Reading Council

Supporting World Aids Day 2018. Let's Stamp it out for good! www.safesexberkshire.nhs.uk #ROCKTHERIBBON #WorldAidsDay2018 #WorldAidsDay TVPS Safe Sex Berkshire

A free Carers Rights Day event is taking place in Greyfriars Hall, in Friar Street, with speakers and stands to visit through to 3pm. http://news.reading.gov.uk/carers-encoura ged-to-make-the-m…/

Flu can be horrible for children. Luckily a simple nasal spray vaccine is being offered to all school children in Reception year to year 5. Make sure you've returned your child's consent form. See the December vaccination timetable. More info:https://cypf.berkshirehealthcare.nhs .uk/…/immunisation-team/ Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust #rdguk #flu #fluvaccine #staywellinwinter

Blue Badge misuse lands Reading woman with a hefty fine. http://news.reading.gov.uk/reading-woman- successfully-pros…/ #rdguk #bluebadge

If you've got a big life event happening, don't forget, after tomorrow, the Register Office at Yeomanry House moves location. From next week, all enquiries and bookings take place at the Council's Civic Offices on Bridge Street. http://www.reading.gov.uk/…/Register-Of fice-location-and-di… #rdguk

A packed room this morning for Reading Place of Culture's Cultural Commissioning Conference - top of the agenda: the health & social benefits of cultural activities. http://readingplaceofculture.org/greatpla ces/ #rdguk #HLFSupported #GreatPlacesScheme #ReadignPlaceofCulture Reading Museum The Museum of English Rural Life Alana House Reading Rep Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Creative Futures MB Associates

Don't forget that Special Shopping Evening is coming up next Monday! #magicalchristmas #rdguk

Whatever you need to know about coping with stress, anxiety or depression, the Moodzone is here to help this winter: nhs.uk/moodzone

Flu can cause serious complications for pregnant women and their unborn children. The free flu jab offers the best protection. Ask your GP, pharmacist or midwife about it today: nhs.uk/fluvaccine

Have your say on proposals to relocate the Council’s mental health accommodation service, Focus House. http://news.reading.gov.uk/mental-health- service-location-…/ #rdguk

Do you have an interest in respite services in Reading? Have your say on proposals to relocate the Council’s Disability Respite Service to a new home. http://news.reading.gov.uk/potential-new- home-for-learning…/ #rdguk

Calling all carers who provide unpaid care for a friend, relative or neighbour - free event on Friday aims to make sure you access all the support you are entitled to and recognise the vital role unpaid carers play in the community. http://news.reading.gov.uk/carers-encoura ged-to-make-the-m…/ #rdguk #carersrights2018 #carersrights

The team at Yeomanry House Register Office are preparing for their big move this week.
The office closes it doors on Friday 30th November, after which it will move to three new locations. From Tuesday 4th December all birth, death, marriage and nationality enquiries and appointment booking will relocate to Reading Council’s Civic Offices in Bridge Street. http://news.reading.gov.uk/last-wedding-i n-yeomanry-house/ #rdguk

Reading Abbey Quarter project scoops a prestigious regional planning award. http://news.reading.gov.uk/reading-abbey- project-wins-top-…/ #rdguk Reading Abbey Quarter Reading Museum

Your bin collection service is fantastic. Your staff are helpful and go above and beyond in providing a perfect service. They not only return my bin into my front garden they also pick up any recycling I couldn't fit in my bin and any rubbish that has blown into my garden. Thank you for a wonderful service.

Worst council ever and i dont even live in that shit hole, being at that useleas hospital then paying hours of pay and display. Yet you still put a ticket on my car window even though i paid you lot are just rotten and vile people.

Why is the tip closed 'owing to adverse weather conditions'? It's a bit wet! The roads are all fine. There's nothing on the website and the sign at the gate (which I have driven to without any problems) gives no indication when it will open.

Very difficult to get through by telephone. No e mail addresses for the department you need. Money wasted on the in thing programmes like the bikes and wfi buses instead of the basic things we actually need to run the Borough like, schools, roads and hospitals and drainage. Libraries which help with education and communication . and so on.

