 Household Support Fund to help residents
We have been given a pot of money from Central Government to support households that are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis - particularly those with children and pensioners.
The Hardship Alliance (us, Citizens Advice Wokingham, First Days Children’s Charity, AgeUK Berkshire, and Wokingham United Charities) are working together to distribute the funding. Below is an overview of what’s available:
Food vouchers during the school holidays
Families living in the borough with children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals can now apply for a one-off £90 voucher for each child to cover the summer holidays.
This equates to £15 per week and replaces previous voucher schemes administered by schools. To apply, either contact:
Support for older residents
Older people of state pension age can now apply for a one-off food, fuel, or cash voucher by contacting:
Additional support
Anyone else who is struggling to pay for food, energy bills and other household essentials is encouraged to come forward for help by contacting One Front Door through its online referral form, or by calling 0808 278 7958.
New traffic-free route to help active travel
Work is now under way on the latest phase of our greenways project – a network of mostly traffic-free routes to make active travel to key destinations in the borough much easier.
The latest section of this project, which is being carried out in phases, will cross Woosehill Meadows in Wokingham town between Reading Road and Heron Road, as part of a wider route linking Cantley Park to the north with Arborfield Cross to the west.
Contractors have started creating a new path from the north of Woosehill Meadows, near to the Reading Road underpass, heading south through Woosehill Meadows to the Kingfisher Bridge. Work has also started on a link from Smiths Walk to Heron Road.
Most should finish by early August, with further works including the installation of a new bridge over the Emm Brook at the northern end of Woosehill Meadows expected in the autumn.
Your views at the heart of health and social care
Do you use health or social care services? Healthwatch Wokingham Borough is your local champion, here to help people make their voices heard.
The service operates from the Wokingham Charity and Community Hub in Waterford House. Run by The Advocacy People, it is an independent source for advice and improving local services.
It listens to people’s views on health and social care and gives feedback to the organisations, as well as pointing people in the right direction when they need to access a particular service.
Earlier this year, Wokingham Borough Council commissioned the Healthwatch service, one of 28 grants and contracts awarded to the voluntary, community and faith sector organisations to provide prevention services to adults, totalling £2.1million.
Healthwatch supports people to get the best from a variety of settings, including hospitals, pharmacies, GPs and dentists. It also applies to those looking for support with their mental health, or those looking to find the right care home or home care provider.
If you have recently used a health or social care service, you can visit the Healthwatch website and have your say. This may be directly from the resident who used the service, or from a friend or relative acting on behalf of a loved one.
Stepping up campaign for fair housing policy
We’re stepping up our campaign for a change in the way that new housing is planned - and a cut in the number of new homes which the Government is forcing our borough to take.
The new leader of the council, Cllr Clive Jones, met Bracknell MP James Sunderland on Friday (17 June) to try to enlist his help to ensure your voice is heard in Westminster.
The meeting is part of his ongoing drive to build local support for proposals to improve the planning system so that the borough takes a fairer share in future.
Cllr Jones is also calling for a meeting with Michael Gove MP, who is responsible for that system as housing minister, to discuss the issue in more detail.
We have to take 781 new homes a year at the moment and we want a reasonable reduction in that figure, along with reforms that would give communities more powers to create better places to live.
What you might have missed
- It's your last chance to donate to Chance to Thrive, our coordinated community fundraising to help child refugees coming to the borough from Ukraine. It closes on Wednesday (22 June) so its your last chance to make a contribution. The money raised will pay for digital technology to help them with school, as well as for equipment and fees for sports clubs, music groups, drama classes and more
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Rail strikes are due to take place today (Tuesday), Thursday and Saturday. The rail industry has introduced a temporary timetable. If you are travelling expect severe disruption and plan ahead. Check the GWR and South Western Railway websites for details on local routes
- Our area's Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA), which looks at the need for pharmaceutical services in our area, is out for consultation. It assesses whether the current provision of pharmacies and the commissioned services they provide meet the needs of Wokingham Borough residents and whether there are any gaps. You can respond to the consultation and find out more on Engage Wokingham Borough
- We've got more than 25 live vacancies to join our teams, from social workers to ecologists and HR and project management roles
- It's Learning Disability Week! Its goal is making sure the world hears what life is like if you have a learning disability. Our partners CLASP, a self-advocacy group for people with learning disabilities in the borough, are doing something each day to celebrate this year’s theme ‘living life with a disability'. This includes a roadshow event tomorrow (21 June) and the launch of its accessible train travel booklet on Friday at Wokingham station
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