Andrew Stunell MP, Lib Dem Minister for Local Government who visited Reading a couple of month ago was right to highlight the fact that 40% of carbon emissions each year are generated by existing buildings.
The Government's Green Deal - a key plank of the Lib Dem General Election Manifesto of 2010 is the first major step towards tackling fuel poverty and cutting harmful carbon emissions in housing across all sectors by improving energy by any British government and no amount of carping by Labour politicians makes up for their abysmal lack of action in this area.
I find it deeply depressing that, less than a month into her new job, that the new Labour Lead Member for Housing is already preparing excuses as to why things can't happen (to cover up her own inaction) rather than leading on this agenda.
No scheme of this scale is likely to be 100% perfect but rather than whingeing it is up to councillors and councils to make the best of what is available and champion opportunities for local residents and businesses presented by the Green Deal , not sit back and wait for government handouts.
When we ran the Council we led the agenda and didn't delegate thinking about solutions to Council officers.
Visitors to the Council tell me that the new administration lacks ambition in this area. This is very bad news for residents.
Those of us keen to do something about carbon emissions and housing waited 13 years for the last Labour government to make progress on this agenda and they comprehensively failed.
Somehow I do not think this project would have survived Alistair Darling's planned cuts to public spending (£40bn) given we know that Ed Balls and others failed to commit to carbon reduction targets during the Coalition negotiations.
Enough about politics - what is the Green Deal?
The Green Deal will become available in 2012 will help householders improve the energy efficiency of their homes at no upfront cost.
By allowing them to pay for green home improvements over time rather than upfront, through the savings in energy bills, it will remove one of the biggest barriers they currently face to retrofitting - being able to afford the initial investment.
Feed-in Tariffs are available to support homes in generating their own renewable electricity, and support for renewable heat will be available for homes.
Looking to the future, the Government's policy on Zero Carbon means that from 2016, new homes will need to be built to a zero carbon standard (and all non-domestic buildings from 2019).
From what I hear Labour's silo mentality has already kicked in with officers firmly back in the driving seat.
We made it clear tackling climate change was everybody's business in the Council and we will continue to campaign for residents in Reading to realise the full benefits of all the Green Deal has to offer.
I read with interest in the Evening Post that the Green Party in Reading are planning to campaign on fuel poverty at the elections this year.
I am grateful to them for helping to highlight this important issue and delighted that Green Party activists are backing the work we in the Coalition Administration of Reading Borough Council and Coalition Government are doing on this issue where Labour failed.
Tackling fuel poverty and climate change is a huge, vitally important agenda that all political parties in Reading need to get behind.
But as politicians and community leaders we work hard at this agenda all year round, not just at election time.
Last November, Chris Huhne MP, Lib Dem Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change launched the Green Deal which will create 100,000 new jobs for people working to insulate 3.5 million homes across the country.
However, it is important to get the issue of fuel poverty in perspective.
9 % of families in Reading currently live in fuel poverty compared to the national average which is around 14%.
We need to target resources at people who are hardest hit and help others to improve energy efficency of their homes.
The recently reopened Warm Front scheme will help us do this.
Many of people living in fuel poverty in Reading live in poor quality housing in the private rented sector.
I have led the campaign at local level to improve standards in this area - the home of 25 % of Reading residents.
Labour overlooked private rented housing when they were in government and in control of the Council.
Locally, the Lib Dems have led the green agenda in Reading.
We have successfully campaigned to extend the range of materials that can be recycled at the kerbside and we have pledged in our manifesto to continue to do so.
Under Liberal Democrat control, Reading Borough Council is pioneering new low carbon heating.
Since we took control of the Council in 2010, we have held regular meetings with officers in both the housing and sustainability teams to discuss ways in which fuel poverty in all types of housing can be tackled.
These cross-Council discussions have been the first of their kind and never happened under Labour.
As part of the Council's Decent Homes Programme we are taking steps to increase insulation across Council-owned properties.
We are also investigating bringing in new feed-in tariffs and new more sustainable forms of energy to heat Council homes.
