No Longer A 'B' Town

In another sign of the transition from industrial production to a service economy the long-awaited news that Reading's brewery would close came to fruition this weekend.

In a leader comment Reading Chronicle notes how this is part of the changing landscape, and that this will deal a blow to the long-held identity of the town which was based on the '3 B's' of 'Beer, Biscuits and Bulbs'.

Here the last crates of beer were loaded onto the lorries and sent out for sale


Thatcham's Paul Walter used to work at the Worton Grange site when it was owned by Courage and mourns the closure of the site. He says it is a 'shame' and a crime that the massive industrial buildings were only used for 30 years.

But fellow LibDem Cllr Warren Swaine is less nostalgic, despite the fact he admits he is no fan of crinking the real ale micro-breweries that are spreading produce.

-

More on Save our Pubs!

Confrontatrion Over Job Cuts At University

Government plans to save £1bn from the higher education funding budget will see job losses at Reading University's highly-regarded computer science, electronics and cybernetics, biology and chemistry departments.

The move is hoped to save £10.6m for the educational establishment, but staff have accused RU of "taking a wrecking ball to the sciences" as Reading faces the largest cuts in the country.

University Vice Chancellor Professor Tony Downes pointed out that many other universities were planning far higher numbers of job losses, arguing that "Research in science is a real strength of our University and we are determined that the savings needed will not undermine this."

University spokesperson Alex Brannen said the institution wants to protect research in areas of excellence such as Sytems Engineering, although signs are that this area has already begun to see staff losses as 'reshaping' begins.

In total Reading University will recieve grants of £30.54m for teaching and £18.26m for research. It will also receive £1.9m from the higher education innovation fund.

Tim Astin representing the University College Union was unimpressed.

"After the shambolic closure of the physics department in 2006 we hoped we had seen the last of cuts to vital subjects but it would appear that we were mistaken,"

adding that the "decision is another huge blow for staff and students from a management that has failed to give any coherent reasons for the cuts."

He concluded, "These plans make no sense whatsoever and will take away huge bodies of knowledge from the university."

-

More on Reading University in Transition

Safety Concerns Sparked By Mensa Leaks At AWE

The Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston has come under renewed scrutiny after it emerged construction work at the site in preparation for the new nuclear warhead assembly facility, Project Mensa, had caused pollution in Burghfield Brook.

The Environment Agency has sent a warning letter to AWE after a discharge raised concerns of lasting damage.

EA spokesperson Hayley Willoughby commented that "we will be working with AWE to ensure this does not happen again."

She added:

"minor incidents so early on in AWE's programme of construction activities may warn of a more significant pollution incident to come as construction activities expand at both Burghfield and Aldermaston over the next few years."

Nuclear Awareness Group director Peter Burt explains how the leaks reminded him "of the bad old days back in the 1970s and 1980s when AWE's safety and environmental record was unimaginably worse than it is now" as "AWE was a law unto itself and health and safety was very much an afterthought to the manufacturing and research work that took place at the Establishment."

He points out that it was only after increased pressure from campaigners that the Local Liason Committee (LLC) was set up that the situation improved and residents were given a means to engage in the planning process to protect them from disaster.

Peppard ward's Cllr Richard Willis is a member of the LLC and he reports on the most recent meeting he attended when a question session with the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate highlighted a range of concerns at the plant, including 'elevated levels of Gamma radiation' on the banks of the Thames at Pangbourne and Mapledurham.

In addition a report was given on enabling the 1,000 construction workers for the new Project Pegasus building easier access to the site, while it was announced that a planning submission for the new 14,000 sq m Hydrus hydro-dynamics building would be made during May.

Finally parish councillors recieved a response that assessment of prospects for the use of the site as a long-term store for nuclear waste is still ongoing.

Reading's LibDem environmental spokesperson Cllr Glenn Goodall expresses his concern that the leaks from construction at the site broke the Water Resources Act, as just one instance of over 4,000 incidents arising from Britain's AWE establishments which are made every year.

He adds that despite the existence of the LLC neighbouring authorities are often kept largely 'in the dark' about what actually happens at the sites.

Meanwhile LibDem parliamentary candidate for Reading East, Cllr Gareth Epps added,

"With a significant number of residents in Katesgrove, Reading town centre and Newtown living by the Kennet, it is in the public interest that attention and scrutiny is paid to the environmental impacts of AWE."

Oranjepan says:
Unless you know what's going on and are fully involved in the processes there is little you can do to prepare for or mitigate the worst that can happen.

-

More stories about AWE Aldermaston and AWE Burghfield