Welcome to Brightwalton News

Your November Brickleton News should be landing on your doorstep very soon, however if you cannot wait you can download it here:

Carols by Candlelight at Catmore
 
We are pleased to announce that due to the overwhelming success of the Carols by Candlelight Christmas Eve service at St Margaret’s Church in Catmore, Rev Miriam Keen will offer two services this year. The two services will give as many people as possible the opportunity to enjoy this magical start to Christmas Eve that has become a significant event in our calendar due the ongoing commitment of David and Carolyn Gardiner.
 
Services will be held at 2pm and 3.30pm and tickets need to be booked via: visitchurches.org.uk/Christmas. Everyone attending will need to bring proof of booking.
If you are unable to book online please contact the Churches Conservation Trust on 01179291766 or email: west@thecct.org.uk.

Parish Council Report for period to 31 October 2019
Cllr Clive Hooker (West Berkshire Council, Downlands Ward)
West Berkshire Council
Introduction
Firstly my apologies for not getting out my report to you last month mainly due to a busy period with both Council business and Ward issues.
I was very pleased to see many of my Parish Councillors at the District Parish Council Conference on 22nd October.  The feedback I have received so far is that it was an informative and useful evening.
I was fortunate as the Council’s Vice Chairman to open West Berkshire Councils first Climate Change Conference which was held at Newbury College on the 28th October and introduce our local MP, The Rt Hon Richard Benyon, and invite him to give the opening address.  I then had much pleasure in introducing the keynote speaker Tom Heap, well known for his appearances on BBC Countryfile.  Tom gave a passionate presentation on the Challenges of Climate Change for West Berkshire.
I cover more of the Conference in my report below with a link for more details and Tom Heap’s address to the Conference.
I look forward to meeting you should you wish to discuss any matters with me during my attendances at your Parish Council Meetings or contacting me on my email address:
 clive.hooker@westberks.gov.uk
Please contact your Parish Clerk to confirm I will be in attendance as some Parish Council meetings may coincide with other Council commitments on that evening.
Budget for 2020/2021The spending announcement from HMG last month (the one year Spending Review for 2020/21) included proposals for funding social care to include additional grant funding and the option for councils to levy an Adult Social Care precept at 2%.  Favourable announcements were also made on the continuation of New Homes Bonus and on special educational needs funding.  Unfortunately, WBC will no longer be a Business Rates Pilot authority for 2020/21 which means we will forego around £1.5m that we are benefiting from this year.
At the start of the year we decided that we would divide our savings programme for 2020/21 into two phases.  Phase 1 (£4m of savings) was seen as likely to be required given our financial forecasting at the time.  Phase 2 (£3m of savings) would hopefully not be required but this all depended on how the Government decided to respond to the financial challenges in social care and across the sector.  Work to identify the savings needed to meet Phase 1 is virtually complete, plus the latest financial modelling suggests that demand for Adult Social Care next year may not be quite as high as we initially thought (although we will need to keep this under review).
So, whilst we await the detail in the Local Government Financial Settlement for next year (which usually arrives around Christmas), our position is currently looking more positive than it has often appeared at this time in earlier years.
Officers are currently finalising the Council Strategy Delivery Plan alongside the Executive and through that we are identifying the additional resources we will need to realise our ambitions for the next four years.
 
Community Champion AwardsThe nominations for the Community Champion Awards closed on 25 October.  There will be a celebration at Shaw House in December to recognise the achievements of the winners.
https://info.westberks.gov.uk/communitychampion
 
Climate Conference
The first West Berkshire Climate Conference took place on Monday 28 October.  The day was well attended with over 300 people from across the district coming to find out more about the challenge of climate change for West Berkshire.  We were joined by some neighbouring local authorities which is very encouraging as we shall all need to play our part if we are to reach our carbon zero target.  Feedback of those that attended is currently being analysed to help inform next steps.  If you didn’t make it to the Conference you can watch Tom Heap’s address here. https://info.westberks.gov.uk/climateconference
 
Consultations
Sports and Leisure Centre Satisfaction Survey 2019The Council is carrying out a survey of West Berkshire leisure centre users to find out how our centres are performing, and to identify areas for potential improvement.
Centre users aged 11 years or over, who use the centres to take part in an activity, watch an activity, use another service (e.g. onsite café or business service) or attend a non-sporting activity (e.g. a party or meeting) are encouraged to give feedback.
The survey should only take 15 minutes to complete, and responses will be used to help develop better leisure services and to guide future investments.
All completed surveys, where participants have provided their contact details, will be entered into a draw to win a free year's membership to our leisure centres.
https://info.westberks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=36354

Environment Strategy
The draft environment strategy is being developed following the Climate Conference and will go out for public consultation shortly.
  