The Council also works closely with landlords in the private sector to promote insulation and energy savings schemes.
All these measures will go towards reducing fuel bills and saving precious energy.
But there is more to do which is why following pressure from the Lib Dems the Council has set up a new housing and sustainability officer group to ensure that there is a green thread running through all housing policies.
Last October the Council agreed the following motion, put forward by the Liberal Democrat and Conservative Groups which gave a very clear signal to residents about our commitment to the environment.
(It replaced a rather feeble motion tabled by a Labour councillor.)
It is just as relevant now as it is then.
"This Council welcomes:
The Coalition Government’s commitment to making renewable energy sources account for over 33GW of new energy production.
The Coalition Government’s removal of the bar that prevented local authorities selling back to the grid the energy they have generated.
This Council notes:
The Council’s commitment to promote green jobs and sustainability across the Council and Borough and to promote the climate change agenda as a high priority.
That the number of households in fuel poverty in England rose from 1.2m in 2003 to a projected 4.0m in 2010
That Reading schools already have two schools with solar PV, one with solar hot water, two with air source heat pumps, two with ground source heat pumps and one with a wind turbine.
This Council resolves:
To provide local leadership on the climate change agenda by:
Maximising, wherever possible, the use of renewable energy schemes to generate income across all existing and future council properties and operations.
Considering all options across the Council’s housing stock to both generate and conserve energy to reduce fuel poverty.
Taking the lead in encouraging local businesses and commercial buildings to embrace renewable energy and energy efficiency schemes.
Promoting and assisting local residents, schools and organisations to take advantage of the opportunities available to them to benefit from renewable energy and energy efficiency schemes."
When it comes to the environment we need to be as ambitious here in Reading.
Lib Dems will continue to work hard to tackle these issues inside and outside the Council and f the Green Party are serious about turning their fine words into action on fuel poverty they need to work with us on this agenda.
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
Children's Social Care Services
Adult Social Care Services
Education
Housing Services
Waste, Refuse and Recycling
Streetcare
Roads
Planning and Building Regulation
Public Health & Safety
Community Safety
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.
Earlier today I met tenants representatives at a meeting of the Reading Federation of Tenants and Residents Association to discuss my response (as Lead Member for Housing) to the Government's consultation on the future of social housing. At that meeting I was able to reassure tenants that the Government is not proposing scrapping lifetime tenancies for existing tenants, and that following careful consideration the Coalition Administration of the Council has no plans to introduce 'fixed term' tenancies to new Council tenants in Reading. This is because we feel the negative impacts could outweigh the benefits for residents and communities. That said, we are pleased that the Coalition Government is giving councils the choice - rather than foisting changes on us from the centre (as Labour used to do!).
No thanks to the national media and the local Labour Party there has been considerable confusion and concern stirred up about the Government's housing proposals, and I was pleased to be able to put our continuing commitment to tenants and residents on the record again today.
There are several elements of the Government's consultation we are supportive of - including giving councils more power to decide allocations policies (in consultation with tenants), requiring councils to consult and publish strategic policies on tenancies in their area, and giving councils more flexibilities to best meet the needs of their local area - after years of micromanagement from Whitehall (under Labour).
At the meeting today we had a very positive discussion about various issues linked to increasing availability of council housing including whether or not we need to do more around banding and allocations to avoid people being stuck on waiting lists for long periods of time, homeswap and empty homes. A number of tenants spoke out against the Right To Buy policy which has led to a net loss in the number of family-sized homes to rent - I agreed that this was a very damaging policy.
If the Labour Group Spokesperson disagreed radically with our response she did not express this at the meeting and I was pleased there was a broad consensus about the need to increase the supply of Council homes - something we hope will happen when councils get to keep council rents - part of the Government's housing reforms.
The reality in Reading is that we have half as many council houses now as we did 10-15 years ago thanks to the Right To Buy policy introduced by the Conservatives and not curbed by Labour. In addition, let's not forget also that in 13 years of a Labour Government no new council houses were built in Reading.
