Emergency? What emergency?

I don’t think the Conservatives in our Borough or nationally understand the meaning of the word “emergency”.

I’m referring to the climate “emergency” declared by our Borough and the PM.

If a broken pipe floods your home, that “emergency” requires you turn off the water ... even if you’d rather have working taps. If an abusive partner threatens your safety, that “emergency” requires you leave your home... even if you’d rather hide under your duvet.

And if your spending is about to cause the repossession of your home, that “emergency” requires you cut spending... even if you need new clothes.

But apparently that logic doesn’t apply to the Tories, who frequently undermine “emergency” climate change actions in the name of the status quo, comfort or spending priorities.

Although the Borough has declared a “climate emergency”, Conservative leader John Halsall worries about the cost and starts to back away from those commitments. Ooopsie, maybe next time!

Nationally, the PM opens COP26 declaring it is “one minute to midnight” of climate catastrophe, but authorizes new coal mines and only funds 10% of the boiler changes required in his own hastily released plan. Sorry, maybe later!

Time and again, Tories that have held power nationally and locally for a decade, overpromise, under-fund, under-plan and fail to deliver on climate action. The pattern could not be clearer, as does the scale of the climate crisis.

Climate action requires hard choices.

The public seems willing to make them, but for some reason, Conservatives simply won’t make the choices on the scale needed. Therefore, a new approach is needed.

I strongly support Cllr Rachel Burgess’s suggestion in last week’s paper for a Citizens Assembly. If you’re not familiar, these are representative, timebound bodies created exclusively to solve thorny problems, later ratified by the public.

What makes CA’s unique is that they are fact based and consultative, while produced without corporate lobbyists or re-election pressures.

In Ireland, a Citizen’s Assembly tackled the very thorny abortion question and crafted a solution with 66% public referendum support.

Let’s convene a Citizen’s Assembly on Wokingham Borough’s climate emergency to craft a plan, without the posturing and bluster and with a scope covering the budget and comfort compromises necessary.

Then let’s put that to the public. I believe it will have far more support than a plan any single party would create – and certainly will achieve better results that we’ve seen so far.

It’s time to be adults, face the climate challenge and deliver a plan that meets the scale of the “emergency” that confronts us all. Because a defining feature of all “emergencies” is that they cannot wait without becoming dramatically worse.

Tom Ross, via email

An unfair budget that benefits bankers.

The Conservatives have chosen bankers over school children.

Last week’s budget gave bankers a massive tax reduction of £3.8bn and an increase of only £1.8bn for catchup funding to help pupils get back on track after Covid.

I am sure the vast majority of Wokingham residents will be asking how can this be justified when banks continue to make huge profits running into billions of pounds a year.

Time and time again the Conservatives have shown they will look after their mates. Afterall Rushi Sunak the Chancellor was once upon a time a banker.

Bankers are handed £3.8bn when analysis from the Resolution Foundation finds that the average household will see their tax bills rise by £3000 a year by 2027.

This was a banker’s budget when it should have been a children’s budget. The woefully tiny amount given for school catch-up funding was an insult to parents.

Additionally, there was very little mention of measures to ease the Climate emergency.

No doubt Wokingham Conservative MP’s will be supporting this banker’s budget.

Cllr Clive Jones, Leader of the Lib Dem group on Wokingham

Borough council

Defib at last

HOW nice to read in last week’s paper page 4 that a defibrillator has been installed outside the Winnersh Community Centre in Sindlesham.

Obviously the councillors must have had a change of heart or they have been replaced by others, as 3 or 4 years ago the then Wokingham Community First Responders along with Sindlesham Masons offered to install one only to be told the councillors didn’t think the location was suitable!

David Pickard, Wokingham

Cut on domestic air passenger duty sets dangerous precedent

The announcement of a 50% cut to Air Passenger Duty on domestic flights is worrying.

Not because we are against flying per se, but because if more people choose to take domestic flights resulting from this cut, as the Treasury predict, then this sets a dangerous precedent that making short flights is simply fine and has no consequences.

Widespread rollout of Sustainable Aviation Fuels or electric flights is some way off – the industry has managed to source less than 1% of jet fuel using sustainable fuels, despite promising in 2010 that this figure would be at least 10% by 2020.