Market Street Road Closure
Market Street in Newbury is set to close for up to five weeks from Monday 28 October.
The closure will enable important infrastructure work required as part of the multi-million pound regeneration of the Market Street area. One of the first tasks required is to install a new sewer to serve the 200 new homes, and businesses, coming to the site. West Berkshire Council has granted a work permit to Cappagh to install the sewer and as a result the road will be closed between Mayors Lane and West Berkshire Council offices from Monday 28th October and around 1 December.
Motorists are asked to avoid the area if possible or allow extra time for their journeys. The diversion routes are available to view online (Market Street Closure) and are as follows:
Clockwise:

• Cheap Street, Bear Lane, A339 (southbound), St John's Road, Newtown Road and Batholomew Street

Anti-clockwise:

• Bartholomew Street, Newtown Road, A339 (northbound) and Cheap Street

The roadworks on the A339 are set to be removed next week and the new traffic lights at the Sainsbury's roundabout turned on which help to keep traffic on the diversion route flowing.  
Motorists should note that access to Northbrook Street will be subject to current restrictions (closed 10am to 5pm), access to the Kennet Centre car park will be via Bartholomew Street and exit onto Market Street, and access to the Kennet Centre service ramp will be available 24/7.
The road closure will affect Kennections services coming into Newbury town centre from the south of Newbury.  Kennections 2 and 3 will be diverted over this period and Kennections 4 and 6 will not serve Newbury Railway Station for the duration. Detailed information and updates about this closure can be found here -  www.westberks.gov.uk/transportchanges.
Information will also be posted on affected bus stops around Newbury Town Centre and on social media. Services operated by other bus companies will be making their own arrangements so contact the operator directly.  
 
M4 Smart Motorway project
The M4 will be closed between junctions 6 and 8/9 over the weekends of 15-18 November and 29 November-2 December for the demolition of bridges and associated works.
 
Dunston Park Flood prevention scheme
Work started at Dunston Park and South East Thatcham in March this year. Both schemes are part of the comprehensive programme of flood defence work outlined in the council's Surface Water Management Plan (SWMP) for Thatcham, which was developed in partnership with the Environment Agency, Thatcham Town Council and Thames Water, in response to the severe flooding on 20 July 2007.
The reservoirs at Dunston Park and South East Thatcham form part of a flood defence strategy that already includes reservoirs at Cold Ash Hill and Tull Way. They will have storage capacities of 36,600 m3 and 14,200 m3 and will benefit 512 and 61 properties respectively.
https://info.westberks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=36488
 
The South East Thatcham Flood Alleviation Scheme Blog
https://info.westberks.gov.uk/sethatchamfas

New bins help people to Recycle 'on the go' in Newbury
​We've teamed up with our waste contractor Veolia to install eight new recycling litter bins in Newbury town centre to help people to recycle on the go!
Residents and visitors to Newbury will now be able to recycle their plastic bottles and cans easily which will boost the districts recycling rate.
The new recycling bins will be branded green so that they are easily recognisable for recycling rather than normal litter bins.
To be recycled on the go, plastic bottles and cans must be completely empty before they go into the recycling bins. They are for plastic bottles and cans as drink containers are frequently bought and discarded within the town centre and train station area.  Paper is not discarded in volume at these locations and items such as sandwich packets are not suitable for recycling due to the lining of the packet and food contamination.
The new bins can be found at The Broadway, Park Way, Cheap Street, Northbrook Street, Market Place, Station Road. Wharf Road and (following completion of roadworks) Bear Lane, Newbury.
Council announces new plastic waste recycling trialA selection of harder-to-recycle waste materials such as sweet and crisp wrappers, and small plastic toys will soon be collected for recycling at some of West Berkshire Council’s buildings as part of a new trial scheme.
 
The Council has teamed up with Veolia, its waste management services partner, to offer new recycling points for materials which are harder for residents to recycle. Recycling boxes will be available at the following locations in Newbury during the trial period:
 
Sweet wrappers:      Market Street Council Offices Reception; West Street Council Offices Reception:             Northcroft Leisure Centre; and Newbury Library;
Plastic toys:               Market Street Council Offices Reception; West Street Council Offices Reception; Northcroft Leisure Centre; and Newbury Library; and
Toiletries containers: changing rooms for cyclists/joggers in the Market Street Council Offices (these facilities are available to Councillors and staff only).
 
