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 Joseph Holmes has been appointed Interim Chief Executive of West Berkshire Council.
Joseph is currently the Council's Executive Director (Resources). He first joined West Berkshire Council in 2008 as Chief Accountant and remained in the post for five years before moving on to senior roles at Slough Borough Council and Winchester Council. Joseph returned to West Berkshire Council in 2019 to the Executive Director role, which has included overseeing the Council's financial performance during a period when local authorities have been under significant financial pressures.
Speaking about the appointment, Joseph Holmes said:
"I am excited to move into the role of Chief Executive over the coming months, and to lead the Council that I started my Local Government career at. We have a dedicated and skilled staff, and it is a privilege to serve the district through working with colleagues, members and partner organisations to continue to improve our services for residents."
Recruitment of a permanent Chief Executive will begin next year.
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Balancing our budget for 2025/26 |
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A consultation has started on proposals which will affect some of the services we provide next year. Before we make any decisions, we're inviting you to read more about our plans and tell us how you might be affected by them.
We're taking these decisions as, like many councils, we're facing significant financial pressures with funding failing to keep up with the cost of delivering services. No decisions will be taken until after the consultation has closed on Monday 23 December.
You can find out more about the proposals and have your say here.
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 For a series of Saturdays in November and December, all bus journeys within West Berkshire will be free, providing an excellent chance to explore and enjoy various seasonal events and activities in the run up to Christmas!
Mark your calendars with the following dates:
- Saturday 16 November 2024
- Saturday 14 December 2024
- Saturday 21 December 2024
On these Saturdays, you can travel all day, any time, completely free (do check the timetables) within West Berkshire.
We have worked in partnership with our bus operators Reading Buses, Newbury & District, Thames Travel, and Stagecoach, along with the Council’s Connect Buses, to bring you this initiative over the festive period. Don’t forget, concessionary bus passes are welcome as usual.
If you start your journey in West Berkshire, your return journey is also free! This extends the free travel beyond the district to our neighbouring areas; just make sure you request a return ticket from the driver when boarding.
This free festive bus travel has been made possible by funding from HM Government, given to West Berkshire Council after submission of our Bus Service Improvement Plan.
 Linda Turner, Charlotte Davies, Michelle Gilbert, Gina McGuinness, Rona Maail, Nadiia Torpoka, Tom Allport, Elena-Ramona Zamfir and Cara Giles-Allen have all shown incredible determination to change the direction of their lives, achieving their goals in difficult circumstances, often against all the odds. As a result, they were all winners at this year's Learner Achievement Awards.
These annual awards celebrate the success of adult learning in West Berkshire, covering apprenticeships, professional, academic, and vocational courses and learning programmes that support families, communities and health and wellbeing.
We had around 65 nominations and very difficult choices to make when selecting winners for our award categories.
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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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 Work has begun to remove the Italian Poplars down at Stroud Green in Newbury to make way for new ones.
These iconic trees must be felled after reaching their lifespan as some have started to fall down in the last couple of years. We inspected them earlier this year and found that most of the trees had some level of decline and hollowing, making them unsafe for residents as they were susceptible of falling.
But don’t worry, we’ll be replacing the much-loved Poplars like for like and aim to start planting the new poplars in Autumn/Winter 2025/26.
You can find the consultation on replacement tree results here.
Throughout the year we're out and about improving our roads.
From fixing potholes, resurfacing roads, and making sure our drains flow well, the work we do helps keep you on the move. Last month we fixed 260 potholes, cleaned 2,066 gullies and repaired 67 streetlights, as well as undertaking other maintenance.
We want to deliver services to be proud of - and you can help. If you spot a pothole, or see something else which needs fixing, you can tell us online.
 Exciting plans are underway to rejuvenate Newbury town centre, with planning permission being granted to revitalise the Peace Garden at the Wharf.
The Wharf is a major focus of West Berkshire Council’s Newbury Town Centre Masterplan, which aims to enhance leisure, community, and cultural experiences, transforming the town centre into a vibrant space for social interaction, economic growth, and community activities.
Renowned architectural and urban landscape consultancy, Adams & Sutherland, have been working with West Berkshire Council to bring the vision for the Wharf to life for two areas extracted from the overall masterplan, the Peace Garden (phase one) and later down the line the Waterfront.
The first phase of works at Newbury Wharf will focus on the Peace Garden area, with the contractor mobilising on site from 11 November. Works include improvements to the existing Peace Garden that extends to the south, with increased planting, new footpaths, and improved connections to the River Kennet. This will create a distinctive landscape with a formal garden, integrated seating, and accessible paths, improving views to the canalised River Kennet, Victoria Park, and the overall connection to the town centre.
 Come along to Hungerford Town Hall on 19 November for an informative and interactive session focussing on the cost of living, flood prevention and winter preparedness in West Berkshire.
