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Welcome to this week’s constituency newsletter for residents in Reading West and Mid Berkshire. I was really pleased this week to be able to highlight in Parliament the issue of affordable housing in our villages. I have also had important meetings in the constituency, including discussing bus services in Calcot and the ongoing issues with flooding in Burghfield Bridge. To keep up to date with what I am doing in Parliament and in the constituency, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Bluesky. Affordable rural housing I have heard from a number of local residents about how they are being priced out of the villages where they have grown up. I was therefore delighted earlier this week to lead a debate in Parliament to call for more small developments of affordable housing that our rural villages need to remain sustainable, and highlight how too much social housing stock in our villages is being sold off. I was pleased to be able to welcome the Government’s commitment to rural affordable housing, including the £500 million top up for the Affordable Homes Programme. I was also pleased to be able to highlight the work of Rural Housing Enablers such as Connecting Communities in Berkshire, who work with parish councils like Beenham to develop small-scale, community-led affordable housing for local people. Under both the previous Conservative and current Lib Dem administrations, West Berkshire Council have failed to deliver sufficient affordable housing in our villages. I am therefore delighted that in responding to the debate, the Housing Minister confirmed that this Labour government is committed to tackling the housing crisis, including working with local communities, councils, housing associations and developers to deliver the affordable housing that we need in our area. I will continue to hold West Berkshire Council’s feet to the fire so we can make real progress and ensure the sustainability of our beautiful villages for generations to come. You can watch the debate here Stand with Ukraine On Saturday to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale illegal invasion of Ukraine, I was proud to march alongside members of Reading’s Ukrainian community and to stand in solidarity with them and with the people of Ukraine. I am proud that this Labour Government is stepping up support for Ukraine.
I am proud that the Labour Party has stood with Kyiv since day one. On the third anniversary of Putin’s illegal invasion, that support remains ironclad.
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Burghfield Bridge flooding Following the meeting on February 14 where residents from Burghfield Bridge raised long standing concerns about flooding, I met today with representatives from West Berkshire Council, the Environment Agency, and the Canal and Rivers Trust. We discussed a number of short-term measures that are intended to alleviate some of the most pressing issues facing residents as well as the next steps for addressing the wider concerns around flooding. I also asked that residents are kept informed of progress. In the meantime, if you have any concerns, please do get in touch with me. Bus services in Calcot Earlier this week, I met with Tilehurst Parish Councillors Pippa and Nigel to discuss the changes to the number 15 bus which means it no longer stops at Garston Crescent and Royal Avenue. Pippa and Nigel have been campaigning to get this service reinstated, and I am looking forward to supporting them in the coming weeks as I am concerned that this change to the route has had a really negative impact on a number of local people. If you have any concerns about bus services in Calcot, please email me. Open Hand Open Space studios I was really pleased to be able to visit Open Hand Open Space studios at Brock Keep on Friday and see first hand their latest exhibition of work by Ukrainian artists. It is a hugely important local asset and I am pleased to support the bid for Brock Keep that they have submitted along with their partner organisations. |
Ending the 8am scramble for GP appointments
I am delighted that the Government has reached an agreement with GPs to end their long running dispute meaning:
- An end to the 8am scramble for appointments by ensuring patients can book online
- Freeing GPs up from pointless box-ticking
- Making sure more people can be seen by their regular doctor every time
- All backed by a £889m boost in funding
Football Governance Bill
I welcome the news from Reading FC that they have entered into a period of exclusivity with a potential buyer. Whilst we’ve seen similar talks fall through in the past, I remain cautiously optimistic that the club will succeed in finding new owners – and that this will be the first step in the long road back to where Reading belongs.
However, we need to make sure that this sort of thing can’t happen again. This Government has introduced the Football Governance Bill. I support its plans to establish an independent football regulator, and bring in a new set of rules to empower fans and keep clubs at pride of place in their communities.
If, like me, you think we need to protect clubs from rogue owners and put fans back at the heart of football – then please sign my petition.
Increase in defence spending to 2.5%
I was really pleased this week that the Prime Minister announced a commitment to increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP from 2027, with an ambition to reach 3% in the next parliament.
As the Prime Minister outlined, this is the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, and is necessary as the UK faces an era of profound change, intensifying geopolitical competition and conflicts overseas undermining security and prosperity at home.
To pay for this, the government has had to make a difficult choice in reducing Overseas Development Assistance and reinvesting it in defence. This reflects the need to respond to the evolving nature of the threats we face as a country while maintaining economic stability. We will continue to make the world a safer and more prosperous place by deterring and preventing conflict and targeting our aid more effectively.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the British jobs that will be boosted by this announcement, and this is particularly welcome in Reading West and Mid Berkshire where the defence sector is such a big employer.
Best wishes for the week ahead
Olivia