 Support for people coming from Ukraine
We’ve been blown away by more than 100 local families who are expecting to welcome people from Ukraine into our community.
The borough is expecting more than 250 refugees, mostly women and children, into the area and this number will continue to rise in the weeks ahead.
We’re running extra English as a second language courses, preparing school places for young people, helping with transport and getting help from local charities and voluntary sector partners, which are doing a fantastic job in their different areas of expertise. You can find out more on what’s happening on our support for Ukraine webpages.
We know many local people want to help but can’t host – we’ll have more information on how you can make a real difference and give those coming to the area a chance to thrive.
 Opening date for new road near Nine Mile Ride
We're pleased to announce that a newly redirected section of Park Lane near Arborfield and Finchampstead, between the junctions of Hogwood Lane and Nine Mile Ride, will open to traffic at about midday next Wednesday (27 April).
Our contractor Balfour Beatty is about to finish joining it to the existing road network as part of our Nine Mile Ride Extension project, which we're hoping to complete in the next few weeks.
This marks the end of a period of closures on Park Lane and we thank you for your patience during these essential works. We know they've been frustrating at times but they'll improve journey times in the long run.
The new section includes a roundabout which, in time, will link to the extended Nine Mile Ride and form a new access road through our major new community at the former Arborfield Garrison.
The northern half of the extension, which runs from the A327 to the Bohunt School and Arborfield Green Leisure Centre, opened some time ago and the final section will follow soon, once it's been fully surfaced.
 New road for Wokingham nears completion
Balfour Beatty is also gearing up to open the penultimate stages of our North Wokingham Distributor Road, which will serve new homes on the major development in that part of Wokingham town.
A new section to the west of Old Forest Road and an improved stretch of Toutley Road, which will link to Queen's Road to the east, are both set to open in the week commencing Monday 9 May.
The final section at Ashridge Farm, between Bell Foundry Lane and Dalley Road, can't safely be opened yet because developers building new homes in the area still need access for construction works.
We're in discussions with Barratt Homes and Crest Nicholson to agree an opening date and will keep you informed.
 Council Tax energy bill rebate payments
If your property is in Council Tax band A, B, C or D then you will qualify for a £150 Council Tax rebate to help with rising energy costs. There will only be one payment per household. Second homes, and empty properties, are not eligible for this support.
We’re currently processing thousands of energy bill rebates to help make payments as quickly as possible over the next few months. This is a complex process so please bear with us as we’re unable to share individual payment dates.
You can help speed up your application by signing up to pay your council tax bill by direct debit as this will ensure we have your verified details on file.
For those who don’t pay by direct debit there will be an application process detailing specific evidence and information which will be required to support your application. We will contact you about this, please don’t call us at this stage as details are not yet confirmed.
You can read the latest information about the Council Tax energy bill rebate on our website.
 Update on local elections
Local elections are taking place on Thursday 5 May and the deadline to register to vote has now passed.
The deadline for proxy vote applications is 5pm on Tuesday 26 April, which means there is still time to have your say by asking a person you trust to vote on your behalf.
We have published our statement of persons nominated on our website where you can find out who is standing in the 18 wards being contested at the election for the council this year.
The count will take place at Loddon Valley Leisure Centre in Earley on Friday 6 May.
Last chance – survey on mobile and broadband
If you live or work in the borough, there’s not long to left to tell us more on how you use mobile and broadband services.
Berkshire Digital Infrastructure Group (DIG) is conducting a survey in partnership with all Berkshire councils, to find out what people know about the current digital infrastructure and how its used by the county’s residents.
The survey also seeks to understand how and what these services are used for, and if Covid has changed your view about going online to do things you would usually have done face-to-face.
It only takes five to 10 minutes to complete and can be done using the button below. It’s your last chance to respond as the survey closes on Sunday (24 April).
What you might have missed
Here’s every other email update we’ve sent in the last week:
We’re sending fewer updates than normal due to the local elections next month, but there’s a range of updates you can register for using our newsletter sign up form.
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