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 Councillor Lee Dillon is taking a sabbatical from his role as Leader of the Council.
Lee will continue to sit on the Executive where he will be involved in key decisions and discussions, and remains the portfolio holder for Public Safety. Councillor Jeff Brooks, currently the Deputy Leader, will become Acting Leader with effect from tomorrow (1 February).
Speaking about his decision, Councillor Dillon said: "It has been an honour to serve as Leader since the elections last May and stepping aside, for now, has not been an easy decision. However, we have put in a place, and are delivering on, an ambitious Council Strategy and have an Executive who are settled into their roles and committed to delivering for local residents. We are in a good position to face the opportunities and challenges in the year ahead and I look forward to continuing to play my part on the front bench.
"Councillor Brooks is an experienced councillor and he has my full support. I look forward to continuing to work with him for the benefit of West Berkshire residents."
Councillor Louise Sturgess has also been appointed the Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration, taking over from Councillor Martin Colston who is stepping down.
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Local Government Association peer review |
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 Local government officers and councillors from across the country will be visiting us next month to conduct a voluntary peer review. Eight senior representatives from councils nationwide will spend a week collaborating with us to evaluate our performance, assess our ambition for residents, and determine if adequate resources are in place to fulfil those objectives.
Throughout the visit, the review team will engage in interviews with councillors and officers, facilitate focus groups involving officers and residents, consult with partner organisations, and participate in council meetings. Initial feedback will be shared at the end of the visit, followed by a formal report.
West Berkshire Council underwent a peer review five years ago, with the findings available to read in the 2019 Peer Review report.
You can find more information here.
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 We are extremely proud to announce the winners of our Community Champion Awards!
The winners of the awards are:
- Volunteer of the Year: Gillian Hornzee
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Susan Cocker
- Community Group of the Year: Speen Community Café
- The Pat Eastop MBE Junior Citizen of the Year Award: Thrishathi Srinivasan
Congratulations to all the nominees and thank you to everyone who nominated them. We can't wait to celebrate with you all at Shaw House next week!
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Keep up to date on road closures in your area by using the map of roadworks, including those of utility companies, on our website to plan your journeys. Click the link below for more information.
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 The wheels of progress are set to roll smoother in West Berkshire as national Government allocates a total of £1.3million in highways maintenance funding to West Berkshire Council.
Split over two financial years, the funding is courtesy of the Department for Transport and is part of the Government's grand £8.3 billion plan for nationwide highways improvement from 2023 to 2024.
An initial timely injection of £679,000 has been dedicated to various highways maintenance and improvement initiatives such as filling potholes, resurfacing, the installation of new road markings, and the replacement of traffic signs and signals.
The commitment doesn't stop there; we can expect a repeat of this financial boost, with another £679,000 earmarked for the 2024/25 financial year.
 Do you want to manage your energy bills, keep your home warm and lower your carbon footprint? Government-funded grants, such as the Home Upgrade Grant, are designed to support those households most impacted by rising energy bills living in hard to heat homes.
If your home is:
- not heated by mains gas
- hard to heat
- you have a household income of less than £31,000, are receiving income-related benefits or live in an Index of Multiple Deprivation area
you may be eligible for free Government-funded grants through the Home Upgrade Grant scheme.
You can find more information and check if you're eligible here.
 In a bold move towards modernising public transportation, we are delighted to announce our new on-demand transport service, Community Connect, has been launched for the Downlands area of West Berkshire.
The new on-demand Community Connect service has replace the timetabled service 5/5a/5c, providing greater convenience and efficiency for residents. A morning and afternoon timetabled journey will remain to ensure seamless commuter, school, and college journeys, while the service throughout the rest of the day will allow passengers to choose from a variety of pick up and drop off locations within the designated operating areas.
Community Connect will operate on Monday to Friday between the hours of 07:00 to 19:00. For more information, please visit our website.
You can read more about it here.
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Anyone can watch our Council and Committee meetings in person at our Market Street offices in Newbury and live on our YouTube channel to view the important decisions made by councillors on issues such as planning, waste services and schools.
Upcoming public meetings include:
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There is much fun to be had in Newbury this weekend with an Ancient Egypt Family Fun Day at West Berkshire Museum and 'The Tales of Hoffman' opera at Shaw House.
Do you know what a shabti is? Find out by dropping in to West Berkshire Museum on Saturday 3 February, 10am-3pm, to meet members of the Thames Valley Ancient Egypt Society at our free Ancient Egypt Family Fun Day!
Visit the special exhibition, From the Nile to Newbury: Exploring Life and Death in Ancient Egypt, have a go at some crafts, play an ancient board game, complete a trail, dress up and handle some real ancient Egyptian objects!
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After a string of comedy triumphs, Jacques Offenbach's last work was this strange opera fantastique, based on the writings of E T A Hoffmann, the Romantic German poet, telling the story of his three romantic failures. The opera is sung in English with piano accompaniment.
Kennet Opera present "The Tales of Hoffmann" by Jacques Offenbach in the Great Hall of Shaw House on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 February at 7pm, and Sunday 4 February at 2.30pm. The performance length is two hours with one interval. The café will be open selling light refreshments and drinks. Tickets cost £15 for adults and £10 for children. Book here.
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Repair Cafés are free meeting places and they’re all about repairing things (together). In Purley on Thames on Saturday 10 February, 3pm-5pm at the Mad Duck Café, you’ll find expert volunteers with skills in all kinds of fields to help make the repairs you need. When items are repaired or refurbished this enables extra life and saves landfill, whilst saving money too. Visit the Purley Sustainable Group website for more information about their events and how you can be more sustainable.
Newbury and Thatcham Repair Cafe will open its doors for the first time on Sunday 25 February 2024, 2pm to 4.30pm, at Newbury Methodist Church Hall, RG1 1AN. Please bring your items for volunteers to repair and join for a hot drink and biscuits. Repairs are free, but donations are very welcome to help fund future events. The Repair Cafe will also be at the Frank Hutchings Community Hall in Thatcham, RG18 4QH, on Sunday 24 March 2024 from 10.00am to 12.30pm. For more information, click here.
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Flood response and recovery work |
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Last week we were at the Pang Valley Flood Exhibition with our partners talking to residents about the impact of the floods, how we can support them and what they can do to help protect their homes. You can listen to what they had to say here.
If you're clearing up after the floods, our Public Health team have made this leaflet filled with advice for keeping safe and well. You can read it online here.
If you've 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. You can find out more about flooding on our website and report any problems you may have. You can also sign up for flood warnings here.
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And finally...
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Having two doses of the MMR vaccine can give lifelong protection against measles, mumps, and rubella. Ask at your GP surgery if you're not sure if you or your child have had the vaccine.
If you think you or your child may have measles, don't go to the emergency room, urgent care, or doctor's office without calling first. Call your doctor immediately and let them know about your symptoms so that they can tell you what to do next. You can find out more about measles here.
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