To view Wokefield Parish’s Annual Return please follow the following Links:

1. Annual Return - Part1  -  Notice of Public Rights & Publication of Annual Governance & Accountability Return

2. Annual Return - Part 2 - Annual Governance & Accountability Return (AGAR) Form

3.Annual Return - Part 3 – Bank Reconciliation

4. Annual Return - Part 4 – Explanation of Variances

Follow this link for waste & Recycling news including dealing with Fly Tipping

Waste and Recycling News from West Berkshire Council (govdelivery.com)

Follow this link to see WB the latest environment Newsletter West Berkshire Council Environment Newsletter - May 2024 Issue - *DATE CORRECTION FOR REPAIR CAFE* (govdelivery.com)

Follow this link for  West Berks Resident Bulletin 29

Follow this link to view West Berks latest Residents Bulletin View in browser

Follow this link to read District Councillor Nick Carter's latest  monthly newsletter Councillor Nick newsletter May 2024.pdf - Google Drive. It also contains links to previous editions

 Do you know someone who finds it difficult to visit the library because of age, disability or other special circumstance? We may be able to bring the library to them. Contact our At Home service to find out  more - Library At Home poster 24.pdf (wokefield-pc.org.uk)

Click here to view West Berks Flood prevention leaflet.

Flooding, Be pepared! (wokefield-pc.org.uk)

PARISH COUNCIL OF WOKEFIELD

VACANCY FOR A COUNCILLOR

   There is a vacancy on the above Council caused by the resignation of Councillor D. Fisher

FIND IT DIFFICULT TO GET TO YOUR MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS?

IF YOU LIVE IN WOKEFIELD THEN OUR FRIENDLY TEAM ARE READY TO HELP

CONTACT US ON 01189 831 814 (MON–FRI 9:30-11:30am)

We at the Burghfield and Mortimer Volunteer Bureau give our time and our own private vehicles to get you to your medical appointments Hospitals, GP Surgeries, Dentists and Opticians.

You will be taken to your appointment from your home, we will wait with you and then return you home.

There is no charge. We simply ask for a donation to cover the office running costs and help with volunteer drivers for their fuel.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY IN THIS WAY

AND JOIN OUR DRIVERS?

Have you recently retired? Have a car and enjoy meeting people and chatting? Looking for a way to give some of your time to your community?

CONTACT US ON 01189 831 814 (MON–FRI 9:30-11:30am)

or email bureauvolunteer@gmail.com

The Burghfield & Mortimer Volunteer Bureau needs more drivers and would welcome any of your time (daytime Mon-Fri). An allowance of 50p per mile is available to cover motoring expenses.

During the first 5 months of 2023 our volunteers have transported 473 clients to various destinations including John Radcliffe and Churchill hospitals in Oxford, Royal Hampshire County Hospital Winchester, Frimley Park Hospital, Townlands Henley, West Berks Community Hospital and all the NHS and Private hospitals in Reading and all local GP surgeries, Opticians and Dentists in our area.

Please use the following link to see District Councillor's Report September 2023 https://bit.ly/WBCSept23

District Councillors report – July 2023

Wokefield  Parish Annual Return for the year  2022-2023   can be viewed by following this link:

Wokefield 2022-2023 Annual Return

Big Community Switch is back! Helping residents to see if they can save on energy bills

The Big Community Switch is back, offering an opportunity for households to save on their energy bills by securing competitive tariffs with trusted energy suppliers. 

We understand that many households are frustrated with the high energy costs and have struggled over the last 18 months. That's why we're committed to seeking better deals through Big Community Switch.

What is the Big Community Switch? It’s a collective effort where community members come together to leverage their collective power to negotiate better energy deals with suppliers. The auction will be facilitated by iChoosr: an independent expert in group-buying.

In addition to financial benefits, the Big Community Switch also aligns with our shared commitment to the environment. By joining the auction, you contribute to the demand for clean energy and help drive transition to a more sustainable future.

Taking part in the West Berkshire Energy Switch is free, and there is no obligation to switch to the winning supplier once you receive your personal offer.

Read more and find out how to register here: https://www.westberks.gov.uk/communityswitch

WBC Parish Report for April 2023

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

WBC Parish Report for March 2023

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

West Berks Trading Standards are  trying to promote getting these free call blockers installed for vulnerable people in our area. They’re proven to help reduce scam calls and they’ll help protect vulnerable residents.

Would you be able to share the following FB and Twitter post please? Or share the article shown in more info below?

Facebook link here

Twitter link here

More info here –

WBC Parish Report for February 2023

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

WBC Parish Report for January 2023

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

WBC Parish Report for November/December 2022

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

Introduction

This report is up to mid-December and, as with last year, there won’t be a further December report - the January report (published at the start of February) will include anything that arises during the rest of December.

So, best wishes for a very Happy Christmas and New Year!

WBC Parish Report for October 2022

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

West Berkshire Council

WBC Parish Report for September 2022

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

WBC Parish Report for August 2022

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

WBC Parish Report for July 2022

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

OVERGROWN HEDGES IN WOKEFIELD PARISH - REPUBLISHED DUE TO SERIOUS ACCIDENT IN THE PARISH  

The Parish Council has received complaints that overgrown hedgerows throughout the Parish are making driving,cycling, walking,  and running around the Parish difficult or even dangerous – especially in Goring and Jame’s Lanes.

Reproduced below is an article from West Berks District Councillor's September  2021 report reminding landowners of their responsibilities to maintain their boundaries. 

Wokefield Parish Returns for 2021- 2022 are now available.  Follow the links below  to view the various documents.

Follow this link to view the Governance and Accountability Report  v2 2021-2022

Follow this link to view the Explanation of Variances 2021-2022

Follow this link to view the Governance and Accountability 2021-2022

Follow this link to view the Notice of Exercise of Public Rights 2021-2022

WBC Parish Report for June 2022

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

West Berkshire Council

West Berks Council has been allocated funding from the Government to spend on local public bus services for next 3 years. Give us your views on the changes and improvements we would like to make and let us know how satisfied you are with services. Please read the consultation and have your say by Sunday 3 July 2022 www.westberks.gov.uk/ wbbussurvey2022 phone 01635 519394 or email transport@westberks.gov.uk for paper copy of survey.

West Berks Council have lodged a Planning Application  for a Solar Farm at Bloomfield Hatch Adjacent to Wokefield Park.  To view the full applicationj follow this link _ 22/01330/REG3

WBC Parish Report for May 2022

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

West Berkshire Council

WBC Parish Report for April 2022

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward

WBC Parish Report for March 2022

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

West Berks Council is  looking for up to seven local people to join a 'Co-production Steering Group'. The group will be shaping a new approach to providing public services in West Berkshire called Co-production, which is about local people and professionals working together in equal partnerships. The initial focus of the group will be the Council’s Environment Strategy, which includes supporting green growth and businesses, energy efficiency, protecting and enhancing biodiversity, and sustainable transport.

WBC Parish Report for February 2022

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

Parish Council Report for January 2022

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

Introduction

A reminder that there was no report in December and that November’s report covered matters up to the meeting of the Local Outbreak Engagement Board on 6 December - this report covers matters since then.

[+ read more...]

Parish Council Report for November 2021

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

West Berkshire Council

Introduction

This report includes a report on the Council and Local Outbreak Engagement Board meetings in early December.  There won’t be a further December report, and the January report will include any matters arising during the rest of December, so (if I don’t see you in the next few weeks) Happy Xmas and New Year!

Parish Council Report for October 2021

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

West Berkshire Council

Parish Council Report for September 2021

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

West Berkshire Council

Parish Council Report for August 2021

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

West Berkshire Council

Parish Council Report for July 2021

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

West Berkshire Council

Go to the AWE folder in the Document Archive  section (in left sidebar) to see AWE Local Local Commuity News, Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) Site Report for AWE Aldermaston and Burghfield  and Environment Agency Report to the AWE Local Liaison Committee.

Parish Council Report for the period to 31 May 2021 

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

There are a huge number of scams circulating at the moment via phone, text or email and some have been doing the rounds for a number of years but also many new ones and updates on others that I have previously notified in my March Alert.

I have also included contact details as to the reporting of texts, scams and how to report if you have been a victim of fraud.

I have detailed these on the attachment and would be grateful if you could forward this Alert to your neighbours, friends and family to avoid them becoming a victim.  Apologies that it is such a big document and you may like to print this out for future reference.

Best wishes

Angela Money BEM
Neighbourhood Watch

Parish Council Report for the period to 4 May 2021

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

I am attaching a document with news of a Neighbourhood Watch new Cyber Security Development with links to a Cyber Action Plan which is quick and easy to use.

A great number of Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators, Deputies and Residents have helped their neighbours and local Community Hubs during the Covid-19 pandemic with shopping, collecting prescriptions etc.   I have received the below message of appreciation from West Berkshire Council.  I am also attaching a Letter of Thanks and a Certificate.

Neighbourhood Watch Launches Protect Your Car Campaign

Parish Council Report for February 2021

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

(This report has been deliberately delayed to include an update on the

WBC budget for 2021/22, passed at the full council meeting yesterday, Tuesday 2 March)

West Berkshire Council

Meetings

Council

Council met yesterday (Tuesday 2 March) to consider a number of things, but principally the Revenue Budget (and thus level of council tax), and the Capital Strategy and Programme, for the financial year 2021/22.

There is more about both below, but the headline news is that (excluding parish, Fire and Police precepts) council tax will increase by 1.99% and there will be no Adult Social Care precept in 21/22.  According to the Daily Mirror, this makes WBC one of only five councils in England limiting rises next year to less than 2%.  So far as the other unitary authorities in Berkshire are concerned, one (Bracknell Forest) is increasing council tax by 3.49% and the remaining four (Reading, Slough, The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, and Wokingham) by 4.99%.

Executive

At its meeting on 11 February, as well as considering the budget papers on their way to the council meeting referred to above, the Executive considered and approved a (cost neutral) restructure in the Strategy and Governance Service which will see 7.5 posts added to the staffing complement (21.5 posts are being created with 14 deleted).

The next meeting of the Executive will be on 25 March.

Remote Meetings

Links to all agendas and public meeting papers are here, and all WBC public meetings are broadcast live on YouTube and recorded so that they can be viewed at leisure - West Berkshire Council YouTube Channel.  Guidance for anyone attending a remote public meeting (eg a parish representative at a planning committee) is here.

With regard to remote meetings generally, The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 cease to have effect on 7 May.  There is a debate in local government legal circles about what “place” means in respect of place of meeting in Sched 12, LGA 1972 - there has been (or will be?) an application to court for a declaration that the existing legislation (ie once the meetings regulations fall by the wayside) allows for remote meetings without further primary legislation.  WBC is currently looking at how hybrid meetings might be held.

The Budget

The WBC Revenue Budget and Capital Strategy for 2021-22, passed at the council meeting yesterday (Tuesday 2 March), sets out the planned investment in the district within the context of the current pandemic.

As detailed above, the council tax increase has been limited to 1.99% without any increase in the Adult Social Care precept, and also without any cuts to essential services.

The budget treads a careful path between affordability, core infrastructure, and new investment to support our council strategies - the decreased (immediate) demand for adult social care services, due to Covid-19, alongside the extensive financial support from central government and the continued strong financial control of the council, means that we are able to support our residents’ finances as well as investing in vital services.

WBC has received significant Government support during the pandemic, meaning that there can be continued  investment in services, promoting the priorities set out in the Council Strategy, with key investments outlined in the budget including:

• £12.5m investment in the WBC Environment Strategy;
• £900k to introduce separate weekly food waste collections (principally purchasing additional vehicles);
• £40m investment in the People Directorate with a focus on Education projects;
• £11.9m for the Highways improvement programme, including funding towards widening the footway to St Mary’s School in Mortimer;
• £500k allocated from Community Infrastructure Levy(CIL) to fund 16 community bids for improvements, including a new Multi Use Community Hub in Calcot, a pond restoration in East Ilsley and several new and enhanced community halls – this includes the Burghfield Village Hall project bid mentioned below.

