Gas roadworks on A4074 and Woodcote Way

Many have been delayed and inconvenienced by Southern Gas Network’s (SGN's) ongoing mains replacement scheme.  Therefore I thought readers would be interested to see SGN's intended programme of works for the remainder.  The following is from an RBC Highways Network officer:

 

Upper Woodcote Road – to date:

SGN's initial works and intension in Upper Woodcote Road, was to conduct the works using two different working methods:

• Section 1 (Shepherds Lane to Hewett Avenue) was to be completed by inserting the new pipe inside the old, with the intension being a quicker progression of works, less scarring of the carriageway surface and less material use/wastage.
• Section 2 (Hewett Avenue to Woodcote Way) was to be completed by excavating a trench in which the new pipe could be laid, as they would be unable to fit the new pipe within the old. 

Both methods would require the transfer of individual services on to the new pipe, the abandonment/decommissioning of the old pipe and the use of portable traffic signals to safely manage traffic around the working area.

SGN have managed to complete Section 1, but there were a number of engineering difficulties that slowed the progression of work. It was decided that SGN should not continue on to Section 2, as this would have carried the works in to the network’s busiest time, on the lead up to Christmas.

Woodcote Way:

SGN intend to complete the replacement of gas mains, located in both footways between Geoffreyson Road and Upper Woodcote Road, commencing early next week. They intend to insert the new main inside the old, one footway at a time, and hope to avoid the need for portable traffic signals.

 

Excavation works will stop by 19^th December at the latest, with excavations being reinstated and the area tidied over Christmas. The earliest SGN will return to the area is 2^nd January, although it is likely that works will not recommence until 7^th January.

 

There is likely to be a further 2 weeks of work in the New Year, with works in Woodcote Way being competed around 21^st January 2013.

 

Upper Woodcote Road – completion:

SGN intend to continue their works (as per Section 2 above) from around 21^st January 2013 (following completion of works in Woodcote Way). The works will require the use of portable traffic signals and should be completed within 5 weeks, subject to any engineering difficulties.

Get the Political Picture?

Until recent years most people tended to stick with reading one national newspaper - perhaps favouring its political slant, a particular columnist or section. With the arrival of the internet, online articles and also Twitter, many including me have taken to reading more widely (to the detriment of newspaper sales) choosing to read on subjects of interest regardless of which publication they come from.

One of my favourite newspaper adverts was the Independent’s several years ago where the viewer saw the same scene repeated but from different perspectives. The first angle showed a woman walking along a pavement carrying a handbag. Next a skin head running to tackle her. Then the angle panned out showing something starting to fall down towards the woman. Finally you saw the whole scene and the skinhead reacting to the danger, saving the woman from injury.

Although I don’t claim to be independent – after all I belong to a political party - I try to be fair and accurate. I love a good debate and if someone else has a valid point, I’ve no problem with accepting it.  

I believe it is important to show links of local bloggers from the different political parties in Reading (even though I often do not agree with what they write or their personal/political views) so that you, my readers, can easily see what the other parties are saying and work out for yourselves with whom you agree.

I find it interesting that my Conservative colleague Richard Willis does the same, yet the Labour, Green & Lib Dem blogs choose not to.  

Nobody has all the answers so keeping an open mind, being prepared for healthy challenge, and trying to represent my residents - as well as making it easy for you to read what others of different political parties are writing - suits me.

Primary School Admissions September 2013

RBC has announced where 9 of 12 Reception ‘bulge classes’* will be for September 2013.  You can read the list on RBC's website

I’ve first-hand experience of being given a waiting list number instead of a primary school place so I know what a nerve-wracking process this is for parents.  Although ‘bulge classes’ are not ideal there is no alternative given the short amount of time between now and September 2013. I welcome the announcement of where the majority of the 12 bulge classes will be located as this will help parents make more realistic choices on their application forms before the 15 January 2013 deadline. 

 

Micklands has been confirmed as one of the two primaries north of the river taking a 'bulge class', the other primary is expected to be finalised & named this week [I'll update this post when it is confirmed].  If you live in Caversham and are applying for September it is worth holding off until the announcement.  If, on the other hand, you've submitted your application already you are able to change it.

The Council is further off finding a solution for the remaining two bulge classes in central Reading.

 

The shortage of school places came to a head right across Reading back in April for children starting Reception in September this year.  On offer day this year 79 families weren't given a school place because the Labour administration had failed to anticipate and prepare for the number of applications or even where the worst pressure for places was likely to be.

 

As my colleague, Cllr Sandra Vickers said, “Nobody wants a repeat of that shambles."  Like me, Sandra hopes the administration’s forecasting will prove to be accurate next time.

