I am proud of our town. We have a wonderful community and an interesting history, which makes Reading a great place to live.
As residents may have seen, I have been campaigning to protect local heritage and our wonderful football club and I am pleased to say that there have been some recent positive developments on these issues, although we still have a long way to go.
Saving Reading Gaol and getting it turned into an arts and heritage hub has been a long-standing campaign for me as a local MP. I believe we are now seeing some encouraging signs of progress.
In the summer, local theatre group Rabble will be putting on a performance of William the Conqueror in the Gaol’s Old Chapel. The play, which is being developed with investment from Arts Council England, will mark the first time an event of this nature has taken place in the Gaol since the new owner, Mr Channing Bi of the Ziran Education Foundation, purchased the site in January 2024.
Theatre company has event in Reading Prison for the first time in years
It will also be the first time that the Gaol has been opened to the public since the fantastic exhibition “Inside” organised by Artangel in 2016. The exhibition, which included amazing art installations and performances of Oscar Wilde’s The Ballad of Reading Gaol and De Profundis by well-known names such as Rupert Everett and Patti Smith, demonstrated the Gaol’s potential as a world-class Arts venue and heritage hub.
I am encouraged about what the owner’s early engagement with the Arts community in Reading indicates about his intentions for the site and I remain cautiously optimistic about the Gaol’s future. As constituents may already be aware, the owner has indicated that he intends to transform the Gaol into a hotel, museum and art gallery.
I am aware that the new owner is currently preparing detailed proposals for the site. As yet there is no indication of when any planning applications, or other related applications that may be required, will be submitted. However, I am monitoring any progress that is being made closely, and I look forward to seeing more details of the plans.
Another important local campaign that I have been supporting is to save Reading FC and to call for Dai Yongge to sell the club to a new owner, who will invest and take it forward.
I have been working on this issue locally with fan-led groups and in Westminster with my parliamentary colleagues, and I recently spoke during a debate on financial sustainability in English football secured by Yuan Yang MP. I am also supporting the government’s Football Governance Bill, which will be vital to ensuring responsible ownership of teams across the country and avoiding a repeat of the mismanagement we have seen at Reading FC.
There now seems to a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel following the English Football League (EFL)’s decision to officially disqualify Yongge under their Owners’ and Directors’ Test and to give him a deadline by which to sell the club. I understand from speaking regularly to the EFL that positive discussions have been taking place, but discussions are continuing. Recently it was reported that one bidder had backed off and that the club was in advanced talks with an alternative bidder.
Whilst the initial deadline for Dai Yongge to divest his interests in the club was April 4, I was pleased to see that the EFL recently agreed an extension until April 22 to allow more time for a suitable new owner to be secured.
At the time of writing, and ahead of the Easter double-header, Reading are in sixth spot and the final play-off position. I have been impressed by the way the team and the manager have performed under enormous pressure.
I am proud of the club and our whole community, and I hope we can look forward to some positive developments both on and off the pitch in the months ahead.
I would also like to wish everyone a happy Easter.