Housing policy

I've been using today as a catch up on various council matters including ensuring I'm as briefed as possible on various issues.

Some of those are very local and some are not yet public.  However two very useful papers I've been reading are from the Joseph Rowentree Foundation, one a response to Labour's policy review - but of interest regardless of political party, and one focusing on what young people want from housing, which certainly rings a bell with my own and many of my friends experiences.  Hat tip to @joshharsant for setting me on to them.

P77 of the first report mentions some key differences between the English private rented sector and  four countries that traditionally have had larger private rented sectors, something that is increasing in England now, and is of particular concern to Reading as a quarter of households in Reading as renting privately:

"In the larger private rented sector countries, measures to support the sector have been in place for several decades.
• There is a broader demand base in other countries – both from low- and high-income households.
• There is no long-term security of tenure in England (although security is relatively short in the USA and Australia).
• Rent increases are subject to legislative limits in France and Germany.
• Individual investors benefit from depreciation allowances in the other four countries.
• Losses on current rental income can be set against other income for tax purposes in the other four countries.
• Capital gains taxation encourages long-term holdings of property in the other countries.
• As a result of continuous (re)investment, the private rented housing stock in the other countries is more attractive and better quality than in England.
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• In England, institutional investors do not perceive that they can make a reasonable, risk-adjusted rate of return from private rented property.
• In England there are no significant programmes to encourage the private rented sector to invest in and manage affordable housing – this contrasts with the other four countries."

I don't agree with everything in the report, including the apparent acceptance by one group of authors of the idea that social housing should be targeted at 'vulnerable' groups.  However there is a lot to mull on, and it also highlights the really complex nature of housing problems in this country.  I don't think that the current government will have made a substantial improvement in this by 2015, it's a major problem, so I think that the Labour party needs to come up with a really substantial bit of work to help improve housing for people across the country.  Meanwhile in Reading we'll be looking at a number of things we can do within the existing frameworks and bearing in mind the financial constraints on the council to support people in their homes.

One particular concern for me on this is made on P43 of the first report, makes a point that applies particularly to Housing but also to many other policy areas:
"The potential impacts of the coalition policies...are likely to produce massive changes in new housing supply, not all of which will be good news, especially for disadvantaged people who are less likely to have a voice in the localism agenda".

I'm all for localism, where it means that we get the right local solutions for local people - it's hard to imagine anyone who doesn't agree with that.  What does worry me about the localism bill as it currently stands is that it will help those who shout the loudest.  It also seems to neglect the important role that local authorities have in both ensuring that those disadvantaged are given support and the democratic mandate that they have to speak up for all local people.  I know that councillors of whatever political party see themselves as champions for their community first, and I don't think the localism bill always recognises that.  The proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

In the report on young people I was particularly concerned to see the reactions young people had to local authority housing.  I'd be interested to hear from any young people in Reading about their experiences here - I hope it's better than the national picture but I would like to hear from the horses mouths, so to speak.

Reading festival - hoping for a fun but safe event

As the lead councillor with responsibility for community safety I recently agreed with the police that we should have a dispersal order in place again following the success it had in 2010.  I won't be going to the festival but it looks like it has a great line up - I would expect Pulp to be a particular highlight (showing my age perhaps!).

The dispersal order will enable the police to break up any group, defined rather broadly as '2 or more', who they think is likely to cause trouble: not just festival goers but also aggressive ticket touts.  It's a power they use with discretion and I hope it will be of benefit not just to local residents but also to our visitors.  As I said in the police's press release what we want is for all who attend to have a fun, safe time.

This is not the only thing we are doing to try to reduce crime and disorder associated with the Festival, it's part of a tool kit that the police will use with discretion.

There's more coverage here

UPDATE:
If you have any concerns regarding the festival there's a central phone number: (0118) 937 3737.

The council has issued transport advice as follows:
"Residents are being reminded that this year's Reading Festival begins next week and town centre traffic will be very heavy in the run up to the event.

Reading Festival 2011 runs from Friday August 26th to Sunday August 28th and traffic volume is expected to peak from Wednesday August 24th through to Friday August 26th, and again with the departure on Bank Holiday Monday - August 29th.

Reading residents who need to get into town during the build up to the event are being advised to carefully consider their journey. Where possible taking the bus, cycling and walking may offer quicker journeys. If you need to drive at these busiest times please allow plenty of time for the expected extra demand on the road network.

