 Have your say - future housing, transport, biodiversity
We’ve got a number of live consultations for you to respond to.
It’s your chance to shape the future of the borough and its services, so they best represent your needs as residents.
 Elections later this year - what you need to know
We’re encouraging residents to be prepared for the forthcoming elections in May 2024, which will see all 54 seats contested.
This year’s local elections take place on Thursday 2 May and there is also a Police and Crime Commissioner election for Thames Valley, with the possibility of parish council elections if there are any contested seats.
Although the date for the next general election has not yet been confirmed, it must be held by 28 January 2025, although it could be called sooner.
What you need to do
More information about the changes to upcoming elections and voting process is available on our website.
 Marking National Apprenticeship Week
This week is National Apprenticeship Week, bringing together everyone who is passionate about apprenticeships to celebrate the benefits they bring.
Now in its 17th year, it will showcase the importance of apprenticeships on communities, local businesses and regional economies.
This year’s theme is ‘Skills for Life’ and highlights how apprenticeships can help people develop the skills and knowledge they need for a rewarding career, as well as how employers can develop a workforce with skills for the future.
We're proud to be taking part and we'll be sharing success stories of our own staff who've loved undertaking an apprenticeship and recommended it to others – follow our social media channels to see the stories.
In the past year, 21 staff across the council and schools have completed their apprenticeship. In October, we saw the highest number of staff on apprenticeships, with 85 people undertaking training.
 Get active and beat the rush hour traffic
Walking and cycling is quicker for some local journeys than driving, as our My Journey Wokingham team’s latest campaign shows.
They’ve produced seven “speed route” maps to highlight how short trips can be faster without the car at peak times – or a similar length, but with less hassle and expense.
These cover different parts of the borough and include off-road shared paths and shortcuts, providing a safer, healthier alternative. They’re part of a Government-funded campaign to spark interest in active and sustainable travel.
You can find an even wider range of walking and cycling routes on the team’s website or follow them on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) for regular advice.
The campaign supports our efforts to promote walking and cycling, which will help reduce congestion, air pollution and carbon emissions and make healthy travel more accessible..
Drop in and contribute to community vision
Partners from across the community are out and about this week gathering views on a vision for the borough.
Representatives from voluntary groups and other partners will be encouraging people to contribute to the community vision. This is part of the ongoing engagement work to ensure the vision represents a wide range of views when it is agreed later in the year. Partners will be at:
- Loddon Valley Leisure Centre tonight (6 February) from 4.30pm to 6.15pm
- Wokingham Leisure Centre (Carnival Hub) on Thursday (8 February) from 4.30pm to 6.15pm
- Wokingham Leisure Centre (Carnival Hub) on Saturday (10 February) from 4.30pm to 6.15pm
You can find out more on the Community Vision on Engage Wokingham Borough.
What you might have missed
- If you're new to the borough or don't know much about how recycling centres in our area work, take a virtual tour of the facilities to learn more. Re3 has recently launched virtual tours of the recycling centres in Reading and Bracknell to help residents familiarise with the sites
- Works at California Cross in Finchampstead will start soon. You can sign up to our newsletter, launching later this week, for the latest project updates and diversion information
- All our latest vacancies can be found on our jobs board – including a communications and engagement role in the team which put together this newsletter
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