 Shape your borough and its services
We’ve got a number of live consultations for you to respond to, so you can shape the future of the borough. These include:
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Council Plan 2025-2030 – sets our priorities and focus for the borough for the next five years (closes 3 March)
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Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment - your views on the level and accessibility of pharmacy services, as well as how these will be maintained and developed in the future (closes 9 March)
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Community Governance Review – ensures the arrangements for the borough's towns and parishes are as effective and appropriate (closes 25 April)
You can sign up for our consultations and engagement newsletter to get the latest on all our surveys, consultations and how they’re shaping our decisions.
 A safe new heart for popular village centre
Following the completion of our California Crossroads improvement works at Finchampstead last year, we're still committed to monitoring the junction.
We installed cameras in October to take a close look at how people are using the new layout and features, including drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, and we aim to finish this review by the end of the month.
In transforming this well-used area, which reopened last autumn, we set out to create a pleasant, safe environment with a stronger sense of identity while slowing traffic and making pedestrians more visible.
Keeping everyone safe is our top priority - and our observations show that we’re achieving that, just like similar schemes at Poynton in Cheshire, central Coventry and Ponders End in London.
An innovative way to make it safer for everyone
Designs like this have been shown to slow vehicles down more than traditional layouts, and we’re seeing that at California Crossroads.
The design follows Department for Transport guidelines, which say a more imaginative design can be very safe when local circumstances are considered, while the police haven’t reported any accidents or injuries.
Funding came from developers building new homes in the area and didn’t just pay for the surface design. It covered significant structural improvements, addressing a long-standing flooding problem by improving drainage.
We know this isn't a traditional junction, but it has safely renewed the heart of Finchampstead with input from the community, including the project working group who came up with the original vision almost 10 years ago.
 Know your Council Tax for 2025/26 with e-billing
We are contacting residents as part of our efforts to get more people signed up for e-billing.
Also known as paperless billing, this method is kinder to the environment, allows you to access your Council Tax information anywhere at any time and helps us to save money on sending out letters.
With that in mind, you may receive an email or text message from us, asking if you want to join more than 16,000 households that have already signed up. It’s also the fastest way to access your Council Tax bills for the new financial year, when bills for 2025/26 are confirmed.
You can be confident this correspondence is legitimate, as the message will be addressed to you personally. You can read more about how to know when you have been contacted by us on our website.
If you ever have any concerns or questions, or you would prefer to complete this process in a different way visit our website or call us on (0118) 974 6000.
 Supporting new travel habits for years to come
Our vision for improving how everyone gets around the borough, while striving to reduce our environmental impact, is another step closer to reality.
We've agreed to put a draft of our updated Local Transport Plan (LTP) before councillors for discussion, with a recommendation to adopt it as official policy.
The LTP outlines policies and actions that will help us move forward with a wide range of transport schemes and programmes - including those which make walking, cycling and taking public transport more accessible.
It'll sit above documents like our Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP), both of which aim to help people travel more healthily, sustainably and affordably.
The LTP's objectives also include developing the local economy, supporting thriving villages and town centres, creating safer streets for everyone and improving links between key destinations.
The final draft was shaped by feedback from public consultation, along with responses from the Community Vision and Council Plan consultations, and supports our efforts to become a carbon-neutral borough.
 Free childcare for working parents
There are lots of options available for working parents to help cover or support childcare costs if you're working. This includes:
- Free childcare for 15 hours a week from nine months old
- Free childcare for 30 hours a week from three years old
- Up to £2,000 a year towards childcare costs
You can check your entitlement for your situation on the Childcare Choices website.
What you might have missed
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