Tony Page, Reading's Lead Councillor for Transport, said: 'Thousands of people come to Reading every year to enjoy the Festival. Extra visitors to the town undoubtedly generate a lot more traffic over the Bank Holiday weekend and also in the days running up to the event. To reduce the impact of disruption on the roads for both residents and festival goers, the Council encourages people to travel by public transport and make use of the other ways to get around town that don't involve a car, such as cycling, walking or taking a bus. The Council has been working with the police and also festival organisers to make sure the roads around the festival site run as smoothly as possible before and during the event.'

Although the majority of visitors to the festival arrive by public transport, this also includes road-based travel. Around 15,000 people will be heading for the site by coach throughout the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

In addition to updates from the local media, route information will be displayed on the existing variable message signs along the major routes into Reading, advising both local and festival traffic of conditions.

Parking restrictions are in place around the Richfield Avenue site, and this area should be avoided during the festival period. Festival car parking is available at Mapledurham and Kings Meadow. There are no facilities directly around the site for drivers to drop off and pick up passengers - instead drivers should follow the directions to the official drop off and pick up points at Kings Meadow.

For festival visitors parking at Mapledurham, a pedestrian bridge has again been constructed into the site to ensure easy access to the festival. For those parking in Kings Meadow a boat service is provided free of charge to help transport everyone and their belongings to the festival.

On Monday 29th there will be no access to Richfield Avenue through Cow Lane Bridges, Diversion signs will be in operation, along the Oxford Road and along the IDR. In addition, temporary traffic management will be in operation at the Napier Road/Vastern Road roundabout and it is advisable to avoid these areas during Bank Holiday Monday.

A night time closure of the Thames Path (from 9pm to 6am) will be in operation from Thursday August 25th to Saturday August 27th inclusive. The closure will apply between Scours Lane to the far end of Thames Side Promenade. The temporary closure is implemented for security and safety grounds.

Reading Borough Council has again worked with the festival organisers to produce travel information leaflets that have been sent out with tickets with details of bus, rail and park and ride services. As in previous years a special shuttle bus will be running between the station and the festival site to help visitors that arrive by train.

To help maintain traffic flow, the council's parking enforcement officers will be working alongside the police during the weekend to crack down on people who park illegally and cause an obstruction.

Throughout the duration of the festival a temporary taxi rank will be operating in Tessa Road - opposite the Rivermead Leisure Centre next to the Festival site - as a further option when travelling to and from the site. There will be another taxi rank in Loverock Road (close to Wigmore Lane) on Bank Holiday Monday only. There will be a third taxi rank at Thames Prom. Visitors are being reminded that they should pre-book private hire vehicles rather than hail them from the roadside. All licensed vehicles will display a Reading Borough Council plate on the back and all drivers should have an identity badge in full view.

If any resident has concerns relating to this year's festival, they can call the Council's hotline number on (0207) 1952091 which is open from 7am Wednesday, August 24th until midday Monday, August 29th. Before and after the festival, residents with concerns or queries can call Reading Borough Council on (0118) 937 3737."

#NHS stats - what's the real story?

Data on NHS waiting times is available by PCT.  I've just got round to taking a look at them.

You can look at the latest data and an archive and it's quite illuminating as you can look by procedure, by PCT and if you really want by PCT and proceedure together, although since the numbers get small there they become less statistically meaningful.

As you would expect the picture is complex - more so than the national headlines suggest.

I was interested in Berkshire Wet as it is where I live (this PCT covers Reading and other Western parts of Berkshire, as the name suggests!).

The picture seems to be an increase in numbers waiting over 18 weeks locally, which reflects the national picture.  I looked at May 2011 which is the latest data compared with May 2010, to give a fair annual comparison (seasonal factors can affect numbers needing treatment in some care types I'm told).

The local stats that worry me are that there has been an increase from 74 to 176 patients waiting over 18 weeks in Berkshire West.  If I wanted a headline I would say 'Patients waiting over 18 weeks more than doubles' which is obviously true but as a fan of 'More or less' it would perhaps be better to say that those waiting over 18 weeks has increased from 4% to 8.4% which is still pretty dramatic.

Of course the 18 week target was one of the bits of 'red tape' that the Tories abolished when they took power, and the local and national picture shows that when you take away focus on a particular target then that measure will slip.  It seems unfair to me that even though the median wait has fallen locally (but not nationally) that substantially more people are waiting a very long time for treatment.

