WITH the Parliamentary term coming to an end on Tuesday I am looking forward to getting back to Reading and being able to focus on local issues.

It was an honour to have the Queen visit Reading Station last week — she caused quite a stir. But she came to see some of the transformational change being delivered to the town’s transport. The Government is delivering huge new investment that will secure Reading’s long-term future.

The one local concern that is still filling my postbag and my inbox is the question of where we should put the Heights School in Caversham.

Last time I wrote about this I told you that I had secured a meeting with the Education Funding Agency and they were open to the idea of moving the current proposed site in Upper Warren Avenue if the community could unite around an alternative proposal.

While this has not yet happened, I hold out hope that the community will find a consensus over where the school should go. It is important to remember that no site for a school is going to be perfect, but I have now set up a committee vehicle to take forward discussions with both the local community and education officials.

Some people have asked me to rule out one site or another but to do so would be counterproductive. Having worked to find a sensible process that includes representation from all community groups plus the local education authority, parents and Heights trustees, I have brought together all parts of the community to engage in finding a deliverable solution to a very difficult issue.

For me, to rule out one site or another outright at this stage would return us to a situation where everyone wants a particular site ruled out, so engagement and dialogue are, in effect, ended.

Although the planning process is outside my control, over the parliamentary recess I hope to be able to help further address the concerns that local people have.

I was delighted to see that the agency secured a site for the new Maiden Erlegh School in east Reading. Like transport, education in east Reading is undergoing a period of huge transformational change. New high-performing schools will bring some much needed diversity to the local educational landscape.

With the UTC already built and open, Reading College and Bulmershe getting “good” Ofsted ratings and the proposed free schools opening locally, I am excited to see how well Reading will perform in the future. These schools will produce the highly trained workforce that local businesses need.

The future of Reading is bright and young people will at last have the chance to thrive, no matter what career path they want to pursue.