went over to the Dee Park regeneration scheme in West Reading which recently benefited from £3.7 million pounds additional investment from the Coalition Government which will help develop 76 new affordable homes. Andrew had the chance to meet three local residents including a youngster who are working on the site and developing new skills.

After that it was a short hop to Tilehurst Triangle where Andrew met Cllr Peter Beard and Cllr Chris Harris members of the hard-working Tilehurst Lib Dem team who have not only kept libraries open but extended opening hours!

We talked to him about how we had frozen Council Tax for the first time in many years without cutting frontline services - as we had committed to doing in our local Coalition Agreement.

Then we took Andrew over to visit the former Avenue School site on Basingstoke Road in Katesgrove to see the first new development of extra-care Council Homes in Reading for 20 years brought about as a result of a successful campaign by myself and local MP Rob Wilson - something he was very pleased to see.

Then we took Andrew to Addington Road in Redlands to talk to students about the new Landlord Accreditation Scheme which we have recently implemented to help improve the standard of student and private rented housing in Reading - replacing Labour's failed scheme.
We spoke about the need to tackle problems in neighbourhood with high numbers of rented homes without dividing communities - something that locally Labour do not seem to get.
Like me Andrew is passionate about improving housing and increasing the supply of housing so I took the opportunity to talk shop with him!

Finally we took him to Christchurch Road to talk about our successful empty homes strategy which is bringing long disused properties back into use - an issue very close to my heart. I am delighted that the administration have found resources to keep doing this vital work going despite huge pressures on our budget as a result of Labour's mismanagement of the public finances.

I spoke to Andrew about the New Homes Bonus which will incentivise councils to build more homes and bring empty homes back into use among other things.

I explained to him that in Reading we had ruled out introducing fixed-term tenancies in Reading for  Council tenants and he confirmed that this would be down to the discretion of locally elected councils. Andrew characterised the previous Labour way of ruling local government as being all about compelling councils to do things - he is a confirmed localist which is a refreshing change for a minister based in Whitehall!

Kirsten and Andrew spoke in depth about extending apprenticeships even further in Reading and localising business rates - something we are very keen to see happen so local people and businesses see the benefit of the endeavours.

All in all it was a really positive day and a chance to showcase the work we the Lib Dems on Reading Borough Council have been doing to improve the lives of local communities we represent.

And the sun shone!

The Lib Dem Difference: Policy-making and internal party democracy

One of the things I love about being a Liberal Democrat is that Party Members agree and develop our policies by voting on them at our Conferences. This is not the case in either the Conservative or Labour party. And to the continual surprise of attending national media Lib Dem Conference is not a stage-managed rally, like Labour or Conservative Party conferences, it is a democrat policy-making forum.

The only difference about the Lib Dems now as Nick Clegg acknowledged is we have moved from policy-makers to law makers in government:

"The Coalition Government is shifting power from state to people: restoring civil liberties, protecting personal freedom and privacy, crushing the ID database, we’re ending the house arrest of Labour’s Control Orders, guaranteeing freedom of the press, undertaking the biggest devolution of financial power to Scotland since the formation of the United Kingdom, tearing up the Whitehall rules that dictate to Town Halls how to spend local people’s money, running a successful referendum to give more power to Wales, putting public health in the hands of local authorities, reforming party funding, giving voters the right to sack corrupt MPs, creating an elected House of Lords, finishing the job this party started a century ago.

We passed the policies, conference after conference

Now, finally, we’re passing the laws."

Today I voted in a favour of a motion that asserts our independence as a Party and sets out a way in which individual Party members can continue to exert real influence over the future direction of Party policy both in this Parliament and beyond.
As has been said, we did not win the last election so we should not be surprised that all our manifesto has not been implemented in full. As Party President Tim Farron pointed out during the debate, 64 % of our 2010 Manifesto made it into the Coalition Agreement. This is despite the fact that the number of Lib Dem MPs in Parliament is vastly outnumbered by Conservatives.
We need to ensure that in future years we continue to have a mechanism to develop meaningful policy and feed into the Government's policy programme. Our current policy-making processes were developed in opposition and they need to be strengthened now we are in government.
The direction of travel set out in this motion helps us do this but as Tim Farron said motions alone will not define us as a party. In the words of Chris Huhne MP we will be judged as a Party not on what we say but what we do in Government.

Conference notes:
1. The Liberal Democrats decision after the 2010 General Election to join a coalition government with the Conservative Party in order to take the action needed to deal with the severe financial and economic crisis.


2. The inclusion in the Coalition Agreement of many Liberal Democrat policies from the Liberal Democrat 2010 Election Manifesto and the subsequent success by Liberal Democrat Ministers in implementing these policies.


3. The continuing strong and effective leadership of the Party’s Leader and his team.


4. The importance of communicating to the public the distinctiveness of the Liberal Democrats and our contribution to the programme of the coalition Government.


Conference asserts that:

A. The Liberal Democrats will fight the next General Election in Great Britain as an independent Party without any pacts or agreements with any other party and presenting our Manifesto as the clear and distinct basis for liberal government.


B. The Liberal Democrats will fight elections as an independent Party for the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, the European Parliament and local authorities throughout Great Britain.


C. The Liberal Democrats intend to enter the next General Election campaign with no preference for potential future coalition partners.


D. Following the next General Election, the Liberal Democrats will decide on their position in relation to government bearing in mind:
i) The will of the British people expressed at the ballot box.


ii) The Party’s Manifesto.


iii) The political position and capacity to govern of other parties.


iv) Where relevant circumstances apply] the ability to reach an agreed programme of acceptable policies to ensure a stable Coalition Government.