As a result the number of people on the housing waiting list has rocketed and overcrowding is a real problem for many families. This is a concern and I really hope the Coalition Government's record in relation to council housing is better - only time will tell. Reading is a phenomenally popular place to live and work but rest assured that in my role as Lead Councillor I am doing all I can locally to ensure that local people have the widest possible choice of and access to good quality housing from council, housing association and private rented sectors.
Well done Reading Borough Council. This week a rogue landlord was fined £60,000 for placing her tenants at risk in a rundown property in central Reading. This is believed to be the biggest ever fine resulting from intervention by environmental health officers in the UK. The landlord in this case was charged with 11 counts of failing to comply with housing management regulations. It says something about the demand for housing in our area that this landlord thought she could get away with charging tenants £700 for the pleasure of renting a substandard property. Under my watch landlords the Council will continue to focus on rooting out poor quality housing and holding those responsible to account. Locally my Lib Dem colleagues and I have led this agenda for the past four years, campaigning to improve the private rented sector - one of the biggest in the UK and home to 25 % of people living in Reading. Two years ago this month I led the most detailed scrutiny review ever into the sector.I did this because the worst housing standards at that time were in the private sector and also because I knew of issues in areas like Redlands with student housing that needed fixing. I succeeded in engaging the public using public meetings and Facebook - the first time in the Council's history. After the review we published detailed recommendations to the then Labour administration in May 2009 about how locally Council policies could be improved to deliver improvements in the sector. These touched on student housing, waste collection and enforcement action - all long-overlooked areas. At that time Labour councillors had no choice, politically, but to implement these recommendations, after years of neglecting rented housing, as well as areas of the Town with a high concentration of HMOs and student housing. In the end 90 % were introduced and we succeeded in getting the Council's housing strategy re-written to include a greater focus on issues in the private sector. Review of landlord accreditation One of the key recommendations of the scrutiny review called for a review of the Council's landlord accreditation scheme which had been suspended by Labour a few years earlier. This is something that students had been calling for some time and I championed it. When the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives took over the Council in May this year we inherited the review. The review found that 'while LAS is a useful tool to stakeholders, the re-launch of Reading’s current LAS would not deliver outcomes in the most cost-effective way.' The review also found: 'The (previous)scheme did not drive up house conditions significantly because landlords attracted to LAS are generally those with property in good order already. The soft outcomes of running the scheme are outweighed by the fact that the scheme had contact with only 2.3% of Reading’s rental market despite vigorous promotion and a cost of circa £34k per annum.' So, in line with our local Coalition Agreement with the Conservatives to deliver better, value for money services to our residents we agreed not to revive the scheme in it's current form but instead sign up to a National Landlord Accreditation Scheme. The scheme is run by the National Landlord Association and offers landlords and tenants a range of benefits, whilst enabling the Council to focus more effectively on it's core duties of ensuring that the most poorly-maintained and hazardous properties in the sector are identified and appropriate action is taken against landlords. Locally, Labour's response to all this has been interesting. For one thing they appear to be a lot more interested in housing and the private rented sector in opposition than they ever were when they ran the Council. This would be welcome were it not that they appear to driven by a desire to score political points, rather than campaign for better housing. For example, when I announced our plans to join a national accreditation scheme they didn't support it, arguing we were abandoning tenants - when it was Labour who suspended the Landlord Accreditation Scheme (LAS) in the first place! At full Council last month, Cllr Paul Gittings attacked me for failing to implement 'a proper landlord accreditation scheme' whatever that means, suggesting that things like fire safety would be put at risk by our decision not to resurrect an in-house landlord accreditation scheme.
