Our review made a series of recommendations to the Labour adminstration of Reading Borough Council - 99% of which they accepted in June last year.I made clear at that time that it was vitally important that the scrutiny review should not be a one off and that it should be use to drive continuous improvement in the sector and in RBC policies for the benefit of tenants and residents.

Why bother? Let's not forget 25% of Reading's population lives in the PRS and this is also where some of the worst housing conditions are - 22.6% of properties do not met Decent Homes standard due to poor thermal efficiency, leading to problems of fuel poverty.With this in mind I requested an update report be presented to both scrutiny panels. We will be discussing this and progress since the review at HHCC Scrutiny Panel this Thursday evening at 6.30pm in the Kennet Room. The meeting is open to the public and if you would like to ask a question on this item please contact me.

Some points I wanted to highlight from the report to scrutiny:

• We recommended that the review findings inform the Council's new Housing Strategy - this has happened with objectives to improve both the condition and management of the sector right at the heart of the new strategy
• We recommended that RBC continued to develop and promote services to support tenants in the private rented sector - this is happening with the Deposit Guarantee Scheme continuing to prove popular. The Council is also about to appoint a money advisor for tenants.
• We recommended the creation of a cross-Council enforcement group to tackle problems at a neighbourhood level - since group is up and running and over 20 cases have been discussed ranging from rubbish to empty homes issues
• We recommended more information be made available for local residents about HMOs and planning rules - a leaflet has been drafted but it needs to be revised to take account of recent government announcements relating to HMOs and planning
• We recommended that flexible waste collection be investigated for flats and HMOs following a pilot in Katesgrove - flexibility is now 'inherent in  RBC collection systems' across Reading

Landlord accreditation scheme review

One of the major recommendations from our review, based on feedback we received from Reading University Students' Union and students called for partners to re-establish a comprehensive landlord accreditation scheme to raise standards across the sector and give tenants more confidence about letting properties in Reading. A review of the scheme was launched in October 2009, however, for various reasons the scheme is not up and running yet. This is partly due to the fact that the government has made some announcements that impact on Council policies. Officers are currentlyy looking at schemes currently running and identify any gaps, or missed opporutnities, in the private rented sector that could be bridged through accreditation. A consultation is planned. I will be meeting officers shortly to discuss how we can speed things up.

My ward colleague Glenn Goodall who is also Lib Dem Environment spokesperson has been campaigning since his election in 2008 to make it possible for residents to recycle their litter on high streets in Reading - something that is offered in London and many towns and cities. Glenn is pictured above with Cllr Louise Bloom - Lead Member for the Environment at Eastleigh BC who is an outstanding campaigner on all things environmental. Today we heard from RBC that following a successful pilot on Christchurch Road of 'on-street' litter recycling bins the Council will be introducing these bins to a number of other locations across the Borough. This is great news. Well done Glenn!

• New bins will be located in Kings Road opposite TVU also Lowfield Rd shops Caversham, Farnham Drive Precinct Caversham, Meadway Precinct (Asda) Tilehurst, The Triangle School Rd Tilehurst,Coronation Square in Southcote,Wensley Rd shops in Coley,Wokingham Rd shops,Whitley Wood Lane/Northumberland Ave shops in Whitley, Whitley Street shops in Katesgrove, Caversham Road,and Oxford Road/ Norcot Road
• These new recycling bins will be used for recycling cans, plastic and paper and each bin will have its own purposely designed and colour coordinated aperture to reduce the chances of contamination.
• Emptied on a weekly basis by RBC;s Refuse Collection Teams will ensure that the contents will be appropriately recycled and not sent to landfill.
• Installation will commence from Monday 14th March and is expected to be completed by the end of the month.

I have written to RBC Streetcare to request that we have a set of these bins located outside the Co Op on Erleigh Road as well.

More bottle banks in Redlands

The Council recently announced that more bottle banks are being installed across Reading which is also good news. Bottle banks in Redlands are relatively new additions to the ward and are something that my colleagues and I actively campaigned for.There will be a new bottle bank on Erleigh Road by Junction Road (behind the wall next to the electricity substation). We are in discussions with RBC officers to see if a bottle bank can be installed in the car park of the Upin Arms and on Craven Road in the RBH car park. 

