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• Archive Index 2010

News Archive - Week Beginning 14th March2010

The editors say: For the police to respond to Neighbourhood Action Groups is all very well, but NAGs only represent the voices of those that participate. What people should be able to expect from the police is an informed, expert view of the most sensible priorities for them to take, to prevent or at least solve the most damaging crimes. Instead, what we actually have is a local police force that is officially poor at solving crime and is poor value for money in terms of police on the streets (see 'Police' below), but is happy to listen and respond to the voices of a few people who have the time and inclination to, well, nag them. This gives us a police force acts as if its priority is to win a popularity contest judged by a few local residents, and not deal with difficult crime. It's hardly surprising that there's such widespread disillusionment with the police in general amongst the wider public.

Caversham People

A Caversham resident, Sabi Phagura, a freelance journalist and television reporter from St Peter’s Avenue, has landed what is described as a starring role on the country’s first health and fitness channel – Fitness TV. Fitness TV broadcasts on Sky channel 282 and on the web. (Reading 17/03/10 p70)

Conservative MP for Reading East Rob Wilson held a meeting, ‘Vision for Caversham’ at Caversham Baptist Church on Thursday, 11th March – attended by local businesses, residents, charities and police. The meeting discussed priorities for the area, and heard from Woodley town centre manager Jacques Lherbier about the promotion work he does – Woodley was described as being ‘not dissimilar from Caversham’. MP Rob Wilson said “other centres seem to have a vision for the future, but Caversham does not and yet it is an important part of my constituency. It is clear that there are issues that need addressing. In particular the ugly state of St Martin’s Precinct is continually raised”. (Reading Chronicle 18/03/10 p7)

Crime

A feature discusses Reading streets that have been described as drug taking and dealing hotspots by local neighbourhood police teams. Although several parts of the town are highlighted, there are no locations listed for either Caversham or Emmer Green. (Reading Post 17/03/10 p8)

Environment – King’s Meadow

A letter from Anne Jessel of the King’s Meadow Campaign comments on its £1 brick fund raising initiative for the site, and asks readers to look out for the KMC’s (excellent) new website. (Reading Post 17/03/10 p13)

Environment

Caversham Globe members accompanied local residents and Thames Ward Conservative Councillor Isobel Ballsdon in planting two new trees last Sunday, March 14th to celebrate winning a legal battle over a strip of land adjoining the footpath from Picton Way to Peppard Road. The land has now been returned to the public domain following a protracted legal battle in which the RBC won a court order that forced a resident to remove a fence enclosing the strip of council-owned grass verge. (Reading Post 17/03/10 p9)

Police

A feature discusses the priorities of police in Caversham following on from the relaunch of the Caversham North and West Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) last month. Residents’ top concern is said to be traffic issues, and as a result the police have ‘conducted several traffic exercises, enforcing speed restrictions in Henley Road and Woodcote Way and monitoring for mobile phone and seatbelt violations in Woodcote Road’. The neighbourhood team is also said to be taking a ‘robust stance’ on school parking. Less priority seems to have been given to burglary and environmental issues. An inaugural meeting of the NAG takes place at Highdown on Tuesday, March 23rd from 6pm – in order to attend, call Inspector Penny Mackenzie on Tel: 01865 841148. (Reading Chronicle 18/03/10 p26)

The news last week that Thames Valley Police had received a ‘poor’ rating for solving crimes in its annual assessment from inspectors ('The Police Report Card’ by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary gave the force an overall rating of ‘fair’) continues to have repercussions. Conservative MP Rob Wilson said: “I’m concerned that the reaction from TVP at a senior level has looked very complacent indeed and I think they need to treat this report extremely seriously. It highlights serious deficiencies”. He said that he had a briefing from Chief Constable Sara Thornton on the issue, and that she had responded by saying that she took the report “very seriously”. Eight police forces (including the TVP) out of the 45 national forces that were assessed by HMIC received the ‘lowest ranking possible’ for solving crimes, and the TVP was also said to offer low value for money in terms of how many police and PCSOs were on the street. (Reading Post 17/03/10 p2, Reading Chronicle 18/03/10 p3)

Planning

Proposals for a new £25m station building at Reading Station (as part of the multi million pound upgrade of the station that is planned by Network Rail) are said to be in doubt owing to debate over who would pay for it. The RBC plans for a new building are separate from the Network Rail (NR) development plans – NR says that the Government would have to fund it. The building, to be built west of the Three Guineas pub, is in the RBC’s £59m Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) bid, but, in the words of the ‘Chronicle’, ‘that will not pay out any time soon’. (Reading Chronicle 18/03/10 p7)

Reading

A letter lays into Reading’s aspirations to become a city, saying: “…a city has to have a cultural life and good public sports facilities and Reading simply does not have these – the Hexagon is a joke…” The letter concludes by describing Reading as an “overpriced midden”. (Reading Post 17/03/10 p12)

Restaurants

A new restaurant / bar, ‘At the River’ has been opened by Jeremy Duckett, Jake and Michelle Bunce on the site of the short-lived Sawdy’s Sports Bar on Bridge Street. Ms Bunce is reported as saying: “there are few nice bars in Caversham to go to which serve great food… …Caversham is a challenging place, but I think it will take off. We are somewhere like nowhere else”. The site is said by ‘Get Reading’ to have a ‘chequered’ history. (Get Reading 19/03/10 p28)

Roads

The RBC Deputy Leader (and Labour Councillor) Tony Page has said that repairing road potholes in Reading following recent winter damage could cost “many millions of pounds”. The announcement was made at the Council’s cabinet meeting last Monday, 15th March – anyone with potholes to report can call freephone 0800 626 540. (Get Reading 19/03/10 p4)

Parents have signed a petition for a crossing point in Buckingham Drive near the Hill primary school in Caversham. The RBC traffic panel was due to have discussed the matter at its meeting last Thursday, 18 th March. (Reading Chronicle 18/03/10 p5)

Schools

A feature says that Highdown School and its Sixth Form Centre is the most oversubscribed in the borough of Reading for the September entry of this year. Highdown’s Deputy headteacher Neil Dimbleby said: “being oversubscribed helps build confidence in what we are trying to do and how we want to see the school go forward but unfortunately we cannot satisfy all requirements”. (Reading Post 17/03/10 p10)

Traffic

There is said to be concern that Reading’s bid to gain Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) funding for traffic initiatives (including a congestion charge) in the town might be delayed or fail owing to a lack of Government cash, and because all decisions on allocation will be postponed until after the General Election. Transport Minister Sadiq Khan recently praised the Reading bid for UCF funding (the UCF has replaced the Transport Innovation Fund or ‘TiF’) as being ‘exciting and worthwhile’. (Reading Post 17/03/10 p6)