READING’S Liberal Democrats have published a manifesto for the local elections packed with aspirations to make the town a better place.
Leader James Moore says the party is offering voters a choice, an alternative to the views of Labour, Greens and Conservatives. And if it resonates with voters, it could see them overtake the number of Tories in the council chamber.
But there’s no costings in their pitch. Is this just a document of ideas?
“Everything is a choice,” he says. “Everything that money is spent on is a choice. Everything in the manifesto is not there to be done on day one, this is a manifesto for several years, because everything takes a while to implement.
“First, there will be things we can save money on, there will be things we need to spend more money on. It’s all about choices as to how things are spent.
“I hope the local government settlement grant can be improved.”
He also hoped the council would continue to be successful in its bids for government funding, citing the recent £26.3 million for bus lanes and active there.
“It’s not all about funding these things from council tax rises, there are other ways to get that money,” he adds.
“I’m not comfortable with council tax rising by 4.99% again, but it is part of a wider picture. There has been a trajectory of price rises year on year, with local authorities paid less year-on-year from national government. The smaller the settlement, the less councils have to play with, and they have to pay for many statutory services.”
He says Reading is not in the best of financial positions, but it had to be viewed in the context of other local authorities also struggling, citing Slough which has had to call in the government after running out of money.
“Hopefully, after the general election, a future government will really address the situation and pay us money properly, and fund local councils so they haven’t got to put the burden back on the taxpayer because that’s not fair.
“And people will, rightly, be expecting more bang for their buck with the council tax they are paying. A huge chunk of that is going to social care. We have more and more rising costs, but I’m not comfortable with the burden being put on the taxpayers of Reading. I want a national government to look at this more thoroughly.”
In addition to increasing council tax, the council has to find £16 million of savings. If the Lib Dems were running the council, what would they do differently to find this money?
“In the short term, there is very little you can do – social care costs are going up year-on-year due to an ageing population,” James says. “One of the millstones around Reading’s neck is the failure of children’s services a few years ago, which led to creating an arm’s length company, Brighter Futures for Children.
“It’s run as a separate entity and Reading Borough Council doesn’t have full control over how the money is spent even though it has to be the financial backer of it.”
The Lib Dems would bring as much of it as possible back in-house to change this.
Similarly, with adult social care, he would like to see the council working more closely with the NHS “so when things aren’t falling through the gaps, they are able to do more handoffs through the NHS and local councils in terms of care.
“Bringing both back in-house and having full control over what is spent will help with cost savings. As they are outside the council today, we’re not sure what cost savings can be made. Even if they were identified we couldn’t make them, because it is a separate organisation.”
The party wants to fund youth centres and out-of-school clubs.
“It is one of the things that has come up time and time again on the doorstep – people are seeing an increasing level of antisocial behaviour and there are more and more young families, especially in Tilehurst, who say there is nothing do od for children between 10 and 18,” James says.
“We’ve already got a brilliant youth club in Tilehurst, but they are stretched, especially for volunteers. We need more and more things for people to do.”
James says there are green spaces across the borough, but they are not in the best of conditions, with out-of-date or broken play equipment.
“We need more things for the young people of Reading to get up to, and I hope there will be improvements.
“It is encouraging there will be things such as extra bowling alleys going into The Oracle, but we know these people are the future of our town and we want to ensure they enjoy living here and think that Reading is a good place to live.
“If they go to university and never come back, we could have a brain drain.”
He adds: “It’s all about thinking about these people. They may not vote yet, but that isn’t a reason to make them feel like second-class citizens. It is about trying to give things to young people and families to do. For me, it’s one of the most important things that isn’t being tackled right now in our town.”
James says the Lib Dems want to see Reading’s bus network expanded.
“Reading Buses is one of the best bus companies in the country that has been working well for a long time. But there are problems with it,” he explains.
“For ages, we’ve been calling for the return of the 18 to Tilehurst, meaning you can get from Tilehurst Triangle to Reading Station and beyond. It’s finally back, and that’s an example.
“But we hear from people in Caversham Park Village and Emmer Green, where bus services have been reduced and are less frequent.
“In the town, it’s easy to go from east to west, but in all the other parts it’s very hard to get around. If you want to go from Caversham to the football stadium, you must get a bus into town and then get another bus. So why don’t we do more connected services, why are there not more things where you can go north to south, as well as east to west. The Number 17 is a brilliant route, let’s have an equivalent north-to-south.
“We’re already hearing from Reading Buses that passenger levels are now almost back to pre-covid levels and things returning to normal. I really hope the 18 means Reading Buses can bring in some other routes as well, even if they aren’t super frequent.”
The party also wants to improve cycle lanes and hasn’t had enough of experts.
James says: “There are far more things that could be done. I don’t think Reading Borough Council has done enough to speak to cyclists themselves. The guys at Reading Cycling Campaign are the experts, they will know what the best routes could be, and the council is just not talking to them.
“I think there are places where the lanes can be linked up.”
He suggests Richfield Avenue as one, as a secondary school will open there in the summer, and he feels it is not safe for young cyclists to use the Caversham Bridge roundabout.
“There will always be challenges around the Victorian streets, but there are always other ways to tackle things,” he adds.
The party wants to see action on anti-social behaviour, including fly-tipping, graffiti, and other eyesores.
“Why don’t we have more cameras for the real problem hotspots? I’m not talking about a surveillance nation, that’s against my Liberal beliefs. Where we know there is bad fly-tipping in the same place, the council have to come out and clean it up. It costs time and money. Cameras may be expensive, but the cost savings over time will be worth it.”
He also wants to see more prosecutions.
“There needs to be far more done because no one likes fly-tipping, no one wants it there. The cameras will have an initial outlay, but I feel people know it’s worth the investment.”
Summing up, James says: “All across Reading, people are telling us they are tired of excuses from the Labour-run council and the Conservative government.
“They are tired of hearing what’s not possible and having to pay more for it.
“The Liberal Democrats go into these elections, as the largest party in Berkshire, leading every local authority surrounding Reading.
“After decades of Labour control, Reading is crying out for a fresh start.
“We love our town and we want to make it the best it can be. Whether that’s by ensuring that the young people have spaces for them, or that the town’s bus cycle networks make sense. Are we finally bringing kerbside glass recycling?
“These are all the things that residents are crying out for, and they’re all clearly achievable by making the right political and financial decisions.
“Voting Liberal Democrats in the local election may well make a difference to you and your family. It’s time to end the excuses. It’s time for a fair deal for Reading.”