Covid-19

The Roadmap Out Of Lockdown

With the early signs of spring beginning to show, residents are no doubt heartened by the Government announcement setting out the roadmap for the easing of lockdown, and the prospect of a summer with greater freedoms.

Whilst it is natural for us to wish to see normality returning with eagerness we must never the less continue to observe the current rules until the gradual relaxation commences which starts with our schools from 8 March.  Meanwhile, and until a larger number of the adult population has been vaccinated we must all continue with Hands, Face, Space, to help protect others.  Better days are coming…

The Government has outlined the four tests of Pace, Efficacy, Pressure on the NHS, and Risk of Variants - further information about the easing of lockdown can be found in the Four Step Plan.

Vaccinations – Local Position

The Covid vaccination rollout is now being handled in two tranches – cohort 6 (those aged 16-64 with underlying health conditions) are being called to the PCN (Primary Care Network) hubs at Newbury Racecourse and Pangbourne, with cohorts 5 and 7 receiving NHS letters to go to the mass vaccination centres, such as the one that opened at the Madejski Stadium on 22 February.

It is anticipated that all over 50s will have been offered their first vaccine by the end of April, alongside the delivery of second doses within twelve weeks of the first.

If the pace and supply can be maintained the remaining adult population will have been offered vaccinations by the end of July.  Further information regarding vaccination can be found on the Berkshire Public Health website here.

Vaccinations – National Position

Weekly reports on the vaccine rollout are being published by NHS here, giving data at an Integrated Care System (ICS) level – in our case at the level of the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (“BOB”) ICS.  Additionally, Government data can be found here.

Local Infection Rates

West Berkshire is seeing a sharp decline in infection rates although there remain a number of new cases being reported daily.  The current rolling weekly rate is now down to just over 60 per 100,000 but is hoped to continue to decrease significantly over time.

As previously referred to, Berkshire local Covid information about the daily reported cases in the district (and across Berkshire), and the weekly per 100,000 rate (one of the principal factors in any decision making) can be accessed from Berkshire Public Health website.

Community Testing

Rapid widespread testing – also known as lateral flow testing or community testing - is a key tool in the fight against Coronavirus.  Lateral flow testing can identify people who don't have any Covid-19 symptoms (referred to as asymptomatic) and may be spreading the virus without knowing it.

During February the district has opened four sites where tests can be carried out for key workers, these can be found at Highwood Copse Primary School, Thatcham Rugby Club and sites at Hungerford Rugby Club and Burghfield Community Sports Association.

Around one in three people who are infected with Covid-19 have no symptoms and could be spreading the disease without knowing it.  Broadening testing to identify people showing no symptoms will mean that positive cases can be found more quickly, helping to break the chain of transmission.

Testing is available to critical and keyworkers and those who have to travel for work or care for others.  However the Council is also inviting the self-employed and those in small businesses to get tested as well.  Testing is only for those without any symptoms - anyone who does have symptoms should book a test at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus, or by calling 119, or at Lateral Flow Testing - West Berkshire Council.

Community Support Hub

Our support hub can still be contacted on 01635 503579 if needed.

Local Outbreak Engagement Board

The Local Outbreak Engagement Board meets on alternate weeks in private and in public.  Thus, each fortnight, there is a live broadcast meeting to update residents of the current activities relating to Covid-19 in and around the district (and beyond).  Public meetings are available on the Council’s YouTube channel and further information about the Board can be found here.

Covid Marshalls

In addition to Marshalls stationed at local testing centres (see above), six WBC Covid Marshalls started work across the district during February.

The Marshalls will undertake a range duties including advising and supporting members of the public and businesses to follow social distancing rules.

They travel across the district, working in shifts to cover seven days a week, using their local knowledge to cover priority areas such as supermarkets and other shops, markets, parks and open spaces.  The cost will be met by Covid-19 funding provided to the Council by central government.

Coronavirus Information On The WBC Website

The Council keeps up to date information for residents and businesses on the website.

Winter Hardship Grant Scheme

Support continues to be available for residents who are in need of help with food, utility bills and other essentials - for more information and applications, go here.

Financial Support for Businesses

West Berkshire Council is administering a further series of grant schemes to support local businesses that have been affected by the national coronavirus restrictions (and details of the new grant for Early Years Education Providers are set out below).

Information about eligibility, and how businesses who have not received support previously can apply, can be found here.

'Surviving to Thriving’ - £200k Covid-19 Mental Health Fund

WBC and Greenham Trust have each pledged £100k to set up a joint fund to enable voluntary and community sector organisations in West Berkshire to apply for grants of between £500 and £30k to fund projects aimed at helping improve the mental health and wellbeing of local residents impacted by Covid-19.

Requests for grants made via The Good Exchange (Greenham Trust’s online funding and fundraising platform) will reviewed weekly so organisations are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

This partnership initiative is designed to enable not-for-profit organisations to carry out small, meaningful projects that can help mitigate the impact that Covid-19 has had on mental health and wellbeing in the district. It also means that smaller organisations will also have the opportunity to apply for funds to carry out their activities (possibly online), one-off purchases or new initiatives.

Education

Back To School

In line with the Government’s recent announcements regarding the first stage of easing lockdown, schools will open to all pupils on Monday 8 March.  As ever, safety is paramount and WBC is working hard with schools to ensure that appropriate measures and testing facilities are in place (see above on Community Testing).

The reopening of schools will be welcomed by children and parents alike, and a huge tribute needs to be paid to all the parents, grandparents, other carers and teaching staff who have worked tirelessly educating children at home and in school through the variety of teaching methods.

Young People Not In Education, Employment Or Training (NEET)

Young people have been among the hardest hit by the economic impact of Covid-19, but in West Berkshire the number of those counted as NEET remains low - with 97.5% of all of our young people in education, employment or training our figures are not currently only the highest in Berkshire but the highest in the whole of the South East.

Grant For Early Years Education Providers

Grants of up to £3k are available to Early Years education providers to help them with the challenges of the pandemic – all providers will have been contacted by WBC with details of the application process

Adult Social Care

Care Home Visiting Policy

Following the announcement that, from next Monday (8 March) every care home resident will be allowed one regular indoor visitor, permitted (subject to having a negative lateral flow test) to hold hands with the resident, WBC Adult Social care is awaiting publication of the full guidance in order to re-publish its visiting policy and guidance.

Walnut Close Care Home

All the residents from Walnut Close have now moved to their new surrounding (see November’s report), with most moving into WBC’s Birchwood care home, and Walnut Close has closed.

Leisure and Culture

Newbury Sports Ground

The consultation referred to last month has now closed and there will be a report to the Executive later this month.

A summary of the responses and details of any decision taken will then be posted on the WBC website.  If further steps to develop  the new sports ground are then to be taken, there will be a need to apply for planning permission, in turn open to scrutiny and comment.

Libraries

West Berkshire Libraries are anticipated to reopen on 12 April subject to the Governments lockdown easing tests being met.

The easiest way to continue to borrow titles is via the apps BorrowBox and Libby, which can be downloaded from the Apple app store and Google Play store, and anyone with a Kindle tablet can download the apps from Amazon.  Anyone who has these apps can then search for West Berkshire Libraries and login using their library card number and PIN (members can reset their library PIN here).  Customers who need help with this can drop an email to the library, where staff will be happy to help: library@westberks.gov.uk.

Customers who are not already members of the library can join online to get free, instant access to the e-library by registering.

Residents are encouraged to check out the extensive programme of activities for children and adults, which will continue online, and follow the library Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages (@WBerksLibraries).

West Berkshire Lottery’s Community Fund Awards Nearly £14k To Twelve Local Charities

WBC has announced that the West Berkshire Community Fund, standing at £13,957 as at January 2021, is being distributed to twelve local charities registered with the West Berkshire Lottery following application bids from these organisations.  The awards were determined by an independent panel who meet annually to consider applications from eligible causes.

All of the successful bid applicants to the Fund are undertaking vital work for the community, including young people and the disadvantaged.  The independent judging panel was delighted to award the community funding to these deserving organisations to support their services or facilities to improve the lives of others, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The successful applicants in the January 2021 round have been awarded as follows:

• 1st Theale & Calcot Scout Group - £1,500 in running costs, including the national scouts membership fee, to continue to offer participating children a varied programme of events and badges.
• Action for Pangbourne Toilets Charitable Trust - £500 to maintain the building and help towards the cost of the contract cleaners.
• Citizens Advice West Berkshire - £750 to continue providing Spending Diaries and financial capability support to clients who are now faced with a much smaller income due to the pandemic and desperately in need of budgeting advice.
• City Arts Newbury - £500 to offer free-to-access activities for children as part of its developing Community Outreach programme.
• Home-Start West Berkshire - £2,140 towards a new project called Preventing Poverty.  This project will help enable a Family Coordinator to support 20-25 volunteers who are helping families to alleviate the stress that come when they can’t make ends meet.
• Love Lane Pre-School, Donnington - £2,000 to develop further the school’s outside learning area with the installation of an awning to protect the children from sun and rain as they learn and play outside.
• St Mark's Church of England Schools Association - £1,000 to provide the school with laptops to benefit all pupils and support them in reaching their full potential when used in the classroom environment.
• Swings & Smiles, Thatcham - £947 to help fund a tactile wall panel for children with special needs.
• Thatcham Park School Parents and Friends Association - £1,000 to fund a ramp from the school’s main playground onto the playing field.
• The Downs School, Compton - £1,500 to create a therapeutic garden for pupils to meet with teachers and support workers in a safe open space, when feelings become too overwhelming and a therapeutic approach is required.
• Time To Talk - £2,000 to use towards a digital transformation project to enable the charity’s mental health counselling services for young people to continue to expand and become increasingly more efficient.
• West Berkshire Therapy Centre - £120 towards an annual Pro license for Zoom Conferencing to allow trustees to meet to discuss support the development and executing plans for trust members.

Local, not-for-profit organisations or groups who would like to sign up to raise funds for free through the West Berkshire Lottery are invited to visit West Berkshire Lottery for further information and to register.

Transport and Countryside

Active Travel

WBC has launched a set of draft measures to help the public safely make walking or cycling part of their daily travel choices, and is inviting feedback from the community to help shape these plans.  The public consultations can be found at Active Travel Consultation.

Designed to encourage 'active travel' by introducing more walking and cycling opportunities throughout the district, the draft proposals include:

• West Berks Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).  This emerging draft transport policy is about making streets work for everyone, thus helping to make West Berkshire a better place to live, work and visit.
• Crown Mead Cycleways.  The emerging LCWIP has identified the A4 as a primary route with high potential for increased cycle trips if appropriate infrastructure were to be provided.
• Western Avenue Cycleways.  The A4 Western Avenue in Speen, Newbury has been identified as a high priority corridor for cycling and walking routes.  The plan proposes permanent measures to create and improve travel routes for cyclists and pedestrians.
• West Berks Active Streets.  These are various smaller scheme draft plans to help improve facilities and grow walking and cycling opportunities in West Berkshire including proposals for restricted access on Lawrence's Lane and Deadman's Lane in Thatcham and Theale respectively.  In addition, if any resident would like to submit a specific walking and cycling proposal of their own, or comment on a location which falls outside of the currently identified schemes, they can do so via the Active Travel Heat Map within the West Berks Active Streets section of consultation portal.
• Calcot Schools Streets.  This pilot School Zone/School Street Scheme is designed to make the streets around the schools safer and suitable for more walking and cycling, as well as improve the air quality.

