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 Annual council tax bills will start arriving on doormats this week.
Your bill will explain how much council tax you need to pay in 2024/25, as well as how much we'll be collecting on behalf of the fire and police services, and your town or parish council.
How much you pay depends on the value of your property and the money is spent providing a wide range of services across the district, supporting communities and helping the district develop to meet future need.
If you pay by direct debit the good news is that you don’t need to do anything – the payments will be adjusted accordingly beginning with your scheduled April payment.
We know that you may have questions about your bill or need to tell us about a change in your circumstances. You can find more information on our Council Tax webpages including:
You can find out more about our spending plans for 2024/25 online.
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Soil conditioner giveaway |
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Join us this weekend (16 and 17 March) for our fourth free soil conditioner giveaway. It's open between 10:00am and 4:00pm at Padworth Waste Management Facility, Padworth Lane, RG7 4JF!
No appointment is needed. Just show up with proof of West Berkshire residency (ID card or utility bill), your own bags or boxes and load up the soil conditioner, to enjoy the benefits of this eco-friendly giveaway.
As it's a free event, some queues are likely so please be patient. We'll be restocking throughout the day so feel free to arrive between the opening times throughout the weekend. We also ask residents to collect a reasonable amount to ensure everyone gets a chance.
As a bonus, we'll have recycling collection points for vapes, batteries and small electricals. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your garden and contribute to sustainability!
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 Keep Britain Tidy's are preparing for their annual Great British Spring Clean campaign, which is happening from Friday 15 March to Sunday 31 March.
The charity is calling for us all to join in the #BigBagChallenge by pledging to pick up litter from streets, parks, and beaches, protecting our communities and wildlife habitats.
As Keep Britain Tidy celebrates its platinum anniversary, we're encouraging residents to make a #PlatinumPledge to mark Keep Britain Tidy’s 70th year by picking 70 items or spending 70 minutes outdoors litter-picking.
We can provide litter-picking equipment but please request in advance as our equipment may not be available due to popular demand. More information can be found on our website: www.westberks.gov.uk/communitylitterpick.
Let's come together to keep our district clean and beautiful!
 We're backing a new national campaign to highlight the importance of regular attendance at schools and other educational settings.
The Department for Education’s 'Moments Matter, Attendance Counts' campaign aims to improve attendance across education settings and decrease avoidable absences. The NHS and the Chief Medical Officer say it's usually appropriate for parents and carers to send their children to school with mild respiratory illnesses, including general cold symptoms like a minor cough, runny nose or sore throat.
The good news is it's never too late for students to benefit from good attendance with data showing that more than half of students who were persistently absent in Year 10, and then rarely absent in Year 11, passed at least 5 GCSEs, compared to 36% of pupils who were persistently absent in both years. Good attendance can also support children to build positive friendships with peers.
For local support around attendance, visit our family hubs or find more information on our website.
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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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 A bespoke Changing Places Pod that will offer fully accessible toilet and changing facilities is to be installed in the Church Street Car Park in Hungerford shortly.
The Pod is specially designed to support disabled people who need assistance in their day-to-day lives and is large enough to accommodate a person and their carer.
It will provide a fully accessible toilet, plus a height adjustable changing bench and basin, as well as a hoist. The costs of the Pod have been covered by a £40,000 grant from Changing Places and £60,000 from West Berkshire’s Community Infrastructure Levy.
Once the Pod is operational, it will be assessed by Changing Places so that it can be added to the official Changing Places map so that people can find it easily. There are currently 2,241 registered Changing Places toilets in the UK.
The Aldermaston Wharf lifting bridge was successfully craned back into position last week.
Over the next couple of weeks, we will be working to reconnect all the electrical and hydraulic components of the bridge. We are still on target to get the road and canal reopened by Friday 15 March.
We would like to thank you all for your patience throughout this vital work.
Continued heavy rainfall means that many of our waterways are on flood alert. Some paths alongside rivers and canals may be flooded and flowing a lot quicker than usual with stronger currents.
We’re asking everyone to take care when walking near water and not to walk in floodwater as there may be hidden obstacles and unseen damage underfoot.
Before considering any trips check Met Office Weather and the Government Flood Checker.
Top tips if you encounter flood water:
- Do NOT enter the flood water. It may be deeper than you think, or fast flowing, or there may be unseen hazards below the surface.
- If you or someone you are with does accidentally fall in deeper water, follow the RNLI’s safety advice – lie back, relax, float to live.
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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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To celebrate International Women's Day, we met some incredible women from across the district to discuss their careers, the day's importance and the inspiring women in their life.
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From 1 April, the West Berkshire Youth Offending Team (YOT) will be known as the West Berkshire Youth Justice and Support Team. The change of name is part of a national move to remove the negative label of referring to children as offenders. The role of the Team will not change, they’ll continue to work with children aged 10-18 and their parents to provide early intervention support to prevent offending and to offer support to victims of crime.
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What's happening at our libraries? |
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We have a wide range of activities for children and adults which take place regularly in our libraries. Here are some new ones, all available for free:
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First Thursday of every month, 2:30pm - 4pm at Theale Library: everyone is welcome to bring along your own paints, brushes or sketchbooks and get together to paint, draw or anything else arty! The library provides mindfulness colouring books and coloured pencils, plus acrylic pens for anyone who would like to try stone or glass decorating.
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Every Wednesday, 1pm - 1:30pm at Hungerford Library: Wellbeing Sessions led by qualified instructors from Get Berkshire Active. These chair-based exercise sessions are free, but you do need to book in advance. For more information or to book a session, please call Kate on 07706 357801 or email katewiggins@getberkshireactive.org.
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Every Tuesday, 10am - 12pm at Mortimer Library: free, drop-in sessions for adults to come along and play chess.
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Fourth Friday of every month, 4pm - 5:30pm at Burghfield Common Library: adults and children of all ages are invited to try the art of origami. All materials provided, free of charge, no need to book.
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And finally...
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The Hungerford Poetry Festival continues until 16 March, with events including a Poetry Trail around the town with a chance to win an anthology of poetry. For more information about any Festival events and to collect a free Poetry Trail guide, please ask in the library. You can also view a selection of poems by local residents and visitors in the Poetry Exhibition at Hungerford Library throughout normal library opening hours.
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