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• Archive Index 2010

News Archive - Week Beginning 4th July 2010

The editors say: If you think about it, the sheer pathetic stupidity of vandals can be very depressing, and the recent breaking of young trees along the Milestone Way in Caversham Park Village typifies that kind of behaviour all too well. It genuinely does beggar belief, if for no other reason than why 'foul your own nest'? You can be pretty sure the people responsible were local and they have to live with the ugly consequences of their actions as much as the rest of the people living in the area.

Environment

The judges for the Royal Horticultural Society competition ‘Britain in Bloom’ visited Caversham Court Gardens last Tuesday, with judge Norman Parker saying after his tour: ‘it is very impressive. I am tremendously impressed by the work that has been done here. It is very beautiful with many lovely ideas’ (Get Reading 09/07/10 p7)

Crime

There are reports (from a correspondent) that the pathways between Southview Avenue and Falkland Road and Westfield Road and South Street are to have steel gates fitted to either end which will be locked in the evenings - to prevent criminals using them. Apart from the logistical problems such an initiative will inevitably throw up (who's going to take responsibility for them?), we have to say we agree with our correspondent and question whether this is the right way to go. Where do you stop? There are pathways throughout Caversham, any or all of which could be used by a criminal. The same is true of every road that goes by the end of a terrace particularly - drive-by opportunist burglaries are increasingly common. By going down this route we're in effect letting the bad eggs ruin it for everyone. It's working to the lowest common denominator, and that's no way to improve life overall.

Parking

Conservative Councillor for Peppard Ward Richard Willis, lead councillor for strategic planning and transport, has suggested revised proposals for residents’ parking provision in Reading. The revised proposals follows plans by the Council’s previous Labour administration to change residents’ parking in the town – the new coalition intends to change those plans by dropping a proposal to refuse a residents’ parking permit to people who already have off-street parking, and reducing the proposed cost of a second permit from £100 to £60. The new, revised proposals go before the RBC’s cabinet on Monday, July 13th (Reading Post 07/07/10 p3)

Public Order

The Island bar and restaurant, next to Caversham Bridge, has had its license to sell alcohol removed by the RBC’s licensing panel – effectively closing the bar. The license was removed because of public order offences there, and the licensing panel chairwoman Cllr Jeannette Skeats told owner Omer Yucel at the RBC hearing last Tuesday “it makes me feel nobody is safe on your premises. There was someone getting his throat slashed, an arm was slashed, a woman getting her head kicked in the toilets, dogs getting their eyes gouged – so many horrendous incidents…” However, the bar is remaining open, despite its revoked license, owing to a loophole in licensing laws that means a venue can continue trading while an appeal on its loss of license is considered. (Reading Chronicle 08/07/10 p1, Get Reading 09/07/10 p2)

Reading

A report, ‘Private Sector Cities’ by the research group Centre of Cities puts Reading behind only London, Milton Keynes and Cambridge in terms of its buoyant economy. Separately, an investigation by The Work Foundation ‘ No City Left Behind?’ ranks Reading joint first with Bracknell in terms of growth potential and employment opportunities. (Get Reading 09/07/10 pp1,3)

Of course that does not mean the recession isn't biting here too. We're pleased to see the Reading Credit Union has now been given permission to expand across Berkshire. This is a great way of enabling people to avoid loan sharks and similar. Their web site is here.

Schools

The RBC cabinet is to be asked on Monday, July 13th to commit £230,000 to Highdown School in Emmer Green to make sure it can accommodate all its students in September. A further £50,000 would, if agreed, be used to lease a council-owned building off the school site called York House for five years – to be used as sixth-form teaching space. The proposals are made in the light of an ‘extremely uncertain financial position’, and follow on from the school’s failure to secure £4.4m from the Learning and Skills Council to build a new sixth form centre earlier this year. As a consequence of the budget shortfall, headteacher Tim Royle is said to ‘look set to see his office converted into a classroom’. (Reading Post 07/07/10 p7)

Following a Highdown staff charity cycle ride from Vietnam to Cambodia in February, the school has spent £6000 on 30 mountain bikes for the use of children in Key Stage 4. Headteacher Tim Royle said: “we got 30 bikes so that it is a class full… …a teacher can take a group of students on a mass cycle ride and we have 32 acres here which can be used for cycling...” (Reading Chronicle 08/07/10 p8)

Traffic

Conservative Councillor for Peppard Ward Richard Willis, lead councillor for strategic planning and transport, has ordered a major review of every traffic light junction in Reading – and has asked local road users and pedestrians ‘to let him know where they want to see traffic lights uprooted’. Cllr Willis has said that he has already put a stop to plans to replace roundabouts at Caversham Bridge and at TGI Friday’s in Caversham Road with traffic lights – the RBC’s cabinet will be asked to approve the review at its meeting on Monday, July 13th. (Reading Post 07/07/10 p3), Reading Chronicle 08/07/10 p12)