 Get help with cost of living crisis now
If you are struggling to pay for food, energy bills and other household essentials, help could be available now.
The latest round of the Household Support Fund is now open for applications. This is open to those struggling with rising costs of living as well as people in receipt of benefits.
Our partners can provide £120 in the form of food, fuel or cash voucher.
Food for children during school holidays
If you live in Wokingham Borough and have a child or children on benefits-related free school meals, you can apply for £15 per week for each eligible child just ahead of half-term, the Christmas and Easter holidays.
Use our cost of living help hub to see what other support you could get.
 Seeking funding for two new SEND schools
We’ve begun to the process to apply for funding for two new schools for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
There is an increasing number of children with educational, health and care plans (EHCP) in the borough and not enough local provision. They are having to spend additional time travelling to schools outside of the borough.
Just under 1,500 children in the borough had an EHCP in January this year, equating to 2.5 per cent of the school aged population, and it's thought that this could rise by 60 per cent to 2,400 EHCPs by 2025.
We’re putting forward parts of Rooks Nest Farm (Barkham) and Grays Farm (Wokingham Without) as suitable sites, subject to consultation and planning consent.
If successful, the schools could be ready for September 2026.
 Mayor’s awards open for nominations
Wokingham Borough Mayor Cllr Caroline Smith has relaunched the Mayor’s Honour Awards to recognise people who make an outstanding contribution to their community.
The applications for nominations are now open. It’s open to adults, children, young people and community groups who work, live, study or provide services in Wokingham Borough.
Each winning individual receives a lapel badge and certificate and group recipients will receive a shield and certificate at a thank you event next year.
The deadline for nominating an individual or organisation is the first of the month. The next deadlines are 1 November, 1 December, 1 January and 1 February.
Nominations should be no longer than 200 words and should set out why the nominee should be considered for the award.
 New stackable housing almost complete
A state-of-the-art temporary housing site to help homeless families remain in Wokingham borough has been shortlisted for an industry award as it nears completion.
The 23 modular timber-clad units at Grovelands Park in Winnersh, which replace outdated mobile homes that weren’t economical to maintain, will provide comfortable surroundings as their occupants await more permanent accommodation.
They will offer high energy efficiency, helping us honour our climate emergency commitments.
Funding comes from money already earmarked for improving housing stock and, as we grapple with spiralling costs like inflation and energy bills, should save hundreds of thousands of pounds a year on more expensive bed and breakfast places.
Despite our financial challenges, we’ve affirmed our commitment to protecting essential services.
 Half-term camps for kids
We’ve got two fantastic options for those looking to book in their children for half-term activity camps.
These run from 24 to 28 October at two locations:
Rent your property to those in need
If you have a residential property to rent out, come and join the Landlord Forum next week to learn more about our Private Rented Scheme.
Through the scheme, we help landlords find tenants who are in need of housing, including guests from Ukraine, and provide a range of other related services for free.
Landlords currently on the scheme will be present at the forum to share their experience. Our team will also be there to introduce the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and answer any question that you may have.
This runs from 4pm on Thursday (13 October) at The Oakwood Centre (RG5 4JZ) in Woodley. Let us know you're attending by emailing landlords@wokingham.gov.uk
What you might have missed
Here’s a list of all our email updates sent in the last week. If you’d like to sign up for newsletters which are listed below use our sign up form.
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