A Voluntary group that works in partnership with Reading Borough Council to improve tenant services in Reading have had their work recognised at an awards event in London on 14th February.
TACT (Tenants and Council Together) are the proud winners of the award in Excellence in Tenant Scrutiny, awarded by the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS).
The Reading scrutiny panel reviews tenant issues and recommends improvements. Recent work has focussed on the appearance of estates, antisocial behaviour and the impact of Welfare Reform on tenants, with recommendations including the provision of better cleaning equipment and a review of housing leaflets and other communications to tenants about anti-social behaviour.
If you are a Council tenant and would like to get involved in helping to improve your Housing service, contact the Tenant Participation Team on 0118 937 2730.
February 20, 2014 | editor
Due to weather conditions Smallmead recycling centre is currently closed. Please use the Longshot Lane facility in Bracknell instead.
There are 2 rubbish tips near Wokingham Borough run by re3:
Smallmead, Island Road in Reading
Longshot Lane in Bracknell
To find out more see re3 Household Waste Recycling Centre website.
February 17, 2014 | editor
Reading Borough Council licensing officers and Thames Valley Police carried out the joint exercise over the course two consecutive days in January. Vehicles and drivers were stopped and checked for having the correct driver and vehicle licence and insurance documents, and the mechanical safety of the vehicles.
A total of 36 vehicles were stopped and checked on January 14th and 15th, 26 of which were licensed by Reading Borough Council and ten by other Councils.
One of the 14 vehicles that failed to comply was operating without a license, having had it revoked two months ago. Another vehicle had no insurance, no car tax disc and the driver had a non-compliant registration. The vehicle was subsequently seized.
Other more minor defects and deficiencies included:
• driving without an Entitlement to Drive letter. The driver was prevented from continuing to work until they produced the entitlement to drive letter which had been left at home
• not carrying a fire extinguisher and/or carrying fire extinguisher that had not been checked for functionality
• not displaying an internal ID plate or roof signs
• carrying unauthorised advertising on display within the vehicle
• defective windscreen and tyres; heavily tinted windows; illegal number plate
• using a mobile phone while driving
Some of the defects and deficiencies were rectified immediately and other vehicles will be re-inspected in due course. All non-Reading vehicles and drivers have now been reported to
their respective Local Authority.
January 31, 2014 | editor
Reading Borough Council has selected Kier Property – the development arm of Kier Group – as its preferred bidder to invest and deliver a mixed use regeneration scheme of the area around the Civic Centre in Hosier Street, Reading. It will be Kier Property’s third significant project in Reading, having already completed One Reading Central and the enterprise centre at the University of Reading White Knights campus.
Following the decision to appoint Kier, the Council will now work with the company to draw up detailed plans for a mixed residential and retail development on the site which includes Hosier Street. The Civic Centre will be closed and demolished once staff have moved to Plaza West, Bridge Street next year.
This high profile Civic Area scheme will see the area transformed into a space which will be more inviting and accessible to the public.
The Council is moving to Plaza West because the current Civic Centre is at the end of its design life. This – coupled with the presence of asbestos – makes the Civic Centre much more difficult and increasingly expensive to maintain.
January 31, 2014 | editor
Plans for a programme of activities in Reading to commemorate this year’s centenary of the First World War were given a significant boost this week when it was announced the Ministry of Defence is providing a Armed Forces Community Covenant Grant Fund valued at £10,000 to Reading Museum.
The funding will pay for a poet in residence and the publication of military heritage leaflets. It comes after Reading Museum promised to work with local armed forces to develop wider appreciation of challenges they face in everyday life.
The town centre museum is preparing an exhibition opening in April called ‘Reading at War’. The exhibition – which is part of wider initiatives to mark the centenary – will feature unique artefacts and images and explore the impact war has had on Reading though the ages. Conflicts to be represented include 9th century Viking raids and the English Civil War siege of 1643. The more recent account of the Second World War will focus on the devastating air raid on Reading town centre in 1943 that killed 41 people.
January 30, 2014 | editor