Conference endorses the five key goals of the Federal Executive’s Strategic Plan for the Party, specifically:
I. To build the Party’s appeal for the 2015 General Election, ensuring and communicating the effectiveness and distinct identity of the Party both as part of an effective government and as a strong and distinctive voice inside and outside the coalition.


II. To win elections in 2011 and beyond, including the referendum on the Alternative Vote, elections to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly, local authorities and the European Parliament.


III. To reflect more effectively the diversity of the Party and the country in our elected representatives at every level.


IV. To build further and to maintain a cohesive Party, building capacity, membership and support and communicating effectively with all members and leaders.


V. To widen and build the Liberal Democrat movement, recognising the wider support in communities and interests for liberal ideas and principles.
To assist in the party projecting a distinct and effective identity, Conference:
1. Urges all Liberal Democrats, including parliamentarians and ministers, to demonstrate to the wider public the specific contribution that we have made to the programme of the Coalition Government by identifying:
a) Those policies which derive from the Liberal Democrat’s existing and emerging policy platform.


b) Those aspects of Government policy which Liberal Democrats have changed to be more consistent with our principles and beliefs


c) Those aspects of Government policy which originated from the Conservative party policy platform.
2. Calls for the programme of the Coalition Government in the second half of the Parliament to include Liberal Democrat priorities drawn from our manifesto and policies, and for such a programme to be agreed by the Federal Executive and Federal Policy Committee.
3. Calls for there to be appropriate consultation through the Federal Executive and Federal Policy Committee, when significant new Government policies are proposed, which are not included in the Coalition agreement and which conflict with Liberal Democrat policy or principles.
4. Calls on the Federal Executive and the Federal Policy Committee to:
a) Review, in consultation with the Parliamentary parties, the challenges of coalition which have an impact on the independence of the party, its policy position or its freedom of political movement.


b) Report back on whether the existing constitutional provisions and other arrangements are sufficiently democratic.


c) Propose recommendations, for any constitutional amendments or other protocols which may be needed, in time for debate in September 2011.


5. Calls for the development of a radical distinctive and progressive set of Liberal Democrat policies for the next election, and such policy, although informed by the programme and record of the coalition Government, should be derived totally independently of the views of our coalition partners.


6. Requests the relevant party Committees and departments to develop ways of working that enable us to campaign effectively on a national level against all our future opponents well before the next general election.

Conference re-asserts that the UK Liberal Democrats are based firmly in the historical and global traditions of the liberal and social democratic philosophy and beliefs and commits the Party to developing a promoting the clear narrative setting out what modern liberalism is and can do.


Applicability: Federal

Budget speech

Below is the speech I planned to make on the Budget last night.

In the end I gave a much edited version due to the large number of poorly thought out, ill-conceived and politically-motivated amendments to the Coalition's proposed Budget tabled by the Labour Group at full Council last night which meant that the meeting to agree next year's Budget did not finish until about 12am.

"The need to set a fair, balanced budget for this Council, has never been more urgent or more important:

• Over 900 members of the public have had their say via the Council’s first ever ‘Have Your Say’ consultation.
• Over 600 people have responded so far to our social care consultation.

Now it is time for Reading’s political parties to put their cards on their table.

Or rather put their money where their mouth is.

As the outgoing Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liam Byrne observed: “There is no money left”

And the Labour Party’s dire financial legacy he spoke of is now having a profound effect on us here in Reading.

None of us on this side, least of all me went into politics to inflict damage on local public services or harm the life chances of individuals – quite the opposite.

When the Coalition was formed we were united in agreement that that we must make the best of resources available to us to help protect the most vulnerable in our community and fund the services local people value.

We were under no illusion that the challenges we faced would be easy but we firmly believed there was a better way of doing things, focussed more on outcomes than inputs and longer term stability than quick fix.

The Liberal Democrat and Conservative Groups in Reading have embraced new politics -

Putting aside narrow political interest to work together for the good of the people of Reading.

In the course of preparing for this important debate I was struck recently by something Theodore Roosevelt said.

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing”

The do nothing option is not open to us.

In my area of housing and community care demand for affordable housing is rising and the number of older people and vulnerable people needing support grows year on year.

In health, after record investment by the last Government we find pockets of serious deprivation leading to health inequalities across the Borough that we must tackle.

There will always be budget pressures in Community Care and Housing regardless of the financial situation the Council is in.

However, the public finances are not a bottomless pit.

In 2009/10 when the Council was Labour controlled Adult Social care overspent its budget by £1million.

This is not something this Council can afford to do any longer.

How we respond to this financial challenge says a lot about us as an administration.

•  In this financial year (2010/11) the Council's Housing Community Care Directorate has managed growth pressures of around £2.3 million and is predicted to break even at year end.
•  In 2011/12 this administration is proposing a budget for Adult Social Care Services of £43.27m
• To meet these growing social care needs the Council is proposing to increase funding in 2011/12 by £2.6m, with the majority of this funding supporting individuals with Learning Disabilities (£0.9m) and Older People (£0.84m).
• Adult Services are have a targeted expenditure savings and income generation programme that is supporting the Council to achieve the £18.8m savings target of £5.2m.
• These savings are mainly part of the transformation of Adult Services and are focused on areas of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the services
• On Housing, this administration has gone out and secured funding from government for much needed extra-care housing to provide homes for older people
•  We will be investing £10 million pounds in improving Council properties and £400,000 in improving local estates
• Next month sees a report to Cabinet on generating income for the Council by providing a housing repairs service to Wokingham borough council – helping to make our own service to our tenants more sustainable
• On empty homes this Council is continuing to support efforts to bring long term empty homes back into use where other Council is cutting back
• On Community Care this Council is leading the way on reablement services and active ageing helping hundreds of residents regain their independence

Let’s be clear this budget will protect the vulnerable.

