By Lib Dem Councillors James Moore, Meri O’Connell, and Anne Thompson
A new year starts for Reading Borough Council this month after one-third of Council seats were up for re-election, or one councillor per ward, on the May 2.
There were a few new faces at the first meeting of the Council this week, but the overall composition has changed only slightly.
Lib Dem Group Leader James Moore retained his seat in Tilehurst this month, winning more than half of votes cast. The ward remains a vibrant yellow with all three Lib Dem councillors on the coucnil representing Tilehurst.
As the Lib Dem Group, we thought the start of the new Council year might be a good time to introduce ourselves afresh.
What do Liberal Democrats believe?
“No-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance, or conformity.” This statement, part of the preamble to the Liberal Democrat Constitution, speaks for all three of us and why we are Liberal Democrats.
As a party, we stand firm on seven core values: liberty, equality, democracy, community, human rights, internationalism, and environmentalism. Each of these underpin the party’s specific policy proposals.
As Liberal Democrats, we believe that power should be dispersed into communities, rather than concentrated anywhere. We believe that communities and individuals should have the power and resources to make the best of themselves and society as a whole.
Safeguarding the environment, and safeguarding and expanding our hard-won civic rights and freedoms (particularly for disadvantaged groups), are at the heart of what we believe.
We allow evidence to lead us and our beliefs to guide us: Liberal Democrats are often more willing to work with others to achieve our aims; if someone has a good idea, we will listen and approach issues and decisions on their merits.
So how does this translate into action on Reading Borough Council?
We work constructively with the other parties on the Council. If we agree with a policy of the Labour administration, we will say so and support it. If we don’t, we’ll oppose it. Where possible, we try to change policy with suggestions and recommendations.
As councillors and campaigners for our wards, we seek to ensure Council policies help our local communities to thrive as well as the wider town of Reading. And when they don’t, we do our best to get those policies changed – the cancellation of the free half-hour of parking on weekdays in Council-run car parks is an example of an issue we’re working on right now.
We listen to residents’ concerns and work with them as best we can to improve our community – live issues include parking restrictions on residential roads, new traffic calming measures and revamping our playgrounds.
They take time, sometimes a long time, to resolve because first a change has to be approved, and then money has to be found to make it happen.
And money, as we all know, is in short supply.
This Conservative Government’s funding for councils is simply not keeping pace with increasing demand and rising costs.
As for where our party gets its money from, the Liberal Democrats rely on small donations from our hundreds of thousands of supporters across the country – we aren’t bankrolled by big business, shady elites, or trade unions.
Our only vested interest is in the community we serve – and in our case, that’s Reading. We live here, we love our town, we want to see it, its people and its communities thrive — and we think our approach is the best way to make that happen.
Councillors James Moore, Meri O’Connell, and Anne Thompson are all Liberal Democrat councillors for Tilehurst on Reading Borough Council
