Matt Rodda MP

I am pleased Reading Borough Council is building more council houses and I raised this during a debate on council funding.

It is a fundamental point of fairness that funding should be based on need, which is why I fully support the Government’s approach to the Local Government Finance Settlement.

Thanks to everyone who braved the damp and cold to make the day such a success, including Labour councillors, members and supporters from across Reading West and Reading Central constituencies and the surrounding area.

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There was lots of interest in the Government's work to tackle the cost of living crisis and the work Ministers and Reading Borough Council are doing to deal with anti-social behaviour.

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Great to have the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in Reading yesterday with Liv Bailey, MP for Reading West, Liz Terry, Leader of Reading Borough Council, Lead Councillors and our whole team.

We had a very positive response on the doorstep, despite the damp weather. 🧵1/3

It was wonderful to attend the Reading Hong Kongers' Chinese New Year celebration, which was an amazing, colourful, celebration of the Lunar New Year.

Good to attend with the Mayor of Reading, Alice Mpofu-Coles, and Yuan Yang, MP for Earley and Woodley.

It was important to meet board members from the Canal and Rivers Trust.

I am working with the trust on improving access to local waterways and protecting the environment.

The International School Award by the British Council demonstrates the school's commitment to embedding international awareness and understanding within their class and across the whole school and wider community.

The school was awarded the top level accreditation which is for 3 years.

I would like to congratulate the staff and students at King’s Academy Prospect, it's great to see the school's outstanding work being recognised by the British Council.

I welcomed the range of measures the Labour Government is taking to support families with the cost of living, including lifting the 2 child cap on UC, the warm homes plan, the first rail fare freeze in 30 years, and many other measures.

My weekly update:
🏡 Opening new council houses in Coley
🏠 Warm Homes Plan
🪖 Armed Forces Bill
✉️ Protecting our Post Offices

This week I attended the opening of 46 new affordable, zero‑carbon homes at Wensley Road in Coley Park.

I spoke to Matt Yeo, Lead Councillor for Housing, about the fantastic work that the council is doing to deliver high quality social housing projects like this one across the town.

I am proud of the important work being carried out by Reading Borough Council to roll out more housing like this across Reading, and of the Government's investment in the Warm Homes Plan, which should take up to a million people out of fuel poverty by 2030. 🧵3/3

We were able to speak to Pam, a public service worker who lives in one of the flats about the benefits of living in this high quality, eco housing. Pam and her neighbours enjoy warm homes and very low energy bills due to the insulation, solar panels and heat pumps used in this development.
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I was pleased to welcome the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, to Reading today to visit the homes built by the council on the former Arthur Hill Pool site. 🧵1/3

Ed, who is the Energy Secretary, described the homes as a good example of what councils can do to provide good quality, warm and affordable social housing.

He recently announced the Government's Warm Homes Plan, which should take up to a million people out of fuel poverty by 2030. 🧵2/2

I was delighted to welcome Ed Miliband to Reading, to visit key worker housing at the former Arther Hill Pool site.

The high quality eco homes built by the council for public service workers have very low energy bills and affordable rents, helping people get homes of their own. 🧵1/2

The Royal British Legion, Reading Borough Council, and local organisations like The Forgotten British Gurkha Charity are playing a vital role supporting forces veterans.

I paid tribute to them and asked for best practice from Reading to be shared across the country.

Labour is capping ground rents at £250 a year.

This will mean big savings for over 5 million leaseholders.

Labour is taking action where others failed.

Reading Museum Secures Heritage Fund Grant to Reimagine Roman Britain for the 21st Century | Reading Borough Council News Reading Museum has been awarded £714,785 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to deliver the Roman Britain – Reimagined in Reading project.

media.reading.gov.uk/news/reading...

I am proud that the Labour Government is supporting our veterans.

I welcomed the Government rejoining the Erasmus Scheme to offer new opportunities to young people and to support economic growth.

I welcomed the publication of the Warm Homes Plan, which will be a huge benefit to residents across Reading, and demonstrates the level of ambition this Labour Government has for improving the housing stock in the UK.

We must never forget the lessons of The Holocaust, which is why it was a solemn privilege to sign The Book of Commitment.

I want to thank The Holocaust Educational Trust for their vital work and I would like to offer my wholehearted support.

Learn more here: www.het.org.uk/26-book-of-c...

Alliances endure because they are built on respect and partnership not pressure.

That is why the use of tariffs against allies is completely wrong. 🧵3/3

Denmark is a close ally of the United Kingdom and the United States, it is a proud member of NATO and it has stood shoulder to shoulder with us, including at real human cost in recent decades. 🧵2/3

It was important to listen to the Danish Government's concerns about Greenland, when I visited Denmark as part of a delegation of MPs.

The future of Greenland is a matter for the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark. 🧵1/3

Last week I visited the Royal Berkshire Hospital with Ashley Dalton, the Minister for Public Health.

Across England, the NHS saw the waiting list fall by more than 86,000 in November to 7.31 million, that’s the second biggest drop in 15 years.

My weekly update:
🏥 Welcoming the Minister for Public Health to the RBH
🎭 Campaigning for Reading Gaol to become an arts & heritage hub
📢 Raising local issues in Parliament

I was delighted to welcome Ashley Dalton, the Minister for Public Health at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Since July 2024, NHS waiting lists have fallen by 312,000, and November saw the second biggest monthly drop in NHS waiting lists in 15 years. That’s the difference a Labour Government makes.