Conservatives Call For Hartley's Head

#rdgpol - After spending last month on the defensive Conservatives in Reading have gone on the attack in what some commentators are calling a pre-emptive strike to take over control of the Cabinet.

Local tories have called for Reading's lead councillor for Education, Park ward's John Hartley (Labour), to be removed from his position by lodging a motion of no confidence against him.

But because the council remains in the balance Conservatives can also be seen cranking up the pressure ahead of a vote on 30th March.

Cllr Richard Willis attempted to build some anticipation for the move by preannouncing via the #rdgpol hastag that he would publish some 'key news' on his blog.

Subsequently he described the Conservative position, explaining why Cllr Hartley should be axed.

It all relates back to statements Cllr Hartley made during a debate at the 26th January council session on a motion against homophobic bullying which were later shown to be untrue.

Here's how Reading List covered the debate at the time.

Church ward's Cllr Tim Harris proposed a motion to agree a resolution against bullying, but Cllr Hartley responded that the council is already a member of Stonewall's 'Education Champion's Programme' to infer that the motion was unnecessary.

Conservatives were attacked by LibDems for sending out 'mixed messages' on gay rights, which obviously struck a nerve as tory leader Cllr Andrew Cumpsty accused opponents of 'politicising' the issue.

And now Conservatives sense an opportunity to exert a price for the hit they took.

Cllr Hartley defended his inaccurate statement by pointing his finger at council officers for providing him with bad information, arguing that it is water under the bridge as RBC now in the process of signing up to the programme, adding that,

"There's no disagreement between the three main parties on the substance or importance of this issue, but the Conservatives are clearly in a mood to make mischief because we're nearing an election."

But Conservative critics continue to circle around Cllr Hartley, stating that his consistent non-attendance at 'vital' council committees within his portfolio shows he does not take his duties seriously.

And Park ward candidate for the Green Party, Rob White, has offered his view.

Rob picks out the low levels of casework his opponent does for residents, suggesting this is indicative of Cllr Hartley's capacity to undertake all the responsibilities he has accepted.

However he gives his opponent the benefit of the doubt, saying it must be shown he deliberately misled the council for it to be a sacking issue, otherwise an apology should suffice.

Meanwhile the result of any vote looks to be very much up in the air as it would depend on LibDems who hold the balance of power - and they appear to be sitting firmly on the fence. Cllr Kirsten Bayes expressed her caution towards the move,

"We'd need to see the details of the Conservatives' motion, and to hear Cllr Hartley's explanation on any concerns. It's important to be fair to everyone involved."

Oranjepan says:
Conservative group leader Cllr Cumpsty was extremely wrong - as recent events have shown, it is obvious that bullying is a highly political matter!

-

Update: Linda Fort offers a friendlier assessment of the political challenge facing Cllr Hartley.

Potholes Pile Up

Following on from previous posts, the continuing irritation of potholes on our roads remain in the mind across the county and beyond.

In Wokingham Cllr Prue Bray managed to report 29 potholes in one week, while Paul Walter reported 8 in West Berkshire in just one day!

On cue, West Berkshire have announced an increase of 50% (an additional £220,000) to the emergency road repair budget,

Elsewhere Scaryduck reports on the £1m bill to fix potholes in Banbury, while according to the Local Government Association the national cost could easily reach £100m as 1.6m new potholes have been reported.

But a solution is available...

About 50 UK councils have acquired new Jetpatcher machines, which use the 'velocity patching technique' and is estimated to be 80% more cost effective than traditional road repairs, offers reduced repair time (and therefore disruption to traffic) of a third while lasting longer and is more environmentally friendly too.


Oranjepan asks:
How many avoidable accidents have occurred as a result of inadequate repairs due to outdated resources?

-

Background: Potholes Get Political, Beneath The Surface; Filling A Gap

Flattering To Deceive?

#rdgpol - Regular readers will know Reading List has been closely following the debate surrounding Reading's bid for city status.

And it appears developments to promote the move have now reached the highest levels when Prime Minister Gordon Brown commented during a pre-election visit that Reading 'deserved' the title after he was challenged on his initial description of the town as a 'great city'.

Rachel Eden overlooks this gaffe by her party leader highlighting his manner of justification that Reading has a 'great community spirit'.

Meanwhile local business groups have been going out of their way to promote the bid on the grounds that they think it will give a much-needed economic boost to the area, despite previously promoting a separate report showing Reading and the Thames Valley are relatively much better off than other areas of the country.

Paul Robins picks up on a report describing Reading as one of Euope's top 'micro-cities'.

Executive director of economic development company Reading UK CIC, Tim Smith, described the placement above over 200 urban centres with more than 1/4m population as an 'independent accolade' to be proud of, identifying the strength of local communications infrastructure as the major factor behind the judgement.

He was supported by the chairwoman of Reading's Federation of Small Businesses, Nicky Goringe Larkin, and deputy leader of Reading Council, Cllr Tony Page, who attributed Reading's beneficial geographical location as their main grounds for gaining for city status.

Linda Fort outlined the raging political debate on the issue.

Conservatives have offered unconditional support to the Labour colleagues, arguing 'this is about leadership."

But LibDems have been more cautious, suggesting that residents are unconvinced of the value it offers and practical policies need to be prioritised at this time.

And this appears to be an opinion borne out by local commenters - one says a successful bid will be worth no more than two seconds of air-time on national news, a second argues local political leadership needs to lose their 'village mentality' before the title is deserved and another states civic pride shouldn't depend upon outside recognition.

Elsewhere the significant question of whether the title would in any case be awarded to the borough authority or the conurbation was sidestepped when council leader Cllr Jo Lovelock assertively claimed, "it’s not about our boundaries," adding "it’s very much about recognising... we are the historic county town of Berkshire."


Oranjepan says:
From out of the mouths of politicians themselves!

-

Update: Steve Borthwick says 'Reading has hit the big time' now that Prime Minister Gordon Brown recognised the bid and given it his personal endorsement.

Steve says he thinks it is a great idea even though the only 'extra stuff' deliverable will be an increase in outside recognition and prestige which won't make any difference to the ordinary 'citizen'.

-

More stories about Reading's civic status