Reading & District Labour Party
News and Views from Reading
#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek
Last week was Mental Health Awareness Week with a key focus on stress. Reading Young Labour members discussed what this meant for them in their everyday lives at school, work or university. One member said “nobody cares or understands” when it comes to mental health and stress in schools while another clarified that “teachers are…
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Cuts have consequences
Let’s talk about cuts (Baby) You probably know by now that the cuts to local government funding have not fallen equally across the country. Because the central government grant has been cut but council tax has been rising, wealthy areas of the country, where council tax receipts are higher and demand for statutory services is…
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Kentwood Election Special
The 2 Labour candidates are Councillor and Deputy Mayor Glenn Dennis, who is coming to the end of his 4-year term, and Ali Foster who is a Small Business Owner, and has lived in Reading for over 17 Years. She has 23 years of experience working in the NHS as a Mental Health Nurse, Improvement…
Read MoreResponse on behalf of Labour Party Candidates [OFFICIAL]
Dear Tamzin Morphy, Further to your recent e-mail to Labour candidates standing in the Reading Borough wards, we are replying on behalf of Reading Labour Party and the 18 candidates who are standing in the local elections. We do not accept your simplistic ‘yes/no’ approach to the three questions. We would, therefore, request that the…
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We 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…
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A 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…
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Reading West Selection: Meet the Candidates
The selection committee have shortlisted 3 candidates to stand in the selection process to be the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Reading West. The 3 candidates are as follows: Rachel Eden Rebecca Geach Sarah Hacker Today an event was held to give Reading West Labour Members the chance to meet with the three candidates and ask…
Read MoreTory Health Care Crisis
The government’s Strategic Transformation Plan for the NHS in our area will cut £500 million of funding from NHS services. This winter’s NHS crisis has again exposed the extent to which vital health services are being starved of funds by the Tory government. In December, Royal Berks Hospital’s A&E waiting times hit their worst ever…
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…
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Reading Young Labour Endorsements for Youth Elections
Reading Young Labour, having reviewed the candidates statements and met with a number of those standing, have decided to endorse the following candidates: National Executive Committee Representative Lara McNeill National Chair of Young Labour Miriam Mirwitch International Officer Mohammed Ahmed Under 19’s Officer Etan Waller South East Regional Representative Alana…
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Primary School Budget Cuts
The education system has changed dramatically within the last 20 years. Teachers and schools are now held wholly responsible for children’s progress. With an expectation that schools should be teaching children a broad and balanced curriculum alongside giving them experiences outside of the everyday. As a primary school teacher working in an Outstanding Academy school…
Read MoreMATT MEETS BRAVE CONSTITUENT PENALISED BY GOVERNMENT 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 MoreOpinion: Violent crime is rising, the police are under pressure – It is time for the Government to end police cuts
The first duty of any Government is to protect the public, whether that is protection from crime, illness or other threats. I am concerned about the rising level of violent crime and the effects of the Government’s deepening cuts to the police, which have left hard working officers with fewer resources to respond. Read…
Read MoreMATT 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 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…
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