The Crown Mead Cycleways and Western Avenue Cycleways proposals are each open for consultation until on Friday, 9 April.  The remainder are eight week consultations that will finish on Friday 23 April.

With the exception of the LWCIP, the implementation of the Active Travel proposals will be funded through the £495,000 award from the Department for Transport's Active Travel Fund, following the Council's bid to further develop a lasting, safe environment for walking and cycling.

With their emphasis on promoting health and wellbeing, maintaining a green district and enhancing sustainability, the proposals support the WBC Council Strategy, Environment Strategy, Health and Wellbeing Strategy, Local Transport Plan and Covid-19 Recovery Strategy.

Other Matters

AWE Burghfield DEPZ Judicial Review

WBC has won the judicial review in relation to the AWE Burghfield Detailed Emergency Planning Zone mentioned in previous reports.

Developers had claimed that the Council hadn’t properly overseen the regulatory designation process, but the Judge rejected that argument and gave judgment to the Council.

In also awarding costs to the Council, and refusing the developers leave to appeal, The Hon Mrs Justice Thornton DBE said “The objective of the rationale is to enable the local authority to set the boundary of the DEPZ.  Given the nature of the present challenge it is important to emphasise that the local authority does not have any statutory responsibility for the operator’s performance of its duties or a regulatory role in reviewing the operator’s work.” and “The local authority’s role is limited to deciding how to translate the operator’s recommendation into a workable emergency plan on the ground.”

WBC’s position all along had been that the determination of the DEPZs for AWE Aldermaston and Burghfield had been undertaken with a great deal of diligence and strictly in accordance with the legislative requirements.  The judgment has confirmed this.

Census - March 2021

A reminder that the Census will take place on 21 March and that is It is a statutory obligation to complete it.

The Office of National Statistics is leading the planning and delivery of the Census, with local authorities such as WBC being key beneficiaries of the resulting data.

WBC will be supporting the work to ensure that the Census 2021 is a success (defined by achieving a 95% response rate nationally whilst ensuring that no local area achieves a rate below 80% and, for the 2021 Census, to receive 75% of responses on line).

May Elections

Elections for the Thames Valley PCC and for town and parish council vacancies are to be held (delayed due to Covid-19) on 6 May 2021:

• Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner;
• Lambourn Parish Council (one seat in the Lambourn Ward and one seat in the Upper Lambourn Ward);
• Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council (three seats);
• Newbury Town Council Clay Hill Ward (one seat).

Polling Stations will be subject to stringent Government Covid safety measures to ensure electors can vote safely.  However, WBC is aware that many people will prefer to vote by post, particularly if they are vulnerable or shielding.  Applications for postal votes must be received at WBC’s Market Street office in Newbury by 5pm on Tuesday 20 April.

If residents haven’t registered to vote (eg if they have recently moved to the district) they will need to do so here.

Residents can ensure that their electoral details are up to date by emailing vote@westberks.gov.uk

Parish Matters

Ward

AWE B DEPZ JR and the Grazeley Garden Settlement

Just the odd acronym…

Whilst important in its own right to uphold the WBC processes on determining the DEPZs, this judicial review (at least in my opinion) cements the position regarding the Grazeley Garden Settlement project.  If the failure of the Housing Infrastructure Fund bid, the expansion of the DEPZ, the objection to the Wokingham Borough Council draft local plan by the MoD, and the removal of Grazeley as a proposed site from the WBC draft local plan together put the project in the coffin and nailed the lid down, this (in my view) buries it.

Community Infrastructure Levy Fund Bids

As can be seen above, the passing of Capital Strategy as part of the budget has cemented the funding for the Burghfield Village Hall and footway widening to St Mary’s School projects.

Surge Testing

WBC recently emailed community volunteer groups and parishes via the Community Support Hub because all councils have been asked to prepare in case surge testing in relation to an incidence of a Covid variant/mutation is found locally.

WBC has been developing a framework to use should we be asked to carry out surge testing and as part of that planning an option would be to deliver and collect completed test kits in the local community.  Depending on the size of the area selected for testing, this process may be resource intensive, particularly as testing is carried out over a short period of time (normally 4-5 days).

It is important to emphasise that we are making preparations just in case the need arises, not because we know it will.

At this stage WBC is not asking that anyone does anything specific since we hope we never have to activate the framework and develop a detailed plan.  You may however wish to consider the potential request within each parish to ensure those who need to be aware are..

If there are any queries, please email the Community Support Hub: hubmanager@westberks.gov.uk.

Four Houses Corner

Although this is within the Stratfield Mortimer parish it is no doubt of general interest.

After a very lengthy process, all residents have now left the site and WBC has vacant possession.  Officers are working on a detailed project plan – the timings will be dependent on planning permission, site investigation and clearance work.  The overall project is likely to take in the region of 22 months (site clearance > planning permission > refurbishment > residents return to site).

Beech Hill

Members’ Covid Bid – 154 Bus Service

As Cllr Plank knows, the bid regrettably failed: “The funding must be utilised within 6 months. As the bus service is not currently running and both the duration of the current lockdown, and the nature and timescales for any subsequent restrictions, being unknown it was considered that this bid should be declined”.

Burghfield

Planning Application for Energy Resource Centre and Data Centre (20/02029/COMIND)

This application was not listed for the Eastern Area Planning Committee on 10 March, so we wait to see when (assuming that officers propose that permission is granted) it will be debated.

Planning appeal - 1 Kirton Farm Cottages, Pingewood, RG30 3UW

A note that the appellant’s appeal against refusal of permission for a two storey rear extension was recently dismissed.

Footway between Man’s Hill and The Collection

WBC’s contractor Volker Highways were due to start works to improve the footway on the south side of Reading Road as above from yesterday (Tuesday 2 March).

The first phase of work involves the clearance of vegetation, saplings and branches on the road side of the ditch sections, followed by installation of post-and-rail fencing and edgings under the fence line.  A further phase of work to widen the footway will then follow on.

Stratfield Mortimer

Members’ Covid Bid - Defibrillator

Last month I reported that this bid had fallen away.  However, BHPC’s loss is SMPC’s gain, and with the rejection of the 154 Bus Service bid referred to above it was resurrected and will be funded.

Graham Bridgman

Council Member for Burghfield and Mortimer

Deputy Leader of Council and Executive Member for Adult Social Care

3 March 2021

“A very important milestone with regard to the future (or not) of the Grazeley Garden Settlement happened on Friday (12 Feb), when judgment in the case of Crest Nicholson Operations Limited and Others v West Berkshire District Council was handed down, following a two day hearing in December.

“The action was an application for judicial review brought by a group of developers against WBC in relation to the extent of the AWE Burghfield DEPZ (Detailed Emergency Planning Zone), with AWE plc, the Secretary of State for Defence, Public Health England, and the Office for Nuclear Regulation all having joined the action as Interested Parties to support the WBC position. The Developer Applicants argued that WBC’s regulatory oversight of the designation process was deficient, but the Judge rejected those arguments and gave judgment for the Council.

“In dismissing the application, awarding costs to WBC, and refusing permission to appeal, The Hon Mrs Justice Thornton DBE said “The objective of the rationale is to enable the local authority to set the boundary of the DEPZ. Given the nature of the present challenge it is important to emphasise that the local authority does not have any statutory responsibility for the operator’s performance of its duties or a regulatory role in reviewing the operator’s work.” and “The local authority’s role is limited to deciding how to translate the operator’s recommendation into a workable emergency plan on the ground.”

“So, the scope of the DEPZ, and the objection by the Defence Nuclear Organisation (part of the MoD) to the draft Wokingham Plan (and thus to development at Grazeley) has been given judicial support.”

“A very important milestone with regard to the future (or not) of the Grazeley Garden Settlement happened on Friday (12 Feb), when judgment in the case of Crest Nicholson Operations Limited and Others v West Berkshire District Council was handed down, following a two day hearing in December.

“The action was an application for judicial review brought by a group of developers against WBC in relation to the extent of the AWE Burghfield DEPZ (Detailed Emergency Planning Zone), with AWE plc, the Secretary of State for Defence, Public Health England, and the Office for Nuclear Regulation all having joined the action as Interested Parties to support the WBC position. The Developer Applicants argued that WBC’s regulatory oversight of the designation process was deficient, but the Judge rejected those arguments and gave judgment for the Council.

“In dismissing the application, awarding costs to WBC, and refusing permission to appeal, The Hon Mrs Justice Thornton DBE said “The objective of the rationale is to enable the local authority to set the boundary of the DEPZ. Given the nature of the present challenge it is important to emphasise that the local authority does not have any statutory responsibility for the operator’s performance of its duties or a regulatory role in reviewing the operator’s work.” and “The local authority’s role is limited to deciding how to translate the operator’s recommendation into a workable emergency plan on the ground.”

“So, the scope of the DEPZ, and the objection by the Defence Nuclear Organisation (part of the MoD) to the draft Wokingham Plan (and thus to development at Grazeley) has been given judicial support.”

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

A belated happy new year, although not the start to 2021 that any of us would all have wished for a year ago!  Despite the pandemic, we have a very fully agenda in the coming twelve months and, now that the vaccination roll out is fully underway, look forward to life getting back to something near to normal as soon as possible.

Please find linked here the minutes from last month’s LLC meeting.

Wishing you a safe Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

Best wishes

Suzanne Chenery

LLC Secretary
Aldermaston, Reading, RG7 4PR

( 0118 98 52020

Parish Council Report for December 2020

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

West Berkshire Council

West Berkshire Council - Review of 2020

Councillor Lynne Doherty, Leader of West Berkshire Council

A Year of Caring for our Communities, Public Engagement, Action,

Supporting, Consultation and Strategies, and Achievements,

all whilst dealing with a Global Pandemic!

Councillor Lynne Doherty, Leader of West Berkshire Council

Warning To Vehicle Owners Following Increase In Catalytic Converter Thefts Across the Thames Valley

Scams and How To Contact the Police

Parish Council Report for November 2020

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

West Berkshire Council

Covid-19/Christmas

Whilst there is disappointment that West Berkshire, with a relatively low (and reducing) transmission rate, has not returned to Tier 1 (medium), we must continue to be vigilant to ensure the infection rate continues to reduce.  The decision on which tier each area goes into is based on an assessment of a number of factors, such as how quickly cases are rising or falling, case detection rates, the Cov+ rate per 100,000 of the population, the Cov+ rate per 100,000 of the 60 plus population, and the pressure on the NHS.  WBC continues to help lead the local response to coronavirus - not least in helping the residents and businesses who have been most affected.

We have recently been reminded what a difficult and fragile balance this is and we have seen some larger localised outbreaks (an outbreak is two cases or more) at two sites in the east of the district - Ikea and Little Heath School.

You will be aware of the Christmas arrangements across the UK, with provision for up to three households to form ‘bubbles’ for up to five days between 23 and 27 December.  This will come as welcome news for many but consideration should still be carefully taken for individuals and households with high risk factors (so although there may be some small cause to celebrate with a drop of fizz there is to be no bursting of the bubbles!).  Keep up to date at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-restriction-tiers-what-you-need-to-know.

The Council is supporting the NHS, which will be creating high capacity centres for the roll out of both mass testing and the vaccination programme over the coming months.  Currently we expect this to be at Newbury Racecourse and may be coming as soon as mid-December.  More details will follow on this as it becomes clearer.

Covid Winter Grant Scheme

WBC has just announced a new Covid Winter Grant, making £279k available for families and individuals in need of financial support.  It will help pay for food, utility bills and other essential items, and provide Free School Meal vouchers for eligible children during the Christmas and February half-term holidays.  The scheme will run from 1 December until 31 March 2021.

We know some people have it tougher than others right now, and that Covid has had a devastating effect for some families.  People who have already come to us for help have said they never dreamed they would be in the position of having to ask for help towards essential items but Covid had changed everything for them.  The last thing we want is for people to be struggling in silence so if you know of residents who need help do please get in touch with our Community Support Hub on 01635 503579.