Reading Borough Council's approach to electoral registration has improved markedly since I was first elected. We have raised a number of concerns about how the Council went about encouraging people to register over the years (including highlighting inaccuracies in the register) and  I'm pleased to see this matter is now taken very seriously by officers and each year RBC gets better at getting more people who live in Reading to join the electoral register.For more details about the latest electoral facts and figures relating to voter registration in Reading check out this blog post I wrote last November.Sadly this local success is not reflected elsewhere across the country, as this article published today in the Local Government Chronicle confirms. The Electoral Commission which assesses the performance of Electoral Returning Officers (EROs) in councils estimates that 41% of EROs are not meeting the required standard on promoting participation in elections.

Research by the Electoral Commission has found:

• Non-registration is higher among certain groups, particularly young people aged 17-24 years old (56% not registered) and people from black and minority ethnic communities (31% not registered).
• People changing address is a key reason for non-registration. Just 21% of those living at their present address for a year or less are registered to vote.

Councils now have a duty to promote democracy in their areas, not just to count the votes cast. I recently lobbied the Council in Reading successfully to support the natonal 'Shadow A Councillor' scheme to introduce more young people to the democratic process. More needs to be done to encourage under-represented groups including members of Black and Minority ethnic groups to become councillors.  At the end of week 10 of this year's annual canvass, RBC  had received 46,738 electoral registration returns from households, out of a total of 66,785 households (70.0%). There is clearly plenty of work still to be done to increase voter registration but RBC has the right idea - targetting polling districts with low voter registration and targetting types of housing where fewer people tend to register - including HMOs and student areas  This isn't cheap to do but I think it is vitally important if the Council is going to have anything approaching legitimacy - a genuine mandate to govern. As a political party we believe strongly in the need to encourage local people to participate in local and general elections - greater participation will lead to more credible government - better decision-making and more accountability. Low voter registration, like low voter turnout is a concern as it indicates that people do not see the point of voting. If particular groups are represented on the electoral register in small numbers it can be hard for them to get their voice heard.  It's up to us to convince people of the importance of voting. So this weekend we will be out again (as we are every year) encouraging people living in the ward to register to vote and to exercise their vote when the time comes. No taxation without representation is an old phrase but I think it's still valid! For details of the deadline to register to vote in this years important local and general elections and to download a registration form visit RBC's website.

Normally the meetings are well attended, and thought provoking, and it provides a chance to meet Police, people from the Council and University, and people from across our area.

It will be discussing the issues important to local residents including parking, anti-social behaviour, and cleaning up the local environment.

Check out this video we made on Bede Walk last year to see us in action:

Even more challenging is that the poorest and most vulnerable rely on Council services, and yet it these people and those just getting by who tend to pay the most, as a proportion of their income.

This year, we were absolutely opposed to Labour's 2.2% rise, and came prepared to have all the discussions needed to get a lower number. My own view was like Liberal Democrat Hull, that Reading should be able to set a zero % rise this year, and colleagues from that city gave us alot of support in identifying how that could be done.

Unfortunately, during the discussions, it was clear that the Conservatives were really unprepared - and when a crucial vote came, they weren't in the room. So the Labour budget was forced through, against Liberal Democrat votes.

Really disappointing that it happened this way: I genuinely think the rise did not have to be as big this year, and I'm afraid that it reflects badly on both the other Parties in the town, both Conservative disorganisation and Labour's financial management. Nevertheless, I am glad we were able to stand up for our residents in what are very difficult times, and we will keep working to make the Council as efficient and effective as possible.

- Kirsten

The other issue that kept cropping up was damp. Damp in kitchens, bathrooms and living rooms. This is not pleasant for people. One tenant pointed out huge cracks in his ceiling. I reported all of these issues to the Council for attention - I was just sad that some tenants have been living with these problems for many years.

I asked one tenant on Newcastle Road what they thought about RBC cleaning services and their response was: "what cleaning service?". As Lib Dem housing spokesperso on RBC I am campaigning to ensure RBC tenants get value for money, good quality cleaning services - particularly as Labour are planning to charge tenants extra for the service later this year. The feedback I am getting from tenants is that RBC needs to do much better.

On Thursday evening I attended a meeting of the Whitley North Neighbourhood Action Group which covers part of Redlands ward. It was good to meet Inspector Rob Murray (who has taken over from Kevin Sinfield) and other members of the North Whitley Police team at the NAG meeting. We discussed anti-social behaviour problems that are recurring on Northumberland Avenue and what can be done to tackle this.