Initially ten boxes will be available and once these have been successfully trialled, the Council will consider whether to continue with the scheme and potentially roll it out to more locations within the district or increase the scope of the materials which are collected.
 
This scheme is part of Veolia’s Procycle service, which has recently been launched.
West Berkshire Council has supported the development of a pioneering smartphone appIn a joint venture with award-winning transport safety consultancy, Agilysis Ltd, West Berkshire Council has supported the development of a pioneering smartphone app that uses geolocation technology to give reassurance to parents/ guardians and security to children for their local unaccompanied journeys.
In recent years, the Traffic and Road Safety team at West Berkshire Council has been considering the potential for developing technology solutions that support parents and young people who want to confidently pursue independent and active travel, such as walking and cycling.
Not only does this App give parents greater confidence, we hope that it will encourage them to let children walk to school rather than being driven and contribute to a more environmentally sustainable solution for young people getting to school than relying on carbon emitting vehicles.
The new RouteGuardapp will be available to download from Apple and Google Play stores. As the RouteGuardian, parents will be able to plan, monitor, and adjust routes and pre-defined zones encouraging mutual agreement with their child.
Flu jabPeople in eligible NHS groups are strongly encouraged to get their free NHS flu vaccine via their GP or chemist.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/flu-influenza-vaccine/
More West Berkshire Blogshttp://info.westberks.gov.uk/blogs

Meet the Buyer Event - Tuesday 26 November​


West Berkshire Council is holding a special Meet the Buyer event on Tuesday 26 November 2019 at Shaw House, Newbury from 9.30am until midday. 
We’re looking for building contractors, consultants, suppliers and tradesmen to work locally on projects in West Berkshire that directly benefit our communities.
This event is a unique opportunity to meet West Berkshire Council’s Property team who are responsible for employing contractors to work on West Berkshire’s Education Capital Maintenance programme.
The annual Capital Maintenance Programme averages £2.5 million over up to 60 projects, many of which are relatively small and would often need to be completed within school holiday periods.
Richard Turner, Service Manager at West Berkshire Council said:
“We’re looking for local suppliers (existing and new) to deliver projects locally to maintain and improve our schools.
“This is a great chance to work closely with the local community, boost the local economy and create lasting legacy and pride by building and maintaining great learning spaces across West Berkshire.”
 
Book a place at Meet the Buyer at www.westberks.gov.uk/meetthebuyer

​Stuart Breadmore commented - "as many of you in the parish have thought and still think of the the people in our armed forces, I myself have served and have lost friends in conflict. So it is with much disgust that fireworks have been let off in the village tonight - it feels distasteful and inconsiderate." posted 10th November 2019

West Berkshire Volunteer Centre have asked us to circulate information throughout the parishes on the local Handybus Service - "The Handybus offers elderly and mobility impaired neighbours the opportunity to access convenient, door-to-door transport for social activities, supermarket visits and wellness activities. They also operate day trips regularly throughout the year for Over 50s in the area, and the service is available for hire if you are a local organisation or group, at very reasonable prices. All their drivers are compassionate, friendly people with a real passion for assisting their local community.
 
Handybus are currently looking for Volunteer Drivers. These kind hearted souls are the very backbone of the organisation and are vital to its continued success. I would like to request that you spread the word of Handybus to potential service users and potential volunteers. Should you have any questions or queries, I am available at the Volunteer Centre West Berkshire office from Monday- Thursday, 9am – 1pm."

If you would be interested in volunteering or would like to know more about using the service yourself, please contact 
Alison at Handybus Desk
Volunteer Centre West Berkshire
1 Bolton Place, Newbury, RG14 1AJ
Telephone - 01635 37111
http://www.volunteerwestberks.org.uk/

From Michel Hedges-Jackson, West Downland Benefice Administrator

This year please add to your remembering a special date, the 24th November.  That day the Bishop of Oxford will be joining us in West Downland Benefice, enjoying informal and formal services and a lunch.  Please make a note in your diary as this is a very exciting opportunity for us to share with Bishop Stephen the realities of rural church life, both celebrating the joys and demonstrating the challenges.  If you would like to join us for lunch please let Mike know by 9am Wednesday 20th November - email mikehj.westdownland@gmail.com

Additionally, please find below the blue sheet of Services Rota and events in November, which includes details of the Festival Choir practices for the United Benefice Carol Service on 22nd December.

