Reading

Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after a man was assaulted on a bus in Reading.

The incident happened at around 2.20am on Saturday (14/4) on a number 17 bus that was travelling from the town centre along Oxford Road towards Tilehurst.

The Reading victim, a 21-year-old man, was sat upstairs on the bus with his girlfriend when a group of about six or seven teenage boys started to make inappropriate comments about her.

He asked them to move on and words were exchanged before he was attacked by the group. They dragged him to the back of the bus and punched him numerous times in the head and face. He managed to get to his feet and got off the bus with his girlfriend close to Brock Barracks. The offenders stayed on the bus.

PC Lucy Green, who is investigating the incident, said: “The victim went to the Royal Berkshire Hospital to get chucked over but luckily suffered only swelling and bruising to his face and head. He was discharged the same morning.

“He cannot give detailed descriptions of the offenders but there may have been other people on the bus who could help us identify them.”

All of the Reading offenders are white, apart from one black man, and they are all in their late teens. One had brown or blond hair swept across his face and the other had spiky hair.

Anyone with any information about this incident should contact PC Green via the Force enquiry centre on 101.

If you don’t want to speak directly to the police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

Thames Valley Police ~ Reading

Plans to breathe new life into Reading’s historic heart by creating an Abbey Quarter for the town reach the next stage at the end of the month, when Reading Borough Council expects to hear if it has been successful in its initial bid to receive a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

In November of last year, the Reading Council submitted a funding application to the HLF under their major grant scheme. If successful, HLF will award the Council a development grant of £285,500, this money would enable the Council to prepare for a Stage 2 bid to take its Abbey Quarter Project forward.

A new Reading Abbey Quarter would pull together a number of important historic sites, buildings and structures. It would include conservation and stabilisation work to the Abbey Ruins, Abbey Gateway and other historic elements including St Laurence’s Churchyard and wall, the 1943 air raid memorial, Reading war memorial, and Queen Victoria’s statue.

The Council expects to hear by the end of April if it has been successful with its Stage 1 application. A report will also go to a meeting of Reading Borough Council’s Cabinet on Monday April 16 which outlines the way forward should Reading be successful in that bid.

A delegation from the HLF visited Reading on the 30th January where they met Deputy Leader of Reading Borough Council, Tony Page, and the Lead Councillor for Culture and Sport, Marian Livingston. The group also toured the site with Council officers, after which the delegation met with the project Board members and partners including representatives of the Youth Cabinet, Friends of Reading Abbey, Friends of Reading Museum, local businesses and Reading UK CIC.

Cllr Marian Livingston, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Member for Culture and Sport, said: “We believe we have a really strong bid in place here at Reading which will help us transform this much-loved and historic area of our town. We are rightly proud of our heritage here in Reading and the Council, through this bid, wants to create something unique for residents and visitors to enjoy. We hope the news at the end of this month will allow us to develop the project and eventually allow us to bring the wider Abbey Quarter project to fruition.”

As well as the development grant from the HLF, if successful, Reading Borough Council will contribute £31,747 to the preparation process.

The Project focuses on the multi-layered urban heritage of Reading’s Abbey Quarter, the traditional civic and ceremonial heart of the county town of Royal Berkshire since the 12th century. The Quarter is defined by the medieval streets and rivers that outline the precinct of Reading Abbey. This area contains the substantial standing remains and buried archaeology of Reading Abbey, telling its story from the foundation by Henry I in 1121 to its dissolution by Henry VIII in 1539.

The Reading Quarter shows evidence of all periods since the Abbey’s dissolution: a royal residence, civil war defences, Jane Austen’s school, the impressive municipal buildings, Victorian public gardens and Oscar Wilde’s infamous Reading Gaol. There are buildings by famous architects including Sir John Soane, A.W.N. Pugin, Alfred Waterhouse and Sir George Gilbert Scott. Significant public sculpture within the Quarter includes Simond’s Maiwand Lion and statue of Queen Victoria, and contemporary artworks such as the Oscar Wilde Memorial Walk.

Reading Museum is also located within the Quarter and has important collections relating to the heritage of Reading and the Quarter, particularly Reading Abbey and later Victorian industrial heritage.

