My PRIORITIES - because YOU told me!
  
 

TONY JONES WORKS IN BATTLE ALL THE YEAR ROUND
 

Tony Jones works in Battle Ward all the year round.

He runs surgeries, street surveys and public meetings through out the year.

With Chris Maskell, they have been the only councillors in Reading to publish an Annual Report to residents.

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IT'S OUR OXFORD ROAD

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LAUNCH OF THE BATTLE COMMUNITY FORUM

batlib11 JUNE saw the launch of the new Battle Community Forum.

What is sure to become a unique and influential forum, held it's first meeting on Wednesday, 11 June, at Battle Library, and was chaired by Cllr Tony Jones.

Topics under the spotlight included:

  • Education provision - both primary and secondary
  • Battle Health and Well-being Centre
  • Battle Library's Lottery Funded improvements
  • Cow Lane Bridges

and a new "Open Forum" spot.

Battle Community Forum replaces the now defunct Oxford Road Community Forum and will give a sharper focus to issues in Battle ward. It should not be confused with the continuing Oxford Road Safer Community Forum.

FORUM WELCOMES SCHOOL PLACES REVIEW

schBATTLE WARD residents have welcomed the news of an independent review of school places and admission arrangements in the town.

The Battle Community Forum was told that the council had agreed to appoint "an independent Chair with national expertise" to undertake a review and report back by this November.

In April this year the council adopted "coordinated admissions arrangements for nursery, primary and secondary schools in Reading for the school year beginning in September 2009". However, it is clear that there are already insufficient places in the coming academic year.

Some families in Battle ward are already facing the prospect of having to split brothers ans sisters between different primary schools, while 35% of Reading pupils would be moving on to secondary schools outside the borough next September.

Battle councillor Tony Jones said "It is clearly an unsatisfactory position when families have to juggle young children between schools or have to send older children outside the borough because they can't get places in Reading.

I hope the independent chair will be able to offer clear advice and guidance to the council about a better way of organising admissions in the future."

NEW HEALTH CENTRE PLANS "DISAPPOINTING"

drPLANS for a new Health and Well Being Centre on the Oxford Road have been described as "disappointing".

Residents were told at the Battle Community Forum that building work would start on the new four storey centre opposite the new Tesco store on the Oxford Road next month.

Health service director Joe Devanney described the new centre as a "unique health related facility which would become an integral part of the community".

Two floors would be used to provide health and well being advice and support services - such as family support and parenting groups, brest feeding support and advice services for substance misuse and stop smoking support. Adult social services would take another floor.

The local PALS service would also be moved there from offices in the Bath Road. The remaining third floor space had not been allocated a use, but could include room for walk-in health checks or physiotherapy.

Many residents expressed their dismay and disappointment that there would be no GP services or other clinical services based at the new building. Services for the elderly had also been over-looked.

Cllr Tony Jones said "This seems to be a million miles away from the integrated health centre we thought we had been promised three years ago and will come as a big disappointment to many residents."

Mr Devanney agreed to return to the Forum in October to give a further update on developments.

KERBSIDE GLASS COLLECTION PLAN MOVES NEARER

kerb2KERBSIDE GLASS recycling collections in Reading came a step closer this week when a councillor pushed for a scheme to be in place by April 2009.

Councillor Tony Jones proposed the plan to collect glass bottles and jars at a council meeting on Tuesday night.

"I would like to see a pilot programme in place by April 2009 to run in a limited number of wards, for example Battle, Caversham and Redlands.”

Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors welcomed the opportunity to debate the idea and added that waste food collection could be included in the pilot scheme as well as glass. (4 June 2008)

SCHOOL WINS MORE CASH TO GET WINDOWS FIXED

oxfrdsch1OXFORD ROAD Community School has been something of a building site over recent weeks.

Overdue works have begun to repair some of the rotting windows which had led to the closure of class room space.

But now the school has been told that the original budget of £90,000 - which would meant only the worst windows being fixed - has been increased so that all the windows which front on to the Oxford Road can be done.

