Thousands spent on Reading council overseas trips revealed

Councillor Tony Page (Labour, Abbey) visited the city of Reading in Pennsylvania, USA earlier this year to celebrate the 275th anniversary of it becoming a settlement.

A whopping £2099.91 of council money was spent on his flights.

The amount has been revealed in a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the council submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

During the visit, a Cllr Page joined Eddie Moran, the Democrat Mayor of Reading, PA in the city's celebrations, with delegates from the UK, Reutlingen in Germany and others sharing an anniversary cake, watching an orchestral performance and a fireworks display from the city's Japanese style Pagoda.

READ MORE: Reading celebrates with 'sister city' on its 275th anniversary

Cllr Page represented the Mayoralty as both the serving Mayor, Cllr Eden and the serving Deputy Mayor, Cllr Edwards were unable to attend.

Cllr Eden did view the ceremony virtually, where it was noted that Reading UK was the settlement's 'mother city'.

Reading, PA was established in  1748 by Thomas and Richard Penn, the sons of William Penn,  a famous Quaker, who himself founded Pennsylvania, which is now the fifth most populous state in the USA.

The visit was held prior to cllr Page being made mayor at a full council meeting on Wednesday, May 24.

He said he visited factories during brief private remarks to the LDRS.

Alderman Tony Jones, who had around 30 years of experience as a Reading councillor, first being elected in 1984, also attended the trip, but no council money was paid to fund his visit.

Alderman Tony Jones with Eddie Moran, the Democrat mayor of Reading, Pennsylvania on its 275th anniversary celebrations on March 16. Credit: Berks Weekly

Mr Jones said: "I can confirm that I made my own travel arrangements and paid my own travel expenses for the visit to Reading, PA."

The cost of other visits by councillors to other countries has also been revealed.

Cllr Deborah Edwards (Labour, Southcote), the deputy mayor for 2022/23 visited Clonmel in Ireland for that town's St Patrick's Day celebrations from Thursday, March 16 to Saturday, March 18.

Clonmel in County Tripperary is one of Reading's sister towns, with £477.16 of council money spent on flights.

And last year, cllr Rachel Eden (Labour, Whitley) the Mayor of Reading for 2022/23 visited Dusseldorf, another sister city, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the link between the two places.

The council spent £431.84 on flights for the visit.

Councillors Deborah Edwards and Rachel Eden, the Deputy Mayor and Mayor of Reading for the 2022/23 municipal year. Credit: Reading Borough Council (Image: Reading Borough Council)

Justifying the visits after viewing the FOI response, a council spokesperson said: “The Council will always be very proud of its links with our twin towns.

“These are long-standing friendships forged over very many years, some born of support offered by our town to these communities during challenging times, or others as a result of links with communities which reflect Reading’s own diverse communities.

“Examples include Reading’s link with Dusseldorf forged by Phoebe Cusden 76 years ago when Berkshire residents generously donated food and other supplies to the people of Dusseldorf after World War 2, or links with Reading PA forged in 2001 after the September 11 attacks.

“Our twinning with Speightstown, Barbados, came about as the result of the large Barbadian population in Reading, and links with Clonmel were created because of Reading’s large Irish population.

“These are highly valued friendships which form part of the rich history and fabric of Reading.

“As such it is important these relationships are maintained with occasional visits, and these visits are reciprocated when representatives from linked towns travel to Reading, which we are always happy to host.”