Terrible service from Reading refuse service they didn’t empty my black bin ,and now trying to get them to come back to do their job is not so easy. Their normal reply is the bin was not present which is a pile of crap , it was outside ready the night before . I am Waiting for the department to get back to me with a solution, but in the meantime I am having to take my rubbish to the tip which is causing me issues as I have just given birth 3 weeks ago and I am not at the best of health. READING COUNCIL DO YOUR JOB AND WHAT I PAY YOU FOR .....

Reading Council’s indifference towards its citizens is getting dangerous. Now we have junkies settling themselves outside our doorsteps doing their drugs anytime they please. It’s scary to get in or out of our homes. Where does all that council tax we pay go, I wonder...?!?!?!

RBC are the worst council. Had travellers been on a site 20m from my door 3 times in 2 months. The council was suppose to put up a fence 3 months after purchasing the land... They purchased in 1905! I guess the council can't be bothered with residents. I wonder how long it would take them to take me to court if I refused to pay council tax

Piss off RBC. My red bin hasn’t been emptied for now 8 weeks due to

contamination. Contamination was rife back in the day when you didn’t give a flying fuck what crap was in it. Contamination is an envelope with Anthrax powder in it not a bloody plastic lid on a bottle in the wrong bin. Two people came out and went through the bin with my husband , moved the few items out and said the bin would be emptied. Fast forward to two weeks later and boom!! Still full. Called again to be told it’s still contaminated and won’t be emptied. When we said we went through the bin with a council official who said it would be emptied my husband was told by Mr Polish ( no one will let us have his name) they shouldn’t have promised that!!



Have to wash rubbish to recycle. You shitting me. RBC I work 8am to 6.30pm in Farnborough - not your piss poor whimsical 9-5( would happily wash rubbish and dry it - if I worked their part time hours) I don’t have time to wash my rubbish. Get a life!



There was a time when people who didn’t pass the grade for the police force became traffic wardens. Now, they just work for RBC!!



And while I’m ranting the earliest thing that was recycled was glass and surprise surprise, RBC don’t cater for that. � Nope, but they are able to deal with anything I wash up first.



You just keep on putting up my charges though and giving me nothing for it. Money grabbers������



No wonder flytipping is rife and to be honest it’s only going to get worse with these type of little hitler rulings !!

Phoned up to complain about a bin that is so full the rubbish is almost touching the ceiling and there are rats there. They didn’t care and said not there problem even thou the rubbish is now on the pavement on station road. Also the lady in the phone incredibly rude!!!!!

Outraged that Uber is no longer permitted...its safer,. cheaper, more convenient and my choice. How is this in line with EU competition law ...no consumer choice and high fixed fares.

On the snow days last month a lorry gouged a 2 inch deep hole in my partners car door on Upper Crown Street. At a height that it wasn't a standard vehicle and the gouge was created by something with a point (couldn'd be a bumper) It was coincidentally the exact same day that our bins were collected from Upper Crown Street and in the snowy conditions, we have reason to believe the damage was caused by a Reading Borough Council bin lorry. On request of the footage, we were told that the footage reveals that it wasn't the bin lorry that struck my partners car but were refused permission to view the footage ourselves? Why? If it's in front of you and clear as day, why not show us the footage?



It was a hit and run of a vehicle, which is a criminal offence. Hence why you'd have reason to keep that a little hush-hush, I've contacted the local papers as I am very unhappy at this obvious attempt to pull the wool over our eyes because you give precisely 0 cares about the residents inside your Borough if it might cost you a quid or two.



Utterly disgusting, underhanded and cheating vermin present with these people, avoid like the plague.

No money to fix the roads around Reading, it feels like we are driving in a 3rd world country.

However they spend vast ammounts of money on pointless bus only lanes and planting bloody dafadils everywhere, they also put yellow lines everywhere when they are not needed but then park on said yellow lines blocking a turning, i would say it was ironic but i suspect that the majority of Reading councillors don't know what irony is.

My husband died some months ago now, but I’m still not used to remembering the bins the day before. My green bin was out while the lorry was still at the bottom of my road turning round and still they drove passed ignoring it. Just how mean spirited and ‘jobsworth’ can you be. Shame on you RBC.

