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10/11/09 : Jo Lovelock says: "We've delivered the Borough Council's targets" :
Six months before the next Borough elections (expected to be on 6 May 2010), Labour Leader of Reading Borough Council Jo Lovelock has invited supporters and opponents alike to judge Labour’s minority administration in Reading against the 14 targets laid down in a Council resolution in June 2008 intended to set the framework for the new hung Council - and on Labour’s record in helping the town through the economic downturn.
“The Labour Cabinet,” she adds, “has gone through that resolution and we are proud of the progress we have made, especially as the dramatic downturn in the global economy was unexpected back in June 2008. Of course there are some things which have had to be slowed down to reflect the current economic situation - the relocation of the Civic Offices and plans to replace the Hexagon and central library.
“But just taking the things that can easily be measured,” she says, “the statistics show that the Council has increased recycling, reduced crime, improved the educational performance of children in reception classes, improved performance at GCSE and A level, completed more new homes, helped far more elderly and other vulnerable people than our neighbours, secured one of the largest pots of government transport funding in the country for redeveloping Reading station, taken another major step in the regeneration of our town centre, successfully defended our precious open spaces such as Kennet Meadows, and continued to give full support to voluntary groups. And there’s much more - and more to come.
“I am proud of what we have delivered, particularly in these difficult times, and grateful to our staff and our partners for the work they have put in” she says. “This is a far better record than that of our Tory neighbours, and a stark counterpoint to the Reading Tories’ call for ‘cuts across the board’, which would put all of these achievements at risk. We will be fighting hard to make sure there continues to be a Labour administration in Reading after next May, building on this record, and everybody who has the town’s interests at heart should support us in that fight.”
Read Reading's Labour Council's record here.
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