In social care we are proposing to move to a system which makes public money go further,

As system where those who are assessed as needing support but who are unable to afford pay will continue to receive care free.

• We have rejected proposals to cut back on domestic violence support – there was an error in the papers
• We have rejected proposals to ration care to people that need it (demand management)
• We have rejected proposals to reduce much needed breaks to carers

One of the ways we are able to fund social care services in the future is to reject policies which do not represent a good use of resources – take for example the Disabled Facilities Grant:

when I took on this post we inherited a policy for allocating grants from Labour which was not sustainable in the long term – if we continued spending at such a rate there would be nothing left in the future.

We scrapped a failed landlord accreditation scheme brought in by Labour – it cost roughly £16k per annum and reached less than 3% of the private rented market
Aneurin Bevin said about the NHS:

“We shall never have all we need, expectations will always exceed capacity and the service will always be changed growing and improving.”

but it could just as easily have been written about social services.

A world of finite resource and growing demand is the world we live in today.

And it is time that all members of this Council faced up to this reality and adapted our policies to meet the challenges we face.

This budget protects the vulnerable.

This budget enables us to continue to improve the quality of services we provide to residents.

This budget ensures that highly valued services like libraries service can continue to be funded.

This budget should be supported by all councillors."

A Budget to protect the vulnerable

Yesterday evening Reading's Liberal Democrat and Conservative Groups agreed a budget to protect the most vulnerable in our town and deliver a Council Tax freeze - the first in many years.
I was particularly pleased my detailed plans to protect vulnerable adults won support from members across the Council including from Cllr Mike Orton, former Labour Council Leader and my predecessor as Lead Member for Community Care.
Labour's opposition group voted against and failed to come up with an alternative budget despite 23 years previous experience of running the Council.

In doing so Labour councillors voted decisively:

• against an increase in funding for the voluntary sector,
• against keeping local libraries open
• against plans to plant more trees in Reading
• against transforming community care services
• against plans to increase support to carers
• against plans to improve Council homes and estates
• against ongoing action to tackle the problem of empty homes
• against a Council Tax freeze
• against plans to minimise job losses

As Cllr David Stevens, Lead Member for Finance, confirmed that the Coalition Administration of Reading Borough Council had managed the Council's finances in such a way that we had come in under budget. When the Coalition was first formed Labour councillors claimed we would not be able to manage the budget.
In 2009/10 Labour overspent to the tune of £1 million pounds on adult social care.
Cllr Stevens pointed out Labour's spending plans would result in a 30% rise in Council Tax in Reading. However, as the Coalition Government has said it would cap councils that failed to freeze Council Tax Reading Borough Council would be penalised i.e. lose grant if it attempted to increase Council Tax to this level.
In total Labour tabled amendments that would deliver only £500k savings when the savings the Council needed to find was approaching £19 million pounds - totaly inadequate and showing once again they are not up to the task of running the Council and managing the public finances.
During the debate Labour  councillors tabled amendments opposing increases in fees and charges. This is not surprising given they opposed innovative ideas to recover the Council's costs at the last Cabinet meeting.
This follows the past 9 months were Labour councillors have opposed every cut the Coalition Administration has proposed.  Once agains Labour failed to demonstrate even a shred of economic competence.
During the course of my remarks I quoted Peter Watts, former General Secretary of the Labour Party who recently commented:-

"We lost the general election because we were seen as being arrogant and out of touch. We lost because we were seen as being economically illiterate and having massively overspent. And we lost because we were seen as being in favour of top down big government.
If we are to win the next election, we clearly need to detoxify our own brand. However, it is not clear that we have as yet fully appreciated just how toxic and unpopular we had become. The recent travails of the government, our riding high in the polls and by-election wins have masked this...

Far from detoxifying, we currently risk retoxifying. Ed Balls has done a great job of challenging the government over the pace of deficit reduction. But we are still opposing every cut, every library closure, every reduction in police numbers and every job loss. It might make us feel better and win some short term popularity. But it isn’t an answer to the charge that we had become economically illiterate and had allowed massive overspending.

Attacks on the big society are fun and are incredibly easy at the moment. But does it help to explain that we fully understand the danger of being perceived as a party of “big government”? And we are still out of touch and arrogant, still seeming to think that we are the party of all that is good in the world and everyone else is either flawed or worse. We need to wake up to the fact that right now that is not how we are perceived by much of the public."

I think this description sums up the approach of Reading Labour Party very well. I believe that if they regained control of the Council, Labour councillors would push the Council to the point of bankruptcy - threatening the very services, jobs, and vulnerable people they claim they exist to protect.

In conclusion this evening proved that the Coalition Administration can deliver a balanced budget, can deliver a Council Tax freeze and can deliver a budget which prioritises protection to the vulnerable.

In contrast Labour councillors proved once again they are not a credible alternative administration and they remain unfit to run the Council in Reading.

Reading Council's Support for Voluntary Sector praised

The National Association of Voluntary and Community Associations (NAVCA) has praised the Lib Dem- Conservative Coalition Administration of  Reading Borough Council for its decision to increase funding to the voluntary sector in Reading, whilst some other local councils are cutting funding to community groups.

Kevin Curley, Chief Executive has written to the Leader of the Council, Andrew Cumpsty:

Mr Curley wrote: "The voluntary sector makes a vitally important contribution to the quality of life, especially for disadvantaged people in every part of England. This is especially true when economic conditions are harsh."

He said it had proved "all too easy" for some local authorities in England to cut voluntary sector funding.

Referring to the increase in funding levels for community groups in Reading, Mr Curley added: "Your decisions represent leadership of national significance."

NAVCA is the national voice of local support and development organisations in England. The organisation champions and strengthens voluntary and community action by supporting members in their work with over 160,000 charities and local groups.