Just moved to the area and disgusted at the service offered by the council and also their customer service. Paid for green bin collection and the first time it wasn't collected as there was no sticker on it despite the fact I had paid and it was on their collection schedule. Yesterday it had a sticker on it but wasn't collected as it apparently "wasn't present" when the crew went to collect it. Not quite sure how they missed a huge green bin. Was then told by customer service rep that they have to believe the reports they are given...... so by default that makes me the liar. Also recycling bin not collected due to "contamination" but they can't tell me what. So overflowing bins and I have to wait 5 days for a response. So impressive RBC, well done. I can understand why there is littering and fly tipping in the area. Priorities are wrong somewhere. How I miss the efficiency of South Oxfordshire �

I wouldn't even give one star. I heard bad things about this council and I was only backed up by this when on a night of November 2017, I went to pick a friend up that was stuck after a night out at around 5 in the morning bearing in mind it was around -1 degrees out in the early hours of that morning. I live in Farnborough and rarely travel into Reading but having my sister move there I will or after what's happened would of been going there more often and spending money there etc. I entered "reading station" into my gps and followed the route all the way up to the station and it took me into an area but I couldn't see my mate who I was picking up. I eventually found the front of the station after a while of maps taking me to the same place. 2 weeks later I got a letter from reading council saying that I was in a bus area. I called up not knowing what they meant and they explained that the whole area I was in was for buses? Anyway, I appealed against it with my points that I don't live in reading and rarely visit. I was picking up my friend who was stuck. Maps took me to that area. It was dark and early in the morning so I couldn't see any buses or any signs around that said it was a bus lane or only restricted to buses. In my eyes I didn't know I was in the wrong and if I'd seen buses in the day I would of probably been more cautious in thinking where I was. Having taken these points into consideration, I've received a letter today back with reading council taking no consideration for any of my points and sending me photos of signs IN DAYLIGHT that are around the front and claim it was my fault for following the "maps". I've heard the stories about reading and it's fine etc and was hoping I'd never been caught up in them but this being a first trip into reading and them taking in my points. So thanks a lot reading council for robbing £60 from me right before Christmas for something that I believe is totally wrong!! No consideration at all and I now see all the bad comments and views people have about the council. Your customer service was also terrible. I feel sorry for people living in reading. I thought councils were meant to be good and understanding just turns out that reading council are a load of s**t. Cheers reading council and all your employees that work for you in your pointless jobs doing nothing but robbing people.



Regards,

A very unhappy individual visiting your "area"

I can't give them a lower score, they deserve a negative sum. They are impossible to contact via email, they actually removed the email option from the website and just left the field blank. I'm taking to social media as a last resort. All I wanted to do was transfer the council tax account to another housemate. After a confusing reply they took down the email service. I'm over seas and not willing or able to pay for a long distance call to sort this out. I'm cancelling my direct debit and letting them sort it out. Considering the level of 'service' Reading receives from this council I'm surprised they aren't paying us.

Due to an increasing rat problem in my area which is not helped by overflowing public bins along the river and a terrible fly tipping problem since the council started charging to dump waste last year, I had to order a replacement black bin (as rats had chewed through the top and side of ours to get in). I wrote Reading Council waste department and spoke to their customer services to advise them of this when I placed my replacement order, asking them to hurry because I didn’t want to make the rat problem worse. I ordered and paid for a bin replacement over 7 weeks ago, and the bin has still not arrived despite the guidance in the website stating 15-20 working day turnaround. Disgraceful. I have never lived in an area where the council has been that unhelpful.

Dear Reading borough Council,



Firstly i hope you have all had a wonderful weekend, I wish mine was as good as yours! It could have been better had i not of had the big problem of recieving a letter from yourself.



So the letter; which happens to be a 3rd letter from yourselfs, about a parking penalty notice. telling me my appeal was handed in to late! so i will have to pay £105 for parking down my own street, outside my house.



i never actually recieved the penalty parking notice but once i had recieve the first letter i contacted the parking services and was told if i wanted to appeal i should wait for a second letter through the post, so thats what i did,



Once the second letter arrived through the post, i sent a letter of appeal along with a copy of the temporary permit i had displayed in my car at the time of apperantly getting a parking notice.



