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 Left to Right: Keith Phillips,Stuart Gourley, Antony Amirtharaj, Bruce Schoepe and Andrew Alty
Earlier this month we successfully completed the first stage of the Stockcross Linkway, a new shared path connecting Stockcross village to Newbury.
Designed for both pedestrians and cyclists, the path runs alongside the B4000, from Stockcross to the A4 roundabout. This first stage of the scheme was started following representations from Speen Parish Council, an active travel consultation, and £280,000 funding from the government’s Active Travel Fund.
This initiative is part of the Council's commitment to create safer routes for walking, wheeling, and cycling, connecting Stockcross and Speen with Newbury town centre via low-traffic routes such as Speen Lane and Goldwell Park.
You can read more about this on our website.
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Unused school funding to be redistributed to benefit pupils |
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Schools in West Berkshire have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a proposal for excess funds currently held by schools to be redistributed to support local children.
The decision applies to Government funding. It does not include money raised through fundraising by or on behalf of a school. Schools will have the opportunity to show the source of accrued funds - which will be considered before funding is returned.
This was a decision taken collectively by schools themselves and means where schools hold excessive and unallocated surplus funds, these can be put to good use now to support children with additional needs in the district.
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A new approach to fixing potholes will result in an additional 600 potholes being fixed each year - an anticipated 20% increase from last year.
Earlier this year, we commissioned a review of the way we manage pothole repairs across our road network. A key recommendation from the review was to change the criteria on which potholes are selected to repair. As a result, we will now be repairing potholes that are 40mm deep rather than the current depth of 50mm and providing the width is greater than 300mm.
We estimate there will be a 20% increase in pothole repairs over the next year, equating to 600 more repairs based on 2023 figures. This change comes in response to a rise in public reports of highway defects, which more than doubled between 2022 and 2023 from 1,202 to 3,034, reflecting national trends.
We anticipate an additional cost of £400,000 in the first year, followed by £200,000 annually. Funding will come from the Council’s capital programme for Highway Maintenance and Improvements, currently allocated at around £9 million annually.
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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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Essential carriageway block repairs will be undertaken along Bartholomew Street, Bridge Street and Mansion House, Newbury from Monday (29 July) until Saturday 7 September
This essential repair work will involve removing the existing blocks, inspecting the sub-base, and then renewing the blocks into bays to stop block separation. The works will be undertaken in two parts with a 24-hour road closure and signed diversion route. Access for emergency vehicles will be unavailable through the work's site. The work is scheduled for the summer holidays as there is less traffic.
- Part 1: Works will commence at Bartholomew Street/Bridge Street/Mansion House Street junction, with no through access from Northbrook Street for the first two weeks as works progress past the junction.
- Part 2: Bartholomew Street will be closed at the junction with Market Street for the duration of the works, access will be maintained for businesses and the Kennet Centre Car Park. Operatives will be available to assist with deliveries during normal working hours.
Letters have been delivered to properties and businesses directly affected by this and signage will be placed along the roads to inform drivers of the road closure and diversion routes.
 Rural business in West Berkshire have so far received funding grants worth £160,000 from West Berkshire Council to help boost the local economy and promote sustainability.
Small rural businesses can apply for grants worth between £10,000 and £40,000 to help them to grow sustainably - for example by adopting new production methods or transforming derelict farm buildings into commercial spaces.
We have a total of £297,994 to award in grants before March 2025. Since the scheme was launched in December 2023 a total of £159,846 - just over half the available funding - has been awarded to six local businesses.
Applications to the scheme remain open with the next round of funding awarded in September. More information can be read on our Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) Business Grant Scheme page.
Hear more from one local business, Charlotte Manser Ceramics, talking about how the grant benefited her business on our YouTube channel.
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In 2022-23, 49.8% of all the waste we collected from households in West Berkshire was recycling. Have you ever wondered what happens to your recycling once it’s been collected from your home?
Once collected, all the recycling is brought to our facility at Padworth which is managed and operated in partnership with our contractors, Veolia.
