Olivia Bailey Member of Parliament for Reading West and Mid Berkshire
Welcome to this week’s constituency newsletter for residents in Reading West and Mid Berkshire.
As we approach the May bank holiday, I’ve been busy in Westminster and in the constituency – lending my support to Reading FC and the Government’s Football Governance Bill, meeting with constituents in Mortimer and in online surgeries, visiting the River Pang with local stakeholders, and considering the potential impact of the West Berkshire Local Plan on residents. On a national level, I was pleased to see tough new action from the Government on fly-tipping to clean up our streets.
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.
Supporting Reading FC in Parliament
While we all wait with bated breath for positive news on the sale of Reading FC, I was delighted to support the Government’s Football Governance Bill at its second reading in Parliament on Monday.
This Bill creates an independent football regulator to ensure that the game is financially sustainable and fan-led and, most importantly, to prevent rogue owners from treating their clubs like Reading FC has been treated.
It was disappointing to hear the Tories turn their backs on the very legislation they were championing mere months ago – and turn their backs on fans as a result.
One of the casualties of Dai Yongge’s tenure has been the women’s side – and I was proud to give them a shout out in the chamber and call on the Government to support women’s football.
On Tuesday, I also managed to meet with fellow Berkshire Labour MPs Yuan Yang and Peter Swallow and Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock to discuss the Bill and the future of Reading FC.
West Berkshire Local Plan
The West Berkshire Local Plan, which sets out the framework for development in West Berkshire, including housing through to 2039, has now been approved by the Planning Inspector. It will now need to be approved by West Berkshire Council at a meeting on 10 June.
You can see the full details here: https://news.info.westberks.gov.uk/pj82/send/j-4iz3
As I have said before, I am extremely disappointed with the bodged process overseen by both the current Lib Dem and previous Conservative administrations that has led us to this point. In my response to the Planning Inspector, I was clear that after years of missed targets, we need more affordable housing aligned with the necessary infrastructure to support local families. But where those homes go is a choice. It has been shown on multiple occasions that Pincents Hill is not an acceptable site for development.
West Berkshire Council over two administrations had the opportunity to deliver a local plan which would meet the needs of current and future residents. Instead, they have failed to properly evaluate alternative, more suitable sites and missed opportunities to include more strategic sites.
All that has happened is that previously disregarded sites like Pincents Hill have been added back into the plan at a late stage.
I will continue to engage on this issue in the coming days and weeks. Please do get in touch if you would like to share your views.
Protecting the River Pang
Today, I visited the River Pang at Hampstead Norreys with the Angling Trust and on the Yattendon Estate with Natural England to discuss how we can continue to work together to clean up this local asset and hold Thames Water to account.
There is brilliant work going on to monitor the Pang’s water quality, and campaigners and landowners are working in partnership to deliver innovative new projects to restore the chalk stream. In Yattendon, I was impressed by the progress being made on wetland restoration and rewilding.
But more must be done to reduce the levels of sewage being released in the Pang. Despite optimal conditions, the water sample we took today still showed a phosphate level that was almost twice the acceptable amount.
I am deeply passionate about cleaning up the Pang and know that residents across the constituency share my desire to protect this precious chalk stream. I will continue to speak with ministers about potential legislative levers, as well as speaking up in Parliament and working with the campaigners on the ground who are working tirelessly every day.
Cracking Down on Fly-Tipping
This week, the Labour Government announced a new crackdown on waste criminals – using drones and mobile CCTV cameras to identify, seize and crush the offending vehicles. Any criminals caught transporting and dealing with waste illegally will now face up to five years in prison under new legislation.
This is incredibly welcome news, as fly-tipping across our community is a serious problem. Under the Conservatives, this scourge went unpunished and rates of fly-tipping in England increased by more than a third to over 3,000 incidents per day.
I’m delighted that Reading Borough Council have recently launched their own crackdown on fly-tipping, proposing a new Environmental Enforcement Partnership with a dedicated team of five officers patrolling Reading’s streets seven days a week, and increased maximum fines for offenders.
Parliamentary Activity
One of my favourite parts of this job is speaking up for the people of Reading West and Mid Berkshire in Parliament and addressing the issues that matter most to my constituents.
Fellow Labour MP, Kanishka Narayan MP, has made a tool that makes it easy to see what MPs are focusing on in Parliament with a word cloud.
I think mine is a good reflection of my priorities in Parliament – affordable rural housing, local economic growth, crime and anti-social behaviour, the River Pang, and – most importantly – local people.
I’m looking forward to seeing how this word cloud changes over the coming months as I continue to represent the concerns of local people in Parliament.
School Visits to Parliament
Bookings for schools to visit Parliament for the Autumn Term open at 10am on Wednesday 7 May.
These visits are a unique free learning experience for schools including an engaging curricula-informed workshop in the Parliament Education Centre and an unforgettable tour of the iconic Palace of Westminster. Lots of schools from across Reading West and Mid Berkshire have visited Parliament over the past few months and I know that they have had a hugely positive experience.
Schools can pre-register for booking at https://learning.parliament.uk/…/tours-and-workshops/.
I look forward to meeting with lots of schools from across Reading West and Mid Berkshire in Parliament in the autumn.
Mortimer Community Drop In
It was great to be out meeting lots of residents in Mortimer last Sunday – firstly at my community drop in and then out with my team in West End Road.
People raised lots of different issues including sewage discharges in Foudry Brook, SEND, maintenance for footpaths and pavements, local government reorganisation and the need for better cross-boundary working in the NHS.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to speak with me. If you want to get in touch but were unable to make it to the drop in, or we missed you when we were out in West End Road, please do get in touch with my office at olivia.bailey.mp@parliament.uk.
Dates for your Diary
Friday 9 May – I am really pleased to be able to support a Google Digital Garage event in Reading West and Mid Berkshire. This is a free event to help support local businesses and entrepreneurs grow their business online and find new customers. You or anyone you know can register for the event here.
Sunday 25 May – Community Drop-in, Pangbourne – If you live in Pangbourne and would like to come along for a chat with tea and biscuits between 3.00pm and 4.00pm, please email and my team will confirm the venue a few days in advance of the event.
Best wishes for the week ahead,
Olivia