Welcome to this week’s constituency newsletter for residents in Reading West and Mid Berkshire. Having returned to Parliament after a busy summer in the constituency, it was a huge honour to have been asked to join the Government as Minister for Early Education and Minister for Equalities.
It’s been a busy and inspiring first week in my new role. I had the pleasure of visiting one of our new school-based nurseries at Brooklands Primary School in Greenwich; the wonderful Faith Montessori Nursery in Lewisham; and the Brookhill Children’s Centre and Best Start Family Hub. Each visit reinforced the importance of giving every child the best start in life and demonstrated to me how passionate and dedicated the staff are who make these settings so transformative to our communities. I’m excited to work with the early years sector to help deliver this government’s ambitious plan for change—making a real, positive difference for children and families across the country.
But while this ministerial post gives me the opportunity to deliver change nationally, I will continue to be a champion for Reading West and Mid Berkshire and for your priorities. Making sure that our communities see the benefit of the Government’s £15 billion investment at AWE, continuing to work to get our NHS back on track, pushing for improvements to the A34, working with campaigners on cleaning up the River Pang, and supporting our police and local councils to tackle anti-social behaviour.
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 our hospitality businesses
One of my highlights over the summer was my Small Business Roadshow. So I was proud last week during the debate in the House of Commons on the hospitality sector to be able to mention some of the brilliant cafes, pubs and restaurants that I visited, including the Mad Duck in Purley, Bradleys Café and the Street Food Shack in Theale, The Avenue Deli in Calcot, Ninos in Pangbourne and Dee Café. These amazing businesses don’t just serve great food and drink, but they are at the heart of our communities, providing places for people to come together.
And earlier today, I was delighted to visit The Snaffle Café in Tilehurst and enjoy a delicious lunch. Alongside my meal, I was grateful to speak to their lovely owner Vicky about her experience running a small business in hospitality. I will be including her thoughts in my report on local businesses in Reading West and Mid Berkshire, and sharing these with the Business Secretary.
If you find yourself in the area and in need of a bite, the staff at The Snaffle Cafe will take great care of you!
Cracking down on illegal e-bikes and e-scooters
Tackling the scourge of illegal e-bikes and e-scooters is one of my top priorities. So, I am really pleased that the new powers that the government has given the police to deal with this blight on our communities is showing results with 48 e-bikes and e-scooters seized in our area in June alone.
I am proud that this Labour Government is serious about tackling anti-social behaviour with our Respect Orders, which give police new powers to deal with persistent offenders, including allowing police to ban persistent offenders from local hotspots. And I am proud that we have delivered on our pledge of a named and contactable police officers for every community helping to restore trust that policing is working to keep people safe.
If you have any concerns with crime and anti-social behaviour in your community, you can get in touch with your neighbourhood police team or you are always welcome to email my office so that we can pass these on.
£182 million skills investment for the defence sector
In Reading West and Mid Berkshire, we know that investing in the defence sector doesn’t just keep the British people safe; it means investing in skills, jobs, and opportunities for local people.
When I visited AWE with the Defence Secretary in June, I met with local young people who are benefitting from the many apprenticeship and job opportunities that a strong defence sector can provide. That’s why the Defence Industrial Strategy that was launched earlier this week is so important – investing in the defence skills of the future with a new £182 million boost for the talent pipeline and five defence-focused Technical Excellence Colleges.
This package will fund thousands of short courses so defence employers can upskill their workforce, and will allow universities to invest in cutting edge facilities and open up more places for students to study subjects like Engineering and Computer Science.
A £1.3 million boost for local transport
Fantastic news last week that the Government is giving our local transport networks a funding boost, allocating over £1.3m to Reading and West Berkshire combined to spend on getting us all where we need to go.
The councils will be able to choose what they spend the money on, from improvements to public transport and greater accessibility to safer streets and reduced congestion – and I will be pressing the councils to spend the money the right way.
…and better bus services
On Wednesday, I was proud to vote for the Third Reading of the Bus Services Bill, which will now head to the House of Lords for the next stage of the parliamentary process.
Many people across Reading West and Mid Berkshire rely on buses to get to the shops, attend important appointments and visit family. That’s why I have been working with local residents to push West Berkshire Council to fund improvements to services such as the number 15 in Calcot as well as in Theale and Pangbourne.
We’ve seen the success of Reading Buses, where investment from Reading Borough Council has transformed local services for the better. This Bill will enable other local authorities like West Berkshire to replicate this success and I will continue to push them to invest in the services that residents across Reading West and Mid Berkshire are calling for.
Making sure you know how well our health services are performing
Transparency and accountability are really important when it comes to our NHS – which is why the government have launched new league tables for every trust in England to be ranked against clear, consistent standards.
I’m pleased to see the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust in the top third of acute trusts and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in the top three of non-acute trusts.
These new league tables will allow us to utilise our record investment in the NHS in the most effective way and deliver meaningful outcomes for patients. We will now be able to identify the trusts facing the greatest challenges, drive up standards with targeted support and hold senior leaders accountable for poor performance.
You can read more about the league tables and search for your local trusts here
Dates for your diary
West Reading Safer Community Forum, 6.00pm to 8.00pm on Thursday 2 September. If you live in West Reading and would like to talk to me, local councillors and the local police team about crime or anti-social behaviour, please email my office. Details of the event will be sent to people who have registered a few days in advance.
Best wishes for the week ahead
Olivia