LOCAL ELECTIONS May 2

VOTE LABOUR IN YOUR WARD Reading Banner

Polls are open 7:00am to 10:00pm LOCAL ELECTION SPECIAL APRIL 2019 News from Reading Labour Party

/ReadingLabour @ReadingLabour www.readinglabour.org.uk LABOUR’S MANIFESTO FOR READING

Reading’s Labour Council continues to do its best to keep vital services available to those who need them most despite the ongoing onslaught on public services by the Tory Government. We remain ambitious for Reading, we are fiercely proud that Reading is one of the most successful lo-

ABBEY cal economies in Britain and we will continue to work closely with residents and local business to plan Mohammed AYUB Chris MASKELL Ayo SOKALE Paul WOODWARD Reading’s future. Fighting For Reading

KATESGROVE Liam CHALLENGER Glenn DENNIS Paul GITTINGS Graeme HOSKIN Labour working for Reading all year round. -

FOR THE MANYFOR NOT THE FEW Our Record Our Promises to Reading We will:  New high-quality council houses built  Secure the economic success of Reading  Building temporary housing to stop the  Enforce our local Private Sector Rental use of B&Bs strategy to ensure bad landlords are held PEPPARD SOUTHCOTE to account.  New train station at Green Park planned Amjad TARAR Oliver WHITE Mo MCSEVNEY Jason BROCK  Build more Council houses  Restoration of Ruins  Build a new secondary school in Reading  New extra-care housing for the elderly  Work to a public-health-driven transport  New Primary Schools built in Reading agenda and further reduce Reading’s Car-  Increased the items that can be recycled bon Footprint  The award-winning wholly-owned Coun-  Work towards the introduction of food cil Reading Buses waste recycling  Two-way traffic under Cow Lane bridges  Provide additional Special Educational

 Kept open all our Libraries across the School places in Reading town  Invest £1.5m in our parks and play areas  New Community hubs in Whitley, South- over the next 3 years WHITLEY THAMES cote and  Build new swimming pools at Rivermead and Palmer park Boubacar DEMBELE Ben PERRY Ali FOSTER Micky LENG

