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 Rested and recharged after the Christmas break, teams across the council are back and already busy delivering services for our communities across the district.
Many residents will be looking forward to enjoying the redeveloped Northcroft lido - which will open for its full season on 1 April. Elsewhere, we have projects across the district - from the installation of new road network sensors to help improve how we treat our roads, to the completion of a new 3G football pitch at John O'Gaunt School in Hungerford, and a new facility at Kennet Valley Primary School in Calcot to support pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Our elections team is busy gearing up to run an election in May for the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner - and, with a general election in the next 12 months, the election of local MPs too. Before then, please make sure you are registered to vote and check you have an acceptable form of ID. You can read more about what we have on our to-do list online.
Thank you for your support in 2023 - we look forward to working with you, and for you, in 2024.
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Preparing for future flooding |
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Have you been affected by the recent flooding or are concerned that you could be affected in the future? Now is the time to get prepared as the time of flooding is often too late.
Be prepared and if in doubt, check the list below for help on what you can do:
As always, keep up to date on weather warnings by following your local news and weather channels. More information about preparing for emergencies and adverse weather can be found on our website.
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We had a great turnout at the Pang Valley Flood Exhibition on Saturday! There was a good selection of exhibitors, including the Pang Valley Flood Forum, West Berkshire Council, Project Groundwater, Environment Agency, and Thames Water, who engaged with residents from across West Berkshire who came along to find out more information on: local flood projects, flooding in the area and ways to increase flood resilience.
It was an opportunity for residents to speak to local flood authorities about the support they need. Many thanks to all the residents and organisations who came along. We will now be taking on board the information we received from residents to help us understand how we can best continue supporting communities at risk of flooding.
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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:
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 Congratulations to everyone at Integration @ Badgers Hill in Calcot, on being awarded the national Quality in Careers Standard. This is not a mandatory standard, so the school has worked well beyond the minimum standards to achieve this, and it’s great to see their hard work and commitment recognised!
 If you know that you won’t be able to get to the polling station on polling day, you can vote by post or ask someone you trust to cast your vote for you, which is called a proxy vote.
You can now apply online to vote by post and for some types of proxy vote. You also need to prove your identity when applying, by providing your National Insurance number.
There are limits to how many people a voter can act as a proxy for. This means you can only act as a proxy for two people living in the UK. If you act as a proxy for people living overseas, you can act as proxy for up to four people, but only two of these can be based in the UK. If you applied for a proxy vote before 31 October 2023, this will expire on 31 January 2024 and you will need to apply for a new one.
These changes apply to UK Parliament elections, including by-elections and recall petitions, local elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections. For more information visit the electoral commission website or call their helpline on 0800 328 0280.
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We value your views on the decisions we take. There are several areas we are currently holding consultations on, including:
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We were very pleased to see that our Hungerford, Theale and Newbury 'Their Finest Hour' digital collection days were in the top ten for attendance in the country.
Their Finest Hour is a nationwide campaign by University of Oxford to preserve the stories and objects of World War Two by uploading them to an online archive which will be free to access from June 2024.
West Berkshire Council volunteers, Year 11 History students from John O’Gaunt School and 6th Form Students from St Barts School ran digital collections days across the district where they listened to first-hand accounts and memories (many passed down) of those that lived through the conflict. They were able to handle historic photographs, personal effects, and period objects before they were taken to be digitised. Thank you to all our volunteers who gave up their time freely and contributed nearly 300 hours to the project to help preserve history for future generations.
The online archive is hoping to go live on June 6 – coinciding with the 80th anniversary of D-Day. If you missed the collection days, you can share your stories here.
 Our libraries have some fantastic e-resources available for library members to freely use for homework and studying. For instance, the online encyclopaedia Britannica has three age-related editions. Take a look at our YouTube videos to find out more about the Junior edition for 5-11 year olds and the Student edition for 11-16 years.
Secondary school students can also enjoy an engaging, interactive way of learning with Brillder, which aims to add some fun to studying in more than a dozen subjects, including English, Maths, Science and History.
Visit our website to find the full list of e-resources available from West Berkshire Libraries.
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LGBTQ+ family museum morning |
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Join us for a relaxed morning in West Berkshire Museum’s Long Room on Monday 12 February, 10:30am-12pm, providing a safe space for local LGBTQ+ families to meet one another and be involved in a creative activity.
Members of the Newbury Pride committee will be on hand to answer questions and to deliver the craft.
Book your free place here.
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And finally...
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This Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, you can help by spreading awareness of cervical screening and the HPV vaccine, reading up on the facts, and getting involved where you can. Head to the Jo's trust website to find out more. Together we can end cervical cancer.
- We have received reports of HGV vehicles illegally using Frouds Lane. There is a clearly signed diversion route from Aldermaston Wharf Bridge for HGVs, however some lorry drivers are choosing to ignore the signs and are flouting the 7.5 tonne weight restriction on Frouds Lane. Our Public Protection team will be doubling their efforts in carrying out enforcement of the weight restriction and will seek to prosecute any lorry drivers who are using Frouds Lane illegally i.e. that are not delivering to premises in Frouds Lane. We have also sent reminders to local HGV and transport associations asking them to remind their members not to use Frouds Lane. If anyone spots any offending vehicles, please report it via our website.
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