This weekend i recieved the 3rd letter telling myself that my appeal had been turnt down due to the fact that my letter had been sent after the appeal time. which i was told by the council parking services to wait until i recieved the second letter.



Today i spoke to a very 'helpful' chap on the phone at parking services, indeed the same chap that instructed me to wait for the second letter before appealing. He has now instructed to write another letter in to parking services to ask if i can pay the lesser amount of fine instead of £105. in return i asked him why should i have to pay any fine when i have given evidence that i had a temporary parking permit (which again you have to pay for) and i have followed everything i have been advised to do by the council in this process. his response was well they will make you pay so thats what i would tell you to do.



there is no point of contact in reading borough council civic office to which i can seek further advice.



In summary Reading borough council send the enforcement officers out into the streets to take money off of people, which in return all gets put nicely into there little budget pot for there annual spendings. while the people in the office hide behind there telephone and computer screens. Whilst people like myself pay hundreds to park outside my own house every year and then you have the audacity to turn down my rightful appeal.





i think this is totally disgusting and you as a council should be ashamed of yourself.



Enjoy the rest of your week Reading borough council!

Cheers for closing down the two swimming pools near me and making me travel all the way to Meadway, where there’s no proper changing facilities and I’m forced to change in front of hairy 70 year olds, and let me tell you, it isn’t exactly the warmest pool. Now I’m cold and lost and alone in a strange faraway place that I’ve only ever heard of from the front of buses and the bus is in 12 minutes. Why did you have to close those pools down? Don’t you save enough money from not helping out the homeless? Cunts.

Your bin collection service is fantastic. Your staff are helpful and go above and beyond in providing a perfect service. They not only return my bin into my front garden they also pick up any recycling I couldn't fit in my bin and any rubbish that has blown into my garden. Thank you for a wonderful service.

Worst council ever and i dont even live in that shit hole, being at that useleas hospital then paying hours of pay and display. Yet you still put a ticket on my car window even though i paid you lot are just rotten and vile people.

Why is the tip closed 'owing to adverse weather conditions'? It's a bit wet! The roads are all fine. There's nothing on the website and the sign at the gate (which I have driven to without any problems) gives no indication when it will open.

Very difficult to get through by telephone. No e mail addresses for the department you need. Money wasted on the in thing programmes like the bikes and wfi buses instead of the basic things we actually need to run the Borough like, schools, roads and hospitals and drainage. Libraries which help with education and communication . and so on.

Terrible service from Reading refuse service they didn’t empty my black bin ,and now trying to get them to come back to do their job is not so easy. Their normal reply is the bin was not present which is a pile of crap , it was outside ready the night before . I am Waiting for the department to get back to me with a solution, but in the meantime I am having to take my rubbish to the tip which is causing me issues as I have just given birth 3 weeks ago and I am not at the best of health. READING COUNCIL DO YOUR JOB AND WHAT I PAY YOU FOR .....

Reading Council’s indifference towards its citizens is getting dangerous. Now we have junkies settling themselves outside our doorsteps doing their drugs anytime they please. It’s scary to get in or out of our homes. Where does all that council tax we pay go, I wonder...?!?!?!

RBC are the worst council. Had travellers been on a site 20m from my door 3 times in 2 months. The council was suppose to put up a fence 3 months after purchasing the land... They purchased in 1905! I guess the council can't be bothered with residents. I wonder how long it would take them to take me to court if I refused to pay council tax

Piss off RBC. My red bin hasn’t been emptied for now 8 weeks due to

contamination. Contamination was rife back in the day when you didn’t give a flying fuck what crap was in it. Contamination is an envelope with Anthrax powder in it not a bloody plastic lid on a bottle in the wrong bin. Two people came out and went through the bin with my husband , moved the few items out and said the bin would be emptied. Fast forward to two weeks later and boom!! Still full. Called again to be told it’s still contaminated and won’t be emptied. When we said we went through the bin with a council official who said it would be emptied my husband was told by Mr Polish ( no one will let us have his name) they shouldn’t have promised that!!



