Wednesday 30 April 2014

How busy has your councillor been? #rdguk

The table below shows the amount of case work -- potholes, education issues, parking problems, requests for information etc -- each councillor in Reading has put through the Front Office system from May 2013 to present. I have only included councillors whose term is coming to an end this year.

In the past commentators have suggested that some councillors choose not to use the Front Office system for their casework and this accounted for their low Front Office statistics. I have never understood this because if you use the system, councillor services will log your case work, keep track of it, chase it up for you and help you write letters back to residents. If you don't use the system then you either fire and forget your communications with officers and don't keep track of them or you have to use your own system to manage casework without the support of councillor services.

I’ll let people draw their own conclusions about levels of activity and how to vote at the elections.

What do you think?

Councillor
Ward
No of enquiries
WHITE, Rob
PARK
451
EDEN, Rachel
WHITLEY
127
ENNIS, John
SOUTHCOTE
96
RALPH, Mark
PEPPARD
80
DUVEEN, Ricky
TILEHURST
64
HACKER, Sarah
BATTLE
54
RYNN, Jenny
KENTWOOD
42
TICKNER, Bet
ABBEY 
41
CUMPSTY, Andrew
CAVERSHAM
28
BENSON, Daisy
REDLANDS
20
LIVINGSTON, Marian
MINSTER
20
RYE, Rebecca
KATESGROVE
17
JONES, Peter
NORCOT
10
STEVENS, David
THAMES
7
HARRIS, Tim
CHURCH
3


Crescent Road needs resurfacing! #rdguk

We had another go recently at trying to get the Council to resurface Crescent Road. We got the Council to do a small section of it a while ago and we have got some of the potholes fixed. With this road being the main route to a number of schools we think it should be prioritised. Unfortunately the Council doesn't agree.

Below is the most recent response from the Council:

"Thank you for your enquiry regarding the road surface in Crescent Road.

Last year the worst part of Crescent Road was resurfaced as funding allowed.  However you are correct where at present the majority of the areas of carriageway you refer to do not reach the current intervention level, although there are occasions where ad-hoc orders are required when deterioration occurs.

Crescent Road will continue to be monitored and will be assessed and considered in accordance with the Council policy and inspection regime."

Tuesday 29 April 2014

local election hustings on the environment in Reading #rdguk

The Greater Reading Environmental Network have organised a local election hustings. See below:

GREN Local Election Hustings

GREN’s Environmental Hustings for the 2014 Reading Local Elections will be on Tuesday 13th May at 7:45 pm in Reading Quaker “Friends’ Meeting House” 2 Church Street, off London Street, Reading RG1 2SB.
Councillors Tony Page (Labour), Ricky Duveen (Liberal Democrat) and Rob White (Green) have agreed to present their policies and to take part in a ‘Question Time’ style debate chaired by Prof. Gavin Parker, Chair of Planning Studies, Reading University. A Conservative representative is also expected.
Come along to quiz the politicians and tell them your concerns. Questions should focus on local environmental issues such as climate change adaptation and mitigation, planning, transport, pollution, provision for biodiversity, and waste.
Please help to publicise the event by forwarding this to others and by downloading and printing an A4 poster http://www.gren.org.uk/resources/GREN_Hustings_A4.pdf and/or an A5 Flyer http://www.gren.org.uk/resources/GREN_Hustings_A5x2.pdf.

GREN is the Greater Reading Environmental Network www.gren.org.uk

Monday 28 April 2014

Reading Council Announces Full List of Candidates


Below is a full list of candidates at the council elections. Surprisingly UKIP are standing ten candidates and Labour have switched their candidate and by-election candidate in Park Ward around (neither of which live in Park Ward).

Josh and I will keep working hard in Park Ward up to the elections, say hello if you see us and feel free to ask for a poster.