To identify those most in need for the Scheme, the Council will work closely with professionals, statutory partners, Parish Councils, Citizens Advice West Berkshire, Newbury Resource Centre and other community and voluntary groups.  DWP Job Centre Plus will also be playing an active role to support those newly in financial hardship, such as through a recent job loss.

Local data

Various statistics, including information about daily reported cases, current weekly rate, etc for all Berkshire districts including WBC can be accessed from the Berkshire Public Health website.

Community Support Hub

Our support hub can still be contacted on 01635 503579 if needed.

Local Outbreak Engagement Board

A reminder that the Local Outbreak Engagement Board meets on alternate weeks in private and in public.  Each fortnight there is a meeting to regarding current activities relating to Covid-19 in and around our locality.  As with all of our public meetings, the meeting can be viewed live or at a later date via the WBC YouTube channel.  Further information about the Board can be found here.

Test and Trace £500 Support Payment

Please see last month’s report for more about this, but a reminder that anyone who meets the eligibility criteria and has been asked to self-isolate (on or after 28 September) will be entitled to make a claim once every 14 days, for each period of self-isolation required.  All eligibility criteria must be met and supporting evidence provided.  The scheme will run until 31 January 2021.

Council Meetings

A reminder that links to all agendas and public meeting papers are here, and all WBC public meetings are broadcast live on YouTube and recorded so that they can be viewed at leisure - West Berkshire Council YouTube Channel.  Guidance for anyone attending a remote public meeting (eg a parish representative at a planning committee) is here.

Executive

The Executive met on 19 November (a recording of the meeting can be viewed on the YouTube channel referenced above) and considered a number of papers including publication of the final draft of the London Road Industrial Area post public consultation and the closure of Walnut Close care home (more below).

The next meeting of the Executive is scheduled for 17 December, with a proposal to adopt a new Housing Allocations Policy amongst other matters.

Council

The next meeting of Council is on 3 December and papers will include the draft consultation of the district Minerals and Waste Local Plan and timetable for public meetings in 2021/22.  There are also a number or responses to previous motions as well as new motions being brought.  There is also a paper and proposal based on the recent (four-yearly) review of councillors’ allowances by an independent panel.  This will be the penultimate Council meeting of the fiscal year with the 2 March 2021 meeting seeing the setting of the Council budget for 2021/22.

The Local Economy

Saturday 5 December is Small Business Saturday - a chance for us to celebrate the local shops, businesses and services which we enjoy here in West Berkshire.  There are many ways you can support our small businesses and not just by shopping with them.  Leaving them a review, mentioning them on social media or buying a gift card to use later can make a big difference to them.  You could even shop online with local business and donate to the Council’s Christmas appeals!

Grants for businesses

Further grants are being made available to those businesses who have to close, as well as to some who are experiencing particular hardship as a result of the new restrictions.

Local Restriction Support Grant

The Local Restrictions Support Grant will support businesses that pay business rates on their premises, who have been forced to close.

Additional Restrictions Grant

The Additional Restrictions Grant is a discretionary grant administered by WBC to support businesses who have been affected by restrictions and who have not received other grant support, or require further assistance.

Please refer to the Local Restriction Support Grant queries page for more information.

Christmas

Giving Tree / Community Santa Christmas Appeals

In addition to the annual Giving Tree Appeal for victims of domestic abuse, this year the Council is running Community Santa to recognise those in our communities who have had a particularly difficult time, perhaps through isolation or bereavement.

Nominations have been sought through our A2 Dominion partners for Giving Tree and Community Groups, and Adult Social Care for Community Santa.

This year ‘gift tags’ can be selected electronically via our event website page and the parallel schemes will run until 11 December.  Due to the lockdown we are only able to accept online deliveries during office hours to the Council Office at Market Street - more information is available on the WBC website at https://info.westberks.gov.uk/Christmas.

Christmas cards for care home residents

Care home residents love getting messages and cards through the post.  During the first lockdown, local schools sent letters from the children which brought real joy and our homes welcome Christmas Cards from the public, particularly for residents who may not have loved ones to send letters to them.

People can send a card to our care home residents this year via any of our care homes: Birchwood in Newbury, Notrees in Kintbury, Willows Edge in Newbury or Walnut Close in Thatcham.  Cards should be addressed to ‘WBC Christmas Card Initiative’ (we always quarantine envelopes to ensure that they are safe to handle when they are opened in our homes).  Find the care home addresses here Care Home Addresses or visit our web page Christmas Cards.

Education

WBC, Newbury College Academy Trust (NCAT) and Feltham Construction Ltd have confirmed the completion of the building work for the brand-new Highwood Copse Primary School.

Having identified a need for additional primary school provision in the area, WBC selected NCAT to run the school, which has been built on the College campus.  NCAT and the Council have been working together to ensure the provision meets the needs of the local community and have thanked Feltham Construction Ltd for their work in creating such an outstanding building.

Find out more about Highwood Copse Primary School, which will be welcoming its first Reception class (aged 4-5) intake in September 2021 at www.highwoodcopse.co.uk.

Children and Family Services

A ground-breaking scheme to protect vulnerable children in West Berkshire is being hailed a success by an independent evaluation commissioned by the Department for Education.

Under the new ‘Family Safeguarding Model’, the number of children entering care has dropped by more than 40%.  In the first year of the new model, 20 fewer children from West Berkshire went into care, a drop of 41%.  In the second year, another 14 fewer children went into care, a drop of 29%.

The programme brings groups of professionals together under one roof to provide intensive support to parents whose problems with substance misuse, mental health and domestic abuse put their children at risk of harm.  Based on the Family Safeguarding Model pioneered in Hertfordshire, teams of skilled professionals work together with families and with the support of a clinical psychologist to tackle the root causes of these issues.

Reports of missing young people within West Berkshire also dropped by 26% in the first year.

Kickstart

WBC has submitted an application to HMG on behalf of local businesses which could see up to 60 new jobs created for under 25s through the 'Kickstart' scheme - in order to apply directly businesses must offer 30 new roles, so where smaller local businesses cannot offer so many roles WBC is acting as a gateway organisation, to bring together a group of employers and support them to create new roles.

The placement will offer six months of high quality paid work experience, and the council has partnered with West Berkshire Training Consortium to offer CV writing, interview and other workplace skills to every candidate, which will maximise their chances of finding long term employment.

The Council is taking a lead role by creating 13 internal Kickstart placements across teams such as Planning, Children's Services, Legal and HR.  It will also continue to support as many businesses as possible to utilise the scheme and looks to submitting further applications on an ongoing basis.

Adult Social Care

Care Homes

WBC is working hard to ensure that residents in their care homes can stay connected with their relatives and friends during the coronavirus pandemic, and recently revised their care home visiting protocol to take account of Lockdown 2 and the latest Government guidance.

All of the council’s care homes now have a dedicated room to allow visits to take place, each situated near the entrance of the building and set up with screens to ensure that everyone can see each other face-to-face whilst distancing safely.  You can see the revised protocol here: Revised Care Home Visitor Protocol.

HMG has also recently announced a rollout of lateral flow testing kits to care homes to allow more face to face visiting, subject to negative tests – we await supplies and training.

Closure of Walnut Close Care Home

The proposal to close the Walnut Close care home in Thatcham was given the go ahead at the Council’s Executive meeting on 19 November.

WBC has sufficient and suitable spaces at the Birchwood care home, just under two miles away, to accommodate all of the residents from Walnut Close in a more modern setting with enhanced facilities such as ensuite bathrooms.

All of the care staff from Walnut Close are being offered like roles at Birchwood, so that there will be a continuity of friendly faces when residents arrive in their new surroundings, and there is no anticipation that there will be any need for redundancies.  Moreover, the intention is that a currently empty wing at Birchwood will be re-named Walnut, and staffed by current Walnut Close staff, so there should be a little home-from-home for the Walnut Close residents moving in.

No moves will take place until after Christmas.

West Berkshire Directory

A reminder that the directory – to be found here – contains a wealth of information about (eg) accessing support in local communities, help at home, leisure activities, financial guidance, care homes and voluntary organisations.

Transport and Countryside

WBC has been awarded £495k from the Department for Transport's Active Travel Fund, following the Council's bid to further develop a lasting, safe environment for walking and cycling.  The grant is in addition to the £124k awarded in the first phase of allocations in July that went towards temporary active travel measures in response to the pandemic.

The latest Active Travel proposals for the next phase primarily consist of permanent measures to create and improve travel routes for cyclists and pedestrians on the A4 corridor within Newbury and Thatcham as well as a pilot School Zone/School Street Scheme in Calcot.

The proposals are designed to enhance the safety of pedestrians and cyclists; promote health and wellbeing; improve the environment, air quality and sustainability; and play a key role in Covid economic recovery plans.  The proposed schemes have factored in resident feedback through previous community consultation.  In addition, the Council will be launching a series of consultations starting in January 2021 so that residents can have their say on how each of the proposed Active Travel plans are implemented.

Other Matters

Thames Valley Police – Local Area Commander

Lindsay Finch, the acting LAC for West Berkshire, has decided not to apply for the permanent role which will be filled by Supt Zahid Aziz from 4 January 2021, with Lindsay reassuming her Deputy Commander role.

AWE

The MOD has triggered a successor arrangements clause in its agreement with AWE Management Limited such that AWE will revert to a direct Government ownership model as an arms-length body – with the transition anticipated to be completed by the end of June 2021.

Parish Matters

School Parking

This from a recent email from Jon Winstanley (the WBC Service Director, Environment) regarding parking near schools (happened to be in Burghfield but should be of interest more widely):  “Sadly this is a problem across the District and indeed across the Country which has no doubt been exacerbated under the current circumstances.  It will come as no surprise that my Civil Enforcement colleagues’ presence is very much in demand at a great number of the 90 schools in West Berkshire.  It is also unfortunate that the CEO team is not immune from the impacts of Covid, with the need for several staff to self-isolate having a further impact on our responsiveness.

I will ask my CEO colleagues to ensure Burghfield Schools are visited, but I mention the above to set the expectation around our limitations in terms of frequency.  I would also add that whilst Civil Enforcement is effective in controlling parking offenses whilst officers are present, parking problems can return soon after civil enforcement officers leave the area. 

I will take this opportunity to clarify the legal powers of our Civil Enforcement Officers.  CEOs do not have powers to direct vehicles to move on the highway nor to penalise speeding traffic, only the police have this power.  No Waiting restrictions such as single and double yellow lines are also subject to a mandatory 5 minute observation period prior to us being able to issue a penalty charge notice. Also, if the vehicle is alighting passengers it is legal to stop on a single or double yellow line for a reasonable amount of time for the alighting to happen.”

Tree Preservation Orders

I have also recently looked into the law regarding appeals in respect of TPOs (this enquiry related to Mortimer) and thought that the following might be of interest:

This from Naturenet:

“If you're wondering how you can get a TPO taken off a tree, or removed, or anulled [sic], or lifted or whatever, then read on carefully. You might be able to get what you want, but revoking the TPO is almost certainly not the way it is going to happen. Note for a start that the only way to completely remove a TPO is for the council to revoke it. Revoking a TPO is a tiresome business, as much work as making a new one, and it is very rare indeed. If it happens at all, the usual reason is if there has been some mistake in the making of the Order and a new one is needed to correct it. It is very, very unusual for councils to revoke TPOs because a landowner asks them to do so. And there's a reason for that. Lifting a TPO at the request of a landowner is rare because the law intentionally provides other far easier and simpler methods of achieving what the landowner wants. If you choose not to use those methods you will need to explain to your council why you will not. And you'd better have a good reason.”