This is utter hogwash. All the housing regulations that exist to protect tenants will continue to exist. The decision to adopt an LAS is entirely up to individual councils i.e. it is non-statutory. Let's be clear: all the Council's statutory functions to ensure housing standards are maintained will continue. All that we have done is ensure that taxpayer's money will not be wasted on something that does not work. And once again Labour councillors find themselves arguing for the continuation of schemes that are ineffective and are not value for money. So much for constructive opposition. The last Labour government proposed setting up a national landlord register and a number of other regulations. These plans were reviewed by independent experts and the Coalition Government and were found to be ineffective, burdensome and expensive so were not carried forward. And yet at a recent Council meeting I was challenged by a Labour activists to support these regulations. Bizarre. Back to the news about the rogue landlord who was fined this week. It is worth pointing out to any reader who is concerned that the Council will be profiting financially from the prosecution I can reassure them that the fine (if collected) will go to the Crown. The Council has been awarded costs only. It is also worth mentioning that the reason why this fine was so large was because the landlord failed to heed warnings from environmental health officers over a period of two years. If problems are found in properties the Council will work with landlords to help them put things right. Going to court is clearly only something officers will do as a last resort. If you or anyone you know are concerned about the condition of rented property please contact the Council on 0118 937 3737 or visit our website at www.reading.gov.uk/hmo
Another day, another visit to Reading West constituency from a senior Labour figure - yesterday it was Deputy Leader Harriet Harman. Labour must be really worried about losing here. And from the feedback we're getting - they should be.I spoke to one gentleman on the doorstep in West Reading who said he had supported Martin Salter at previous elections. I pointed out he was standing down. "That's the problem" he replied. And it is clearly a huge problem for Labour in Reading. The same resident told me he wasn't planning on voting Labour this time. Many people I've been speaking to on the doorstep across the constituency are ditching Labour and backing the Lib Dems this time. Anyway, I read online that Harriet Harman was in town to unveil her Party's housing policies for the election. Apparently they include plans to build 50,000 council houses by the end of the next Parliament. This is a drop in the ocean when you consider the demand for affordable housing in places like Reading. It's a bit like Labour's 'death-bed' conversion to political reform. Er, in the next Parliament. A Guardian article I read last summer made the point that back in the 1950s local authorities built around 250,000 units a year. The current rate has been reduced to a trickle - with around 130 new council homes being built each year. You can see the impact of Labour's failed housing policy wherever you go in Reading - with overcrowding a major issue and approximately 6,000 people left languishing on the Council's housing register for years. Nationally the number of people waiting on council lists for cheap housing is expected to reach 5 million by 2010. Labour politicians have had 13 years to reverse the harm done by the Conservative's Right to Buy policy and enable councils to build the homes they needed and they have failed to deliver. In Reading this can be seen by the chronic shortage of larger, family-sized properties. Gordon Brown talks about 'reforming' housing policy to enable councils'to keep rent from council homes and invest it locally. This is welcome but why did his government fail to deliver this between 1997 and 2010 when they had the power to do so? For years council tenants in Reading and elsewhere have been subsidising the Treasury when rent should have been spent on investing in existing and new council homes. The Lib Dems nationally and in Reading have led the way in arguing for reform of housing finance and devolving power down to councils to make decisions over social housing. Of all the candidates in the race to be Reading West's next MP I have been by far the most vocal in campaigning for action to tackle Reading's affordable housing crisis - to include making better use of empty homes and the private rented sector (both areas that were neglected for years for Labour-run Reading Borough Council). I am passionate about the right for everyone to live in a decent home and I'm proud to stand up for people in Reading who have been badly let down by Labour and the Tories because I believe strongly in fairness and social justice. Locally over the past year I have stood up for council tenants hit by Labour's double whammy: rent rises and unfair charges for basic services , as well as campaigning for tenants in private rented housing threatened with eviction. As Nick Clegg has rightly said, Labour cannot be trusted when it comes to their election manifesto. And Labour politicians will promise anything to cling on to power when it comes to housing. But the electorate here in Reading is not stupid and locally evidence of 13 years of Labour's failed housing policy is there for all to see.
