Rob Wilson set out his ambitious triple investment vision for Reading in a speech to the Reading East Conservative Association on Friday. In his thoughtful address, Rob spoke about why he is involved in politics, his role in fighting for Reading East in Westminster, his desire to see all children and young people have equal educational opportunities, and his aim to deliver a “vision that will benefit local people for decades to come.”
Citing why he came to University in Reading, settled and raises his family in the area which he now represents in the House of Commons, Rob simply said: “Reading is a great place to live.” Emphasising his long-term vision for huge investment in the area, the Reading East MP said: -
“During this Parliament, with the help of a Conservative-led Government, I have a vision for Reading that I believe, because we are in Government, I can deliver for Reading - a vision that will benefit local people for decades to come.”
Specifically, Rob outlined in his speech three major projects to deliver a clear vision for Reading which “builds on out past, but invests in our future” namely
- establishing new schools to raise educational standards across Reading, including a UTC
- gaining western direct rail access to London Heathrow Airport and
- bringing Ultrafast Broadband to Reading
In doing so, Rob spoke of the need for Reading to see off competition “regionally, nationally and internationally” to preserve and reinforce its position as “the pre-eminent economic centre of the Thames Valley”.
Rob said Reading has schools that act as a beacon of educational excellence for the country which he is wants to strengthen, expand and improve with his vision for an increased number of high achievers. In doing so, he has worked with former Education Secretary Lord (Kenneth) Baker to make the Reading UTC a reality. In his speech, he said,
“Our best educational assets in Reading are something to be proud of and we should cherish and protect them. But we still need to do more to ensure our education system is one of the best. This is why I have worked hard to bring people and groups together to deliver a University Technical College for Reading. Backed by former Education Secretary Lord Baker of Dorking, this vision for a dedicated technical school in our area is, I hope, going to become a reality.
Reading needs this school. We need the skills our economy currently lacks in the technical areas of work such as computer science and software engineering.”
Moving his sights to his Heathrow Airport project, Rob outlined how he is working with partners, including the Secretary of State for Transport, to deliver his vision for Reading to entrench its position as a major transport hub for the South East with a direct rail link to the UK’s busiest airport, London Heathrow.
“As a transport hub, we act as a gateway to the South East and to London. In this light, I have turned my attention to securing a direct rail link for Reading to London Heathrow Airport. Such an established connection to the UK’s busiest airport will further strengthen Reading’s attractiveness for big business and we will reap the economic benefits that follow. To deliver this vision, I brought together BAA, London Heathrow Airport, First Great Western, Network Rail and senior officials from the Department for Transport. Amazingly they admitted to me they had never sat in the room and discussed how to get the project moving.
I am pleased to report that the Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening, has indicated she is positive about this vision at a Parliamentary Reception I hosted on the House of Commons Terrace late last year. At present, Reading businesses spend somewhere in the region of £10million per year on taxis getting to and from Heathrow.
The journeys are cumbersome, expensive and tedious. We can’t afford it to be a cumbersome, expensive and tedious getting to and from our major airport. Businesses like Microsoft and Oracle, to name but two, want efficient and cost effective access to Reading and the world.”
Rob also gave an account of his new campaign to get Ultrafast Broadband for Reading. Describing the exciting opportunity potentially coming Reading’s way, Rob said:
“The third leg of my vision is a new and exciting opportunity for Reading that is on its way. And it dovetails neatly with the desire for Reading to become one of the most business friendly centres outside of London. It’s called ultrafast broadband. I am pushing to deliver ultrafast broadband for Reading with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Treasury.
The Government is committed to providing superfast broadband to 95% of the UK and the even faster ultrafast is being rolled out to a few cities of over 150,000 dwellings. I want ultrafast for Reading. Ultrafast delivers at least 80 Megabytes per second – a phenomenal download speed. How can one of the nation’s technology centres not be at the forefront of technology developments?”
Summing up the national picture and his role in championing Reading in the Coalition Government, Rob concluded:
“With a Conservative in Downing Street and Secretaries of State across the Departments, I am using mine and their influence to try to deliver great things for Reading.