This from Gov.uk (although referenced as relating to conservation areas, it appears to be a decent analysis of TPOs generally):

“Is there a right of appeal against made or confirmed Tree Preservation Orders?

The legislation provides no right of appeal to the Secretary of State against an authority either making or confirming an Order. There is, however, a right of appeal to the Secretary of State following an application to carry out work on trees protected by an Order that is refused, granted subject to conditions, or not determined.

Can the validity of a Tree Preservation Order be challenged?

The validity of an Order cannot be challenged in any legal proceedings except by way of application to the High Court on a point of law. The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the Civil Procedure Rules 1998 set out the application process.

Anyone considering challenging the validity of an Order in the High Court is advised to seek legal advice.”

Finally, and perhaps the best general overview, this from Tree Preservation Orders: A Guide to the Law and Good Practice:

“High Court Challenge

3.45 The legislation provides no right of appeal to the Secretary of State against a TPO, either when made or confirmed. An appeal to the Secretary of State can be made, however, following an application to cut down or carry out work on trees protected by the TPO (for more details see Chapter 7 of this Guide).

3.46 The validity of a TPO cannot be challenged in any legal proceedings except by way of application to the High Court.40 An application to the High Court may be made by any person who is 'aggrieved' by a TPO on the grounds:

(1)          that the TPO is not within the powers of the Act, or

(2)          that the requirements of the Act or Regulations have not been complied with in relation to the TPO.

To be 'aggrieved' applicants should be able to show that they have a sufficiently direct interest in the matter.

3.47 An application must be made within six weeks from the date of confirmation of the TPO. The High Court may quash the TPO or suspend its operation wholly or in part. Failure by the LPA to comply with the requirements of the Act or Regulations may not be sufficient for the Court to quash the TPO; the Court should also be satisfied that the interests of the applicant have been 'substantially prejudiced' as a result; any would-be applicant may first wish to consider whether the LPA's decision would have been more favourable if made in accordance with the statutory requirements.

3.48 Anyone thinking about making an application to the High Court is advised to take legal advice on the procedures involved and the likely costs that might be incurred if the application failed.

… 40 See section 284 of the Act for the rule and section 288 for provisions about applying to the High Court.”

(The legislation referred to is s.284 and s.288, Town and Country Planning Act 1990.)

Graham Bridgman

Council Member for Burghfield and Mortimer

Deputy Leader of Council and Executive Member for Adult Social Care

2 December 2020

Parish Council Report for October 2020

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

Parish Council Report for September 2020

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

West Berkshire Council

Council Meetings

Links to all agendas and public meeting papers are at http://decisionmaking.westberks.gov.uk, and all WBC public meetings are broadcast live on YouTube and recorded so that they can be viewed at leisure - West Berkshire Council YouTube Channel.

Executive

The Executive met on 3 September (a recording of the meeting can be viewed on the YouTube channel referenced above) and considered a number of papers on Council performance and budget outturns for Quarter 1, agreed that the draft London Road Industrial Estate (LRIE) Development Brief should go to public consultation (see more below), and received a plethora of public and member questions.

Council

Council met on 10 September (a recording of the meeting can also be viewed on the YouTube channel).  There were 21 public questions - all of which will have received a written answer in accordance with the Resolution on public remote meetings passed in April (more about public questions below) – and 13 questions from Members answered on the night.

Planning White Paper

The main paper discussed at the meeting was presented in order to formulate the WBC response to the HMG Planning White Paper published in August which is currently out for consultation (closes on 28 October).  The response was agreed, having previously been discussed at a cross-party briefing and the Property Advisory Group (which contains opposition members).

Parish Councillors involved in planning may be interested in the response - it is contained in the meeting agenda pack, which can be read here, as amended by a notice of corrections.

Public Engagement in Remote Meetings

A major change to the way in which we conduct remote public meetings was introduced by a Conservative motion, supported by Members unanimously.  This allows the public into meetings on a restricted basis, eg to receive the answers to public questions (and ask supplementaries if desired), and to answer questions on planning submissions.

Thus (for example and amongst others) town and parish councils can now put forward a representative to an area planning committee to answer any questions that the committee members might wish to ask regarding a submission made regarding a planning application on the agenda.

WBC has published guidance for the public wishing to engage in remote meetings.

Future meetings

The next scheduled meetings of the Executive and Council are on 15 October and 3 December respectively.

Local Economy

London Road Industrial Estate Consultation

Regeneration of the area has been a long-held ambition for the Council and, in December 2019, WBC commissioned a report from independent consultants on the redevelopment.  The report has found that regeneration remains a viable prospect and puts forward possible options for developing a new masterplan for the area.

Regeneration of the London Road Industrial Estate will deliver new office and light industrial space in the area.  West Berkshire already offers excellent opportunities for businesses but the Council is committed to doing more to support start-ups and business growth.  A strong local economy will better serve local residents' needs and redevelopment will help West Berkshire keep its competitive edge.

As well as meeting a commitment made in the Council Strategy, regeneration also supports a wider regional effort to create more opportunities for businesses looking to move into the area as well as providing space for start-ups looking to get off the ground.  A recent study by the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership identified a need for more affordable innovation spaces within town centres in Berkshire - and regeneration of the London Road Industrial Estate will help.

The consultation has begun to provide local people with the opportunity to have their say on the plans.  You can find the consultation on our consultation portal and it is open until 20 October.

Housing and Planning

Housing Strategy Consultation

West Berkshire Council is inviting residents and stakeholders to provide their views on its draft Housing Strategy 2020-26, which details how the council intends to support residents with access to good quality housing while preventing homelessness and rough sleeping.

http://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/-j-VCAPoOUNP0BJsQu61k?domain=track.vuelio.uk.com

This public consultation of just over six weeks will close at midnight on Sunday, 1 November.

The Housing Strategy sets out West Berkshire Council’s strategic housing priorities and the range of actions that the Council intends to take in partnership with relevant partners and stakeholders.  In addition, the draft strategy explains how a thriving housing market – within both the local and national context - can positively influence and support the delivery of the Council’s vision through the following twin priorities:

• Priority 1 - Enable every resident to have access to a home that meets their needs
• Priority 2 - Reduce homelessness

The draft strategy looks at the demographics and anticipated demand for housing across the District for the future.  Overall, the population is projected to grow by just under 5% by 2036, but the modelled shift by age groups is stark, with the 0 – 60 population predicted to fall by (rounded) 5.5% and the 60+ population predicted to rise by 33%.

Thus, while West Berkshire has a relatively young population at present, the population is forecast to become older with household sizes reducing.  These factors will impact on the future requirements for the type and size of housing across the district and the need for appropriate affordable housing.

To read the policy residents and stakeholders go here.  Those unable to participate online can request a hard copy by calling 01635 519530 and selecting option 1.

Funding award to help rough sleepers

West Berkshire Council has been awarded £184k from the Government’s Next Steps Accommodation Programme.

This successful bid for funding is part of a range of financial assistance made available by central Government to help local authorities get through the worst of Covid-19.

When Covid-19 began to take hold earlier in the year, WBC worked swiftly with partners to make sure that rough sleepers in West Berkshire were safe and had somewhere to go at a time when we were all being asked to stay at home.  Together with local partners, a task force was set up to help and find accommodation for them.

Reducing rough sleeping is a key Council priority and this money will enable the Council and partners to continue with this work.  It will help provide accommodation in the private rented sector, secure interim accommodation and allow the assessment of the wider support needs for vulnerable people to rebuild their lives.  As colder weather approaches the good this funding will do in keeping people off the streets cannot be underestimated.

Environment

West Berkshire Community Climate Bond

The Community Municipal Investment remains open until 15 October so there is still opportunity for those who have not yet done so to invest if they wish.  The Bond which aims to raise £1m for photovoltaic panel installation has currently reached £680k.

Investments start from £5 and will earn a return of 1.2 percent over a five year term, with capital returned in instalments across the investment term.

Further information can be found here.

Education

West Berkshire Council to invest £43m over next three years on schools and education services

We have announced our Education Capital Programme for 2020-23, with an investment of £43 million on new builds, expansion and improvement of schools, and the refurbishment of education-related care facilities across the District – including provision for new equipment and services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The Willink

Included, as one of the projects scheduled for completion through 2021–2, is a £2.9m expansion project for the Willink, to increase the size of the sports changing rooms (completed), build a new English studies block with seven classrooms and associated facilities, and refurbish several other rooms.

Other Projects

Recent major successes include the £8.8 million site purchase and new build of Theale Primary School, refurbishment of the Castle Gate respite care home in Newbury (£128k), Hungerford Primary School kitchen expansion (£417k), and extensive repairs carried out at Falkland Primary School, Newbury (£474k).

Projects scheduled for completion over the next six months include a new primary school at Highwood Copse, Newbury (£7.7m), increased accommodation to cater for a greater number of pupils at Winchcombe Primary School, Newbury (£341k); and an extension to the main school building to provide a new science classroom at Trinity Secondary School, Newbury.  Beyond six months, there is a £1.5m project to  is a rationalise accommodation in line with pupil demand, with the renovation and expansion of outdoor play areas, at Parsons Down Partnership, Thatcham.

Culture and Leisure

Draft Cultural Heritage Strategy

The draft Cultural and Heritage Strategy sets out the Council’s vision for the next 10 years to ensure that culture and heritage continues to be an important part of everyone's daily life in West Berkshire.

The vision is to have a sustainable, resilient and thriving cultural heritage sector that supports creativity and innovation, while bringing significant benefits to the economy and all our communities.  This draft strategy aims to build on its existing strengths and has identified a number of high-level objectives to be achieved by the council and key stakeholders working together.

To promote and develop our cultural heritage, the Council has worked with stakeholders to develop the following five objectives as part of the draft strategy - to:

• Ensure our cultural and heritage organisations thrive and are as sustainable as possible;
• Contribute to the improvement of the health and well-being of all our residents;
• Improve access to cultural education, learning and employment;
• Protect and promote our unique cultural history, heritage and environment; and
• Increase domestic and international tourism to generate income, investment and increase economic resilience.

With the pandemic proving to be a threat to cultural organisations large and small, regionally, nationally and internationally, a clear strategy and plan is needed now more than ever.

The consultation on the draft strategy has opened for six weeks, closing on Sunday 18 October.

Libraries re-open to public from 21 September

West Berkshire Libraries are delighted that the initial phase of restoring the service has proved a great success.  The Order & Collect service which have been running for the past couple of months allows customers to reserve books online or to tell the service about the sort of books they like to read and for staff to choose a selection for them.

As well as continuing with this, the library service is now moving forward with the next phase, which will enable public access to all our library buildings across the district from Monday 21 September

Customers will not need to book a time to visit, but the number of people within each building will be limited and so you may need to queue to get in.  Library staff will ask you to keep your visiting time to about 30 minutes and to use the hand sanitiser provided on entry and exit.  Test and Trace contact details will be collected at the door.

Computers and printing/photocopying facilities will be available, but there will be fewer computers in order to ensure adequate social distancing.  Customers will be able to use a computer for one session of 45 minutes per day.  There will be no other seating or study areas available within the libraries and no access to toilets, baby changing facilities or refreshments.

The fines amnesty has also been extended and there will be no fines charged on items due for return between 20 March and 30 September.

Please remember that wearing face coverings is now mandatory in public libraries.

Waste Services

Putting Waste in Its Place

Food waste makes up nearly 25% of the rubbish in a black bin but it can easily be recycled in the green bin without the need to subscribe to the green waste scheme.

Over the coming weeks, WBC will be placing stickers on black bins to remind residents to recycle their food waste and put it in the green bin.

For more information on food waste recycling, go here.

Recycling Permits

WBC green recycling permits with an expiry date of 30 September 2020 are still valid at the Council's recycling centres in Padworth and Newbury - residents do not need to order a new permit as the green permits will continue to be accepted until further notice, although the permit needs to be displayed to allow entry into our recycling centres (and a booking made).