Please join us at the Village Hall from 10am this Sunday - 20th October - for the annual village working party. Please bring what tools you have available. 
Refreshments and lunch for the workers
​Thank you 

You can download the September edition of the Brickleton News here 

You may have already seen the flyers around the village for our big fundraiser.   We managed to raise a fabulous £5,000 last year from ticket sales, donations and various match funding.   This amount made a real difference to our school, enabling the construction of the Wellbeing Garden and it is also shared with the Church’s ASPIRE project.  
 
The stunning route is about 5km, part of which goes through the privately owned Woolley Estate.  There is a shorter walk for those with younger children, a nature trail and odd sweet treat en-route.   There will be a BBQ and refreshments at the village hall pre and post walk.  
 
The walk will start from the village hall from 10.30 to 11.00.  Tickets are £5.00 per person or £15 for a family ticket. Please contact Miranda at mikeandmiranda@hotmail.com

If you are unable to attend and would like to make a donation, you can make a BACS payments via the Brightwalton Friends Account: -  Lloyds TSB – A/C 63857860 – Sort Code:  77-95-05.  Please quote Walk
 
We look forward to meeting as many people as possible and thank you in advance for your support.   Do spread the word and help us make this the memorable event of October.
 
Happy Walking
Miranda 
​mikeandmiranda@hotmail.com

 Reporting Speeding Traffic
​The Parish Council has been made aware of this link on the West Berkshire Council website where anyone can report speeding vehicles. West Berkshire Council do not have the powers to enforce speed, so all incidents involving excess speed should be reported to the Police as normal too, but this does record the frequency and provide the evidence needed to engage the District Council and Thames Valley Police for problematic areas.
The web address is: www.westberks.gov.uk/speedingtraffic

The Autumn issue of Upstream can be downloaded here:
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Cllr Clive Hooker (West Berkshire Council, Downlands Ward)
Report for period to 31 August 2019
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PC Andrew Harper
I am sure that everyone, like me, was shocked and saddened by the death of PC Harper when responding to a report of a burglary near to Sulhamstead earlier in the month.  The matters are now part of a criminal investigation and I cannot add any additional comment.
West Berkshire Council along with many other organisations observed a minutes silence and the flag at our Market Street office was lowered to half-mast.  There is a book of condolence in the Council reception area for anyone wishing to sign.
West Berkshire Council has a good working relationship with Thames Valley Police and this has continued through this difficult time.
West Berkshire Council
August is generally a quiet month whilst many holidays are taken and there were no significant public meetings of the Executive or Council.  During the month as Chairman of the Western Area Planning Committee, I attended residential sites with other Committee members to better acquaint ourselves with applications to be presented at the Western Area Planning Committee for decision.  I also sat on one District Planning Committee meeting.
As usual my inbox has been busy, most of the issues I have addressed and have been resolved.
The next Council meeting will be held on Thursday 12 September at 7pm in the Council Chamber.
Four Houses Corner
Four Houses Corner is a WBC run gypsy and travellers’ site located on the boundary between Burghfield and Mortimer in the south east of the district.  It has featured in the investigations by TVP following the death of PC Harper.
As you will no doubt be aware, WBC has a statutory duty to provide sites within the district for gypsy and travelling families.
The portfolio holder for Housing is meeting fortnightly with TVP, assessing the difficult relationship which continues with the residents at Four Houses Corner and various authorities.   The situation is kept carefully monitored.
There remain half a dozen or so occupied properties, however some residents have over a period of time been found alternative accommodation.  It is intended that in due course the site will be cleared, cleaned and refurbished.
Planning permission granted to Newbury College
Plans to establish the University Centre at Newbury (UCN) took a significant step forward with the recent granting of planning permission for the multi-million pound development.  The Centre will provide degrees and other higher level qualifications in the key sectors of digital technology, business and finance, engineering, health and social care and construction.
The original timescales for the completion of the building have been extended to focus on the state-of-the-art digital facilities and achieve the demanding zero-carbon standard; constructing the first public building in West Berkshire to achieve this new level in sustainability.
A Level results
The results for this year’s A levels were announced on 15 August.
2,478 A Level entries between them more than a fifth of results (22%) were either grade A* or A and 71% results were grade C or above.  Many congratulations to all (and to their parents!).
GCSE results
Picking up their results on 22 August was the culmination of two years of hard work by more than 1,700 students and the school staff.
West Berkshire secondary schools have performed above the national average in all key measures.  In English, the pass rate is provisionally 14% above national, and 16% above in higher grades, and in Mathematics the results exceeded the national average by 11%.  In two schools, combined English and Maths results improved by five or more percentage points from 2018.
Updated Local List of Heritage Assets
Following a six-week public consultation period, which ended on 22 August 2019, a further six heritage assets were added to the Local List of Heritage Assets.  Detailed information can be found on the link https://info.westberks.gov.uk/locallist
West Berkshire Climate Conference
The West Berkshire Climate Conference will explore different ways residents, businesses, local organisations and the Council in West Berkshire can help tackle the climate crisis.
The free conference will be held on Monday 28 October at Newbury College.  Tickets will go on release on 16 September via the Council’s website.  More information about the conference will be published in the coming weeks on our website, on our Facebook page and our Twitter page.
Thames Valley Berkshire Smart City Cluster project funding
WBC has awarded Berkshire-based company Thingitude a grant of £100k from the Thames Valley Berkshire Smart City Cluster project (funded by Thames Valley Berkshire LEP) to deliver an innovative real world trial until next February, to address the issues and impacts that slips, trips and falls have on the elderly, help them to look after themselves better and provide valuable information to help with care planning.
The award is one of four to be made in the first round of competitive calls and gives WBC the opportunity and innovation to work directly with local businesses to improve services for our residents - preventing falls among our most vulnerable residents and, more widely, providing excellent adult social care are among our top priorities as a council and this ground-breaking project is enabling us to do that.
Local Matters - New train timetable
West Berkshire Council welcomes the announcement by Great Western Railway (GWR) that there will be a new timetable serving the Thames Valley from December 2019.
On the popular Reading to Newbury route, passengers will benefit from an increase to three trains an hour, journey time improvements of around five minutes, and a more consistent service throughout the day with up to two fast services an hour running through to London Paddington.  There will also be a third train each hour during peak periods on the Reading to Basingstoke line improving links to Mortimer Station.
With improved links, more seats and faster and more frequent journeys from West Berkshire stations to popular destinations like Reading and London, residents and businesses can celebrate these upcoming changes.

