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Electoral Registration Canvass

The next batch of electoral canvass forms are due for delivery very soon.

These forms will go to households that are unlikely to have any amendments or very few changes. Existing electors who did not respond to the email communication will now receive a paper form too, just in case there are any updates to the information we currently hold.  

You may have a 16 or 17 year old to register.  You might need to tell us you are over 76 years of age, therefore exempt from Jury service.  You may also wish to opt out of appearing on the open version of the register or wish to vote by post in future.   All these amendments can be made online using the codes shown on your form.  If you don’t use the internet, please call the helpline during office hours and we will do our best to help.

Those households who have already had a form which requires a response, but not replied yet, should do so as soon as possible to avoid reminders being sent.  

If you need our help call 01635 519464, between 8.30 am and 5 pm, Monday to Thursday and 4.30 pm on Friday.

Reminiscence Project at Willows Edge Care Home

Local student, James Peaple, has recently spent time leading a number of photo-based reminiscence sessions at Council run Willows Edge Care Home as part of his university project, investigating how photos stimulate memories.

Residents enjoyed discussing photos from their own lives as well as pictures of historical events including Royal weddings and the first man on the moon.  He also ran a number of similar sessions at the Fairclose Centre in Newbury.   

James, a former student at Parkhouse school, is studying Photography and the Arts at Trinity Saint David University in Swansea.

With over 1,500 members of staff corporately, plus additional members of staff working across our local schools and education settings, we're one of the largest employers in the area. There are lots of reasons to consider a career with us - from the wide range of services we provide to the training and benefits we offer.

Current vacancies include:

• Project Support Officer (LRIE)

• Social Worker

Throughout September we'll be highlighting the fantastic work going on across the district as well as how residents can get involved.

By improving your energy efficiency and reducing your energy consumption, you can reduce the impact of rising energy bills. Whether your changes are big or small, you can find guidance and help on steps to take on our webpage. 

Take a look at our poster for some easy changes or more long-term projects to get you started.

Ash dieback is prevalent across most of West Berkshire with nearly 10,000 ash trees, either in private ownership or growing on Council land alongside the major road networks. An annual summer survey is carried out to monitor the Ash population, and where trees are identified as needing work this is then carried out. If you are concerned about an Ash tree or group of trees then we encourage you to contact the Council.

Kerbside food waste collections will start from the 31 October 2022 and residents with communal bins your collections will start from 28 November 2022. For more information please visit our website.  Watch our quick video on how to use the new food waste collection.

We want to showcase our fantastic environmental groups in the district, which is why we have partnered with aDoddle Community Mapping. This platform is a great way for grassroots to improve their presence online and allows residents to find their local group and volunteering opportunities. By working together we can strengthen our climate action! Join or find out more on the website.

Communities Shape West Berkshire’s future

We’re delighted to announce that our third round of grants for local infrastructure projects is now open.

Since 2021, we’ve put aside £1.5 million of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money, a charge we receive from new developments, to go towards community projects. 

It’s fantastic to see the wide range of projects that this fund supports and as in previous rounds, it will help local community groups to play an active role in shaping the future of our district and enable projects that our communities want and need.

To date, we’ve approved a total of almost £1 million in community grants ranging from £10k to £100k. Successful bids included the renovation of village halls, scout huts and improvements to sports and playground facilities.

We’re now inviting community groups to bid for the cash in Round Three.

Find out more information on our website. 

Over 3,000 children take Summer Reading Challenge in West Berkshire

The theme was ‘Gadgeteers’, a celebration of creative thinking and teamwork, developed by national charity The Reading Agency in partnership with the Science Museum Group.

2,969 children visited a West Berkshire library to take part in the challenge to read six books over the summer holidays, while over 200 more joined in digitally via the SRC website. All children who completed their challenge received a certificate and medal to celebrate their achievement.

421 pre-school children also took part in a Mini Challenge and 751 people took the Grown-Ups2! challenge. Those who completed the grown-ups challenge were entered into a prize draw to win a wifi tablet. This year’s winner was John Brook, who completed his challenge at Pangbourne Library.

It’s free to join and borrow books from West Berkshire Libraries for all people living, working, or studying in West Berkshire. To find out more visit our website.

National Inclusion Week

Councillor Lynne Doherty has written a blog around National Inclusion Week which can be found on our website.  "As an organisation I believe that West Berkshire Council has taken many positive steps to make all people feel warmly welcomed into it. Over recent years it has focused on those who may feel marginalized or excluded."

And finally...

An inclusive park in Almond Avenue opened up last weekend. Whilst there will be a wide range of activities to suit children aged 2-8 years, emphasis has been placed on inclusivity for users with motor impairment. There are ramps and challenge elements to meet a variety of special educational needs.  Next week, year 9 students across West Berkshire will experience live educational theatre discussing issues such as substance misuse, online safety and unhealthy relationships. Find out more on the website. Parents who are not able to attend the show can watch on our livestream on the night.  Thank you to everyone involved in the LRIE Webinar last night. Feeling inspired listening to our speakers talking about the future of the estate & to the attendees asking some great questions. Re-watch the webinar online.