Have to wash rubbish to recycle. You shitting me. RBC I work 8am to 6.30pm in Farnborough - not your piss poor whimsical 9-5( would happily wash rubbish and dry it - if I worked their part time hours) I don’t have time to wash my rubbish. Get a life!



There was a time when people who didn’t pass the grade for the police force became traffic wardens. Now, they just work for RBC!!



And while I’m ranting the earliest thing that was recycled was glass and surprise surprise, RBC don’t cater for that. � Nope, but they are able to deal with anything I wash up first.



You just keep on putting up my charges though and giving me nothing for it. Money grabbers������



No wonder flytipping is rife and to be honest it’s only going to get worse with these type of little hitler rulings !!

Phoned up to complain about a bin that is so full the rubbish is almost touching the ceiling and there are rats there. They didn’t care and said not there problem even thou the rubbish is now on the pavement on station road. Also the lady in the phone incredibly rude!!!!!

Outraged that Uber is no longer permitted...its safer,. cheaper, more convenient and my choice. How is this in line with EU competition law ...no consumer choice and high fixed fares.

On the snow days last month a lorry gouged a 2 inch deep hole in my partners car door on Upper Crown Street. At a height that it wasn't a standard vehicle and the gouge was created by something with a point (couldn'd be a bumper) It was coincidentally the exact same day that our bins were collected from Upper Crown Street and in the snowy conditions, we have reason to believe the damage was caused by a Reading Borough Council bin lorry. On request of the footage, we were told that the footage reveals that it wasn't the bin lorry that struck my partners car but were refused permission to view the footage ourselves? Why? If it's in front of you and clear as day, why not show us the footage?



It was a hit and run of a vehicle, which is a criminal offence. Hence why you'd have reason to keep that a little hush-hush, I've contacted the local papers as I am very unhappy at this obvious attempt to pull the wool over our eyes because you give precisely 0 cares about the residents inside your Borough if it might cost you a quid or two.



Utterly disgusting, underhanded and cheating vermin present with these people, avoid like the plague.

No money to fix the roads around Reading, it feels like we are driving in a 3rd world country.

However they spend vast ammounts of money on pointless bus only lanes and planting bloody dafadils everywhere, they also put yellow lines everywhere when they are not needed but then park on said yellow lines blocking a turning, i would say it was ironic but i suspect that the majority of Reading councillors don't know what irony is.

My husband died some months ago now, but I’m still not used to remembering the bins the day before. My green bin was out while the lorry was still at the bottom of my road turning round and still they drove passed ignoring it. Just how mean spirited and ‘jobsworth’ can you be. Shame on you RBC.

Just moved to the area and disgusted at the service offered by the council and also their customer service. Paid for green bin collection and the first time it wasn't collected as there was no sticker on it despite the fact I had paid and it was on their collection schedule. Yesterday it had a sticker on it but wasn't collected as it apparently "wasn't present" when the crew went to collect it. Not quite sure how they missed a huge green bin. Was then told by customer service rep that they have to believe the reports they are given...... so by default that makes me the liar. Also recycling bin not collected due to "contamination" but they can't tell me what. So overflowing bins and I have to wait 5 days for a response. So impressive RBC, well done. I can understand why there is littering and fly tipping in the area. Priorities are wrong somewhere. How I miss the efficiency of South Oxfordshire �

I wouldn't even give one star. I heard bad things about this council and I was only backed up by this when on a night of November 2017, I went to pick a friend up that was stuck after a night out at around 5 in the morning bearing in mind it was around -1 degrees out in the early hours of that morning. I live in Farnborough and rarely travel into Reading but having my sister move there I will or after what's happened would of been going there more often and spending money there etc. I entered "reading station" into my gps and followed the route all the way up to the station and it took me into an area but I couldn't see my mate who I was picking up. I eventually found the front of the station after a while of maps taking me to the same place. 2 weeks later I got a letter from reading council saying that I was in a bus area. I called up not knowing what they meant and they explained that the whole area I was in was for buses? Anyway, I appealed against it with my points that I don't live in reading and rarely visit. I was picking up my friend who was stuck. Maps took me to that area. It was dark and early in the morning so I couldn't see any buses or any signs around that said it was a bus lane or only restricted to buses. In my eyes I didn't know I was in the wrong and if I'd seen buses in the day I would of probably been more cautious in thinking where I was. Having taken these points into consideration, I've received a letter today back with reading council taking no consideration for any of my points and sending me photos of signs IN DAYLIGHT that are around the front and claim it was my fault for following the "maps". I've heard the stories about reading and it's fine etc and was hoping I'd never been caught up in them but this being a first trip into reading and them taking in my points. So thanks a lot reading council for robbing £60 from me right before Christmas for something that I believe is totally wrong!! No consideration at all and I now see all the bad comments and views people have about the council. Your customer service was also terrible. I feel sorry for people living in reading. I thought councils were meant to be good and understanding just turns out that reading council are a load of s**t. Cheers reading council and all your employees that work for you in your pointless jobs doing nothing but robbing people.



