Young Voices, as part of Reading Citizens Alliance, have won commitments from party representatives on Housing, Homelessness and Open spaces
The Reading Citizens Alliance have won commitments from four main parties on their Housing, Homelessness and Open Spaces asks at their Accountability Assembly held in the town.
On Tuesday 28th April, members of the Reading Citizens Alliance, the local group of members from the Thames Valley Chapter of Citizens UK, the UK’s biggest, most diverse, and most effective people-powered alliance, hosted an Accountability Assembly where representatives of all main parties where invited.
Reading Citizens leaders presented their asks on Housing, Homelessness and Open Spaces and sought commitments from the representatives present.
At the event, local representatives from the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party, and the Conservative Party heard testimony from members of the Alliance who shared personal experiences and the collective voice from the community following extensive listening activity over recent months.
Members of the Reading Alliance include Reading University and the Deanery (who Chair the group), Reading University’s Students Union, Rank and File Theatre (Artistic Director Jude Haste from Rank and File Theatre who compared the event), Reading Methodist Church, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxford Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), No5 Young People and their youth social action group, Young Voices.
The asks were:
- For party representatives and council leaders here in Reading to act urgently on homelessness by ensuring Minster Quarter delivers the promised 30% affordable housing, with 70% of that at social housing levels, and by refreshing, renewing and reinvigorating its Empty Homes Strategy so more long-term empty homes are brought back into use.
- We ask council leaders to agree to an Open Spaces Charter between themselves, and the communities represented by the Reading Citizens Alliance.
A charter is a partnership agreement which sets shared standards, expectations, values and commitments for decision making between the council and community.
This would enable us to co-design and co-deliver on aspects of safety, utilisation and the biodiversity of our open and green spaces within Reading.
As part of the event, Rank & File shared their new R&D performance, ‘Common Ground’ – a moving Theatre of Sanctuary performance, created from real stories gathered in Reading and Whitley and set in the heart of Whitley Community Café.
The show brought tears to people’s eyes, reflecting the pride, care and strength of our community — from Whitley to communities across Reading.
“Home is not a passport. Home is not a border. Home is not a flag.”
With “a light left on” and “a chair kept for one more,” Common Ground celebrated what it means to belong, to be welcomed, and to call Reading home.
Testimony was shared by Richard and Beryl from Reading Minster about their experiences of temporary accommodation, and homelessness, and by members of Young Voices about their experiences of feeling, and being, unsafe in local parks.
Reading Citizens Alliance were delighted with the result – full commitments from each party representative on their Housing and Homeless Ask (with a conditional from the Labour Party on the Minster Quarter request due to the planning process), and on their Open Spaces ask. They also got agreement from each representative to meet again 50 days after the local elections on 7th May in order to work together and progress plans.
About the event, Steve Masters, Citizens UK Reading’s Community Organiser, said
‘The work that local leaders and their groups have done over the last few months has been inspiring. Citizens UK builds power across community groups here in Reading, developing leaders from those groups and civic institutions.’
Reading Citizens are looking for members to join the Alliance and build broad based community power in our area. If you would like further information please contact: Steve Masters – email: steve.masters@citizensuk.org Telephone 07376 013644
For information on any of the Reading Citizens members, please contact:
Carly Newman – No5 and Young Voices – carly.newman@no5.org.uk 07342355425
Jude Haste – Rank and File Theatre – info@rankandfiletheatre.org
