 New political leadership confirmed
Cllr Stephen Conway has become leader of Wokingham Borough Council following last night’s Annual Council meeting. He’ll also continue to oversee the housing and partnerships area.
The former deputy leader steps up following Cllr Clive Jones’ decision to step down from the role. He will remain part of the executive looking after the business and economic development portfolio.
Cllr Prue Bray will become deputy leader, as well as being the council’s executive member for children’s services.
All three are part of the Liberal Democrat group, which is the largest party following local elections earlier this month.
A new borough mayor was also elected last night. Cllr Beth Rowland, who was deputy last year, will be mayor for 2023/34. Cllr Adrian Mather will serve as deputy.
 Foster Care Fortnight - caring for parent-less children
Freweyni has been fostering with us for more than five years, after seeing stories of young refugees echoed her own past fleeing war.
Since 2018 she has cared for four young people aged from 11 to 17, with one young person who came to her at 15 staying until he was 21.
Currently, Freweyni and her family are fostering a 17 year old unaccompanied young person.
Read Freweyni’s fostering story on our news site, but here’s a teaser:
"As someone who left their own country at a young age because of war, I can understand how difficult it would be for a young person to try a build a life without the familiar support of a family, a home, or even an understanding of the spoken language. I felt that if I could even just help one person, it would be worth opening my home."
 Using credit cards to buy essentials? Get support
As the cost of living crisis continues to impact our communities, many are being forced to go into debt to buy the essentials for daily life.
Our partners can provide £100 per household with a food, fuel or cash voucher through the Household Support Fund.
It's open to anyone to apply. You don't need to receive benefits to be able to apply.
There's also special support for families where children receive means-tested free school meals.
This can be used for food, bills, energy costs or other every items.
 Help if you're job hunting or going back to work
Help is available if you want to find a new job, return to work after some time out, or start your own business.
Wokingham Job Support Centre has been supporting residents throughout their job search for the last 30 years.
The charity’s local experts provide one-to-one coaching as well as free, confidential advice and support to job seekers. They also help them build essential skills, such as interview techniques, CV writing and online job searching.
Wokingham Job Support Centre welcomes all ages and backgrounds who want to achieve their career goals.
Register online to get access to their services, if interested. You can also visit the visit the centre to complete the registration or get in touch with the team by calling 0118 9770517 or emailing jobsearch@wjsc.org.uk
What you might have missed
Here’s all our email updates from the last week if you’ve missed anything:
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