The week in Westminster with Rob Wilson, MP for Reading East

Rob Wilson MP • Published 4 Nov 2010 12:30 0 Comments

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THE LOCAL government reorganisation of the late 1990s left Berkshire with too many local authorities. This meant a great deal of built-in inefficiency, because there is a lot of duplication, and economies of scale are hard to obtain for taxpayers. It is creditable that local authorities have tried to come together in a number of areas to improve matters, but much more can be achieved.

I know Reading Council, when run by Labour, wanted to extend its boundary to include Woodley. Then as now, I’m not sure land grabbing is the way to achieve savings, because in current economic circumstances another local government reorganisation would probably be neither helpful nor possible.

But there are things we can do. For example, why do we need six chief executives? There are a plethora of local authority staff earning well over £100,000 across Berkshire. Do we really need them all when council budgets are so hard pressed? Do we need six directors of children’s services, six for transport, housing, leisure and so on? It doesn’t make sense.

Across Berkshire I see both excellent and poor performance by senior council officers - so perhaps this is a good opportunity for local government to think about the delivery of its services.

The private sector has been doing this over the past two years. While looking to the private sector is not always the solution, in this case it has set an example worth pursuing. Many private sector companies have rationalised their staffing arrangements so that senior management have taken on wider, often enhanced, roles for no additional pay.

I was delighted to welcome the headteachers of Reading’s two grammar schools to Westminster for the All Party Grammar Schools reception. Both no doubt will have been pleased to hear Education Secretary Michael Gove announce that grammar schools will be allowed to expand in future if they wish to, reversing a long-standing unfairness. I know Reading School will want to take advantage of this, because it has also recently taken Academy status.

I have mentioned here (and to the headteachers) that I get many letters and emails from parents annoyed that local grammar schools educate too few Reading borough children.

Hopefully expanding numbers will help correct this, but I think Kendrick in particular should re-examine a geographical catchment policy which goes beyond Berkshire!

Some distances children travel to get to Kendrick are, I believe, unfair on them.

Of course it is some parents’ choice in getting their child into an excellent school, so it’s not a simple or straightforward argument.

But I believe my constituents are right when they tell me the school itself does not have to go along with the wishes of parents living some distance from Reading. I hope Kendrick will think carefully about this issue.

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