Fighting For Reading - FOR THE MANY NOT THE FEW make a positive choice on 2 May and vote LABOUR Promoted by John Ennis on behalf of Reading Borough Labour Candidates, all of Reading and District Labour, Office 34, 62 Portman Road, Reading RG30 1EA Printed by SaxoPrint Great West House, Great West Road, London, TW8 9HU. Labour Council Declares Climate Change Emergency Brexit Chaos Jo Lovelock has joined 40 other UK The impact on Reading of the un- Leader of the Council writes: councils in declaring a climate change emergency. certainty following the Brexit refer- Reading Council is committed to playing as full a role endum and botched attempts by Reading’s  A new Special School to replace as possible in achieving a carbon neutral Reading by the Conservative government to Labour the old building for Phoenix Col- 2030. The Local Transport Plan and Climate Change resolve it are having a real impact: Council is lege Strategy will be revised as a matter of urgency. continuing to X EU citizens living in Reading  A new railway station at Green We are also calling on the government to give us the do its best to are unsure of their status Park additional powers and funding needed to become car- keep vital services going for those bon neutral by 2030. X Staff returning to their EU who most need them, despite the  Programme of replacement play- countries has worsened the Tory Government’s continuing ground equipment in parks and Cllr Tony Page says: “Most people accept that the crisis in the NHS “austerity”. better accessibility for children world is now clearly in the midst of a climate emergen- with disabilities. cy. Reading’s Labour Council has a good record of de- X Our local businesses, both This year the Council Tax livering action on climate change, and has reduced its large and small, have been increase is one of the lowest We have candidates from many dif- own carbon dioxide emissions by 53% since 2008 with unable to plan locally and nationally at just ferent backgrounds standing for emissions in the Borough down by 41%. This is more under 3%. The average rise is election on Thursday 2 May. They than all but 19 of the 405 authorities in Great Britain. While locally your Labour Council- 4.5%. are eager to get on delivering lors have stood up for Reading’s Labour’s ambitious programme for Amjad Tarar [Park], Mohammed Ayub [Abbey], and Mo Nevertheless we recognise that more concerted and residents, solving this needs na- We have been very successful in McSevney [Redlands] at Cemetery Junction. This is one of the Reading. urgent action is needed at local, national and interna- tional leadership so the Labour obtaining special funding for specific most polluted and congested junctions in Reading and the tional level to protect our planet for future generations. projects – this is money which can- Please vote for your local Labour whole country. Labour will be talking to residents about how party has backed a final say for the That is why Reading Council has committed to public on the deal. Most voters in not be spent on day to day services candidate to keep Reading we can develop a new Transport Strategy that will help reduce achieving a carbon neutral Reading by 2030.” like street cleaning, libraries and moving forward. both and meet our target for 2030. Reading voted remain last time and Theresa May's deal is unpopu- youth clubs. lar on all sides. Some of the projects we will Tories Cut Police Numbers and Crime Rates Go Up! be taking forward in the next Matt Rodda, MP for Reading year are: East said "I'm concerned about The Tories have cut 389 police officers and 117 police Theresa May's proposed deal and  A new secondary school community support officers from Thames Valley. This I want the Government to support in Richfield Avenue has impacted our local communities with public disor- a closer relationship with the EU. I  More Council house der up 40%, violence up 35% and robbery up 29% believe this should be negotiated building across the Thames Valley. with the European Union and for this new deal to be put back to the  Two new swimming Your Labour Council continues to work closely along- pools at Palmer Park side police, Council officers and local communities on public in a confirmatory referen- dum." and Rivermead and re- crime-related issues. furbishment of the leisure Illegal encampments in Reading The Government is in chaos and facilities at the Meadway it is time for a change. and South Reading. Reading Borough Council continues to ensure action is Amjad Tarar [Park], and Mo McSevney [Redlands] looking at taken on any illegal encampments on Council land by possible sites to build the new pool in Palmer Park. taking legal action as swiftly as possible and by invest- Glenn Dennis [Kentwood], Paul Gittings [Minster], Ali Foster ing in protecting our public land with fencing, barriers [Tilehurst], Jason Brock [Southcote] and Graeme Hoskin [Norcot] in Nursery Funding Crisis and bunds. Prospect Park where there have been repeated encampments. With police already stretched and decisions on en- to deal with any illegal encampments. We have no State nurseries across Reading and nationally are campments currently discretionary, we have called on response to this and continue to lobby for government under threat including nurseries like the outstanding the government to provide powers to local authorities support on this national issue. Caversham and Newbridge Nurseries due to the possible end of Government funding.

Labour Council Investing in Housing Labour Council Investing in Roads Despite Cuts Following an outcry from campaigners like Ayo Sokale (Caversham) and Labour’s candidates in Mo McSevney [Redlands] and Micky Leng Your Labour Councillors con- filled 266,986 potholes in Thames and Peppard, a petition supported by Matt [Whitley] visiting the refurbished, safer and tinue to ensure investment in Reading. Rodda MP that has attracted over 10,000 signatures, warmer homes on the Hexham Estate. our roads despite cuts. We continue to call on the the Government has extended funding from March Roads including Southcote Government to invest more next year to September. Lane, Mayfair and Oxford in our local roads. Road have been resurfaced Ayo Sokale said "Our nurseries provide an amazing as part of continuing invest- If you see a new pothole start to education for many youngsters and it's a ment in Reading’s transport forming that hasn’t been scandal the Government hasn't got a long term plan infrastructure for drivers and spotted by the Council’s cyclists. Highway Maintenance Team, for them. Please sign our petition so they take ac- please let your local Labour tion" The Council’s road funding Ayo Sokale [Caversham] Matt Rodda MP, Oliver White [Peppard] Ben Perry Cllr Graeme Hoskin [Norcot] and Cllr Jo councillors know and they Lovelock visit the new Council houses in cut by the Government [Thames], and Boubacar Dembele [Thames] collecting signatures at New https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/237044 since 2010 could have will ensure it is correctly Bridge Nursery. Conwy Close, Tilehurst. reported.