The aim of this forum is to make you aware of resources available to help you out during times when you might need a bit of extra help. You will have the opportunity to find out more about current resilience plans, support that is available, local community initiatives and ask any questions you may have.
Topics that will be discussed include:
- Flood Prevention
- Cost of Living
- Welcome Spaces & Local Community Initiatives
Find out more and register your attendance, whether that’s in person or online
One of the priorities of our Trading Standards Team is to support residents, especially vulnerable people, to live independent lives by protecting them from doorstep crime and to stop doorstep criminals from profiting from their activities.
Our officers have been alerted to 58 incidents of doorstep crime in West Berkshire this year with victims paying out a total of £299,523. Interventions by officers have saved victims a further £106,150. Officers have also been undertaking routine patrols where they've managed to identify and move on some unscrupulous operators. A number of these operators are now being subjected to prosecution procedures.
Scammers will always seek out opportunities to prey on people’s vulnerabilities and the increased financial pressure many of us are facing might make us more vulnerable to these opportunists. The warmer weather we are experiencing in late autumn means that these opportunists are continuing to operate later in the year than we would normally expect. In October, officers dealt with 22 cases across West Berkshire, Bracknell Forest and Wokingham.
Protect yourself by:
- Researching any traders or companies before confirming any payments especially if they seem too good to be true
- Talking to friends and family
- Not being rushed into making a decision
- Acting straight away if you think you have been scammed
If a doorstep caller is at your home now, or you have recently been contacted by one, call the team immediately on 01635 519930
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We value your views on the decisions we take. There are several areas we are currently holding consultations on, including proposals affecting frontline services as we look to deliver a balanced budget in 2024/25:
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 We're excited to announce the continuation of the winter Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. Designed to support free school meal eligible children and families during the school holidays, this initiative aims to provide enriching activities along with a nutritious meal at each session.
The HAF programme offers a range of fun and engaging activities for children aged 5 to 16 years old. These activities are not only enjoyable but also educational, promoting physical health, creativity, and social skills. The provisions include sports, arts and crafts, and various other opportunities that cater to different interests.
Bookings are now open via our dedicated HAF webpage, available here.
 The West Berkshire Learning Disability Partnership Board (LDPB) is a friendly and supportive group that brings people together to make positives changes and support adults with learning disabilities.
They work to help those who provide services to make them easy to use for people with learning disabilities and to keep everyone up to date with local and national issues that may affect them.
They hold big open meetings every two months in Broadway House, Newbury and offer presentations on a range of relevant topics.
No one needs to be referred to the LDPB, everyone is welcome. If you would like to know more about the LDPB, email alex.osterritter@theadvocacypeople.org.uk
 Trading Standards Officers have been supporting residents who have bought second hand cars which have developed faults to obtain a refund or get the vehicles repaired or replaced at no extra cost.
The total amount refunded to customers to date during Operation Tabitha is £248,145 with further work ongoing to try and retrieve a further £104,000. Officers have assisted 48 consumers with obtaining these refunds.
Our Trading Standards Officers have been in contact with 45 used car dealers in West Berkshire, Bracknell Forest and Wokingham and have visited 14 who required extra advice to ensure compliance with the legislation.
If the vehicle you have bought from a trader is faulty or not as described when you bought it, you should take action straight away and report it to the trader in the first instance.
These rights do not apply if you have simply changed your mind about the vehicle, have seen one cheaper elsewhere or you have caused damage to the vehicle yourself.
Please report concerns to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 as all information is collated and accessed by the relevant trading standards service.
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Commemorating the Second Battle of Newbury at Shaw House |
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Join us to commemorate the 380th anniversary of the Second Battle of Newbury at Shaw House on Friday 22 November.
Bringing history to life, at 7pm Dr. Christopher Scott will explore the campaign and battle that saw the Royalist army defending northern Newbury against the combined Parliamentarian forces of Essex, Waller and Manchester, and where the first Civil War could so easily have been brought to a dramatic early end with the capture of the King.
Before the talk, there will be self-led audio tours of Shaw House available from 6pm. Visitors will also have the opportunity to enjoy a private view of the Dressed for Battle exhibition. With 17th century arms and armour on loan from Littlecote House, this is a rare chance to see examples of what soldiers wore and likely fought with during the Battles of Newbury. The small selection on display once formed part of the most important surviving English Civil War armouries before being purchased by the Royal Armouries Museum.
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And finally...
- Our Giving Tree is up and full of gift labels for you to choose from to help us wrap up Christmas for those in need. People often have to leave everything behind when going into a Refuge to protect themselves and their families - children may have to leave their toys behind as well as their friends and family. The gifts they receive through the Giving Tree gives families something positive at a time of great stress and upheaval. The Giving Tree will be live until 6 December. Find out more and make your gift selection here.
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