Transport and Countryside

A339 road improvements at Newbury to start on 5 October

Work on improvements along the A339 between the Pinchington Lane Roundabout in Newbury and the entrance to the Household Waste Recycling Centre will start on Monday, 5 October and last until early Spring 2022.

Volker Highways has been contracted to carry out the works where the A339 will be widened on both sides to make room for two lanes in both directions and a new traffic light controlled junction installed.  The new junction will connect the A339 to a link road to the new Highwood Copse Primary School and will include a pedestrian crossing to allow users to safely cross the A339.

The project, which is part funded by Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s Local Growth Deal Funding, also includes relocation of underground pipes and cables on both sides of the A339, significant surface water drainage works and footway construction.

Once the work is underway, weekly progress updates will be posted on the project blog at www.westberks.gov.uk/a339.

Please contact Network Improvements team by tel.  01635 551111 or email a339@westberks.gov.uk with any questions, comments or for further information.

Ultra Low Vehicle Emissions Strategy (ULEV)

The Government’s 2018 Road to Zero Strategy sets out the ambition that by 2040, no new petrol or diesel cars, or vans will be sold.  Last February the Government announced its intention to bring this forward to 2035, and sooner if possible.  Hybrid vehicles would also be banned, and only new full electric or hydrogen vehicles would be sold from 2035.

The West Berkshire Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) Strategy seeks to map out a programme for supporting ULEV uptake in the district.  It is the intention that this document informs the general direction for West Berkshire, with more detailed policy or guidance documents produced where appropriate.  Whilst some improvements have already been implemented, it is recognised that we are at the start of the transition, there remains uncertainty for the future to the technical advances we are seeing and the resulting changes to driver behaviour, therefore this strategy will be regularly reviewed, at least biannually, to ensure it is kept current.

Other Matters

District/Parish Conference – Tuesday 20 October

The next conference, to be held virtually via Zoom, will include topics such as Low Power Wide Area Network (LORAWAN) gateways and the Smart Cities project; Community Engagement and Covid-19 recovery; and the Planning White Paper (see more above).

Details about booking a place have been distributed via Parish Clerks.

Covid-19

Local outbreak control planning

The Council has distributed an information leaflet on the Local Outbreak Control Plan, also available here.

The leaflet explains how we will aim to protect residents and communities by minimising further spread or recurrence of Covid-19 across West Berkshire.

Social Distancing

Whilst community transmission rates are comparatively low, as lockdown is eased and those in the shielded and vulnerable groups are able to leave their home (if they so wish) it is as important as ever that social distancing is observed – see the latest HMG advice.

Covid-19 testing advice for Berkshire West residents

Residents across western Berkshire are being asked to only request a Covid-19 test if they have symptoms, or have been asked to get a test.

There is currently a high demand on the Covid-19 testing system, caused by capacity at the labs (and not at local testing centres).  The Department for Health and Social Care is prioritising tests in areas where there are higher rates of Covid-19 (Berkshire having lower case numbers than elsewhere in the country – with 97% of tests on Berkshire residents last month coming back negative for Covid-19).

If you have been identified as a contact of a case then you should isolate for 14 days.  Two weeks covers the incubation and infectious periods of the infection.  You do not need a test unless you have symptoms but if you do have a test and it comes back negative, you still need to isolate for the whole period.  The same applies if you are isolating having returned from overseas.

Residents can play their part by maintaining social distancing guidelines and wearing a face covering where it is required to do so.

Local Covid-19 outbreak

Nationally there has been an increase in cases of Covid-19, and we are likely to see more local cases and outbreaks over the coming months.

Agencies are working together to manage an outbreak of Covid-19 within a workplace in Newbury.  In recent days a number of police officers from Thames Valley Police have tested positive for Covid-19.  Those officers, and a number of other people they have been in close contact with are now self-isolating in line with national guidelines.

Agencies including West Berkshire Council and Public Health England are working with Thames Valley Police to ensure that appropriate steps are being taken to minimise the spread of the virus in line with our local outbreak control plan.

Parish Matters

Local housing numbers

Although things are somewhat up in the air with the Planning White Paper, mentioned a couple of times in this report, it is interesting to note the initial assessments very recently advised (last Friday, 2 October) in relation to indicative housing requirements for the designated Burghfield and Stratfield Mortimer Neighbourhood Areas within the West Berkshire Local Plan Review to 2036.

The draft plan will include an indicative housing requirement for each designated Neighbourhood Area.  Using that requirement, the neighbourhood planning groups in the district can then (as necessary) commence site selection work to determine which site(s) they want to include as allocations in their neighbourhood plans.

(It is important to note that the requirements are indicative at this stage because they are subject to change as work on the Local Plan Review progresses, for example during the independent examination.  A requirement may also change as a result of any changes that the Government make to the standard methodology which is used for calculating the overall housing need for a district – hence the reference to the Planning White paper.

The Government are currently consulting on proposals to amend the standard methodology for calculating housing need – it is important to note that the draft proposals result in an increased housing need in West Berkshire.)

The current outcome is that the indicative housing number for both Neighbourhood Areas is zero, but with different reasoning in each case:

• Stratfield Mortimer - the NDP includes an allocation for up to 110 dwellings, the allocated site has outline planning permission, and the first phase of development (28 dwellings) is progressing.  Given the outstanding dwellings still to deliver, officers consider that there should not be any additional allocation in the plan period.  It is however recognised that windfall development may come forward over the plan period.
• Burghfield – the parish falls within the recently revised AWE Burghfield DEPZ and residential development is unsuitable in this zone.  However an Offsite Plan is being produced and this may allow a limited amount of development - the housing requirement for Burghfield will be reviewed following the publication of the Offsite Plan.

Graham Bridgman

5 October 2020

Parish Council Report for January 2021

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

West Berkshire Council

A belated happy new year, although not the start to 2021 that any of us would all have wished for a year ago!  Despite the pandemic, we have a very fully agenda in the coming twelve months and, now that the vaccination roll out is fully underway, look forward to life getting back to something near to normal as soon as possible.

Council Meetings

August is a quiet month for public meetings but this does not halt preparation for both Executive and Council following the return from summer breaks in September.

Yesterday evening (3 September) the Executive considered a number of papers on Council performance and budget outturns for Quarter 1 and the London Road Industrial Estate (LRIE) Development Brief, along with a plethora of public and member questions.

On 10 September full Council will consider, amongst other things, the Planning White Paper.

Links to all agendas etc are at http://decisionmaking.westberks.gov.uk and all WBC public meetings are broadcast live on YouTube and recorded so that they can be viewed at leisure - West Berkshire Council YouTube Channel.

Parish Council Report for July 2020

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

Wokefiled Parish Council is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: WPC Zoom Meeting
Time: Jul 22, 2020 07:30 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89688222080?pwd=RnBrYXpHZnNKM0dxYVpZaHFNdE5tZz09

Have you bought anything online recently?…

Almost 34% of all retail sales during May 2020 were carried out online, and new research suggests that only 16% of UK consumers intend to return to their old shopping habits post-lockdown. See below for advice from ActionFraud

Due to COVID outbreak, the next Parish meeting on 22nd July will be held online. .

Should any member of the public wish to attend or ask a question at the meeting, please write to the Clerk via email by 19:00 on 21st July.  Instructions on how to join the meeting will be forwarded in time for the meeting.

Follow this link to view June 2020 – Councillor Graham Bridgman monthly report. Older reports can be found by following the links found under WB District Reports on the Home page. 

West Berks Libraries are open

Wokefield Parish has Published it's annual returns for the year 2019-2020. 

A person called Tom or another name are phoning locally again wishing to check your loft insulation, saying that they have carried out loft insulation in the past and want to check that it is OK or some similar story.   They are using 01635 800 numbers so if that comes up, don’t answer then do 1471 to obtain their number and to check it is nobody you know, dial the number with 141 in front to remain anonymous and you will most probably find that the number will not be recognised. They buy blocks of numbers cheaply on the internet and are crafty with the 01635 code. They are not working for the Government or West Berkshire Council.  

Also, TV Licensing and HMRC scam emails are circulating again.

Always forward any scam emails or ones that you are not sure whether a scam or not to report@phishing.gov.uk as they are monitoring and closing down many email addresses and this is proving to be very successful at the moment.

Spam texts are also being received purporting to be from PayPal advising that someone has tried to log into your account and to unlock your account, you need to click on a link to resolve this issue.    If you do receive any spam texts you can report them directly to your mobile phone provider by forwarding the text message free of charge to 7726.  It would then be worthwhile blocking that number on your mobile.

National Neighbourhood Watch has a website: www.ourwatch.org.uk   It gives you the opportunity to list and map your NHW scheme and receive their newsletter, plus gives lots of other useful information.  

If you do not currently have a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in your road, with all the lovely community spirit at the moment and neighbours getting to know one another, it is the ideal time to set up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in part or all of your road.   If you would like Angela Money to send you details of how to set up a scheme, please phone 01635 40866 or email ajmy5m7@inbox.com  and she will make contact with you.  With email now, it is so easy to forward the Police/NHW/Action Fraud Alerts on to your neighbours. Neighbourhood Watch signs, stickers and leaflets are free plus all neighbours receive various local discounts.  It is important for more schemes to be set up as this will help combat crime and make the community a safer place to live.

All members of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in West Berkshire are entitled to various discounts.   I am attaching details of all the discounts and codes that need to be quoted when contacting the relevant Companies including a new one for CCTV and other security products.
(Have just received a call to say that the ERA discount offer is no longer available).

Message Sent By
Angela Money (NHWN, Multi Scheme Administrator, West Berkshire Local Policing Area)

Please see below Parish Council Report for May 2020 from 

Cllr Graham Bridgman (West Berkshire Council, Burghfield and Mortimer Ward)

West Berkshire is a district with an impressive
heritage legacy. Reflecting this, there are 53
conservation areas in the district, most
designated in the 1970’s or 1980’s. However,
West Berkshire Council has a duty under
legislation, to define why an area has been
designated as a Conservation Area, and to do
this it is looking to the parish and town
councils, and local amenity societies for
assistance. Conservation Area Appraisals
act as a framework to guide future
development in the conservation area, and
help parish and town councils to recommend
ways to preserve and enhance their special
architectural and historic characteristics. They
are invaluable too, for parish and town
councils working to prepare a Neighbourhood
Development Plan.
Unfortunately, West Berkshire Council does
not have sufficient resources to carry out 53
individual appraisals quickly, but it is hoped
that the parish and town councils and local
residents (the people most involved in, and
concerned with, the preservation of their own
area of the district), will be able to carry out
the initial work.
Working with the West Berkshire Heritage
Forum, West Berkshire Council is developing
a ‘Toolkit’, which contains a variety of
guidance, list of resources, and an appraisal
report template, to assist parish councils and
volunteers in undertaking a Conservation
Area Appraisal. The West Berkshire Heritage
Forum and West Berkshire Council are also
offering all parish and town councils, and any
volunteer groups working with them, free
training sessions to help them understand
how to carry out the appraisal, and complete
the template.
The work will be supported by West Berkshire
Council, in terms of printing and publication,
and help and advice throughout. The final
document can then go forward for
consultation and Council adoption for use in
planning matters.
Parish and Town Councils can join in by
forming an Appraisal Group (where a
Heritage Working Group already exists, or the
parish is working on a Neighbourhood
Development Plan, such a group may already
exist in embryo). Such groups can ask for
volunteers; local historical and heritage
societies may already hold useful information
which can be included, so their volunteers
should be sought.
The Council’s Conservation Officer will
provide relevant local maps, a copy of any
existing Conservation Area information, a list
of designated assets, and the conservation
area appraisal ‘Toolkit’.
Community Involvement in the Production of
Conservation Area Appraisals
May 2020
Community Involvement in the Production of Conservation
Area Appraisals (continued) May 2020
Page 2
The work required will be a mixture of desk
top research, practical field trips to walk round
the area and take notes, and report writing.
Support, including training and practical
support from West Berkshire Council and the
West Berkshire Heritage Forum, will be
available throughout.
Once completed, Conservation Area
Appraisals help to inform decision-making in
the determination of planning applications by
the local planning authority and at planning
appeals. Their objectives can be summarised
as following:
• provide a clear definition of the area’s
special architectural and historical
interest;
• provide a framework against which
future development can be assessed;
• review the existing boundaries of the
conservation area;
• identify buildings, structures, and
green spaces that are desirable to
protect, preserve or enhance;
• identify and map archaeologically
sensitive areas;
• develop recommendations and a
management plan for the area;
• empower local communities to explore
the sense of their place;
• alert local communities to the
cumulative effects of minor change on
an area’s character;
• identify potential Assets of Community
Value.
The format, style and content of Conservation
Area Appraisals produced by different Local
Planning Authorities varies considerably. The
template for West Berkshire Council
appraisals has been drafted taking account of
Historic England guidance. While it is
anticipated that the appraisals published
following this template will set a ‘house style’
for Conservation Area Appraisals in West
Berkshire, there will be some scope for
variation, dependent upon individual
circumstances.
Two Conservation Area Appraisals have
already been carried out, for Streatley and
Peasemore. They can be found at
https://info.westberks.gov.uk/article/28789 or
by entering “Conservation Area Appraisals”
on the West Berkshire Council web site.
We look forward to working with you on this
important project.
Contacts:
Debra Inston, Principal Design and
Conservation Officer, West Berkshire Council
Email: debra.inston@westberks.gov.uk
Anthony Pick, Chair, West Berkshire Heritage
Forum
Email: Anthony.pick@newburyweb.net
Susan Ellis, Secretary, West Berkshire
Heritage Forum
Email: susancarveth@gmx.com