To his credit the Conservative Leader of the Council consistently refers to the voluntary sector as the 'First Sector', rejecting 'Third Sector.' Actions speak louder than words however, and unlike some other councils we are putting money where our our mouth is on this important sector.

Our commitment to the community and voluntary sector in Reading was written into the local Coalition Agreement signed by the Liberal Democrat and Conservative Groups last May.

We will maintain the total grant funding to voluntary, community and neighbourhood groups at current overall levels, whilst re-evaluating how the funding is meeting the council’s objectives and services

In actual fact as an administration we have been able to go further than the Coalition Agreement originally stated - not just maintaining support for the voluntary sector but increasing the overall funding available.

We are also changing the process by which local groups can bid for funding - opening up the process to enable more groups to access funding, not just groups that have received funding from RBC in the past.

The new approach will mean an increased focus on value for money and delivering better outcomes. This will also help the Council target spending on the areas that can be of most benefit to residents.

 It will also be a more transparent process - something I actively campaigned for in opposition when a motion I tabled in 2009 led to a review of the way the Council funds community groups. This is important because this is public money and the public have a right to understand what the Council spends money on in their name.

Cash to Fix Reading's Broken Roads

I have blogged many times on our local Lib Dem campaigns to get the Council to repair local roads. The freezing weather we have experienced over the last 18 months has made matters even worse in some parts of the Borough and although it is long since the snow has gone many roads remain pitted with potholes. Good to hear then that Reading Borough Council will be receiving a £400,000 increase in funding for road repairs from the Coalition Government in recognition of the impact the severe weather had on our transport budget. If there is a pot hole in your street that needs fixing please report it via the Council's website.

More Trees For Reading

At local level the Lib Dems in Reading have campaigned for many years for Reading's urban trees to be protected and enhanced. Trees have been disappearing from our streets in many parts of Reading - not least in my own ward of Redlands and have not replaced. This has been a source of frustration for many local residents and despite warm words Labour failed for many years to develop a strategy to protect this important public asset .
Lib Dems in Reading have campaigned energetically both in our wards and in the Council chamber (tabling questions and motions to Council) to get action on this issue. Last March we forced the then Labour administration of the Council to stump up with cash for trees at the eleventh hour ahead of the local elections.
Credit for this successful campaign should go to my colleague Cllr Glenn Goodall who led this campaign which culminated in the adoption of a new Tree Strategy in June 2010.
When the new Coalition running Reading Borough Council was formed both the Lib Dem and Conservative groups made it clear they were committed to maintaining this important investment in our local environment - despite huge budget pressures.And as a team we have also been very pleased by the supportive response we have had from our Conservative colleagues who are working with us on the Council to implement the strategy.

• As part of the Council's newly adopted Tree Strategy a new Tree Warden Scheme has been launched encouraging people to help conserve local trees in their area. Recently residents were encouraged to nominate their favourite tree - to raise public awareness about important trees in our Borough.
• The Liberal Democrat - Conservative Coalition Administration of the Council has also committed to investing £50,000 this year and next year to planting new street trees.

From the Council's press release:

"The street tree planting programme has been put together following the adoption of the Council's Tree Strategy in 2010. It involves planting around 100 trees on verges and pavements in various locations around the borough up until the end of March 2011. £50,000 was set aide for the work this year, with an additional £50,000 set aside for an additional 100 trees to be planted in 2011/12."

In these incredibly difficult times financially for councils it's heartening to see the two political parties running Reading Borough Council working together to protect and enhance the local environment for future generations.

Reading Borough Council bucks the national trend on libraries

Across the country many councils are closing libraries. In the neighbourhood that I was born Labour-run Camden Council is making cuts of 20% to its library services, a move which has been opposed by Lib Dem councillors who have argued that these cuts could have been avoided by making savings in other areas.
I'm proud to say that in Reading we are moving in the opposite direction from many other councils - with the welcome news announced earlier this week that the Council is extending opening hours across the local library network.

• Opening hours at Caversham library have risen from 36.5 a week to 50.5
• Palmer Park it has gone from 29 to 41.5 hours,
• Tilehurst is up from 36.5 to 42.5 hours,
• Battle has risen 29 to 39.5 hours,
• Whitley from 29 to 34.5,
• Southcote from 29 to 33.5
• Central from 50 to 52.5 hours

This follows a survey of library users which found that people would like to see more local libraries open at lunch times, for example. We hope this will make our libraries more accessible to residents.
As Labour Councillor Mike Orton noted at Full Council this week politics is about taking tough choices.
As I said in my recent speech on social care, if we do not make better use of available resources rising demand will have a big impact on the amount we have to spend on discretionary services such as leisure and culture.  The Council's auditors KPMG echoed this in their annual audit letter which was presented to Cabinet a couple of weeks ago:

"facing up to these challenges will require revolutionary transformation of public sector services, rather than tinkering. Strong leadership from Members and senior management will be essential as it may be the case that further savings over and above those in the performance improvement plan are required."

I'm pleased the Lib Dem-Conservative Coalition Administration of Reading Borough Council has made the decision to expand rather than reduce library provision for residents.  We have only been able to do this because we are facing up to the financial challenges the Council faces whilst also prioritising the areas that matter to residents.