This evening I attended a special meeting of West Berkshire Council's Eastern Area Committee held at Little Heath School where plans for 750 new homes between Theale and Tilehurst were due to be discussed. This plan has caused a lot of disquiet in the community and attracted over a thousand written objections from residents when it was submitted. I attended the meeting with my colleague, Tilehurst Cllr Ricky Duveen and my friend Jean Gardner, longstanding chairwoman of Tilehurst Parish Council. Jean has long been concerned about the impact the proposed development could have on people living in Tilehurst Parish. Jean is a great community campaigner who is well-known across the area for her work representing local residents over the years.I have huge respect for her and everything she has done for the community - she's a great role model for me in my campaigning as well as a a great friend. It was a packed house for the meeting - hundreds of residents gathered in the school hall to listen to listen the Planning Committee's response to the planning application submitted by developers Blue Living to build 750 new homes on land at Pincents Hill. Planning officers identified many valid planning reasons why this proposal should be rejected - all of which were closely linked to the detrimental effect the development could have on the environment and the quality of life of residents. The land earmarked for development by Blue Living is well used by the community for recreation and provides a natural buffer or 'strategic gap' between established urban areas. Campaigners are currently trying to get it designated as a village green to protect it from future development. Developing such a site would therefore be contrary to a number of local and national planning policies. Reading West PPCs Alok Sharma and Naz Sarkar both spoke out ably against the proposals in the meeting along with Jean Gardner, members of the Save Calcot campaign and councillors. A statement on behalf of Blue Living was read out by a representative of the developers which proved very controversial with the audience - not least because it included some bizarre claims and accusations about the handling of the application by the Council. This was met with anger from councillors, officers and residents. The representative then made a quick exit, refusing to answer questions. This did not go down well! There was a huge cheer from the audience when after a brief discussion members of the Planning Committee rejected the plans unanimously. This was clearly the right decision and it represents a great result for the local community. Well done to Joan Lawrie and the Save Calcot campaigners, also to all the local residents who have submitted detailed objections and campaigned against this flawed plan.The local politicians of all political colours who have actively supported the local grassroots campaign including local MP Martin Salter also deserve praise for their hard work on this issue which has helped to protect this vital open space. Sadly this is unlikely to be the end of the road for these ill-conceived proposals - many people at the meeting voiced their concerns that an appeal is likely and the fear is not so much if this will happen as when.
I've been campaigning for many months now to raise the profile of the problem of overcrowding in Reading. As far as I'm concerned this is one of the most serious issues many families in our Town face and it is causing huge damage to the lives of children, young people and families.
We know that there are around 5,000 people currently waiting to move into social housing in Reading but we don't really know exactly how many families are living in overcrowded accomodation.
As Chair of the Housing Scrutiny Panel in Reading I have asked officers to produce a report for our March meeting on the problem of overcrowding in Reading. This is the first time such a report has been produced as far as I know - or at least the first that has been produced since I joined the Council in 2006.
The report will also investigate the sensitive issue of 'under-occupancy' as there are some RBC properties in Reading which are technically under-occupied.
Why does overcrowding matter? Because it ruins the health and quality of life of families. Over on my ward blog I have described some real examples of local people who are being badly effected who I came across as a ward councillor. Having witnessed real suffering in my own ward, I am now very motivated to get this issue on the political agenda and action taken.
There are potentially thousands of families in this position in Reading right now.
Earlier this year I supported Shelter's campaign to reform the outdated housing laws which relate to the definition of overcrowding. The legal framework matters because it is this which dictates the policies of councils like Reading.
It hasn’t been updated since 1935. Back then they thought that smoking was healthy, too.
Living rooms and kitchens are considered acceptable sleeping spaces.
Children under 10 count as half a person, and babies under one don’t count at all.
According to the law, a family of five** living in a one-bedroom flat would not be classed as living in overcrowded accommodation.
Shelter research has shown that overcrowding causes anxiety and depression, limits educational success and harms health
In Reading, like a lot of other places, overcrowding is linked to a shortage of larger or 'family-sized' accommodation. I have been leading the campaign locally for more houses like these - more affordable homes, more Council houses and more empty homes to be transformed into cheap housing for local families.
I hope that by finding out the extent of the problem and gaining a better understanding about the challenges many people are dealing with we can go some way towards alleviating the problems many families are facing in Reading today.
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.
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 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.
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.