Here’s a breakdown of what happens next, depending on the type of waste:
- Garden and food waste: This is taken to our in-vessel composting facility at Padworth, where it’s transformed into PAS 100 certified soil conditioner, used by local farmers and landscapers. Watch a video on the process by clicking here.
- Plastic bottles, cans and aerosols: These go to our Material Recovery Facility at Padworth, where they are separated into different grades and baled for transport to reprocessors. They are then turned into new products like milk bottles and drink cans.
- Glass bottles and jars: These are delivered to the Transfer Station at Padworth before being transported to reprocessors. They are melted and used to make new bottles, jars, or aggregate.
- Paper and card: These materials are also dropped off at the Transfer Station at Padworth and then transported to paper mills to be turned into more paper and card.
For more information on our environment strategy click here.
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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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Back in January, we launched the West Berkshire Community Connect bus service, linking Northwest Downlands to Newbury with a flexible, tailor-made journey experience. To give our bus a unique identity, we invited local school children to participate in a competition to name the bus.
We received around 470 entries, showcasing the incredible creativity and enthusiasm of our community's young minds. After much consideration, we are thrilled to announce the winners:
- Year 1 to 6 category: Congratulations to Chloe from The Willows Primary School for naming the bus 'Jam Buster'
- Year 7 to 11 category: Shout out to Tia from The Castle School for her name 'Linda'
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Chloe's 'Jam Buster' was the overall winner with both winners being the first to view the newly branded name on the bus when presented with their prizes by West Berkshire Council Chairman, Cllr Billy Drummond.
'Jam Buster' reflects the spirit of our community and the innovative service we provide to help reduce traffic jams.
We want to thank all participants for their fantastic entries!
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 Join our Family Hub team at Central Family Hub, Park Lane, Thatcham RG18 3PG from 10am – 1pm on Thursday 1 August. You will be able to:
- Relax with a hand massage
- Have breastfeeding memory photos taken
- Enjoy some craft time
- Find out about wearing your baby with Wokingham Sling Library
- Play spaces for your baby and toddler
- Refreshments including homemade cakes
For more information contact 01635 503990 or 01189 456157. Please note the team can only accommodate children up to age five.
If you're a new mum and would like free face-to-face breastfeeding support, you can also come along to one of our West Berkshire Family Hubs where 1:1 appointments are available by arrangement.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Sunday 4 August | Gates 5pm, Performance 6pm | Adult £13, Child £9 | Suitable for ages 8+
This hilarious adaptation sees Shakespeare’s fantastical characters brought vividly to life as audiences are transported to an enchanting world bursting with magic, romance, and of course, heaps of laugh-out-loud comedy! Four young lovers, a band of hapless actors, and a magical realm populated by mischievous spirits set on causing mayhem at every turn culminate in an unparalleled open-air experience of beauty and hilarity.
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Peter Pan: Monday 12 August | Gates 5pm, Performance 6pm | Adult £13, Child £9 | Suitable for all the family
Get ready to think happy thoughts and fly high as the mischievous Peter embarks on an awfully big adventure, introducing the Darling children to the lost boys, the cheeky Tinkerbell, the hilarious Smee, and a host of other exciting characters before facing the most feared villain of them all, the infamous Captain Hook!
Filled with catchy music, heaps of audience interaction, a laugh-a-minute script, and the opportunity to meet the characters after the show, this hilarious and exciting musical of the boy who never grew up promises to have every member of the family entertained throughout…You’ll be HOOOKED!
Please bring your own seating/rug, warm clothes and picnic. The café will be open selling snack, drinks and ice cream. You can book these events online here.
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Curridge Primary School mark Armed Forces Day |
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To mark Armed Forces Day, children at Curridge Primary School took part in a range of exciting activities. They were joined by personnel from Denison Barracks in Hermitage and had a wonderful day building dens, trying on kit and camouflage cream, as well as building assault courses.
Later in the week, children visited the REME Museum in Swindon to take part in an engineering workshop, try their hand at the assault course and take a tour of the museum.
The activities come after celebrating the 80th anniversary of D-Day when the children found out more about this important world event.
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And finally...
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