The current Abbey precinct area has piecemeal protection under several local and national designations and policies. Key parts of the site are a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and as such are protected under the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979; the site is also Grade I listed.

Reading Borough Council

Last Thursday (29/3), six residents of the YMCA and Thames Valley Police took part in a litter picking event in Reading.

Litter has previously been identified as a problem by the Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) for the local Reading neighbourhood policing team to tackle as a priority. The event was set up as a partnership between Thames Valley Police, YMCA, the Reading Borough Council Streetcare Team and the NAG.

The streets which were targeted during the event were Parkside Road, Parkside Lane, Hollins Walk, Wingrove Road and Bexley Court.

PC Richard Carter, from the Reading Oxford Road and Coley neighbourhood team, said: “The aim of the pilot scheme is to allow residents at the YMCA to engage positively with the community as well as helping to address a neighbourhood priority.”

Stephen Ritchie, Housing Manager from Reading YMCA, said: “It is a great opportunity for young people to express their community spirit and be seen in a positive light.

“We would like to extend the project in agreement with the Streetcare team. The YMCA residents have volunteered to litter pick the roads around the YMCA once a month.”

Thames Valley Police ~ Reading

New measures to charge Reading supermarkets and conveniece stores for abandoned shopping trolleys that are found dumped around the town look set to be adopted later this month.

After a borough-wide consultation process where no significant objections were made, Reading Borough Council officers will recommend to a Cabinet meeting on April 16th to accept measures that will see charges for removal, storage, or the disposal or return of shopping or luggage trolleys left abandoned.

As part of the process, the Council will consult with Reading businesses and organisations affected by the changes at least every five years in order to monitor the impacts of the measure. An early review of the charges may also be necessary if there is any significant change in circumstances.

Proposed Reading charges would be as follows:

• Removal: £15 per trolley
• Storage: £7.50 per week or part week
• Return the trolley to the business: £15 per trolley
• Disposal: £50 per trolley

If agreed by Cabinet on April 16, the new Reading charges are likely to come into force from July 17.

Reading Borough Council’s Lead Member for Environment and Climate Change, Cllr Paul Gittings, said: “Residents in Reading are fiercely proud of their local areas and unattractive abandoned trolleys undermine this. We want to make Reading a greener and cleaner place to be and it is only fair that businesses who do not put in place the appropriate measures to collect their trolleys pay for their retrieval.”

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 allows local councils to remove abandoned shopping trolleys from their land and recover subsequent costs. After removal a notice must then be served on the owner of the trolley within 14 days. If the owner claims the trolley it must be returned but only after the Council’s charges have been paid. If the trolley is not claimed by the business, the Council may dispose of the trolley after a period of six weeks and may charge the owner for the subsequent costs of disposal.

Reading Borough Council

A Reading man has been sentenced to over three years imprisonment after pleading guilty to four offences, and asking for another three to be taken into consideration.

Mark Derriman, aged 33, from Gas Cottages, Kennet Side, Reading, appeared at Reading Crown Court yesterday (3/4) and pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary dwelling and one count of theft of a motor vehicle.

He also asked for three other offences to be taken into consideration; a burglary dwelling, a burglary non-dwelling, and handling stolen goods.

Derriman was sentenced to three years and four months imprisonment.

The offences which he pleaded guilty to are:

•A burglary in St Bartholomews Road, Reading, on 4 March, where he stole electrical items and jewellery

•A burglary in Fairview Avenue, Earley, Reading, on 27 February, where he stole electrical items and jewellery

•A burglary in Reading Road, Woodley, Reading, on 23 February, where he stole electrical items and jewellery

•The theft of motor vehicle from the same address in Reading Road, Woodley, Reading, on 24 February, where a Vauxhall Astra was stolen.

The matters Derriman asked to be taken into consideration are:

•A burglary in Reading Road, Woodley, Reading, on 9 February, where electrical items and jewellery were stolen

•A burglary non-dwelling at Stratstone Volvo garage, London Road, Woodley, Reading, on 16 February, where entry was gained but nothing stolen

•Handling stolen laptops belonging to British Gas between 5 December 2011 and 5 March 2012.