You can download your July edition of the Brickleton News here:

SUNDAY 23rd JUNE 2019
2pm – 5pm
Entry £5.00/adult, under 16 yrs/free
Start at Brightwalton Village Hall
to collect your programme.
 
Home produce to buy in gardens

 There are a few local events coming up in the West Downland Benefice villages:

Saturday 15th June, the Beenham Wind Quintet is at Leckhampstead church assisting in raising funds for the St James roof appeal 7.15pm for 7.30-9.30pm. £10, children free; drinks and canapes in the interval, with an update on the project. RSVP 01488  

Saturday 15th June is the Chaddleworth Vintage Fayre in the paddock of Chaddleworth House 12-4pm.

Sunday 23rd June Brighwalton Open Gardens, Walk and Games take place from 2 - 5pm starting from the village hall, £5 entry (under 16's free).This supports the Brightwalton ASPIRE project. 

The West Berkshire Countryside Society Summer edition of Upstream can be downloaded here:

Press Release from West Berkshire Council - dated 30th May 2019
​West Berkshire residents invited to take part in National Highways & Transport Survey
Local people are being asked for their views on  West  Berkshire's highways and transport services – from the condition of roads and footpaths to the quality of cycling facilities. 

West Berkshire is one of  111 councils to sign up to  a special survey on highways and transport. The survey, run by National Highways and Transport, is the largest collaboration between Local Authorities offering the opportunity to compare results, share in best practice and identify future opportunities to work together.
Their answers will be compared with the views of other members of the public across England and Scotland, as part of the National Highways and Transport Public Satisfaction survey, a unique collaboration between Local Authorities across England and parts of Scotland with a common agenda – service improvement.
The questionnaire will be sent to a minimum random sample of at least 3300 West Berkshire residents from 7June, followed by a reminder, with local and national results to be published in late-October 2019.  Since the survey is based on a sample, residents that receive a copy are being urged to take part. 
The results will enable National Highways and Transport to find out what people in West Berkshire think about these important services and help the Council to assess how it is performing.

Richard Somner, West Berkshire’s Executive Member for Highways and Transport said: “We are pleased to be taking part in this survey as it is a clear way for us to hear and react to the views of our residents. 
"It provides the opportunity for them to say which services they think we should prioritise and improve which will help us to better understand the needs of local people and work to deliver the most satisfactory and efficient outcomes for them.”
 West Berkshire Council

The May Brickleton News will soon arrive through your door, in case you cannot wait, you can download a copy here. 
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