 

For many years I've campaigned on school admissions (predominantly primary though not exclusively).  I've helped parents fight admission appeals and know how difficult it is to win an appeal once a reception year, primary place has been refused.  Therefore it is all important parents filling their application form in wisely, giving the best chance of getting a school place.

 

Advice is provided by RBC on this page.  RBC's school admissions team are on 0118 9372550.  If, after reading RBC's information you still would like some help, do drop me an email and I will be happy to advise.

 

* 'Bulge class' = a one-off extra class (usually of 30 pupils though can be less) in a year group which works its way up through a school from Reception to Year 6

Care Home Investigation

Just over a week ago RBC received the autopsy results of a 95 year old who had been recovering from a stroke in a council care home.  As reported by the local media he contracted pneumonia and died from Legionnaires’ disease.  I pass on my condolences to his relatives and friends.

The Willows primarily is a dementia care home so most residents are elderly and particularly vulnerable.  It also provides intermediate care for residents needing a short stay before or after hospital. 

 

In my new role as Conservative strategic lead spokesman for Housing, Health, Community Care, Education & Children’s Services I asked for a briefing to ensure RBC was doing everything it should be to investigate this case, and to safeguard the wellbeing of the other residents in RBC’s care.  The following is, to the best of my recollection, what I was told.

 

An independent consultant was brought in on 10 November to investigate.  Some, though not all, tests at The Willows (previously called Tanfield) Care Home were positive for the Legionella bacteria.  The basin in the 95-year-old’s room at The Willows tested positive, as did the shower head in a communal bathroom.  Measures have been put in place to eradicate the two traces of Legionella bacteria at The Willows and to prevent it coming back.  Further tests are being carried out to ensure these measures have been successful.

Health & Safety Executive representatives are meeting RBC officers this week.  The Head of Adult Social Care is preparing a report detailing the chronology – expected to take weeks.  Councillors, including myself, will be able to scrutinise the case at the Adult Safeguarding Board, the next planned meeting for which is 4 December (though it wasn’t clear last week when I received my briefing whether RBC’s report would be ready in time or if a separate meeting would need to be convened).

 

The Interim Director & Council Manager confirmed that RBC adheres to the Health & Safety Executive’s approved code of practice on Legionella, that all staff and residents have been spoken to and kept up-to-date.  Only one of the residents has taken up RBC’s offer of moving.

 

I await the outcome of the investigation.

Update:  The Adult Safeguarding Board meeting has been put back to 18th December. 

School Places: New Meeting plus Accuracy of Forecast Questioned

Today arrangements have been finalised for a meeting of people interested in finding out how to set up a Free School in north west Caversham.  It starts at 7.30 pm in the Grosvenor pub on Thursday 8th November.  RBC officer Kevin McDaniel will be there, as will I and two colleagues.

This meeting came about as a result of the Caversham & District Residents' Association meeting on 22nd October as a way to look into providing adequate school places north of the river.

At last night's Cabinet meeting my colleague Cllr Sandra Vickers asked the following question:

Further to the answers on school places the Lead Councillor for Education gave me at Council on 23^rd October, please will he clarify the following:

Since the Lead Cllr says the shortage of places is a national problem, predominantly in the South East, is his assumption safe that Reading’s neighbouring councils will be able to continue to give the same number of school places to Reading families for the next 5 years?  Why would these neighbouring councils not have the same issue of migration to their areas, thereby reducing available places for Reading children?

This was Cllr Ennis's response: 

This issue is a national one and the population is expanding.  Our neighbouring authorities are also dealing with this issue.  Further to the cabinet report of 1^st October we noted that the forecast is indeed subject to variation.  Officers have modelled the available space based on current, stated intentions from our neighbours including their published strategic plans.  Cabinet have however requested that the forecast be reviewed and represented each year because we know the situation will develop over time.

There is already a significant challenge to find places and we believe the proposed level of expansion – 12 forms of entry in Primary school immediately and access to 16 more forms of entry into Secondary school by the end of the decade – is the prudent level of permanent expansion which balances the variability of need with the financial constraints that we face.

Stepping Forward in the Dark

The Mayor of Reading (right) with Atkins the guide dog & me

At lunchtime I accompanied The Mayor of Reading, Cllr Jenny Rynn, to Broad Street where we met lots of people working & volunteering for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Jenny & I were keen to be blind folded to experience what it is like to be blind or partially sighted.  It was also good to help support the charity's awareness day by highlighting the difficulties visually impaired people face walking in a busy shopping area.

John Mudd from the charity was very happy to answer all our questions.  He introduced us to several volunteers who enabled us to try being guided by a person, then using a white stick and finally being guided by a dog. 



