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 Work is well underway on a fantastic project at the Kennet Valley Primary School site in Calcot to create a special facility for primary school children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.
Children attending the SEMH unit will benefit from having their needs met by a local and specialised setting, but will also be valued and cared for as part of Kennet Valley’s existing school culture; taking part in school events and sharing school facilities where appropriate.
Almost £3 million has been invested in the purpose built space which will eventually provide places for twelve children, starting with the first six this coming September and the facility will comprise of two classrooms for six pupils, four small group rooms, a therapy room, an outdoor space for teaching and breaks, a teaching kitchen, social area for pupils, plus a large meeting room and a staffroom and offices.
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Garden waste subscriptions now open for 2024/25 |
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 You can now subscribe to our 2024/25 garden waste collection service from £55!
New subscribers & those renewing by card payment:
Simply click here to get started. Don't forget to sign up by 9 August to ensure your subscription is processed in time for the start of the 2024/25 subscription period (26 August 2024).
Take a moment to read through the updated terms and conditions on the website.
Current Direct Debit subscribers:
We've already reached out to you via email or letter with instructions on what to do next. There is no need to re-subscribe. If you haven’t seen our email yet, please double-check your inbox, including the junk mail folder.
Collections start from 26 August 2024 through to 24 August 2025.
Thanks to in-cab technology, our collection crews will know which properties are subscribed, eliminating the need for bin stickers, so we won’t need to issue garden waste subscription stickers for your bins for the 2024/25 service. If you choose, you may want to put your own house number or name sticker on your green bins to help identify which one is yours. We will be increasing our monitoring to ensure that only subscribed bins are collected. This will include monitoring by collection crews, council officers conducting spot checks, and the removal of green bins presented for collection by non-subscribers.
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West Berkshire Council has started issuing discretionary payments to homeowners who became liable for Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payments due to mistakes made when completing paperwork.
A new discretionary review scheme has so far considered seven applications – and we have agreed that six were charged when they would have been exempt had the paperwork been completed properly. Those homeowners will be receiving discretionary payments between £12,000 and £40,000.
The move has been welcomed by the Leader of West Berkshire Council, Councillor Jeff Brooks, who commented that this is right thing for us to do, and underlines our commitment to listen to residents and to act with fairness, integrity and a focus on our customers.
 A new maintenance programme will mean some of our road signs get a much-needed scrub this year.
Recognising that some signs have become a bit grubby, we’ve allocated funding in this year’s budget to address this. This initiative not only reflects our pride in West Berkshire, but also enhances the district's appearance, benefiting both residents and visitors.
We’re currently working on a schedule to prioritise the signs most in need of cleaning, and this effort will roll out over the coming months. By keeping our road signs clean and clear, we aim to improve the overall appeal of our community and ensure that essential information remains visible and accessible.
Councillor Stuart Gourley, Executive Member for the Environment, helped get the initiative underway by helping clean the 'Welcome to West Berkshire' sign on the A4 in Hungerford. Speaking about the initiative, he said:
"It's fantastic to see this work begin to get underway and continue our commitment to improve our Highways for residents across West Berkshire. Residents have told us that they'd like to see some of our grubbiest road signs given a glow-up and I look forward to seeing the difference this work will make."
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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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Throughout the year we're out and about improving local roads. From fixing potholes, resurfacing roads and making sure our drains flow well, the work we do helps keep you on the move.
Since 1 April 2024, we've repaired more than 1,160 potholes, and have now introduced a new criterion to repair potholes that are 40mm deep rather than 50mm, providing the width of the pothole is greater than 300mm.
We've also resurfaced more than 33km of road, see below where we’ve been resurfacing throughout July:
- Aldworth - B4009 Haw Lane (Four Points)
- Brightwalton - B4494 Wantage Road
- Brimpton - Crookham Common Road
- Burghfield - Burghfield Road and Field Farm Road
- Chieveley – Priors Court Road
- East Garston - B4000 Baydon Road
- Hamstead Marshall – an unnamed Road from Craven Arms PH to Hamstead Marshall
- Lambourn - Baydon Road
- Hungerford - A4 Bath Road
- Theale - A4 Bath Road/Waterside Drive Roundabout and Theale By-Pass
We want to deliver services to be proud of - and you can help. If you spot a pothole or something else which needs fixing, you can use our online Report A Problem service.
 Hectors Way, the new Kings Road link road, is now open which is a significant infrastructure achievement as part of the Sterling Gardens development in Newbury. This new road offers a two-way link between the A339 and Hambridge Road, providing a vital alternative route to Mill Lane and most of Kings Road.
Funded primarily by a grant from the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership and delivered in partnership with Nelson Land Ltd, the developer of the site, this project marks a major milestone. The development is also addressing local housing needs by providing much-needed affordable homes for local families.