Note for spreadsheet aficionados:  the figure of 74 is calculated by taking 4% of the 1835 procedures with a known start in May 2010 , there were a further 2 without data.  The figure of 176 in May 2011 is calculated by taking the number of completed pathways completed within 18 weeks 1926 from the total with a known start  - 2102.  There were a further 8 without data in May 2011.  The reason for the difference in methodology is that the data is presented differently.  As a check I calculated the May 2011 number using the same method as May 2010 and got 176.   Unfortunately because the data wasn't available I wasn't able to calculate the May 2010 data by simply taking two numbers from each other.

I would be grateful if a fellow spreadsheet obsessive could try to reverse engineer my calculations!

UPDATE: second link now works,  have corrected one mention of 'West Berkshire' to 'Berkshire West'

Solar panel installation on #rdg Borough Council schools

I am looking forward to the special cabinet meeting that has been called more than you might think, given it's an extra meeting in the middle of August.

That's because it is to discuss a scheme to install solar panels on school buildings and other community buildings in Reading.  Last year I put forward a motion to council as an opposition councillor, seconded by Paul Gittings, in which we called for the council to quickly act to take advantage of Labour's feed-in tariff policy.  Despite warm words from the then administration we've had to wait to take back control to go ahead with the scheme. 

We originally planned to put this forward in June but the government unhelpfully changed the scheme meaning we had to rework - we have been clear from the start that this has to be a financially sound decision not just environmentally sound.  I'm confident that this is the case and have had substantial modelling done to ensure that it is a good use of resident's funds, generating a substantial financial return.

It's very exciting to see it taking this step forward, and schools across the borough are showing an interest in having this done.

The council's press release is below:

"Plans to invest in solar panels for schools and other public buildings to help Reading Borough Council reduce its rising energy costs are to be discussed at a special Cabinet meeting.

Energy costs have tripled over the last decade and are continuing to rise with a record hike this year. By using solar panels to generate power, energy bills will be cut saving thousands of pounds every year. Solar energy is not only environmentally friendly, but it is also free. Every school that uses solar energy could see, on average, savings of up to £3,000 each school year.

Officers from Reading Borough Council's sustainability and school buildings' teams have been drawing up plans for how the scheme can be progressed if it is given Cabinet endorsement. The Council has already asked schools whether they would be interested in having solar panels installed on their roof, subject to a survey by a Council contractor who will also assess whether there is the capacity for solar panels to be fitted onto their buildings.

Councillors will discuss the introduction of solar panels on school and public buildings in more detail, at its meeting at the Civic Centre, on Wednesday, August 17th. The meeting will begin at 6.30pm.

Paul Gittings, Lead councillor for environment and climate change, said: 'This is a fantastic initiative and another step towards Reading becoming a low carbon town of the future. The ability to generate our own clean, low carbon energy will help to build a secure and sustainable future for the Council.'

John Ennis, Lead councillor for education and children's services, said: 'Any building as large as a school can be very expensive to run, so help towards the cost of expensive energy bills is very welcome. As well as the huge energy and environmental benefits, children who have solar panels on their school roof will get to see how they work and learn about the benefits of renewable energy sources.'

The scheme would see an initial 'spend-to-save' investment by the Council, but this would be repaid over 10-12 years, with a Government tariff scheme, funded by the energy companies, paying the Council for each unit of electricity the panels produce. This could mean income of up to £14,000 per year for some school buildings.

Meanwhile, the Council has partnered with 10:10, an international carbon reduction organisation, who are launching a separate solar project in Reading next month aimed at helping seven local primary and secondary schools reduce their carbon footprint and raise funds to buy their own solar panels. 10:10 plan to roll out their solar schools project to other councils later next year."

Coley street party - Labour gives residents power over cash

I went along to the Coley street party yesterday and it was great to see a real mixture of young and old coming out to enjoy the weather - the marquee was only needed for shade!

It was the day of voting for the community projects that residents wanted to see in their local area under Labour's 'your community your cash' programme, a pilot scheme I've introduced this year.  There were some really good proposals all suggested by local residents and 99 people took the opportunity to vote on what they wanted to see.

There were 2 joint winning bids and we were also able to award the runner-up with funding so there will now be an art project, a regular bingo night and improved street lighting in a dingy corner.

The funding for this comes from the council's decent neighbourhoods fund which is paid for by tenants rents.  By pooling this money and then giving local residents the chance both suggest ideas and then collectively decide which area it's spent on it means we are able to really know what residents want - working with people not just for them.

This is practical stuff, and I'm really pleased by how it is going.  I'm hoping we will be able to expand this to the entire decent neighbourhoods fund from next year.