In the first column from the three new MPs in Reading, Olivia Bailey, the Labour MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire, has thanked voters for their trust. She has also slammed the Conservatives for not costing their new hospital programme, and echoed frustration over e-bikes. Olivia writes: 

It is the honour of my life to be elected to represent the wonderful people of Reading West and Mid Berkshire. Thank you for all the kind words over the past couple of weeks.

I have now set up an office in the constituency and I am in the process of securing a suitable shopfront as a permanent location. In the meantime, if you want to get in touch, you can email me at olivia.bailey.mp@parliament.uk. I’m holding my first surgeries this week and will also shortly be publishing a calendar of constituency surgeries from the autumn onwards.

The biggest highlight so far for me as Member of Parliament has been the King’s Speech. I am incredibly proud of the legislative agenda that His Majesty set out. It shows that this is a serious government with serious plans to fix the basics and get our country back on track. I was particularly pleased to see included a Bill for an independent football regulator, which is so important for the future of Reading FC.

However, it has become clear over the past few days the scale of the chaos left by the Conservatives. Recently published National Audit Office reports have lifted the lid on an eye-watering waste of taxpayers’ cash and ‘unprecedented’ challenges left in our NHS, leaving a £20 billion black hole in Britain’s public finances.

And, I am really angry that the Conservatives promised new hospitals, while covering up they had no money to pay for it. This Government will end the deceit and conduct a review of the New Hospitals Programme, so that we can deliver a costed and realistic new plan.

I will fight tooth and nail to make the case for a new Royal Berkshire Hospital as part of this review and am confident in the strength of the case developed by the excellent team at the hospital. I will keep residents informed as the review progresses and encourage them to participate in the consultation currently being run by the Royal Berks.

Like many people I have spoken with, I am fed up with the distress illegal bikes are causing in our communities– everyone should feel safe where they live. Cracking down on antisocial behaviour is one of my priorities and a priority for the Labour Government.

We will give police the powers they need to take illegal, dangerous and antisocial bikes off the streets for good.

Over the past few weeks, I have spoken with a number of concerned parents and staff from schools in the constituency about the decision instigated by West Berkshire Council to claw back funding from school budgets.

I have written to the Leader of West Berkshire Council expressing my concern and I am pleased that that there will be an emergency council meeting to discuss the troubling circumstances around the clawback.

I would urge all councillors to do the right thing; pause the clawback and conduct a thorough review of how the process has been conducted.