Park Ward By-Election


Shanaz Akhtar
Con
18 Cholmeley Road
Francis David Jakeman
LibDem
50 Eastern Avenue
Matthew Lawrence
Lab
2 The Ridings
Josh Williams
Green Party
66 Cumberland Road



Abbey


Richard Charles Black
Green Party
166B Kensington Road
Stephen George James
UKIP
112 Surley Row
James William John Moore
LibDem
36 Swansea Road
Laurence Douglas Taylor
Con
33 Marlborough Avenue
Bet Tickner
Lab
25 Hemdean Hill



Battle


Glenn Goodall
LibDem
114 Blenheim Gardens
Sarah Hacker
Lab
6 Dorset Street
Imraan Ishtiaq
Con
3 Beresford Road
Alan Edward Lockey
Green Party
23 Brocksett Close
Jean-Louis Pascual
Roman
12 Stanley Grove



Caversham


Christopher Burden
LibDem
24 Cromwell Road
Rachael Chrisp
Lab
5 Amherst Road
Michael Diamond
UKIP
16 Blossom Road
Jenny Hicks
Green Party
25 Luscombe Close
Geoff Poland
Con
6 Blakes Quay
Silvia Vousden
TUSC
45 Managua Close



Church


Paul Alan Carnell
Con
2 Pevensey Court
Vivienne Joyce Johnson
Green Party
22 Clarendon Road
Margaret McNeill
LibDem
2 Ella Garett Close
Ashley Pearce
Lab
24 Elgar Road
Ann Patricia Zebedee
UKIP
5 Cressingham Road



Katesgrove


John Barrie Dearing
UKIP
27 Sherman Road
Sophia James
Lab
Lower Flat, 46 Crown Street
Louise Kaye Keane
Green Party
30 Edgehill Street
Peter Jon Kinsley
LibDem
33 Sherman Road
Emma Jayne Warman
Con
58 Bramshaw Road



Kentwood


Glenn Anthony Dennis
Lab
200 Thirlmere Avenue
Ruth Leonora
Green Party
25 Wardle Avenue
Tom Steele
Con
71A Oak Tree Road
Howard Thomas
UKIP
90 Stone Street
Jonathan David Walls
LibDem
Flat 72, Regents Riverside



Minster


Katie Black
Con
18 Heritage Court
Patrick Dillon
UKIP
72 Wolseley Street
Jonathan Richard Fanti
LibDem
50 Collis Street
Marian Elise Livingston
Lab
57 Swainstone Road
Hazel Murphy
Green Party
44 Boston Avenue



Norcot


Debs Absolom
Lab
3 Hampstead Court
Georgina Hughes
LibDem
31 George Street
David James Patterson
Green Party
53 Balmore Drive
Clare Vose
Con
1 Dulnan Close



Park


Anne Patricia Armstrong
UKIP
15 Hollicombe Close
Mohammad Basharat
Con
168 London Road
Anrish Kaur
Lab
7 Tuxford Mews
Rebecca Rye
LibDem
69 Carnarvon Road
Rob White
Green Party
69 Coventry Road



Peppard


Kate Annabel Day
Green Party
2 Rotherfield Way
John Knight
UKIP
Flat 5, 40 Knights Way
Natalie Kay
Lab
16 Buckingham Drive
Mark Andrew Ralph
Independent
7 Kidmore Road
Simon Howard Robinson
Con
78 Galsworthy Drive
Jenn Claire Woods
LibDem
Flat 72, Regents Riverside



Redlands


David Lawrence Absolom
Lab
3 Hampstead Court
Robert Derek Allan
UKIP
Flat 5, 56 London Road
Kirsten Ruth Bayes
LibDem
2 Malvern Court
Helen Elizabeth Hopper
Con
47 Culver Road
Kizzi Murtagh
Green Party
47 Blenheim Gardens



Southcote


Madeleine Elizabeth Adams
LibDem
94 Mayfield Drive
Doug Cresswell
Green Party
2 Rotherfield Way
John Ennis
Lab
5 Hampstead Court
Ellis Wiggins
Con
5 Wellingtonia House



Thames


John Robert Dickson
Independent
1A Kidmore Road
Sarah Frances McNamara
Green Party
12 Woburn Close
Guy William Penman
LibDem
90 Blenheim Road
Richard Martin Stainthorp
Lab
23 Oakley Road
David Bryan Stevens
Con
61 Baker Street



Tilehurst


Haji Banaras
Lab
72 Salisbury Road
Ricky Duveen
LibDem
4 Chieveley Close
Miriam Frances Kennet
Green Party
6 Strachey Close
William Stewart Graham MacPhee
UKIP
29 Armour Road
Robert Vickers
Con
58 New Lane Hill



Whitley


Janel Marie Blattler
LibDem
50 Collis Street
Nicholas Brown
Con
Flat 1, Berwyn House
Rachel Claire Eden
Lab
7 Windrush Way
Keith Martin Johnson
Green Party
22 Clarendon Road
Jamie Steven Wake
Independent
21 Gweal Avenue