Current global targets for approximately 50% alternative jet fuel use in 2050 would require three new bio-jet fuel refineries to be built every month for the next 30 years. Today there are just two facilities – the market is not delivering at the pace required.

Therefore, radical climate decisions need to be taken now, not relying on technologies that are either still in their infancy or don’t yet exist.

The big option left for the Government is to cancel and rule out expansion at Heathrow and focus on driving rail fares down. Although the Heathrow expansion debate has rumbled on for far too long, the environmental arguments are now more convincing and urgent than ever before. What better way to demonstrate environmental and climate leadership to the world, as COP26 begins?

Geraldine Nicholson, Stop

Heathrow Expansion

Common problems

I read your report – ‘Vulnerable people suffered when broken lift was left for months’ – Wokingham Today, October 28.

This problem is common. I am currently working on behalf of a service user whose lift in her block, is always breaking down.

Since she suffers both, from mental, and from physical, disabilities, she is terrified that, in the event of a fire, she would not be able to escape.

I can’t understand why modern buildings are not fitted with a traditional fire escape that runs down an external wall.

I have asked this lady’s Housing Association to transfer her to a bungalow, or to a ground floor flat.

On the very day that I submitted my report to them the news was that, in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy, legislation is being presented to Parliament, to protect vulnerable, disabled people who are living in tower blocks.

Oh, for the days of yesteryear, when suitable housing was easy to come by. I recall that 30 years ago, one of the first guests to stay in the Wokingham Crisis House moved from us straight into a beautiful flat in Rose Street, complete with Tudor beam.

“However did you get her a flat in Rose Street?” I was asked. “Without difficulty,” was my reply.

I recently received a copy of Wokingham Borough Council’s Housing Strategy, for my comments.

I had to smile at one of the questions. ‘Did I want them to make the best use of the resources that they have?’ Indeed, I do.

The alternative would be for them NOT to make the best use of the resources that they have.

I am certainly not expecting them to wave a magic wand, and have hundreds of Council houses tumble down from heaven, and

into Wokingham. Furthermore, Councils will be criticised, whatever they do.

If they place all the social housing together in one area they will be accused of creating a ghetto of social disadvantage, but if they scatter social housing throughout private estates, people who have paid a lot of money for their houses will complain that it isn’t fair that other people can have equally good houses, paid for by tax payers through Housing Benefit.

I think that some of our best local housing is that designed for the elderly.

Yet another of our service users has recently moved into a local Independent living scheme.

She is very happy, because they have such a good programme of social activities, which relieve isolation and loneliness.

I wish that we had, similar services, for the mentally ill.

So what is the solution to current housing, and homelessness, problems? It is, I believe, in the learning of self-sufficiency, through education. But all those dedicated volunteers who strive, manfully, now, to relieve poverty, with Food Banks, and other services, will say to me, ‘That is the LONG-TERM solution.’

Pam Jenkinson , The Wokingham Crisis House

Winter resporatory issues

This winter doctors predict that more babies and toddlers than ever will catch RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and the latest information from the UK’s public health protection agency, UKHSA, shows that cases of RSV in the South East are on the rise.

RSV is a common, highly infectious virus that usually circulates at this time of year and causes coughs and colds. It’s the main cause of breathing difficulties in younger children and while most will only experience mild symptoms, it can lead to more serious respiratory problems in very young children with health conditions or complex medical needs. Now we are mixing more, very young children are at particular risk of getting

RSV because they won’t have been exposed to this virus yet, or had the chance to build up a natural immunity to it.

As a charity supporting families with disabled children Contact wants to make sure that all families in the area recognise the signs and symptoms of RSV, how to reduce the risk of their child getting respiratory infections in the first place and to take action early by seeking advice and help from your pharmacy or GP if your child develops breathing problems as a result of the virus.

You can find out more about RSV and other winter viruses on our website www.contact.org.uk or if you have a question you can call our helpline on 0808 808 3555.

Being aware of RSV alongside getting the flu vaccination and the Covid-19 booster jab are some of the key ways to protect yours and the health of your children with disabilities and health conditions so everyone keeps well this winter.

Amanda Batten, CEO of Contact, the charity for families with disabled children