 New Climate Emergency Action Plan approved
In July 2019, we declared a climate emergency and we're committed to do as much as possible to become carbon neutral by 2030. Following the declaration, we have developed a Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP).
The CEAP is a strategic document that outlines a collection of measures and policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and actively address climate challenges. It defines reduction goals based on ten key priorities and develops a framework with more than one hundred actions to help achieve those goals. As we work towards achieving carbon neutrality, these plans are crucial to tackling climate change in our borough.
Our latest CEAP progress report was approved at Council on 21 September 2023 and demonstrates the planned steps on our journey towards achieving this goal, along with the current progress on each action. You can take a look at the full CEAP progress summary on our website.
 Home Decarbonisation Advice service launched
We've launched our new Home Decarbonisation Advice service to help you reduce emissions and save money on your bills.
The free service will allow you to contact us to get practical, impartial advice on the changes you might make to your property. It is aimed to give you a better understanding on how you might improve the energy efficiency of your home and the potential benefits these could give from carbon emissions to financial savings.
If you're interested in the Home Decarbonisation Advice service, contact our Customer Service Team or call (0118) 974 6000. You will be signposted to the relevant information you need or referred to our Energy Team who will be able to provide more detailed advice.
Parity Projects Plan Builder App
In addition to the Home Decarbonisation service, we're also offering you free access to the Parity Projects Plan Builder App. This online estimation tool is aimed at residents who have their own money to invest in projects to improve their home but are unsure on what they could do or the potential savings these might give.
By inputting some basic information into the Plan Builder App, such as your address and potential budget available, you will receive a range of options to consider with estimated costs for making the change and an estimate of annual savings you could make on your fuel bill and CO2 emissions. From this you can assess the payback time for different ideas and decide what works best for you.
Other schemes available
You may be eligible for the ECO Flex Help to Heat scheme which offers free or subsidised home insulation to qualifying households. Eligible households include those in receipt of means-tested benefits or with a household income below £30,000 and a low Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of D or below. To find out more, visit our website.
You can also visit the Government's energy efficiency improvements eligibility checker to get free recommendations on improvements to make your home cheaper to heat and keep warm.
 Barkham solar farm update
Work on our first solar farm in Barkham is set to start powering up again following verbal confirmation from Scottish and Southern Electrical Networks (SSEN) and the National Grid that the scheme will be able to connect to the power network earlier than previously advised.
This news comes after months of very positive discussions between us, SSEN and National Grid following their notification in March that the scheme would be unable to connect until 2037 at the earliest.
We have also continued to lobby government, OFGEM and other stakeholders calling for reforms to how electricity connections are managed nationally and to enable the generation of more green renewable energy across the UK.
Reflecting this revised offer, over the coming months we and our design and build contractor Bouygues E&S will recommence work on pre-construction survey and design work for the site.
Connection to the power network is expected to be take place by early 2027.
About the solar farm
On completion the solar farm could generate up to 29 mega watts of renewable energy, enough to power 8,500 homes.
Alongside the solar panels the site will also see the planting of thousands of new trees as part of the Council’s tree project, and a new greenway route aimed at better connecting Arborfield, Barkham and Finchampstead to the existing network of rights of way to the north.
 Grovelands shortlisted for Best Low Carbon Project
Our modular housing project at Grovelands Park in Winnersh won Best Residential Development and received runner up for Best Low Carbon Project at this year's Royal Berkshire Property Awards.
The state-of-the-art, energy efficient scheme which offers temporary accommodation for homeless families in Wokingham Borough is designed by Edgingtons Architects. It comprises of 23 furnished two-bedroom units arranged in two storeys with their own entrances, allowing local families to live safely and comfortably while awaiting a permanent home.
The first phase, consisting of six units, was completed last year and occupied shortly before Christmas, while the rest are on track for occupation by the end of the year.
The units have environmentally-friendly features that give them the highest possible Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of A, helping us to meet our climate emergency commitments. These include:
- Timber cladding and double glazing with modern, reliable heating systems
- Highly insulated walls and roofs to reduce energy usage
- Rooftop solar panels with energy storage
- Energy efficient appliances including washing machines, cookers and fridges
- Additional planting on site to improve biodiversity
- Air-source heat pumps in some units
They also have advanced fire safety features including a “misting” system developed in partnership with Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
You can read more about this project on our news website.
If you’re homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, you can find out more about how we can help.
 Up to £240 to help with winter costs
We’ve launched a new round of our Household Support Fund alongside our Hardship Alliance partners.
Payments have been increased for the winter months, which are often more expensive because of the need to stay warm at home.
If you’re struggling to pay for things like food, energy, bills or other essentials, you can get help. The options are:
- Parents of children who receive means-tested free school meals can get £20 per week for each eligible child during the school holidays
- Households with pensioners, carers, a disabled person and/or households with four or more people can get a one-off £250 payment
- A one off £120 payment is available for any other households which are struggling to pay for essentials
If you've applied and received a grant from Age UK Berkshire or Citizens Advice Wokingham between April and September 2023, you can now apply again. New applications are welcome.
 Free energy guidance available
Citizens Advice will be providing free energy guidance in Wokingham Market Place on 26 October. You can see the team between 8.30am to 3pm and get advice on:
- Types of tariffs and meters
- Energy efficiency ideas to save energy
- Current energy crisis and price cap
- Current support offered by the Government
- Winter fuel and cold weather payments
- The Warm Home Discount scheme
- The Priority Services Register
- Fuel debts and benefit entitlements
- Carbon monoxide awareness and alarms
When it comes to saving the environment, your daily decisions may feel insignificant. However, even small energy-saving practices can make a significant impact. By implementing a few energy-saving tips, you can do your part to slow climate change, benefit the environment, and save money.
 Single-use plastic ban in place
The Government has announced a ban on single-use plastic items, including plastic cutlery, trays, plates and bowls as well as certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers.
This means that businesses in England will not be able to buy or sell certain single-use plastic items. The aim of the ban, which came into effect on 1 October, is to reduce plastic waste and littering.
We're still awaiting further guidance from the Government and will share this when we can. Until then, we encourage businesses to get ready by finding alternatives to single use items.
Here are some ideas for certain items:
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Cups: bamboo, glass, paper, stainless steel, cornstarch and plant-based PLA (polylactic acids)
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Cutlery: wooden, bamboo, stainless steel, cornstarch, reusable silicone and edible cutlery
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Trays: wooden, bamboo, stainless steel and recycled cardboard
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Plates and bowls: wooden, bamboo, glass, plant leaf, wheat straw and sugarcane bagasse
Businesses can also offer to refill customers’ water bottles and encourage their customers to bring their own clean containers for takeaway food.
Like other local authorities, we'll be carrying out inspections to make sure the rules are being followed.
 Bus firms all aboard on recovery plan
A long-term effort to improve Wokingham Borough's bus services and help them recover from the impact of the pandemic has arrived at its next stop.
We’ve reached an “enhanced partnership agreement” with local bus operators, which is a legal document that sets standards and makes clear how any grants will be spent.
It calls for a high-quality, more accessible bus network and an increase in passenger numbers plus a reduction in air pollution, carbon emissions and traffic congestion. It sets nine goals including restoring services to pre-pandemic levels, faster journeys, simpler fares and more.
We did this to secure Government funding towards the goals of our Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), which we published earlier this year. The Department for Transport (DfT) has so far awarded us £401,322 to start making these a reality.
It’s all part of our wider efforts to make walking, cycling and taking public transport more attractive, which will reduce pollution and congestion and help us honour our climate emergency commitments. For information, see our My Journey Wokingham page.
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