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Welcome to this week’s constituency newsletter for residents in Reading West and Mid Berkshire. On Wednesday I was proud to be in the House of Commons to hear the Chancellor, deliver her Budget. It was a Budget that delivers fairness and opportunity, focussed on the priorities of residents in Reading West and Mid Berkshire and across the country – cutting the cost of living, growing our economy, and protecting our public services. This week was also UK Parliament Week and I was delighted to be able to visit schools in the constituency whose pupils have been working hard on topics around democracy and Parliament. To keep up to date with what I am doing in Parliament and in the constituency, you can follow me on Facebook or Instagram. |
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A Budget for fairness and opportunity This week’s Budget made fair choices to deliver on the priorities of residents in Reading West and Mid Berkshire and across the country. In particular, I am really proud to stand behind the Chancellor’s announcement scrapping the Tories’ Two Child Limit, benefitting 1,790 children in Reading West and Mid Berkshire, reducing relative child poverty nationally by 450,000 by the end of the decade. Combined with other measures announced this year including the expansion of free school meals, Labour is lifting 550,000 children out of poverty, with this parliament set for the largest fall in child poverty on record This Budget is also cutting the cost of living with households across the UK saving on average £150 on their energy bills from April 2026. And, we’ve frozen rail fares for the first time since the 1990s saving people £340 on a Reading to London season ticket when compared to a typical increase, frozen prescription costs to keep them under a tenner, frozen fuel duty, as well as rolling out more free breakfast clubs saving parents time and money every day. And I am delighted that the Chancellor accepted the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission boosting people’s pay packets with an increase in the National Living Wage and in the National Minimum Wage. This means from next April a full-time worker on the National Living Wage will get £900 more a year, and those on the National Minimum Wage will see a £1,500 increase. What’s more, the Budget shows that we are building a stronger and more secure economy – with growth this year upgraded from 1% to 1.5%, wages up more in the first year of this Government than the first decade under the Conservatives, and five interest rate cuts since the election. This is a Budget that rejects Tory austerity and borrowing and instead makes the fair choices that we need for Reading West and Mid Berkshire and for the country. …and more support for small and medium sized businesses Following the Budget I met with the Small Business Minister Blair McDougall to share the findings from my Small Business Summer Roadshow. We discussed the feedback that I collected from local SMEs about the challenges they are facing, including access to finance, advertising space, and regulatory red tape. One issue that businesses raised with me was around barriers to hiring apprentices, so I was delighted with the Chancellor’s announcement in the Budget that the Government will introduce free training for SMEs for apprentices under 25, delivering opportunities for local young people to develop skills and enter fulfilling careers. UK Parliament Week This week was UK Parliament Week – a really great series of events and activities put on by the staff in Parliament helping young (and older) people find out more about how Parliament works and how politics affects every part of everyday life. I was delighted that 37 schools and youth groups from across the constituency took part in activities. And I was especially pleased to be able to visit Calcot Junior School and St Paul’s Catholic Primary School in Tilehurst to take questions from pupils who have been working hard on topics around Parliament and democracy during the week. There were some fantastic questions including how we can work together to protect our environment, how the Government can help young people stay safe online, what the Government is doing to tackle bullying in schools, and why I wanted to become an MP. Thank you to the pupils and staff at both schools for such amazing visits! Living Rainforest I had a wonderful morning on Friday at The Living Rainforest in Hampstead Norreys, with plenty of plants and wildlife to admire. It is absolutely fantastic to have this centre in our constituency, which makes for a wonderful day out. I was particularly pleased to hear of the around 25,000 visitors they have from school trips each year, as it is such an amazing learning space. I was also grateful for the conversation I had with the team about the wider work that the Trust for Sustainable Living undertakes on global sustainability education. I would encourage anybody looking for an exciting day over the Christmas period, to visit You can find out more information about the Centre here. Calcot Meet Your MP I had a really great discussion with local residents last Sunday at my Meet Your MP event in Calcot. Thank you to everyone who came along. We discussed lots of interesting and important topics, such as antisocial behaviour, energy prices, and bin collections. There were lots of takeaways and actions for me and my office to get started on. Date for your diary Meet Your MP, Aldermaston, 1.30pm to 2.30pm on Sunday 25 January If you live in Calcot or nearby and would like to come along for a chat with tea and biscuits between 1.30pm and 2.30pm, you can register here. My team will confirm the venue to those registered in advance of the event. Best wishes for the week ahead Olivia |