Two weeks ago Jim Day, the former councillor for Tilehurst, passed away. Jim was renowned in Tielhurst as a hard working councillor who always managed to sort out residents’ problems. He was devoted to Tilehurst.

Jim fought in the seond world war serving in the RAF as an aircrew gunner. He entered politics in the sixties, winning a local election in Tilehurst in 1964 and serving as a councillor for the next 40 years winning election after election to Borough and County councils.

In 1964 he began circulating Council Topics leaflets around the ward. It was the first time that Tilehurst residents got to know what their councillors were doing on their behalf in between elections. They always concentrated, as Jim also did, on local issues and Council Topics, produced three or four times a year has been going strong ever since. We had just sent edition 181 to the printers when Paddy phoned to give me the sad news. We are proud to carry on the tradition that Jim started.

As a councillor Jim has helped so many people in and around Tilehurst with all sorts of problems. Over the years he built up a huge reputation for helping people in Tilehurst to the point that even now, some 10 years since he stood down from the council, when we go knocking on doors in Tilehurst there are still so many residents who remember the energetic councillor who got those potholes filled, who blocked off the end of Walnut Way to make The Triangle safer for pedestrians, who wangled invitations to Buckingham Palace for residentswho had done a lot of charity work in Tilehurst. Above all they remember a warm-hearted councillor whose integrity shone through.

There are many of us who have tried to serve Tilehurst as well as Jim did but none of us will ever match Jim’s record of service. We really have lost a great servant of the people in Tilehurst.

Despite the financial situation the council’s annual summer road maintenance programme goes ahead and from the end of July and through August the following Tilehurst roads are due to be repaired.

Major Repairs:
Westwood Glen
Norcot Road (by junction with Pottery Road)
and The Meadway (New Lane Hill to St Michaels Road) if the money holds out.

Minor Repairs:
Armour Road
Halls Road

Footpaths:
Beverley Road

Needless to say there are many other roads that need at least minor repairs but the budget only strateches so far.

Not all repairs are effective, witness the large pothole in Walnut Way which was filled in last April and a few months later just re-appeared.
Whether it was down to the high rainfall and storms over the last few months or whether it was just shoddy work by the contractors I do not know but such work does not represent good value for money.

You may have noticed that I stopped working on this blog during the election campaign. It was just one thing too much for me whilst organising the campaign in Tilehurst.

However, the election campaign in Tilehurst proved to be a stunning success for the Lib Dems and for Meri O’Connell who topped the poll with a 300 majority, overturning the Tory majority of 200 last year. The full result is on the Council website at http://www.reading.gov.uk/electionsdata/2012/local/staticscoreboard.asp

It was certainly a tough and hard fought campaign but the work paid off in the end and I am sure that Meri will be an excellent councillor for Tilehurst, following on a long line of Liberal and Lib Dem councillors since Jim Day first won a seat in 1964. Jim is still mentioned on the doorstep by residents who remember the tremendous work he put in as a local councillor in Tilehurst for 40 years.

Incidentally, it was Jim who also started circulating our Council Topics leaflets in 1964. Nearly 50 years later they are still going strong and as popular as ever. Another great Tilehurst tradition.

Anyway, thank you Tilehurst for another Lib Dem success and both Meri and I will carry on working for local residents wherever we can help.

Thank you.

Together with my Lib Dem colleagues on the council we have got the Labour administration to amend their budget to include a couple of extra items to focus more resource on something that many rersidents are clearly worried about, namely the state of our streets.

The Lib Dem amendment uses money from reserves to

* boost the anti-graffiti effort (£27k for an extra officer)
* put more effort into clearing up dog mess (£16k for an extra Dog Warden)
* avoid the proposed increase in the cost of 2nd parking permits (£18k)

Overall an additional £61,000 is being put to better use whilst keeping the reserves at the agreed £5m level and keeping the council tax bills at the same level as last year.

We have a continual struggle in Reading to keep our streets and public places clean and clear of litter and it does sadden me when you see graffiti, litter and dog mess all over the place. It is a constant theme at our ward surgeries.

Here in Tilehurst we do seem to be getting better at keeping our streets clean but only thanks to the efforts of the council’s Streetcare Team who clear up the area around The Triangle every morning. They are doing a pretty good job. It would help if people reported graffiti or litter or fly-tipping to the Streetcare Team on 0800 834035 or contact me and I will take action to get the mess cleared up.

Together we can smarten up our village and Reading as a whole.

It has become clear now that Reading Buses are planning to change the route of the 33 bus permanently after the roadworks in Hildens drive are completed.

In reponse to complaints from residents of the far end of Chapel Hill and Westwood Glen all inbound journeys on route 33 will divert up Chapel Hill and down Westwood Glen. Outbound buses heading for the Birds Estate will continue to run the full length of Lower Elmstone Drive as they do currently.

I have already received a complaint from a resident of Lower Elmstone Drive who will now have a very long walk in order to catch a bus into town, although coming home will remain a much easier journey.

The roadworks in Hildens Drive are scheduled to take another 4 weeks or so.

Well we finally got our wintery downpour yesterday evening and woke up to several inches of snow.

With well-drilled military precision my neighbour over the road was up early and clearing the snow from around his drive sometime after 9 o’clock this morning. I joined around half past nine and soon we had half a dozen men and at least one woman clearing the road. By half past ten Chieveley Close had been cleared and we all retired for a well-earned cup of tea. The kids of course had been snowballing all along.

Well done the Chieveley crew.

I have to say that my wrists now ache and I am beginning to feel my age, or is it possibly just the fact that I live such a sedentary life that a wee bit of exercise feels like running a marathon.

Just had a strange thought, everyone this year has a proper snow shovel, much better at clearing fresh snow than the spades we all used last year. Thanks to C&G Hardware in School Road! They have been sold in the shops since the beginning of summer and finally we got to use them. What a difference they make.