Regards,

A very unhappy individual visiting your "area"

I can't give them a lower score, they deserve a negative sum. They are impossible to contact via email, they actually removed the email option from the website and just left the field blank. I'm taking to social media as a last resort. All I wanted to do was transfer the council tax account to another housemate. After a confusing reply they took down the email service. I'm over seas and not willing or able to pay for a long distance call to sort this out. I'm cancelling my direct debit and letting them sort it out. Considering the level of 'service' Reading receives from this council I'm surprised they aren't paying us.

Due to an increasing rat problem in my area which is not helped by overflowing public bins along the river and a terrible fly tipping problem since the council started charging to dump waste last year, I had to order a replacement black bin (as rats had chewed through the top and side of ours to get in). I wrote Reading Council waste department and spoke to their customer services to advise them of this when I placed my replacement order, asking them to hurry because I didn’t want to make the rat problem worse. I ordered and paid for a bin replacement over 7 weeks ago, and the bin has still not arrived despite the guidance in the website stating 15-20 working day turnaround. Disgraceful. I have never lived in an area where the council has been that unhelpful.

Dear Reading borough Council,



Firstly i hope you have all had a wonderful weekend, I wish mine was as good as yours! It could have been better had i not of had the big problem of recieving a letter from yourself.



So the letter; which happens to be a 3rd letter from yourselfs, about a parking penalty notice. telling me my appeal was handed in to late! so i will have to pay £105 for parking down my own street, outside my house.



i never actually recieved the penalty parking notice but once i had recieve the first letter i contacted the parking services and was told if i wanted to appeal i should wait for a second letter through the post, so thats what i did,



Once the second letter arrived through the post, i sent a letter of appeal along with a copy of the temporary permit i had displayed in my car at the time of apperantly getting a parking notice.



This weekend i recieved the 3rd letter telling myself that my appeal had been turnt down due to the fact that my letter had been sent after the appeal time. which i was told by the council parking services to wait until i recieved the second letter.



Today i spoke to a very 'helpful' chap on the phone at parking services, indeed the same chap that instructed me to wait for the second letter before appealing. He has now instructed to write another letter in to parking services to ask if i can pay the lesser amount of fine instead of £105. in return i asked him why should i have to pay any fine when i have given evidence that i had a temporary parking permit (which again you have to pay for) and i have followed everything i have been advised to do by the council in this process. his response was well they will make you pay so thats what i would tell you to do.



there is no point of contact in reading borough council civic office to which i can seek further advice.



In summary Reading borough council send the enforcement officers out into the streets to take money off of people, which in return all gets put nicely into there little budget pot for there annual spendings. while the people in the office hide behind there telephone and computer screens. Whilst people like myself pay hundreds to park outside my own house every year and then you have the audacity to turn down my rightful appeal.





i think this is totally disgusting and you as a council should be ashamed of yourself.



Enjoy the rest of your week Reading borough council!

Cheers for closing down the two swimming pools near me and making me travel all the way to Meadway, where there’s no proper changing facilities and I’m forced to change in front of hairy 70 year olds, and let me tell you, it isn’t exactly the warmest pool. Now I’m cold and lost and alone in a strange faraway place that I’ve only ever heard of from the front of buses and the bus is in 12 minutes. Why did you have to close those pools down? Don’t you save enough money from not helping out the homeless? Cunts.