Recycling Centres to open

West Berkshire Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) are set to reopen to allow residents the opportunity to dispose of waste and recycling that cannot be safely stored at home. This follows publication by the government of updated guidance indicating that visits to recycling centres can be considered essential under certain conditions.

From Thursday 14 May both of our recycling centres, which are located at Newtown Road in Newbury and Padworth Lane, near Aldermaston, will be reopened. The sites were closed temporarily on 24 March following announcements by the government of lockdown restrictions. In order to manage demand, a booking system is in place and you will not be able to simply turn up at the recycling centres.

The booking system will be live on the morning of Wednesday 13 May and residents need to book their appointment here: https://citizen.westberks.gov.uk/clickandtip.

When the recycling centres reopen, and to stay within the government's Covid-19 guidelines on essential travel, please remember that journeys to these sites during lockdown should only be made if waste cannot be stored any longer at home without causing a risk to your health and safety. The sites will be open seven days a week from 9:00am to 6:00pm, with the last booking appointment available at 4:30pm.

Working with Veolia, who are our waste contractors, precautionary measures will be introduced to help maintain social distancing on our sites for our residents and staff protection. We will also implement a robust traffic management plan which will help us minimise impacts of traffic congestion on the local road network and to control the number of visitors to the site at any one time.

Residents need to book an appointment and be prepared for the possibility of long queues. We are advising delaying a visit until things are a bit quieter in a few weeks’ time or to only visit if you cannot safely store waste at home for the next couple of weeks. Our kerbside waste collections for recycling, rubbish, the garden and food waste subscription scheme and chargeable kerbside bulky waste collection service is still operating normally and residents are advised to make use of them, wherever practicable, in the meantime.

Making your visit run smoothly

The experience of visiting our household recycling centres will be different and you should only visit the recycling centres if you cannot safely store your waste at home.

Please ensure you:

• Have booked an available appointment online: https://citizen.westberks.gov.uk/clickandtip – this will available from Wednesday 13 May in the morning.
• Check online to see if all waste materials can still be taken to the site.
• Check the site layout when loading waste into your car. Use these site maps to help you when packing your vehicle:https://info.westberks.gov.uk/recyclingcentres.

• Check travel times and any restrictions in place. Please arrive at your allocated time that you have booked online and not any earlier. There may be delays accessing the site and possibly queues of waiting vehicles. Please bear with us as we work safely on the site to limit contact between people.

• Have your permit, or ID and proof of West Berkshire address with you.
• Have a copy of your booking confirmation with you - either a print out or on your phone.
• Only bring what you can physically carry as we are operating a one person per car restriction - our staff cannot help with your waste when you are unloading your vehicle. Under exceptional circumstances only, and at the sole discretion of site staff, two people may be allowed to leave the vehicle to dispose of the waste e.g. if they are removing a heavy or bulky waste item.
• Please follow the instructions that site staff will give you and also be polite to members of staff.
• All residents visiting the site will need to observe the social distancing measures in place by keeping at least 2 metres apart at all times.
• In line with Public Health England guidance, residents who are vulnerable, or who are showing symptoms which may indicate coronavirus, should not visit household recycling centres.

For more in-depth information, please read our FAQs. 

In these difficult times, as the Government implements stronger and stronger measures to keep us all safe, there are undesired and unforeseen economic  impacts on individuals.

If the measures to contain the corvid-19 are having serious financial implications for you or your immediate family a local charity may be able to help.

Stratfield Mortimer Relief in Need Charity is an amalgamation of several ancient charities dating back to the sixteenth century.  It is a locally based charity covering residents in the parishes of Stratfield Mortimer, Mortimer West End and Wokefield and it’s mission is to provide Relief for those in Need.

For more information, click on the button Relief in Need Charity in the list on the left of this screen.

Follow this link for an update from West Berks on Waste and Recycling in light of COVID-19:

   https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKWESTBC/bulletins/285b3f8

Please use the link below to see Cllr Graham Bridgman’s monthly report for March which provides much information regarding West Berks Council’s actions to deal with Coronavirus and and update on Grazeley Garden Village,

March Monthly Report

I understand that this is a difficult and worrying time for a lot people as we all make significant adjustments to our daily lives to follow the measures set out by the government. These measures have been put in place to stop the spread of the virus, protect the NHS and save lives.  

On 25 February, the Government announced the replacement warhead programme in Parliament, reaffirming its commitment to maintaining the United Kingdom’s minimum credible independent nuclear deterrent, which exists to deter the most extreme threats to the UK and our NATO allies.

Follow the link for the full statement: https://www.awe.co.uk/2020/02/uk-warhead-replacement-programme/

Please see below for AGENDA for 98th Meeting of the AWE Local Liaison Committee Wednesday 18th March 09:30AWE, Aldermaston

Thames Valley Police no longer accept bikes that have been found by a member of the public or take reports of lost bikes.  If a person has had their bike stolen this needs to be reported online to TVP or by calling 101.  A lost or stolen bike needs to be reported with all details and serial numbers online to www.bikeregister.com.  It is important for all bike owners to register their bikes on this website, as besides helping to get your bike back if stolen and found abandoned, it also helps with finding out your identity if you are involved in an accident on your bike.  
 
TVP have access to search this site so they can check if a stolen bike has been found providing the owner knows the serial number.  The finder of a bike can go to this website to check if the bike has been reported stolen and if it has, it needs to be reported to the Police.  If the found bike has not been recorded on www.bikeregister.com  as lost or stolen, the finder needs to make reasonable attempts to locate the true owner via social media pages such as Lost and Found in our area.   Best practice for finders of bikes would be to hold on to them for a period of 4 weeks to give the owner chance to come forward but after this period the finder can decide how to dispose of the bike and would suggest giving to the Community Furniture Project.
 

The implementation period for leaving the EU will continue until 31st December 2020. During this transitional period we will continue to issue EFP’s. 

Please note that Portugal no longer accepts UK EFP’s. In these circumstances you will need to check the firearms licensing requirements of this EU country ahead of your travel arrangements.  

For further advice on EFP’s please use the following link:  EFP Advice Link

Please follow this link for Padworth February 2020 Newsletter

PARISH CLERK AND

RESPONSIBLE FINANCIAL OFFICER

Applications are invited for the post of part-time Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer to the Wokefield Parish Council.

M4 Smart Motorway project

There are two full weekend closures of the M4 coming up early in the new year, between junctions 6 and 8/9 over the weekend of 17-20 January and between junctions 4b and 5 over the weekend of 14‑17 February.  For more info go to http://www.highwaysengland.co.uk/m4j3to12.

James Lane, in the parishes of Wokefield and Burghfield will be closed from  6^th to 24^th January 2020 between its junction with The Mearings and its junction with Goring Lane.

The alternative route for all vehicles affected is via Goring Lane, Hollybush Lane, Reading Road, Hermits Hill, and vice versa.

The purpose of this closure is so Thames Water can lay a mains supply for a new development.

Residential & Blue light access will be maintained throughout, and the diversion will be signed on site.

All enquiries should be directed to: KCD on 0793 9977 827

A plan of the closure can be found at: (click on link) https://one.network/?tm=115871143

Andrew Gatland

Streetworks West Berkshire Council Market Street Newbury RG14 5LD

01635 519106  Ext 2106 andrew.gatland1@westberks.gov.uk

www.westberks.gov.uk

Dear Land Owners/Game Keepers,
 
Please could you notify Thames Valley Police control room via the 101 number when there is  a shoot taking place or if you are out Lamping.
 
This will help with our resourcing when members of the public call in to inform us of persons on land with guns, vehicles and also reports of persons on land shining lights around.
 
When you do call in please can you inform the control room of the following –
 
Time & date – between times.

The area you will be in.
 
What vehicles you are in.
 
Names of persons involved.
 
Anything else you feel that Thames Valley Police should be aware of.
  
Thank you very much for you co-operation in this matter.
 
Kind Regards
  
PCSO Paul Smith  
paul.smith4@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
 

Thames Valley Police will be sharing our home security advice with you all throughout this month, so please keep an eye on this space

Burglary-advice - 166.7 KB

Follow this link for latest Padworth Newsletterhttp://www.wokefield-pc.org.uk/userfiles/files/Document%20Archive/Public/Padworth%20Newletters/Padworth%20Newsletter%20132.pdf

TVP feel it is really important to have a clear understanding of rural crime within our community, and your feedback will help them shape their local response towards it.

Special Constable (Volunteer Police Officer) - Application Advice

Thames Valley Police is currently recruiting for volunteer police officers.  You can find more information about becoming a Volunteer Police Officer, and apply for this volunteer role, at http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/joinus.htm.  Please ensure you read the guidance notes before completing any application.

The Special Constabulary welcomes and encourages applications from members of the public who wish to give something back to their community, develop their skills or just take up a challenging volunteering role at the heart of the community.

Follow this link for AWE’s LLC  July 2019 Report.

Thames Valley Police are advising shoppers and drivers to be extra vigilant following a scam that happened yesterday (18/07) in a Supermarket car park in Newbury.

A male approached a driver saying that someone had hit their car and that the driver should get out and have a look. The driver got out and looked around the car. At this time, unbeknown to the driver, another male had opened the passenger door and had taken their wallet. The driver got back into their car and when they had realised what had happened, they followed and confronted the male, who then made a call to the other male and the wallet was returned to the driver with nothing missing.

Please check out the Thames Valley Police website for more information on scams and ways to prevent yourself from being a victim.

https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/central/advice/thames-valley/fraud/little-book-big-scams.pdf
 

A local resident has brought the following to the Parish Councils' attention.:

"We live in Lockram Lane and during a recent dog walk we sheltered under trees close to the old reservoir opposite Lockram Cottage. We noticed that the old fence has collapsed and there is easy access to the top of the reservoir. There are several unprotected open manhole openings on the top of the reservoir which are a danger to animals and children who happen to venture into there. The tank is very deep and falling in would be easy with inattention."