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We've just hit our four-year milestone since we published our Environment Strategy!
This comprehensive plan shows how we're working with our partners to address climate and ecological emergencies and achieve net zero emissions. Over the past year, we've been very busy with various projects across the district, and we've created a 'roadmap' to highlight some of our key achievements.
Speaking about our environmental progress, Councillor Stuart Gourley, Executive Member for Environment and Highways, says:
"From providing trees for community groups to reusing paint, helping install solar panels, and opening new active travel routes, it’s been a busy year!
“We will keep working hard to deliver action and work in partnership with others to make a positive difference for our environment and communities."
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue our journey towards a greener and more sustainable future!
 Following a six-month public consultation, the School Streets scheme will now be made permanent at Francis Baily Primary School in Thatcham.
Inspired by the successful Calcot School Street project, the scheme aims to create safer and less congested roads around the school during peak hours.
An Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera will now be installed to enforce traffic restrictions so that parents and children can feel safer walking or cycling to school. See the latest updates on the scheme here.
We’re working with the school to promote our Bikeability cycle training and encourage pupils to make full use of bike and scooter storage provided as part of the School Streets scheme.
Two new Park & Stride locations have also been identified, one at Old Bluecoats School and the other at Dunstan Green Park. These are just a five minute walk from the school, so that parents can park easily and walk their children the rest of the way.
 If you're heading out this summer, make sure your TRIP is a safe one. Always remember to Top-up, Rest, Inspect and Prepare.
- Top up your fuel/battery, oil and screen-wash before setting out on long journeys
- Rest stops should be planned for every two hours of your journey for 15 minutes
- Inspect your tyre pressure and tread before leaving
- Prepare for all weather conditions by checking the forecast for your route and destination
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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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 Once again, our annual Summer Reading Challenge for 4-11 year-olds is off to a flying start! By the end of the first weekend of the school holidays nearly 2,000 children had already signed up to take part in West Berkshire. But there is still plenty of time to join the fun.
Participants are challenged to borrow and read up to six library books - on their own library account - before 15 September and collect free incentives for their achievements as they read, with medals and certificates for everyone who completes the Challenge. Please ask in your local library for details.
Visit the Summer Reading Challenge website to enjoy lots of free activities, games, videos, competitions and chat about authors and books; and if you are unable to visit a library in person this year, you can still take part in the Challenge online.
 We’re proud to be one of twenty local authorities in the South East who welcomed a visit from newly appointed Minister Janet Daby MP last week.
The visit from the Labour MP for Lewisham East, and former children’s social worker, followed the launch of Local Authority Fostering South East, a Department for Education funded project aimed at recruiting more foster carers across the region and the largest local authority fostering recruitment hub in the country.
Linda Brown has been a foster carer with West Berkshire Council for 18 years. She’s an ambassador for the regional fostering hub and attended the visit. She said:
“During the visit we got to share with the Minister how West Berkshire have developed hubs to support foster carers. We currently have three hubs, and the ‘Orca Hub’ that I run with my husband Andy is now in its third year.
“The support the hubs have created makes our fostering journey fulfilling and complete, giving us extended family that also understands our individual families.
“Helping many young people navigate the difficulties and challenges they face on their life journey through fostering is incredibly rewarding. I encourage anyone considering fostering to reach out and learn more.”
 Fire Cadets is a youth initiative for 13 to 17 year olds and is run by firefighters, staff and volunteers with support from the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Safety Education Team.
Fire Cadets participate in practical and theoretical fire and rescue service activities, including hose drills, breathing apparatus procedures and fire safety awareness sessions. The scheme teaches young people essential life skills such as team work self-discipline, confidence and leadership.
The Fire Cadets course takes place over the academic year, in term time only and will run from the week commencing 23 September 2024 to July 2025. If you are between 13 and 17 years old and are interested in this opportunity, or if you know someone who would be interested in taking part, please complete the online application form before 5pm on Monday, 2 September.
If you require further information please email firecadets@rbfrs.co.uk
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T-Level students welcomed to West Berkshire Council |
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Last month, we had four T-Level students join us for three weeks. The students, James, Max, Bruno, and Josh, joined us from Kennet School and worked across a number of areas. This included: Health and Safety, Emergency Planning, Communications, Customer Services and Human Resources.
You can read about their experiences here.
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And finally...
- This month you'll find dozens of free activities for children of all ages in our libraries, from Rhymetimes and Storytimes for our youngest members through to board games sessions suitable for young adults. See what's on here.
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Join us at Shaw House and West Berkshire Museum throughout the summer for our Family Activity and Messy Museum days! No need to book, just drop-in. The days run from 10am-3pm and cost £2.50 per child.
- Shaw House Family Activity Days: 14, 21 and 28 August
- Messy Museum Days (West Berkshire Museum): 9, 16, 23 and 30 August
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