Atkins guiding me

Jenny trying a white stick

Being guided by a person was fine as I simply trusted my helper to keep me safe.  However using the white stick was daunting.  Even though I only walked a short distance, I suddenly became very conscious of all the noises around me and felt extremely vulnerable.  I was anxious not to be tripped up by one of the many A-frame signs that litter the pavement. 

Best of all - Jenny agreed - was being guided by Atkins a 5 year old dog who has a lovely friendly temperament.  As he walked his wagging tail gently swished against my leg which I found very reassuring.  His fluid forward motion made me feel reasonably confident to follow beside him. 

For me the experience of walking blindfolded really brought home the isolation, disorientation and vulnerability visually impaired people battle against.  This is an issue close to my heart as my paternal grandmother was almost blind.  She never wanted to use a stick or have a guide dog, I think because of embarrassment over her disability.  She relied on my grandfather and other family members to guide or drive her about and I fondly remember guiding her. 


John Mudd, me, Joel Young, Atkins, Jenny & 'Alfie'

John Mudd emphasised the importance of early intervention to help individuals come to terms with sight loss.  Currently Reading does fund this mandatory work, however I believe Slough has cut the funding so it is crucial to ensure Reading doesn't follow suit.  Cutting funding for early intervention work is literally short-sighted.  Helping an individual adjust and cope with ordinary day-to-day life things like getting dressed, cooking safely, getting out of the house to shop or taking exercise is invaluable work.   It can transform a blind person's quality of life, giving them the confidence to have a job and a family.

We both signed the petition for the removal of VAT on dog food for Guide Dogs, with a potential saving of £300,000 to the Charity.   As well as being alert to the necessity of ensuring the future funding of the early intervention work, both Jenny and I will highlight to the Council the danger posed by unnecessary street furniture like advertising boards and ask for this to be reviewed.

It is well worth having a look at http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/ for more information about the wonderful work the organisation does.  Do consider making a donation while you're there!

Update:  Over £2,000 was raised by Guide Dogs for the Blind in Broad Street on the day

School Places Shortage: Labour Needs your Ideas

The local Labour administration has at last realised & acknowledged the massive shortage of school places in Reading.  With little notice - in what many rightly see as a last minute dash to make up for Labour's years of failure to accurately predict & forecast school places - the administration is consulting the public to get ideas for how to meet the forecast needs.

Rob Wilson MP has been working hard to improve the situation, already having brought the partners together for the UTC (which I've written about  before).  More recently Rob has been working with an education provider to bring forward a secondary school for 11-16 year olds in his East Reading constituency.

Returning to RBC, below is the press release announcing the consultation meeting dates. I hope anybody & everybody interested in education in Reading will try to come to one of the venues.

Let's Talk Education
   
08/10/2012
Reading Borough Council Press Release

Reading Borough Council today (Oct 8) launches 'Let's Talk Education' the latest in a series of on-going community consultations on the issues that really matter in Reading .

A national shortage of primary and secondary school places is being mirrored in Reading. Only this year the Council spent £2 million providing an additional 260 more places for four-year-olds starting school. Current estimates are that in Reading an additional 12 forms of entry - or 360 primary school places will be needed every year from September 2013. By September 2017 all secondary school capacity will be full.

'Let's Talk Education' wants to hear from local residents, parents, schools and any other interested groups. Their opinions will help shape the Council's plan to meet the demand for primary and secondary school places in Reading .

Opinions gathered in the consultation will enable Reading Borough Council to have a better understanding of how people feel about the choices that impact on decisions about school places. These choices include things like school sizes, educational standards, admissions and transport options, as well as the impact on the local environment.

The Council has scheduled a series of 'Let's Talk Education' events, starting next week, across each of the local communities in the town and running through October. People do not have to be parents to attend - every local resident is invited to make their views known.

The meetings will be at:

- Monday October 15: 4pm: Moorlands Primary School , Church End Lane, Tilehurst / 6.30pm: Micklands Primary School , Micklands Road, Caversham
- Tuesday October 16: 4pm: Whitley Park Primary School , Basingstoke Road, Whitley
- Wednesday October 17: 6.30pm: Reading Town Hall Discussion on Secondary School Places
- Thursday Oct 18: 4pm: New Town Primary School , School Terrace / 6.30pm: Southcote Primary School , Silchester Road
- Thursday October 25: 4pm: Oxford Road Community School,146 Oxford Road

Each of the meetings will include a presentation on the shortage of school places across the borough. People will then have the opportunity to ask any questions they have and give any feedback. Questionnaires will be available at the meetings for people to fill in.

Anyone not able to make one of the events can also make their views known atwww.reading.gov.uk/letstalkeducation. The closing date for consultation is November 7.The Council will then feedback from the events and the consultation to those that took part. 

Update: the Consultation deadline has been extended to 18th November 2012.