Shop Local Shop Green
 This year, we've created a sustainable Christmas shopping guide for residents, featuring local independent stores, farmshops, craft stores, and more.
With the cost of living crisis affecting us all, we want to ensure that we promote our local businesses this Christmas. It is also important for shoppers to think about shopping less, but shopping better: buying fewer gifts and reducing waste by buying more sustainably.
We want to support our independent businesses in these hard times. The magazine will be available online as a digital magazine and will be circulated to various media outlets to gain maximum promotional value.
Please do help us spread the word by adding this to your own newsletters, website and social media.
Rural Business Forum
 On Friday 4 November, we held the first Rural Business Forum in Shaw House, Newbury. The aim of the event was to bring rural businesses in West Berkshire together and discuss the challenges and opportunities that could be explored with the council; including development, environment and rural community prosperity. The event was attended by a range of sectors including Estates, Farms, Horse Racing, Vineyards and Land Managers.
The in person event saw an exploration of key topics in the rural economy and opened with our Key Note Speaker, Lord Benyon, Minister of State for DEFRA, who was also representing Englefield Estate who talked about issues relating to planning, connectivity and environment. This was followed by Ed Cooper, Director of Biocap talking about Biodiversity Net Gain, and Tim Slaney, Director of Planning at South Downs National Park who spoke about whole estate plans within the protected area of outstanding natural beauty.
The afternoon included breakout sessions where attendees could discuss the opportunities and challenges in rural growth. The outcomes and prioritisations from the groups discussion will be taken on board to produce an action plan within the Council. We received great feedback from the event with 100% of the attendees finding it useful. We will be looking at holding similar events in the future to keep an active relationship with our businesses in the district.
This event sees the beginning of a closer working relationship between the Council and businesses as we continue to make West Berkshire a great place to live and work.
You can watch a video of the Forum highlights here.
Rural funding bid submitted
 Today, we submitted a plan to the Department for Environment, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for how the Council will invest £597,994 of funding that we are set to receive for rural areas.
The Rural England Prosperity Fund has been allocated to predominantly rural local authorities; we are the only council in Berkshire to receive it. it is part of the same Government programme as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
We will receive the funding over the next two financial years, running out in March 2025. Our plan is focused on the following three main themes:
- Capital funding for rural businesses to invest in diversification
- Capital funding for community spaces like village halls to invest in improved infrastructure
- Creation of a new cycle way through rural villages
We will keep residents and businesses updated as the themes progress.
International Trade Funding
 The Department for International Trade is offering match-funded grants of between £1,000 and £9,000 (subject to eligibility and availability).
To secure a grant, you'll need to fund a proportion of your costs yourself. This varies according to where your business is based and will be either 40 or 50% of the total cost.
The Fund is currently available throughout England.
Find out more about the Scheme and if your business is eligible below.
Autumn Statement for Businesses
 The latest Autumn statement details that The government’s priorities are stability, growth and public services. The statement looks at business taxes, income and payroll and energy support. Below are some useful articles summarising what this means for businesses going into the new year.
Town Centre Consultation
 As part of West Berkshire Councils programme of work to protect and enhance the district's high streets and town centres, we commissioned Hemingway Design to develop Place-Making Strategies for Hungerford and Thatcham town centres (similar work to the Newbury Town Centre Masterplan last year - details of which you can see here).
Place-Making Strategies for each town will include a range of visual plans for Hungerford and Thatcham town centre improvements with the aim of enhancing their vitality, driving economic growth and bringing equal opportunities for all citizens.
As part of the study, Hemingway Design have so far organised town centre walkabouts in both towns with various stakeholders, including local councillors, ward members and local business representatives. Stakeholder input and engagement continued with town centre visioning workshops held in both Hungerford and Thatcham during November 2022. This leads into an open public consultation process/survey, to be launched on 5 December, welcoming public views on both town centres. Your input is a vital part of this study, and it will help identify improvement opportunities that will benefit the development of place-making strategies for Hungerford and Thatcham.
More information on the consultation will be available soon.
Free Bus Travel
 Following on from previous successful free travel initiatives over the last year, all bus journeys within West Berkshire will be free all day on the following days in December:
You can travel at any time on these days, so why not take the opportunity to go Christmas shopping, look at festive lights, attend the panto at the Corn Exchange, go for a bite to eat in the local eateries, take in some of the outstanding scenery, or do a round of pre-Christmas visits to family and friends.
Saturday 3 December is Small Business Saturday which is a day many businesses encourage consumers to 'shop local' and support small businesses in their communities. Businesses across West Berkshire will be taking part so why not take advantage of the free bus travel on Saturday 3 December and head out to support all types of small businesses such as bakers, butchers, craft shops or bespoke retailers. Many small businesses take part in the day by hosting events and offering discounts.
Want to travel further? Free travel is available to Reading, Basingstoke and Swindon. If you start your journey from anywhere in West Berkshire, your return journey will be free too - just ask the driver for a return ticket when you board.
Christmas at West Berkshire
See our local businesses at the various events and markets happening across West Berkshire this Christmas!
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