Issues raised by residents at the meeting included motorbikes being ridden on the estate (an ongoing issue), parking and burglaries. There appears to be a problem of some tenants not locking alleygates. I have asked RBC to write to residents reminding them to secure gates to help keep their properties safe. A couple of years ago I campaigned to make sure all the alleygates on the estate had working locks.

We'll be chasing the Council and Police for action and getting back to residents in relation to all these issues - because we care deeply about improving the quality of life of all the people who live in our ward.

I wrote to Reading Borough Council and officers are now organising a visit with the site manager to discuss the University's responsibilities during construction and to ask them to tidy the entrance up if necessary.

Some other other housekeeping - I noticed one of the litter bins by the bus stop on Upper Redlands Road was overflowing so I've requested a larger bin from the Council.

While I was out and about I spotted a number of potholes - on Craven Road, Eldon Road and Corbridge Road following the recent severe weather. I reported these to the Council for action and hope they will be fixed soon. Please get in touch if you notice any problems or issues with our local road network and we will do our best to help.

For example, Ashley wrote to us a few weeks ago to say that mini-motos were becoming a problem again on the estate. It's useful to know this so we can encourage residents to report issues.

Ashley has been one of the officers we have worked closely with as part of our campaign to make Hexham estate a nicer place for local residents to live. Charlotte Roberts and Tom Martin from the Neighbourhood Team have also been amazing.

Before I was elected in 2006 the estate had been neglected for years by the Labour councillors for the area and has been allowed to get very run down due to lack of investment. We have been working hard over the years to get the Council to tackle anti-social behaviour and smarten the place up - thanks to the Decent Neighbourhoods Fund which we campaigned for this is now happening.

'Mini-Farm' Day to be held at Easter

Before Christmas Ashely organised a 'Hawk Day' on the estate as part of RBC's efforts to tackle pidgeon nuisance. This week Ashley wrote to us with another great idea: he is organising a 'mini-farm' day on the estate to take place on Easter weekend- on Easter Saturday between 12 and 4pm. The plan is that there will be lambs, pigs and goats for the kids and hopefully stalls too. Neighbourhood Warden Carol Shepherd - another community stalwart - will be helping out on the day and sorting out hot food. If you live in the area and would like to get involved please drop Ashley a line: ashley.blackwood@reading.gov.uk

Improving parking and road safety

We have been campaigning for years to get Reading Borough Council to sort out parking problems on the estate. Progress has been frustratingly slow as the size of the estate means options for improvement are limited.

A recent survey carried out by RBC found parking to be one of the top three issues for residents living on the estate. There is little or no parking enforcement and no residents' parking so the Council needs to be creative to tackle problems related to parking. Road safety and speeding is also a major issue and we are keen to see speeds reduced.

You may remember a few months back we went on an estate walkabout with senior officers from RBC Housing and Highways to see what could be done to tackle parking problems residents were facing.  We heard from Ashley this week that following our meeting focus groups with residents on the estate have been held and the following next steps have been provisionally agreed:

• In order to reduce parking problems for residents around Hexham Community Centre, double yellow lines around the Hexham Road Community Centre, starting on the Hexham Road wrapping round up towards Bamburgh Close are planned. A small break in double yellow lines will be placed on Bamburgh Close outside the Community Centre to allow limited parking for staff and visitors.
• In order to allow buses to turn more easily, double yellow lines are to be installed at the top of Corbridge Road by the junction with Newcastle Road outside number 34-28 Corbridge Road. (Residents have been parking on the path here and any parking on the road is preventing the bus from turning into the road). A residents car park is situated to the rear of these properties and all have a garage or car port.
• Double yellow lines to be installed on Newcastle Road where the road bends to the right outside number 62. All of these properties have a driveway and garage. The parking that is done on the path and road here obstructs the view and could cause an accident with oncoming vehicles. 
   

Residents have been telling us that parking on pavements and cars blocking driveways is a major problem on parts of the estate. To help provide better parking across the estate the Housing Department will be paying for the following areas to be re-lined so that clear parking bays can be provided:

• Car park by 199-211 Newcastle Road
• Car park by 109-145 Newcastle Road
• Car park area rear of 127-133 Hadrians Walk East
• Car park by 16-22 Morpeth Close
• Car park top of Bamburgh Close by 56-90 Bamburgh Close