Leisure Procurement

Report by Director of Environment & Neighbourhood Services and a debate in accordance with Standing Order 8(6)(e0

Shaping Reading's Future: Our Corporate Plan 2018-21

Report by Chief Executive

Utilisation of Capital Receipts to Pump Prime Savings Delivery, Service Transformation and Manage Demand

Report by Director of Resources

Caversham Air Quality

Councillor Grashoff to move: 

The Council notes with concern that in March 2018 Caversham Globe carried out professionally analysed Nitrogen Dioxide tests over a 2 week period on busy roads and junctions in Caversham and found that the results were well above the European Union's legal average annual limit of 40 micrograms per cubic metre, as can be seen by the table below:

These tests followed on from one that was previously carried out over a 2 week period in December 2017 on the Church Rd, St Anne's Rd junction which showed a result of 56.2, which is consistent with the one observed in March.

As a responsible authority which is committed to tackling problems of air pollution in Reading, this Council accepts that whilst these recorded figures are not average annual figures they nevertheless show a worrying trend that warrants further investigation.

This Council therefore resolves to install two Council maintained diffusion tubes on the worst affected junctions North of the river, by the Prince of Wales Pub & the Griffin Pub, in order to facilitate the collection of annual data which is so important to help the Council, on behalf of residents of Caversham & Emmer Green, to build an accurate picture of air quality in the area and to subsequently form a plan to ensure the health of our Community going forward.

 Illegal Traveller Encampment on Land at Portman Road

Councillor Lovelock to move: This Council:

• Shares the concerns of local residents who have been severely inconvenienced by the illegal traveller encampment on land at Portman Road;
• Supports the action taken by Thames Valley Police under Section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to remove the vast majority of the illegal encampment from the land at Portman Road;
• Endorses the Council's action in obtaining a Court Order on 11 June 2018 to remove the remaining four caravans of the illegal encampment from the land at Portman Road;

The Council notes that Thames Valley Police was not able to remove the entire travellers' encampment from the Portman Road site because some of the land was classified as 'Highway' land and as such fell outside the jurisdiction of Section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994;

This Council therefore resolves to authorise the Director of Environment & Neighbourhood Services:

• to carry out all the necessary action to change the designation of the Highway land at Portman Road, which was used as part of the illegal traveller encampment, in order that any future incursions onto or abuses of the land could be dealt with promptly under this officer delegation and the powers available to the Thames Valley Police;
• to investigate and assess the extent to which similar sites, to the one at Portman Road, exist within the borough, which could be exploited for illegal encampments and prepare a comprehensive list of these potential sites, with a view to them being considered for re-designation as non-highway land;
• to submit a report to the Policy Committee or Strategic Environment, Planning & Transport Committee to seek a re-categorisation of the identified sites, where appropriate, subject to any necessary consultation processes and Equality Impact Assessments, with a view to minimising any potential future delays in dealing with unlawful traveller encampments or other abuses of the land at the identified sites.

70th Anniversary of the NHS

Councillor Eden to move:

This Council notes that it is 70 years since the Atlee Government founded our NHS and it remains one of our countries greatest institutions with the principle of care free at the point of need funded by us all a mark of the decency of our society.

This Council believes that it is vital that this public service is properly funded, enabled to collaborate with local government particularly public health and social care.

This Council also believes that mental health services should be properly funded and respected and that this should be a priority.

As previous motions have stated this Council also believes that the NHS should remain a public service and not be privatised either openly or through stealth.

Therefore the Council resolves to:

• wish the NHS a very happy 70th birthday;
• thank the dedicated staff of the NHS for their work and care;
• continue to campaign to protect the founding principle of the NHS;
• to resist privatisation of and cuts to our NHS services.