Residents prioritise social care and housing services

As custodians of the public purse I think it is vitally important that local councillors spend Council Tax payers money in line with local priorities - after all it is residents' hard earned cash they are spending.
When councils are forced to reduce the amount they spend it is even more important to ensure they are spending it on things that matter to local residents. Labour councillors have found themselves in very hot water on this recently.
Last October, following the Comprehensive Spending Review the Liberal Democrat-Conservative Coalition of Reading Borough Council conducted the first ever public consultation about which Council services matter most to local people ahead of setting the Budget for the following year (2011/12).
Residents were invited to comment via a Have Your Say survey form about what services matter to them. The findings helped to inform the budget savings options Lib Dem and Conservative Councillors have been developing in recent months, and which were discussed at full Council earlier this week.
The closing date or the consultation was 19 November 2010. Over 900 completed surveys were received by the Council and the summary of findings were presented at Cabinet on 17 January.
Residents who responded ranked services in the following priority order

1. Children's Social Care Services
2. Adult Social Care Services
3. Education
4. Housing Services
5. Waste, Refuse and Recycling
6. Streetcare
7. Roads
8. Planning and Building Regulation
9. Public Health & Safety
10. Community Safety
11. Leisure, Culture and Sport

As someone who cares deeply about safeguarding and protecting the vulnerable in our community I was very pleased to see children and adult social care and housing services ranked so highly by the public.
Over 50% of respondents rated adult social care services as very important, with housing services close behind on over 45%.This closely reflects the priority the Coalition Administration in Reading has given to investing in education, protecting vulnerable adults and children, and promoting excellent housing standards across all housing types. I am personally leading focussing resources on social care and housing. I am doing this not only because I think it is important but because I know from talking to residents it matters to people in Reading.
Digging deeper into the results it was interesting to read that 68% of respondents felt that the Council should provide adult social care services with over 30% of respondents feeling that others could provide this service. On housing services opinion was quite evenly split with 53% of residents believing that others could provide housing services (compared to 46% who felt the Council should).
This is the first such consultation carried out by the Council since I was first elected (2006). When Labour councillors were in power did not consult residents in this way as part of the budget process. I really hope it becomes a regular part of our budget setting every year.

Coalition Commitment contrasts with Labour opportunism on Council Housing

This evening the Council debated the Housing Revenue Account - Financial Plan 2011/12. I proposed this as Lead Member for Housing, expecting it to be fully supported by Members across the Council. I had not bargained for the political opportunism of the Reading Labour Party.

Labour councillors are clearly settling into their role as an ineffective opposition and sadly they completely failed to represent the interests of local Council tenants effectively.

A couple of weeks ago when this matter came to Cabinet I blogged about the thinking behind our proposal to increase rent  by 4.9%  and introduce a service charge for building cleaning and increase in landlord lighting charge of 82p per week.

Although I deeply regret the need to increase charges we are committed to continuing to invest in Council Housing and thanks to the finance regime we have inherited unreformed from Labour we have very little room at the moment when it comes to rent setting.

We have done our best to keep rent and service charge increases as low as possible, whilst ensuring we continue to improve local Council housing stock .Tenants who pay rent are also set to benefit from the proposed Council Tax freeze - due to be agreed next month.

I pointed out that in coming up with this proposal we had actively consulted with Reading Federation of Tenants and Residents Associations and they were fully supportive of our proposals.

So I could not believe my ears this evening when Labour councillors queued up to attack the proposals and ultimately vote them down.

Labour raised concerns in the meeting about the increased landlord lighting charge. This was news to me. When Labour councillors had the opportunity to comment on the proposals or raise concerns with me directly they completely failed to do so:

• They failed to raise these issues with me directly in my role as Lead Member.
• They didn't raise concerns when charges were discussed in detail with RFTRA at the beginning of the year, 
• They didn't raise concerns publicly when the proposals were agreed by Cabinet.

This is a complete u-turn on Labour's previous position on service charges.Which leads me to the conclusion that their recent opposition is entirely motivated by a desire to score cheap political points at the expense of tenants. This does Council tenants a disservice and once again it begs the question what would Labour do to fund Council housing? To which there was no adequate answer.

A reminder: Labour councillors originally took the decision to introduce service charges in 2006. This fact is well-documented, and yet you rarely here a Labour councillor admit it.

After taking the decision in 2006 Labour then delayed implementing charges for many years for fairly obviously for political reasons although they had planned to implement them around the time they lost office.

Labour expressed concerns in the meeting about the impact of service charges on tenants not in receipt of benefits. I found this deeply ironic given I had raised concerns about this over a year ago in my role as Chair of Housing Scrutiny when Labour first planned to introduce charges.

I implemented a full review of service charges and insisted on this being written into the Coalition Agreement. The findings of this review have been published and are available for all to see.

In the meeting I expressed regret about the byzantine housing finance system we inherited from Labour whereby rent from Reading Borough Council Council tenants is diverted to Whitehall.

This year alone we will be paying out over £7 million pounds in negative subsidy to the Treasury. This is money that will not be spent on improving Council housing stock or building new Council homes.

Labour councillors complained that housing finance was being reformed too slowly by national government - How ironic! I pointed out that after 13 years of promises from Labour about reform it was the Coalition Government which would be delivering on self-financing of Council housing - next year.

In the meeting I was pleased lay to rest the misinformation that Reading Labour Party has been recently been promulgating via inaccurate press releases on Council housing tenancies in particular and to be able reaffirm our commitment to providing lifetime tenancies for existing and future tenants.

Yet again I was forced to explain to Labour councillors what localism means i.e. councils in consultation with residents decide local policies - not government! We will shortly be developing a tenancy strategy in consultation with tenants and residents - one that suits Reading not officials in Whitehall or politicians in Westminster.

Anyway, despite Labour's pointless point-scoring I am pleased to say the proposals were approved by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups so the planned investment in Council Housing will continue.

Anyway, for what it's worth I've attached below my speech from the meeting - hope it's of interest to some readers!

