The government has announced that we will have to wait between 12 and 14 years for a new hospital to start to be built in Reading, breaking election promises made by all three of Reading’s new Labour MPs. Meanwhile the health system is broken. Child mortality is going up. Life expectancy is going down. Avoidable deaths – those tragedies science can already prevent – are going up.
People are afraid for their parents, their kids and their grandkids.
Political finger-pointing won’t fix the NHS
Recently at council the Conservatives tabled a hypocritical motion accusing Labour of broken promises and more delays. Labour countered with an arrogant amendment full of platitudes but short on specifics. I watched with despair as this devolved into childish bickering between Labour and Conservative councillors over who is the bigger failure.
While their governments come and go the broken election promises remain and the public gets the same raw deal.
The drivel that passes for debate in the council chamber
I do wonder what the public must think when they read about this sort of stuff in the paper. No solutions, just finger-pointing while people wait in A&E and die in corridors, sometimes alone. Ultimately, we could not support Reading Labour’s tone-deaf amendment as it was dismissive of the heartbreaking reality. We are not interested in excuses, just get on with building a modern, fit for purpose Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Greens now the second largest party in Reading
The Greens now have more councillors than the Conservatives and Lib Dems combined. We will keep working hard all year round to get the best for Reading residents. If you’re keen on being part of the change in Reading I urge you to get involved: reading.greenparty.org.uk/get-involved
By Cllr Dave McElroy (Green Party, Redlands Ward, 2024 MP candidate for Reading Central)