Your local Neighbourhood Policing Team would like to make you aware of the following:
Rogue Doorstep Traders will use a trade as a means to extract large sums of money from people.

There has been a spate of catalytic converters being stolen from vehicles, in particular from Toyota Prius’.

Drivers can reduce the risk of theft by parking their vehicles in a garage, parking in a location that restricts access underneath the vehicle, park somewhere well-lit and also in a place that is covered by CCTV.

Courier Fraud, Bogus Police and Bank Officials Alert

What you need to know


Individuals have been receiving phone calls from people claiming to be a police officer or banking official
 

Watch out for these FAKE TalkTalk emails about a refund

Action Fraud has received over 100 reports this week about fake emails purporting to be from TalkTalk. The emails state that the recipient’s TalkTalk account is in credit and that they’re owed a refund. The links in the emails lead to malicious websites.

Don’t click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails, and never respond to messages that ask for your personal or financial details.


 

Below can be found links to recent reports on the acivities of AWE compiled by the Environment Agency (EA) and Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR).

Environment Agency March 2019

Office of Nuclear Regulation

The Thames Valley Police budget has been cut by £101 million over the last eight years which has resulted in significant cuts to police officer and staff numbers. This year the Government has encouraged all Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to raise the policing element of the council tax precept by £2 a month for a Band D property (the increase for other property Bands is set out in the below table). To prevent further damaging cuts to policing and restore some important frontline policing capability  Anthony Stansfield, the Police & Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley would like to make use of this Government advice and raise the council tax precept accordingly.

More information & the opportunity to answer a survey on the subject can be found here:

http://sgiz.eu/s3/Policing-budget-council-tax-2019-20

Help for Carers from West Berkshire Council

Carers assessments and working out what support you need

If you provide necessary unpaid care or support to an adult family member, friend or partner, you may be eligible for support. 
Adult carers that look after someone who lives within West Berkshire can request a carer's assessment by:

• completing our online enquiry
• downloading and completing our  WBC Carers assessment/review summary form [123kb]
• alternatively, completing the  Carers 'Understanding your Needs' Information Gathering Form [544kb], a document which provides a range of questions / prompts that may help you consider your caring role (this was developed following feedback from Berkshire Carer services)

If you need help with completing your carers assessment please contact Adult Social Care  - we'll give you some advice on how to fill it out.

Reading and West Berkshire Carers Hub provide support and information to carers.  If you would like further information please complete the  Reading and West Berkshire Carers Hub Referral Form [64kb].

In order to make savings, West Berkshire Council is proposing changes to its street cleansing and litter picking services.  Specifically, for rural areas such as Wokefield it is proposing the following changes:

Type of Land                            Current Litter Picking                                       Current Street Cleansing                      Proposal

However, the  public can them us about local issues, including problems with litter, litter bins and fly tipping at www.westberks.gov.uk/reportaproblem.

They  welcome the support of the community in identifying problem areas and will be extending the service to include the reporting of the build up of detritus.

Thames Valley Police advise that typically at this time of year when the clocks go back, there is a increase in the number of homes which are broken into and burgled.

Their basic advice to reduce the risk of burglary is to remember to:

• Close and lock all your doors and windows when going to bed.
• Keep valuables out of sight.
• Don’t advertise that you’re out, invest in a light timer switch.
• Register your valuables with www.immobilise.com
• Receive crime updates by signing up to www.thamesvalleyalert.co.uk

Please see below a message from the Deputy Chief Constable of TVP re Terrorism threat raised to critical:

Last night the Prime Minister confirmed that the national terrorist threat has been raised to critical.  This means that an attack remains highly likely but a further attack may be imminent. At this time there is no intelligence to suggest a specific threat to the Thames Valley.

Our priority is to protect the communities of the Thames Valley and visitors to our area. Overnight we have put in place additional armed and unarmed officers at key locations. This is very much focused on crowded places, including transport hubs and shopping centres.

Do not be alarmed if you see more armed police officers both on foot and in vehicles.  For operational reasons we are not confirming details of locations, tactics and numbers of police officers on duty to ensure the effectiveness of our deployments.

We will continue to work with our partners and event organisers to assess the planned events where we may need to enhance our presence.

Deputy Chief Constable John Campbell said:

“I would like to reassure you that the move to critical is something that we prepare for. We will continually review our deployments and take all possible steps to keep people safe within Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.

“At this time we need everyone to remain alert but not alarmed.  We need your help to help us protect our communities and disrupt those who seek to harm us. I would urge you to contact the police straight away if you believe that someone is acting suspiciously.

“Our officers and staff will continue to provide a visible presence in our communities and we have the specialist resources in place to respond in an emergency.”

We have the following advice:

·         If you see anything that causes you concern then let us know immediately, if you have suspicions about someone’s behaviour call the police on 101, the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321 or in an emergency you should always call 999

• A webpage with advice for victims and those affected by the attack in Manchester has gone live on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/manchester-attack-may-2017-support-for-people-affected

• The latest guidance on recognising the terrorist threat and remaining vigilant can be accessed via www.nactso.gov.uk

• For further information about reporting suspicious behaviour visit https://act.campaign.gov.uk/. If you get caught up in the unlikely event of a weapons attack we urge you to follow the Run, Hide, Tell advice.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Thames Valley, Anthony Stansfeld, has  launched his ‘Victims First’ brand and website.

West Berkshire at Home Library Service

This Service provides an invaluable link to readers who are unable to get to their own branch library. We are looking for volunteers to take library material to people’s homes on a 3 week cycle. Having your own car is essential.

If you are interested in volunteering please contact:  gtaylor@westberks.gov.uk Tel:01635 519533

Apply online at www.westberks.gov.uk/volunteer

The latest Parish Newsletter can be found here: Summer 2016

September launch for new West Berkshire wastepermit scheme

A new permit scheme for accessing West Berkshire household waste recycling centres will begin on Monday 26 September, 2016.

The scheme is being introduced to ensure West Berkshire residents do not have to pay for waste brought to the district from elsewhere through their council tax. Until recently, Hampshire County Council paid £200,000 a year to allow its residents to use West Berkshire facilities but stopped this funding earlier this year. Hampshire residents currently account for around 40% of waste taken to Padworth and 20% of waste taken to Newbury and the cost of disposing of this waste now falls to West Berkshire council taxpayers and puts an additional strain on the waste service. In March, West Berkshire Council also decided to cease funding towards the re3 waste partnership – funding which allowed residents to use the Smallmead recycling centre in Reading.

From 26 September West Berkshire residents will need to display a vehicle permit in order to access the household waste recycling centres in Newbury and Padworth. A permit will be posted to every household across the district in the coming weeks and must be clearly displayed in order to enter the recycling centres.

Each household will receive a single permit that can be used in domestic vehicles. Residents who only own a commercial-type vehicle will be able to apply online for a permit.

Neither site is registered to dispose of commercial waste so businesses, which are already prohibited from the centres, will not be issued with permits.

From Monday, waste collection teams will be leaving bin hangers on bins to tell homeowners about the changes.

As well as the introduction of a permit scheme West Berkshire Council intends, subject to planning permission, to extend Padworth so that it can accept general household waste. From the planning application being submitted it will take around six months to upgrade the site.

Speaking about the permit scheme Councillor Marcus Franks, Portfolio Holder for Communities and Public Protection, said: “This permit scheme will help us to ensure West Berkshire residents do not have to pay for the disposal of waste from other districts. At a time when our resources are tighter than ever it is important that we are using them wisely to protect our services as best as we can.

“We have worked hard to minimise any inconvenience to local people with permits, which will be posted out to residents. Anyone who only owns a commercial-type vehicle will soon be able to request one through an online form. We will now be working hard to communicate these changes to local residents to make sure everybody knows about these changes.”

The permit scheme has been introduced in response to changes to regional waste arrangements as local authorities respond to reductions in their budgets. This includes reductions in funding for cross-border arrangements which have compelled local authorities to introduce permit schemes – including one for Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell – to manage the costs of waste disposal.

Before West Berkshire Council decided to cease funding towards re3 discussions took place to explore how costs might be reduced while allowing residents to continue using the Smallmead site. These were unsuccessful and re3 subsequently chose to implement its permit scheme.

Councillor Marcus Franks has written to Andrea Leadsom MP, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to raise awareness of the impact reductions in local government funding is having on waste services. In his letter he highlights that similar choices will be made across the country and will only be solved if the government acts.

Speaking about the letter, Councillor Franks said: “I felt it important that I write and highlight to the government how ridiculous this situation is. District boundaries are important to councils but less so to our residents who simply want to use their nearest waste centre. We didn’t want to introduce a permit scheme but we were forced to because of decisions made by others and I’m sure this will be happening around the country. I believe the government should act and hope they will give the issues I’ve raised some serious consideration.”

More information about the new permit scheme will be available from Monday at www.westberks.gov.uk/hwrcpermit

Building Community Together is an initiative to help people in West Berkshire help each other.

It aims to make our communities stronger, and less reliant on council services whilst still getting the things they need to thrive.

To support such initiatives, West Berkshire Council has established the “Building Community Together Fund” which will be available over the next two years and will close in November 2017. Local community groups can bid for funds from this pot to help them take responsibility for providing projects and services in their communities to meet local needs.

For more information and examples of current initiatives visit Building Community Together

If you have an idea as to how this initiative could benefit Wokefield, please contact the parish council via the Parish Clerk:  clerk@wokefield-pc.org.uk

The Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley would like your views on policing and crime.

This Summer, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner is seeking views from the residents of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire on policing and crime.  This feedback will help inform the Police and Crime Plan which sets the priorities for Thames Valley Police for the next 5 years.

What concerns you about policing in your area?  What would you like Thames Valley Police to prioritise with regards to crime?  Have you been a victim of crime and would like to feedback your experience? 

To give your views, you can complete a short online survey at www.thamesvalley-pcc.gov.uk/survey.  It should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and will be open until Friday 30^th September 2016.

If you would like a copy of the survey posted to you, please contact the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner on 01865 846780

The popularity of cycling is ever increasing and West Berks wants to see this growth in cycling within our District.  That’s why they’ve set up a working group, to identify which barriers are preventing cycling from becoming more popular for all residents and visitors for all journey purposes including commuting, recreational and health purposes.

Follow this link for more informtion West Berks Cycle Group

Please follow the link below for advice from Chartered Trading Standards Institute on avoiding scammers

http://www.wokefield-pc.org.uk/userfiles/files/Document%20Archive/Public/POSTERS/poster.jpg

Thames Valley Police have launched a campaign to prevent garden theft. Follow the the following link to view their poster.Garden Security

Neighbours asked to help in the crackdown on doorstep crime

Local people are being asked to look out for their neighbours to help crackdown on doorstep crime as part of a national campaign 'Good neighbours stop rogue traders'

Are you a good neighbour? Do you want to protect vulnerable residents from rogue traders?

Follow the link below for advice on how to deal with unwanted doorstep callers either at your own home or that of a vulnerable neighbour

/userfiles/files/Document%20Archive/Public/Useful%20Information/Rogue%20Traders.pdf

Community Trigger  Launched across West Berkshire

The Community Safety Partnership, including West Berkshire Council and Thames Valley Police are working together to introduce Community Trigger as part of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014.

The Community Trigger which comes into effect on 20^th October 2014, is intended to enable victims of persistent anti-social behaviour to request a review of their case, and brings agencies together to take a joined up, problem-solving approach to find a solution.

After a year's effort, the Grazeley Green team achieved one of its objectives last Sunday. Namely to clear the verge between the Pightle and the Old Bell in Goring Lane to provide a safer pedestrian route to the pub and clear lines of sight around the bend by the pub.

Neighbourhood Watch Launches Protect Your Car Campaign