Housing - Our commitment to tenants



This report sets out the administration’s ongoing commitment to investing in and improving this Council’s housing stock both now and into the future

It outlines our commitment to get value for money for every penny of Council tax payer’s money we spend

And above all it demonstrates our commitment to our delivering excellent quality housing services to Council tenants in Reading

As I said at the June Council meeting, I will be robust in standing up for the rights of both existing Council tenants and prospective tenants to ensure they are not disadvantaged by any proposed changes to tenancies.

It is regrettable therefore that in recent months the Labour Group has sought to spread misinformation about this administration’s plans – specifically in relation to tenancies for political reasons.

So I would like to use this opportunity to reassure tenants and place on our record our commitment to continuing to offer lifetime tenancies for those who need them and have no plans to introduce fixed term tenancies

The proposal

Cabinet has agreed and I am recommending tonight an average rent increase of 4.9% to our tenants

I am also proposing the introduction of a new service charge for building cleaning and an increase in the landlord lighting charge

These proposals have been drawn up in consultation with Reading’s Federation of Tenants and Residents

It is with regret that I propose any rent increase or additional charges as I am aware this adds to the costs a small but significant proportion of our tenants have to bear in these challenging times,

Review of Service Charges

It is for this reason I commissioned a review of the impact of service charges on working tenants – the first of its kind and further evidence of this administration’s commitment to supporting the vulnerable

The review also investigated the quality of building cleaning services and value for money – both areas which were neglected by the previous Labour administration

Thanks to the byzantine housing finance system we have inherited this year’s rent rise is unavoidable. It it is essential that this Council is able to continue to improve our own stock

Thankfully By 2012 we will be moving to a new self-financing system

 For the first time Reading Borough Council tenants rent will be spent locally, not sent back to the Treasury

In this year alone that figure amounts to over £7 million pounds

Thanks to reforms campaigned for by Liberal Democrats on this Council

Promised by the previous Labour government,

And delivered by the Liberal Democrat- Conservative Coalition Government

In these tough times this Council is committed to investing in improving Council housing

Over the next year £10million of public money will be invested by this Council on repairs and maintenance

Over 99% of local Council homes now meet Decent Homes standards and over the next year £1.25m will be spent on replacing kitchens and bathrooms across the borough

To ensure our tenants are warm, safe and secure we will be spending £250,000 on a wide range of things including communal heating systems, door entry systems fire alarms and fire extinguishers

We are setting aside £800,000 in next year's budget to improve brickwork, windows and doors, roofs, guttering and vent pipes,

£300,000 will be spent by this Council on rewiring homes, and £600,000 earmarked for boilers and heating repairs.

Our commitment to tenants

This administration is committed to doing more to support tenants

For example, we are helping Council tenants cut their energy bills by almost doubling the amount of the money being spent on insulation setting targets - higher than national decent homes standards dictate

We will continue to provide dedicated housing, welfare benefits and debt service

We are improving the service tenants receive on repairs – with 7 out of 10 calls now ‘right first time’

We are also committed to doing more to improve the quality of local neighbourhoods and reduce anti-social behaviour

We will be investing £400,000 across the Borough to improve many estate area

We are merging anti-social behaviour teams and co-locating them at Thames Valley Police station to improve the local response to nuisance

I hope all councillors will support this proposal.

Transforming Adult Social Care - Have your say

Following my post last week about our ambitious plans to transform adult social care in Reading, Cabinet has agreed to go out to public consultation on the proposals. This consultation will last for 3 months ending on 27 February 2011.
The Council is keen to hear from as many residents as possible - including people who currently receive services and carers before making future decisions on adult social care.
Reading residents can take part in the consultation online at www.reading.gov.uk/adultsocialcareconsultation or call (0118) 937 3747 to requests copies of the consultation. Officers will also be consulting on the plans at the following meetings:-

• Physical Disability & Sensory Needs Network meeting, Civic Centre, 15th December 1.40pm-4pm
• Reading Resource Centre drop-in, Resource Centre, Oxford Road, 12th January 2pm-4pm
• Reading Carers Steering Group, Civic Centre, 26th January 2pm-4pm 
•  Reading Older People's Partnership open meeting, Greyfriars Church Hall, Friar Street, 1st February 10.30am-12.45pm
• Learning Disability Carers Forum, Civic Centre, 16th February 11am-1pm

I look forward to finding out what local people have to say on this important subject.

Some thoughts on housing

A few weeks ago I blogged about housing and the Coalition government's plans. Since then a couple of things have happened: firstly, a consultation paper was published on social housing, secondly the government has decided to review some of its proposals re housing benefit. As someone who is deeply interested and committed to housing issues it has been positive that people have been discussing housing and housing policy but frustrating that a number of Labour politicians, both locally and nationally have sought to inflame the debate rather than help to find solutions to the massive shortage of affordable housing we face in a very difficult economic climate.
As I said in my previous post on this issue I am actively monitoring announcements from government in relation to housing to ensure we get the best and fairest deal for Reading residents. I am keeping an open mind about proposals as far as possible whilst draft policies are put forward and seeking the opinions of others to test my own against. To reiterate, it is a Coalition government so I don't expect to like every policy that is published or even agree with it. That said no one Party won the election so it is important that politicians work together for the good of residents.
One size certainly does not fit all in relation to housing policy. In relation to the first paper, on social housing, Having looked at it and thought about it  I am not very keen on the proposal to introduce shorter fixed term tenancies for Council homes (2 years has been mooted) and would need to be persuaded that this was a good idea before I would consider putting it forward as a proposal in Reading. I would be concerned about upheaval for families and the impact it might have on neighbourhoods.
I personally would like to have seen more emphasis in the paper on tackling the problem of housing supply - this is the main reason housing waiting lists have increased. That said I am very pleased to see that the housing revenue account is set to be reformed and that empty homes may be counted towards new homes in future. We need to do more to increase housing supply after Labour so comprehensively failed on this despite 13 years to do it.
It's worth saying that at this point this is simply a consultation paper and the government is seeking feedback. Thankfully,  unlike the previous Labour government the Coalition Government is not forcing councils to implement every proposal it publishes. That is what localism means after all.  In relation to social housing the CLG consultation paper makes it quite clear that it will be up to councils and elected councillors to decide what is right for their areas. We are currently examining the detail of this paper - there is some welcome new thinking in relation to overcrowding, under-occupancy, empty homes and council house waiting lists which we should consider to ensure we are getting the most out of our social housing stock. The current system of social housing allocation and funding left by Labour is not unproblematic and there might well be things we can do to make it fairer and more equitable to local residents. It is good that these proposals are out to consultation and I look forward to reading others' responses.
In relation to housing benefit, I attended a  meeting a few weeks ago with a group of Liberal Democrat councillors with an interest in housing  to convey some concerns to ministers about some aspects of the proposed housing benefit reforms. Unlike Labour councillors I avoided speculating publicly and in the face of rumours circulating about rented rooms in Reading being block booked I preferred to go on what frontline officers were telling me. Which was...that rooms were not being block booked.
That said some aspects of the reforms do cause me concern and I am pleased that the government has listened to some of the thoughtful comments made by MPs, stakeholders and councillors and decided to delay the implementation of changes to housing benefit for existing claimants. I was concerned that the original timescales might be too short to enable tenants in private rented housing to seek alternative cheaper accommodation, particularly in Reading where rents are high.

