Posts by RDLPadmin
From Empire Windrush to the Windrush Generation
Once upon a time, a ship crossed the sea to bring the avant-garde of people full of hopes from the West Indies to a land that needed much of it. WWII had only ended a few years before, and the UK needed rebuilding from the ground up. As often with unsung heroes, their achievements were…
Read MoreCelebrate the 70th Birthday of the NHS
Come and help us to celebrate 70 wonderful years of the NHS. We will be meeting for NHS Saturday 1 – 2:30pm at Battle Library.
Read MoreWe should be thanking the Windrush Generation, NOT deporting them
Every census since I can remember, my family have self defined as Black British Caribbean. We do this specifically in recognition of the nationality we have, but also, as an acknowledgement of our cultural heritage. I enjoy a roast but there is no better breakfast than ackee and saltfish. I have equal love for Usain…
Read MoreA Manifesto for Reading
Welcome to our 2018 Manifesto 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 Conservative Government. We also remain ambitious for Reading and have been successful in securing special funding for projects such as the new…
Read MoreTwo Young Labour Members going to conference
Reading District and Labour Party met Thursday 15 March to discuss conference arrangements for the 2018 Labour conference which is to be held in Liverpool. The executive committee made the decision based on reports from delegates who attended conference in 2017 to select a male and female delegate to represent the Reading West CLP and…
Read MoreReading Schools Improving Despite National Cuts
Reading Labour is continuing its work with all our schools to en-sure they are delivering for the town’s children. In 2017 the town’s secondary schools matched or bettered their GCSE results from the previous year, while primary schools shot up 80 places in the national league tables with improved Key Stage 2 results. Work to…
Read MoreLocal Services Hit By Tory Cuts
The savage Tory cuts to local council grants has hit Labour-run Reading harder than our neighbouring Tory councils. Reading has lost more than twice as much money per person than Wokingham. The Tory government are continuing their unjustified and savage cuts to local authority budgets. Funding has been slashed in Reading by £237 per resident,…
Read MoreReading Labour Tackling Tory Housing Failures
The Tory government has broken Britain’s housing market. Average house prices in Reading are over £300,000 and average monthly rent is upwards of £1,000. The Tories have also severely restricted the ability of local councils to build new homes. This has led to an unsustainable situation, resulting in homelessness rates rising nationally and a generation being…
Read MoreMP Meets Brave Constituent Penalised by Government’s Assessment System
A chronic and debilitating condition which, to the untrained eye, renders the sufferer as looking ‘normal’ has been the subject of a real battle between one of Matt Rodda’s constituents and the Government benefits agencies. Sadly, however, cases like this are not uncommon. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis sufferer Charis contacted Matt’s office following a benefits assessment which…
Read MoreMP Meets With Technology and Engineering Leaders and Educators at UTC Reading
Innovative ways of introducing schoolchildren into the world of technology and engineering from a young age were amongst the topics recently discussed at an educational seminar held at UTC Reading. The event, which was attended by a variety of industry experts, ambassadors and educators sought the input from members of the Institute of Engineering and…
Read MoreMatt Rodda in talks with UCU ahead of strike action over pensions at Reading University
Reading East MP Matt Rodda spoke alongside the General Secretary of the University and College Union (UCU) Sally Hunt regarding an upcoming nationwide strike by academic staff. This strike action has been called to protect the Universities Superannuation Scheme. Under that scheme, 190,000 university staff in predominantly pre-1992 institutions will stand to lose around £10,000…
Read MoreRedlands Primary School visited by Matt Rodda MP
Reading East MP, Matt Rodda, visited Redlands Primary School recently to meet the headteacher, staff and children. Matt spoke with children who asked him questions about his work in Parliament and what it means to be an MP. He also spoke about the political process in general, and the celebration of democracy as part of…
Read MoreMatt Rodda supports bill to ensure safety for users of taxi and private hire vehicles
READING EAST MP Matt Rodda in his role as Shadow Minister for Local Transport addressed the House from the despatch box in a debate on the Second Reading of the “Licensing of Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Bill”. The Bill, brought by fellow Labour MP for Cambridge, Daniel Zeichner, which has…
Read MoreMatt Rodda calls for more support in Schools for children with Autism
A report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism (APPGA) and the National Autistic Society (NAS) has found that children and young people with autism are being let down and left behind when it comes to achieving their educational potential. The report also highlights the lack of progress in helping to locate, secure and…
Read MoreReading’s homeless charity Launchpad invites Matt Rodda to inspect new family accommodation
Launchpad, Reading’s charity supporting the homeless invited Reading East MP Matt Rodda to take a look around their newly-completed family accommodation in Reading. The housing, comprising two tastefully-appointed two-bedroomed self-contained flats in a former Victorian terraced home in Reading will provide much needed accommodation for two homeless families; and those currently residing in bed and…
Read MoreMP meets with Reading MENCAP
Matt Rodda, MP for Reading East visited Reading Mencap to discuss the demands on their services, and the impact of Government cuts in disability-related welfare support payments on their service users. Over 200 individuals are registered at Reading Mencap, and they enjoy a wide variety of activities and clubs which include children’s clubs and crafts…
Read MoreMatt Rodda welcomes Emily Thornberry to Reading
READING EAST MP and Shadow Minister for Local Transport Matt Rodda welcomed Islington South and Finsbury MP Emily Thornberry to his Reading constituency recently. The Shadow Foreign Secretary’s visit to the newly-turned Labour seat began with interviews with local media, followed by a much-needed tea break inside a local café in Emmer Green, providing shelter…
Read MoreMatt Rodda speaks in lively Westminster debate on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Process
READING EAST MP Matt Rodda was invited by the Shadow Minister for Labour and MP for North and West Durham, Laura Pidock to speak at a Westminster Hall debate recently. The debate was to speak on claimants’ experiences of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) process and at times became quite a heated exchange as members…
Read MoreMatt Rodda comments on child poverty in Reading East
New data from campaigning group ‘End Child Poverty’ shows that 21% of the children living in Matt Rodda’s Reading East constituency are living in poverty. This is a rise from the previous figure of 19.6% as reported in December 2015. The ‘End Child Poverty’ coalition have released new statistics showing the extent of child poverty…
Read MoreMP meets Fire Chief at Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue
The Chief Fire Officer of Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue, Trevor Ferguson, welcomed Reading East MP Matt Rodda to tour the county’s state of the art operational control centre based in Reading, in addition to holding talks on the changes and challenges which the fire service deals with on an everyday basis. Matt was interested…
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