PC Chris Susel, investigating officer, said: “I am pleased with the sentence given to Derriman, who committed a string of offences over a very short period of time.

“Burglary is an odious crime which can have a lasting effect on the victims and I hope Derriman will have time to reflect on the distress he has caused while he is behind bars.”

Thames Valley Police ~ Reading

Reading Borough Council has urged residents who claim for benefits to notify Council officials as soon as their personal circumstances change, after a local woman was convicted of fraud.

Yvonnne Jewell, formerly of Vanburgh Court, Reading, was sentenced to a 3 month curfew order on Wednesday 28th March, after she entered two guilty pleas under Section 111 of the Social Security Act 1992.

In 1998, Ms Jewell made an application for housing and council tax benefits where she indicated that she was living with her partner, Clive Butler. After the Council made a request for more information to support Ms Jewell’s application, she contacted the Council to say that she had made a mistake and Mr Butler was not moving in and as a result this claim was rejected.

The Department of Work and Pensions received applications for Income Support from Ms Jewell in 2006, where she claimed that Mr Butler had left her and now no longer has any income because of illness. This resulted in Ms Jewell’s application being granted. Later that same year, Reading Borough Council received a claim for housing and council tax benefit from Ms Jewell. On both applications, Ms Jewell signed a declaration to say that she understood her obligation to report any change in her circumstances to both the DWP and the Council.

Reading Borough Council’s Fraud Team started to investigate Ms Jewell after they received complaints claiming that she still lived with Mr Butler. Council investigators uncovered evidence from the NHS, PayPal, a local sports club, Mr Butler’s employer and Ms Jewell’s landlord – all indicating that they were very much still a couple.

Due to her failure to report these changes and following a full fraud investigation Mrs Jewell was summoned to appear before Reading Magistrates on the 28th March. As well as being ordered to serve a 3 month curfew, Mrs Jewell was also ordered to pay £50 towards court costs. All funds wrongfully obtained through claims will be recovered directly from Mrs Jewell.

Reading Borough Council

Thames Valley Police is appealing for the public’s help to trace the owners of property recovered by police in Reading.

Various hand tools were recovered from a vehicle with false number plates at 8.05pm on 13 March in Newstead Rise, Whitley, Reading.

Det Con Jon Nicholls, of Local CID at Reading, said: “I would like to hear from anyone who suspects that this property may belong to them and I would urge them to get in touch as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information should contact PC Nicholls via the 24-hour Thames Valley Police Enquiry Line on 101.

Thames Valley Police ~ Reading

A Reading Primary School is not resting on its laurels after it received a positive report from OFSTED.

Reading Saint Martin’s Catholic Primary School received an overall “good” grade in their most recent OFSTED inspection which was carried out with two days notice.

The report praises the school staff for their outstanding leadership: “The key to the school’s success and its significant improvement is the particularly strong leadership of the headteacher and senior leaders, that is improving teaching and ensuring pupils are provided with a rich, vibrant and stimulating curriculum.”

The Inspectors also stated that all groups of pupils at the Reading school, including disabled pupils and children with special needs, make good progress.

The report also goes on to commend the high attendance levels and the feeling of safety students feel at the school: “Pupils’ high level of attendance is testament to their great enjoyment for learning. This enthusiasm makes a significant contribution to their progress and high attainment. They feel very safe and behave exceptionally well, both in lessons and at break times.”

Teaching standards were also highlighted in the Inspector’s report: “There is some outstanding practice. Pupils’ work is marked well with clear steps identified for improvement. Activities are challenging.”

Improving the already good quality of teaching was the one suggestion the OFSTED inspectors made to how the Reading school could improve even further in the future.

Reading Borough Council’s Lead Member for Education and Children’s Services, Cllr John Ennis, said: “Saint Martin’s has always been a consistently good school and I’m pleased for Madeleine Cosgrove and her outstanding team for receiving such a positive OFSTED inspection.

“We are determined to carry on working with the school to ensure standards remain high and teaching standards continue to improve.”