Other changes the government announced today  include:

• Temporarily widening the discretion of local authorities to pay housing benefit directly to landlords. This power will be used to secure tenancies where landlords are willing to reduce rents, helping to push down prices and minimise disruption to families.
• The government has agreed new funding totaling £190m over 5 years (including £50m announced today) to smooth the transition for families who can no longer afford their rent and need help to adjust. The government has also committed to work with local authorities to ensure that these funds are used to help the most vulnerable, including the elderly, the disabled, and those with children at local schools.
• The government has also said it will continue to examine options for improving ease of access to the private rented sector for housing benefit recipients.

That said we must not forget that Labour planned to reform housing benefit, however hard they try to deny it.
Despite the difficult economic circumstances we are in, housing projects are continuing to move forward across Reading: extra care and affordable housing is being constructed on Dee Park,  construction of new extra care housing on the old Avenue School site is set to begin soon, and empty homes continue to be brought back into use to name a few projects. In terms of improving existing housing, work continues to bring Council housing up to Decent Homes standard and enforcement activity continues in the private rented sector
As an administration we will continue to work hard to increase the overall supply of housing and ensure support exists for new and existing tenants in both the private rented and social housing sector. We are also in regular contact with tenants, residents, both our MPs, officers, and other stakeholders, to build local support for this vitally important agenda

Government unveils plans to reward councils that tackle empty homes

You may recognise the property in this photograph. It lies on the corner of Kendrick Road and Christchurch Road and it was empty for many years - a blight on the neighbourhood (a Conservation area) and a cause of frustration for residents. Thanks to the hard work of Reading Borough Council officers working with the landlord this property is now back in use. However, this house could still be empty if the Council did not have an empty homes strategy (and you could argue) a motivated ward councillor. Some councils do not have either of these things so shamefully thousands of homes lie empty. This is unacceptabe given the scale of the affordable housing crisis we face. However, if the plans put forward by the Coalition Government at the end of last week go ahead all councils will have more good reasons to bring empty homes in their area back into use.

Following my post last week the Government has unveiled proposals to incentivise councils to bring empty homes back into use via the New Homes Bonus

The consultation asks whether bringing long-term empty homes back into use should be counted as additional supply for the New Homes Bonus. Local authorities would then be able to consider these properties with equal weight alongside new build.

I've attached the relevant bits of the consultation document below:


'The Coalition Agreement set out the Government’s commitment to explore a range of measures to bring empty properties back into use.

'There are a number of reasons why properties become and remain empty including low demand, the cost of repairs, reluctance to rent, or personal circumstances. Around 300,000 privately owned homes have been vacant for over six months and many are in areas of high demand. Empty homes are a blight on local communities and a waste which we cannot afford. We need to harness this potential to meet pressing housing need.

'The Spending Review announced that the Government is investing £100m - through the Homes and Communities Agency - to support housing associations to refurbish over 3,000 empty properties and manage them at an affordable rent for up to 10 years.

'Many local authorities already work with property owners to bring homes back into use. Some also take enforcement action where advice and support fails. Through the New Homes Bonus, the Government proposes to strengthen the incentive for local authorities to identify empty properties and work with property owners to find innovative solutions that allow these properties to be brought back into use.

'Bringing empty homes back into use is also important in overcoming some local opposition to new housing. We therefore propose to reward local authorities for bringing empty properties back into use through the New Homes Bonus.'

The consultation document suggests that Council Tax data will be used to track empty homes and homes brought back into use. This makes sense (and it's one of the ways we track empty homes in Reading).
The practicality of these measures will need to be considered as part of the consultation (on until Christmas) but I really welcome this radical new thinking from the government. Empty homes are a wasted resource and we must explore more ways to bring properties back into use to aid housing supply - particularly when housing need is great and space for new build in many areas like Reading is in short supply.

