• Make a contribution
  • Get the Print Edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
  • Login
Reading Today Online
  • HOME
  • YOUR AREA
    • All
    • Caversham
    • Central Reading
    • East Reading
    • Katesgrove
    • Reading
    • Southcote & Coley
    • Tilehurst & Norcot
    • Whitley

    Woman in her seventies sexually assaulted on bus in Reading

    Health secretary visits Royal Berks

    Kenya Butchers and Just Fresh owners fined nearly £60k for further health and safety breaches

    Vyome Singh named Reading New Comdian of the Year– after only starting stand-up in January

    World Bee Day: UoR says pollinators face continued and increasing threats

    Murder Trial Tonight casts audience as jury in immersive true crime show at The Hexagon

    Reading man jailed after being found with cocaine and heroin

    Reading man jailed for intent to supply class A drugs

    New store opens to serve neighbours in Whitley opened by MP

  • COMMUNITY
  • READING FC
  • SPORT
    • All
    • Basketball
    • Football
    • Rugby

    Rob Couhig reveals new Reading FC CEO following takeover

    It’s a podium streak for Wokingham racing star Bobby with a win at Silverstone

    Rams RFC celebrate at end of season ball

    Lewis hits brilliant century to see Berkshire CCC beat Buckinghamshire

    ‘Without you, there would be no club’: Defender sends farewell message to Reading FC fans

    Style and splendour returns to Newbury

    Former Reading FC manager to be named as new Brazil national team assistant manager under Ancelotti

    ‘The club lives on’: Reading FC Community Trust reacts to ownership news

    New Reading FC owner Rob Couhig sends message to loyal fans

  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • READING FESTIVAL
    • READING PRIDE
    • WOKINGHAM FESTIVAL
  • PRIDE OF READING
  • OBITUARIES
  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Reading Today Online
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

FROM THE LEADER: Thank you Reading for putting your trust in us again

Guest Contributor by Guest Contributor
Thursday, May 11, 2023 7:01 am
in Featured, Opinion
A A
Candidates wait anxiously at the count Picture: Phil Creighton

Candidates wait anxiously at the count Picture: Phil Creighton

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

We’re now a week on from the local elections and I am still delighted that the electorate have, once again, placed their trust in Labour to run Reading Borough Council.

All our incumbent councillors were re-elected, and we also gain a new Labour councillor in Caversham Heights.

I’m very much looking forward to welcoming Cllr Sam Juthani to the Labour benches and I’m certain he’ll be a great advocate for his ward.

Naturally, I pay tribute to all my party’s candidates and I’m especially grateful to those who were unsuccessful this year but nonetheless gave it their absolute all.

Elections are exhausting – mentally and physically – and there is often insufficient recognition that candidates are primarily motivated by a desire to do public service.

In that spirit, I extend gratitude to every candidate of whatever political stripe who put themselves and their ideas before the electorate; good representative democracy depends on people coming forward.

Related posts

Woman in her seventies sexually assaulted on bus in Reading

Boy sexually assaulted in Reading, police release e-fit

Reading man fails to appear in court on charge of burglary

Young man and woman attacked by group of teenagers in Reading robbery

With the electorate having endorsed our vision and plans for Reading, it’s now incumbent on Labour councillors to deliver against it. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and the full package includes things that will touch upon the lives of everyone in our town. Our work to tackle economic inequality will ramp up, our Council home building programme will expand, road resurfacing will increase, a new theatre and central library will be built, and more playgrounds will be delivered across the town.

At the same time, we’ll continue to tackle the climate crisis through better and cheaper public transport, more active travel schemes, more housing retrofit, and a greater emphasis on sustainability.

Our programme of investments and service improvements will have positive effects on our lives as residents. At the same time, we also know that ensuring our more bespoke services like adult and children’s social care continue to deliver is a fundamental necessity for so many in our town. We’ll maintain our focus on ensuring that your Council is there when you need it and making sure that you get value for money from it.

For me, the highlight of an election campaign is talking to residents. I have this pleasure all year round, especially in Southcote, but elections tend to focus minds on what really matters to them.

It’s been humbling to hear about the things that you think we get right as well as the things you feel we get wrong.

I do take such feedback on board and will reflect with my colleagues on what we might be able to change and what we can push forward further and faster because it matters to you.

Finally, I’ll once again return to a fairly common theme I write about here – that is the virtue of our Council’s committee-based system. It is, by design, more deliberative, discursive, and collegial than the more adversarial executive system in our neighbouring boroughs.

But it only works at its best if the minor parties participate fully.

Accordingly, I renew my call for the opposition to take on a constructive and useful role in our decision-making as we in Labour exercise our decisive mandate to lead Reading forward.

Cllr Jason Brock is the leader of Reading Borough Council and ward member for Southcote

Keep up to date by signing up for our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people who have requested it.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Tags: From the leaderfrom the leader readingreading
Previous Post

Healthy Heart Tip: Reducing Salt Intake

Next Post

Aussie cricket icon burns no bridges at Hexagon Ashes event

FOLLOW US

POPULAR STORIES

  • Young man and woman attacked by group of teenagers in Reading robbery

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Former Reading FC star to be released as free agent by Championship club

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Former Reading FC star to become free agent following Championship relegation

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Thousands experience power outage in Reading, not expected to be fixed for hours

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Reading FC group Sell Before We Dai makes generous donation following end of campaign

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

RDG.Today – which is a Social Enterprise – provides Reading Borough with free, independent news coverage.

If you are able, please support our work

Click Here to Support RDG.Today

ABOUT US

Reading Today is dedicated to providing news online across the whole of the Borough of Reading. It is a Social Enterprise, existing to support the various communities in Reading Borough.

CONTACT US

news@wokinghampaper.co.uk

Reading Today Logo

Keep up to date with our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people that have subscribed

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

The Wokingham Paper Ltd publications are regulated by IPSO – the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
If you have a complaint about a  The Wokingham Paper Ltd  publication in print or online, you should, in the first instance, contact the publication concerned, email: editor@wokingham.today, or telephone: 0118 327 2662. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact IPSO by telephone: 0300 123 2220, or visit its website: www.ipso.co.uk. Members of the public are welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on how to frame a complaint.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • Central Reading
    • East Reading
    • Bracknell
    • Calcot
    • Caversham
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
  • COMMUNITY
  • SPORT
    • Reading FC
    • Football
    • Rugby
    • Basketball
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • READING FESTIVAL
    • READING PRIDE
    • WOKINGHAM FESTIVAL
  • PRIDE OF READING
  • OBITUARIES
  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT US
  • SUPPORT US
  • SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
  • WHERE TO GET THE PRINT EDITION

© 2021 - The Wokingham Paper Ltd - All Right Reserved.