 Making sure you’re able to vote
People who are yet to confirm their electoral details are up-to-date will be visited at home by canvassers during the next few weeks.
They will approach around 2,600 households that have yet to respond to an annual canvass form. Canvassers will wear ID badges to identify themselves and will have a copy of the form that needs to be completed.
We have been contacting households since July to ensure we have the correct information and can keep the electoral register up-to-date.
Although the majority of households are not believed to have had any change in circumstances, we are trying to make contact with those where we believe there may have been a change.
Canvassers will also be contacting around 500 European Union Households who have not responded to Electoral Review of EU Citizens.
Canvassers will provide a canvass or EU review form with a pre-paid reply envelope and advise residents how they can respond online, by post or by phone. If there is no reply, the form will be posted through the letter box.
 Ensuring new communities have all they need
Our current Local Plan, which sets out how the borough should grow to meet our future needs, is on track to provide almost £1 billion in high-quality community infrastructure.
We’ve secured this, with developer funding, by allocating large-scale housing development - which is why we’re proposing this proven approach in the final draft of our new Local Plan.
The current plan, which covers the 2006 to 2026 period, has provided:
- almost £250 million in major new roads like the Arborfield Cross Relief Road, the Shinfield Eastern Relief Road, Nine Mile Ride Extension and the North Wokingham Distributor Road, as well as active travel routes
- £240 million in affordable housing
- £170 million in public open space totalling 240 hectares, including nature parks
- £100 million in new primary and secondary schools, such as Floreat Montague Park Primary School and Bohunt Wokingham Secondary School, and improvements to existing schools
- £45 million in sports facilities including the Arborfield Green Leisure Centre
- £11 million in community facilities, such as Carnival Hub
Now we need a new Local Plan to run to 2040, so that we can keep as much control as possible over the type and location of any new development that comes forward.
We have very little flexibility in the number of homes we must accommodate in the years ahead, but a strong Local Plan can help us to keep building thriving communities.
Find out more about what we’re proposing, and why we’re confident that it’s the best option, on our Engage Wokingham Borough page.
Drop-in sessions
There are two drop-in sessions for our new Local Plan this week, one in Shinfield later today (Tuesday) and another in Wokingham on Thursday (31 October).
These sessions will provide the opportunity to talk to officers and councillors about the plan, and how to respond.
 Get personalised energy advice for your home
With colder temperatures approaching, and energy costs remaining high, now is the ideal time to start thinking about how you can make your home more energy efficient.
You can get help with the best options might be for your lifestyle, your budget, or whether it’s suitable for your home, from our free Home Decarbonisation Advice Service (HDAS) can help.
They can offer practical, impartial energy saving advice to help you make the most of the individual property you live in.
You can find out if any national or local support schemes are available to you, such as the ECO Flex scheme which offers free, or subsidised, home insulation to qualifying households.
Residents interested in accessing advice from the Home Decarbonisation Advice Scheme can contact the council’s Customer Service team online or call (0118) 974 6000.
 Carnival residential scheme continues construction
Carnival Place is continuing to take shape since work resumed in the summer.
We’re working with Feltham Construction to see the project through to completion, delivering 55 high-quality and affordable apartments as part of the wider regeneration of Wokingham town centre.
Carnival Place is opposite the Carnival Hub in Wellington Road. The hub opened in the summer of 2022 and is home to Wokingham Leisure Centre and Wokingham Library.
The project features a mixture of one and two-bedroom apartments, with a view to delivering energy-efficient accommodation in the town centre. The apartments are due to be completed by the middle of 2025.
Feltham Construction, a Newbury-based firm with more than 50 years of experience, was appointed in June after the previous contractor went into administration.
 Schools mark Black History Month
Schools across Wokingham Borough have been running activities during October in recognition of Black History Month, focusing on this year's theme ‘Reclaiming Narratives’.
At Hawkedon Primary School in Lower Earley, each age group has been exploring the lives of influential black Britons from all walks of life including space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock, AI and robotics entrepreneur William Pasi Sachiti and footballer and campaigner Marcus Rashford.
The school's catering team prepared a special lunch menu during the month including soul smothered chicken, Caribbean style sweet potato and vegetable pie, roasted red pepper and herb jollof rice, street corn and lime cake.
Bearwood Primary School in Sindlesham has been focusing on reclaiming the narrative of Africa, portraying Africa as a vibrant and positive place those with an African heritage are proud of, showcasing their work in an assembly.
Children at Charvil Piggott Primary School in Charvil also held an assembly sharing the works that they had been exploring in their classes.Students at CAMHS Phoenix have been creating biographies of influential black people, imagining how they might feel through writing letters from them and studying and responding to poetry.
What you might have missed
- Thames Valley Police has published its advice for residents on Halloween. Including information on extra patrols, what to do if you don't feel safe and trick or treating guidance
- We’re looking for your feedback on plans for our 2025/26 budget. The process to set our budget starts with ideas for savings, income generation and areas for investment being considered now – and all residents have the opportunity to get involved by taking our survey
- You can get your electric blanket tested this week at local fire stations ahead of the worst of the winter. We’ve teamed up with Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue to test providing free electric blanket and heater testing. Drop in between 9.30am and 3.30pm to Wokingham Fire Station (Easthampstead Road, RG40 2EH) on Thursday (31 October) or Crowthorne Fire Station (High Street, RG45 7AP) on Friday (1 November)
- Healthwatch Wokingham Borough is looking for feedback from women aged 16 to 25 on access to NHS sexual health services. They want to understand the challenges for this group with getting the help they need. Take the survey on its website to help improve services in the borough
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Check our jobs board for all our latest vacancies – new roles added in sales, social work, public health, debt advice and more
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