Head of Saint Martin’s Catholic Primary School, Madeleine Cosgrove, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that the good work of the staff and the whole school community in raising standards and enriching the children’s experience has been recognised.

“Although our last report was also “Good”, the new OFSTED framework (in place since January 2012) is much more demanding!”

Reading Borough Council

Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after burglars broke into a house in Reading this morning (29/3).

Between 1.30am and 7.30am, offenders gained entry through the front door of a Reading property in Lowfield Road, Caversham.

Once inside they stole two laptop computers and other computer equipment; various mobile phones; £500; US Dollars worth £1,500; bank and credit cards and personal papers including the victim’s UK passport and American Visa documents.

Reading Police are appealing for anybody who has information about this incident to come forward. The victim is particularly keen to recover their passport and Visa.

Anyone with information should call the Thames Valley Police 24-hour non-emergency single number 101 and ask to speak to Det Con Helen Purnell.

If you don’t want to speak directly to the police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

Thames Valley Police ~ Reading

An Ofsted inspection has found that Safeguarding and Looked After Children services in Reading are performing adequately.

The Reading report – published today on the Ofsted website – says: “The overall effectiveness of safeguarding services is adequate. Children and young people at immediate risk of significant harm are identified and responded to in a timely way to ensure they are protected, and partner agencies collaborate well operationally to safeguard children and young people.”

It goes on to say: “Strong political leadership and a commitment to safeguarding are ensuring high prioritisation of children’s safety and protection within the council’s strategic priorities.”

Inspectors also took time to praise the prioritisation of Reading children’s safety and protection within a tight Council budget. The report states: “Staffing capacity has been increased in key areas and political support has been unwavering in protecting children’s services, despite wider economic pressures.”

The Ofsted team visited Reading Borough Council’s Safeguarding and Looked After Children’s service between February 6 and 17 this year.

The inspection included discussions with 30 Reading children and young people receiving services and a review of 60 case files for children, as well as discussions with front line Council officers, elected members and the health professionals from NHS Berkshire, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust who help deliver the service. At the time of the inspection there were 243 looked after children, 180 of which were subject to child protection plans.

Attracting and retaining Safeguarding staff is a nationwide issue for every local authority. Ofsted Inspectors noted Reading Borough Council had ‘invested to maintain a stable workforce’ and added “training and professional development needs of newly qualified social workers are recognised…”

Inspectors also deemed capacity for improvement in Safeguarding to be adequate. The report adds: “Staff across the partnership report they enjoy working in the borough and demonstrate commitment to the values of the partnership and its priorities and direction.”

The Reading Council has already taken action, including extending Children’s Social Care’s existing audit processes to routinely monitor consistency and quality, and introducing a quarterly independent file review. The Council, NHS Berkshire and other partners will also be establishing robust, agreed quality standards for Safeguarding practice across the partnership.

The second area of the inspection was in Looked After Children. Despite the significant challenge of a 7% increase over the last 18 months in the number of looked after children and young people in Reading – as against 2% nationally – the service was again deemed to be adequate, as was it’s capacity for improvement.

The Reading report states: “Outcomes in respect of enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and economic well-being are good.” It adds: “The council and its members demonstrate good ambition for looked after children and young people and have prioritised resources and specific areas of practice improvement.”

The need for the Council to improve the provision of in-house foster carers was noted by inspectors who also said: “There is also evidence that the Council’s use of resources is increasingly effective in maintaining cost-control and is providing value for money.”

Health was highlighted by inspectors as the main area for improvement for Looked After Children. This was deemed inadequate by inspectors. A number of recommendations were made to NHS Berkshire and Berkshire Healthcare Foundation NHS to improve this area. These include ensuring that all care leavers are enabled to access health services and that all looked after children and young people receive age-appropriate health education information.

John Ennis, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Education and Children’s Services, said: “This is an encouraging report in what is the most important of all areas of the Council’s work. It is clear however that there is still a considerable amount of work to be done to help drive through further improvements. We will now continue to work closely with our partners to make sure the improvements that are needed are delivered.”

Reading Borough Council