Commenting on the news, school governor Cllr Tony Jones said "At last the pleas of the school have been listened to. It would have been absurd to do half this year, take the scaffolding down, and then do the same again next year, with all the disruption that would have caused. I think the school head Karen Salter deserves a great deal of credit for getting this sorted out."

Karen Salter said "I’m very pleased to say that we have finally secured the funding to repair and paint all of the windows at the front of the school. We love our listed building but have long felt that the condition of the windows has let us down, especially as we have worked so hard on maintaining and improving the inside of the school – by September this will no longer be the case, we can't wait". (3 June 2008)

OUR LOCAL PRIORITIES

ALLOTMENTS, COW LANE & OXFORD ROAD RELIEF ROAD

I support the provison of the Oxford Road Relief Road. However, existing allotment holders must get all necessary assistance with a fair and proper reprovision.

I have launched a petition to ensure a pedestrian and cycle link at Cow Lane.

The cut through at Scours Lane also raises the possibility of a dedicated cycle lane down the Oxford Road.

RESIDENTS' CAR PARKING

Discussions are continuing about including a number of specific streets in resident parking schemes.

Public consultation will shortly be underway in a couple of streets.

TRAFFIC CONGESTION

The plans for the Oxford Road Relief Road will have a major positive benefit to the area.

RUBBISH COLLECTION

The reintroduction of weekly black sack collections instead of fortnightly wheelie bin collections to some properties has been achieved.

Further review and a more flexible approach, with some recognition that no "one size fits all" is very welcome.

GLASS RECYCLING

I have asked for a kerbside glass recycling scheme to piloted in Battle Ward from 2009.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS

I support bids to improve our local schools and am pleased to see that extra money has been found to refurbish the front windows at Oxford Road Community School.

ONE-WAY IDR

Having successfully pressed for an independent review, we are keen to see the process concluded in July.

CCTV & STREET CRIME

Working with Police, the recent expansion of the CCTV in the Oxford Road area is supported.

STREET CLEANING

The curent programme of deep cleaning our streets must continue this year.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Plans are being developed for enhanced bus services and discounted ticket arrangements in west Reading.

March 2008 saw new buses in west Reading, April the world's first fleet of ethanol powered buses on the popular 17 route and May a 24/7 service on the same route.

More information on these issues will follow shortly.

 

 

LOCAL PRIORITIES

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HERE are the priority issues that Tony Jones is currently working on - because you told him they matter to you.

ALLOTMENTS, COW LANE & OXFORD ROAD RELIEF ROAD . . . . RESIDENTS' CAR PARKING . . . . TRAFFIC CONGESTION . . . . RUBBISH COLLECTION . . . . GLASS RECYCLING . . . . SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS . . . . ONE-WAY IDR . . . . CCTV & STREET CRIME . . . . STREET CLEANING . . . . PUBLIC TRANSPORT

If you have an opinion about any of these matters, or have another issue you would like them to raise, then get in touch

It's important that you keep telling Tony what you think.

"In Tony's Opinion ..."

A series of personal opinions on local and national issues which will be added to from time to time.

On LOCAL GOVERNMENT

  • Yes to directly elected accountable Mayors
  • Yes to smaller government: Fewer Councillors - one per ward

On NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

  • Yes to fixed term parliaments of 4 years
  • Yes to smaller government: Fewer MPs - one for Reading
  • MP's local offices to be run by civil servants - not family or friends

On EUROPE

  • No to UK membership of Euro currency
  • Yes to a referendum on Constitutional Treaty

On TAX

  • No tax for incomes below £25K per annum
  • Abandon confusion of National Insurance and Income tax and fold into one charge
  • Medium income tax to start at £100k
  • Higher tax at 50% above £1million personal income
  • Reverse proposed tax changes on tapering to existing Capital Gains Tax
  • Road and fuel taxes to be dedicated to improvements in public transport and road improvements.

On TRANSPORT

  • Support the new Reading Station to be Western Terminus for Crossrail
  • Government tax relief for cleaner fuels for public transport

On TESCO

  • Oppose a new Tesco Express on the Oxford Road.

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 tHANKS