Crossrail is being discussed again locally and the Borough Council, out of the blue, says it wants it to come to Reading. On the back of this the local Labour Cllr for Katesgrove has intervened criticising me for seemingly not writing our high spending Labour Cllrs a blank cheque . In a short time he really has earned his title of 'Muddled Matt'. He has managed to get the most basic information about his ward and the area where he wants to be MP wrong on so many occasions it’s become embarrassing.
He is constantly writing to the local newspaper without fully understanding the issues he comments on. He is either as muddled as he appears or is acting as a puppet for more senior and experienced local Labour Cllrs. Not a good advert either way. Rather than ask the questions necessary about cost and service levels, he simply parrots what he’s told to say. Isn’t that the sort of thing that got the country in to a mess in the first place? He can't even be bothered to report my position accurately. No wonder Labour is unfit to govern.
I am keeping a completely open mind on Crossrail, because at present I am unconvinced that it has the same compelling economic arguments that the redevelopment of Reading Station and Western Access to Heathrow had for Reading (two huge investments where I led the charge). Reading Borough Council (RBC) has made no contact with me on the subject, so if it has a compelling argument, let alone a business case, I would welcome seeing it. Given my track record of delivering hundreds of millions of pounds in transport investment to Reading East, wouldn't a sensible Labour Council approaching a Conservative Secretary of State have contacted me, the local Conservative MP, to build a broad coalition of support if it was serious?
It is difficult to understand why RBC has raised this issue now when Maidenhead is, I'm informed, breaking ground for Crossrail buildings. If this was so important to RBC what has it been doing for the past 3 years? Did it take its eye off the ball? Or is this cynical politics? Has the Conservative-led Government, having delivered hugely important infrastructure to Reading, left the local Labour Council and its Parliamentary candidate with nothing useful to say?
There may well be a case for Crossrail coming to Reading (and I am exploring this with the Department of Transport) but it is not yet made and needs to be. Let's hear it and quickly. ‘Muddled Matt’ might then have a few facts to work with and actually think for himself.