Residents in Reading pay a huge amount in Council Tax to our Council, which residents expect that the Labour-run Council would use wisely.
One of the areas for which the Council has a big budget is culture and sport. One of the biggest budgets within that is the Hexagon, a cultural hub for our Town. Given its status, the Hexagon should be a beacon, highlighting all that is good in culture and the arts and should promote itself to the public of Reading. But as the photo demonstrates (taken right outside the Hexagon), this Labour run Council shows that when it comes to doing the basics that a good Council should do, it is just not up to it.
Conservative Shadow Culture and Sport Spokesman, Cllr Andrew Cumpsty, who when Leader of the Council signed the deal with LOCOG bringing the Olympic flame to Reading, said, "It truly saddens me to see under Labour's leadership of the Council that they just don't care about detail. This poster is yet another example which shows that they don't have any Civic Pride in our Town. The Hexagon is their responsibility and they should be promoting it, maximising sales and showing it off effectively to visitors and residents."
"This is just one of many ways in which I have noticed Labour letting our Town go to seed. Weeds are now growing all across Reading, especially on the sides of roads. Grass is not getting cut in Civic spaces and in my own Ward of Caversham, when a local group offered to plant flower beds that the Council was not bothering to plant, they were contacted by the Labour-run Council telling them not to!"
When the Conservative led Coalition ran the Council, we campaigned hard to ensure we won the funding for the station improvements. We delivered, meaning an improved station and many jobs in construction. We worked hard to deliver the new Tesco distribution centre for Reading. We delivered on that, meaning nearly a thousand new jobs will be created at the centre this summer and we supported our voluntary sector by increasing funding, at a time when other Councils were cutting funding.
Conservatives understand the need for pride in our Town. The sad fact is, as demonstrated by this poster, Labour never has and never will.