Coalition Government develops radical new plans to tackle empty homes

Good news today which I discovered via the Department of Communities and Local Government's Business Plan, which was published by the Coalition Government today as part of a drive towards greater transparency.
Priority 4 of the Plan relates to housing aspirations:
'Meet people’s housing aspirations, including by providing local authorities with strong and transparent incentives to facilitate housing growth, as well as making the provision of social housing more flexible"
Action 4.8 of the Plan in particular caught my eye:
'Develop a strategy to bring more empty homes back into use, working with local authorities, housing associations and some of the property owners, neighbours and others affected.'
So far the Government has done the following:

• Invited interested parties (including local authorities and registered social landlords) to submit views through the Homes and Communities Agency’s ‘Maximising the Use of Empty homes’ online debate
• Considered the Homes and Communities Agency’s analysis of responses and develop plans to bring more empty homes into use

Later this month the government will:

• Consult as part of the New Homes Bonus consultation, on provision to reward local authorities for bringing empty homes back into use
• Work with the Homes and Communities Agency to develop a programme for empty homes

The fact that the Government is already developing concrete proposals to reduce the number of long-term empty properties across the country is fantastic news for everyone who wants to see councils and other public bodies makes the most out of existing housing stock.
It is a testament to individuals such as David Ireland, Chief Executive of the Empty Homes Agency who have been making the case for action for much longer than I have, and who originally got me involved in the campaign. The approach taken by the Coalition Government is in direct contrast to the timid, slow one taken by the previous Labour Government.
Locally, thanks to the Lib Dem campaign I led, Reading Borough Council is steadily bringing empty homes back into use following years of inaction by the previous Labour administration which meant the number of empty homes built up to several hundred. Disgraceful when you think this Council once won awards for its empty homes work.
It's worth saying that this work is about far more than simply bringing a home back into use as a new home - it can also be about reducing anti-social behaviour, helping individuals who have got to financial and legal difficulty and restoring pride in our neighbourhoods.
Details released today follow the announcement in the Comprehensive Spending Review that £100 million pounds would be allocated by the Government to bringing empty homes back into use - evidence of commitment at Treasury level to action in this area.
As someone who has been campaigning for over four years for action on this issue, I was very encouraged to see plans to tackle empty homes included in the Coalition Agreement. Both Liberal Democrat and Conservative manifestos contained commitment to action to reduce the number of empty homes. Earlier this year I went to meet Andrew Stunell MP, Minister for Local Government at DCLG to lobby him to deliver on this commitment. I found him very receptive. He asked me some challenging questions about how change could be delivered. I understood that he needed to find a solution that could be acceptable to the Conservatives but also one which was cost-effective and value for money. I am hopeful that progress can be made by councils working with the Homes and Communities Agency.
I am excited by proposals to incentivise councils to bring empty homes in their area back into use.  Empty homes work is currently a non-statutory function of councils - hence not all councils choose to act and a very patchy picture nationally. It must make financial sense as well as sense from a community perspective for councils to act as some of the powers have can be costly in terms of the time and resource needed to make them work.
This announcement today coupled with last week's announcement by Chris Huhne of the new Green Deal is yet more evidence that this Government is committed to getting the most out of existing housing stock, as well as building more homes. This makes environmental, as well as economic sense and I look forward to investigating the details when they are published in the coming weeks.

Reading Borough Council gets social media

I don't, I'm sure, need to tell you that I'm a fan of social media. I've been tweeting since 2009, blogging since 2006 and using video since 2008. I have also used Facebook extensively to consult and campaign on issues ranging from recycling to rented housing.
Last Winter social media came into its own during the period of severe weather we faced, when in the absence of a corporate policy opposition councillors helped spread the word online to residents via the #rdg hashtag.
But what's most excited me recently is the fact that Reading Borough Council has finally joined the 21st century and is now embracing social media as a way to engage and involve the public in its activities and decisions. Obviously this does not mean the Council will stop communicating with the public in more traditional ways. I hope it will lead to a Council more focussed on its residents and more tuned into local concerns.
The latest example of this new policy is the Council's: Your Money, Your Say Facebook page which encourages residents to be part of the Budget debate. This is something I can never imagine happening under the previous Labour administration.
My colleagues on the Lib Dem side Kirsten Bayes, Warren Swaine and Glenn Goodall have all energetically championed various aspects of this agenda in recent years and I am grateful to them for helping me make the case. Conservative councillors supported our proposal to web cast council meetings a little while ago, and Green councillor Rob White argued recently that Reading Borough Council should make better use of 'new media'. Every Lib Dem held ward in Reading has a local blog maintained by active councillors who are keen to engage with the public.The only Party in danger of being left behind in all this is...you guessed it - the Labour Party. But then again this is the Party that for years included dinosaurs that argued that glass recycling was 'a waste of money' - meanwhile the public and public administration moves forward, leaving them behind.
One of the first but signficant acts of the new Coalition administration was to adopt a social media policy. Many other councils have had such policies for years - but not Reading when it was run by Labour. This decision links closely to the Coalition's commitment to greater openness, innovation and enhanced customer service.
The policy states that:
"rather than waiting for individuals or groups to approach the council, social media offers the opportunity of being able to connect to the community and deliver messages with greater conviction. It may empower local residents to speak up about their needs and influence decision making, in turn building trust and stronger bonds."
On the back of the Council's policy which helps free staff to communicate effectively with residents as part of a two-way conversation - a dialogue, rather than a broadcast. The Council now has a number of social media profiles covering a variety of services - find them all here.
I am particularly pleased to see the Streetcare Team responsible for the street environment on Twitter- enabling residents to report litter and graffiti quickly and easy for action. I am keen to extend this approach into housing and community care services - watch this space. I pick up lots of housing casework via Facebook - probably about 1/3.
Sadly some Labour councillors and activists continue to attack those of us that use social media. A few (mainly the newer ones) do use social media, but they are outnumbered by those in the old guard that don't. You only have to sit in Council debates and read some local Labour blogs to detect the Party's latent authoritiarianism. These days thankfully the Council is becoming much more pluralist and social media is just another tool to bring more voices into the debate - hopefully improving our decisions and our services.