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Your March edition of the Brickleton News will soon be arriving through your door, with details of the Fete, tree plating and the Open Gardens event, if you cannot wait for its arrival you can download it here: 
Local elections set for 2 May, 2019
Elections are set to take place to elect councillors to the district council as well as town and parish councils. West Berkshire Council has published its Notice of Election confirming the elections to be held on Thursday 2 May, 2019. The nomination process is now open and anyone wanting to stand for election either to West Berkshire Council or their local council has until 4pm on Wednesday 3 April to submit their nomination to the Returning Officer. West Berkshire Council has produced a guide to the elections which includes more information on the nomination process and eligibility criteria for potential candidates. This can be viewed online: www.westberks.gov.uk/elections2019. A list of candidates standing for election will be published online by 4pm on Thursday 4 April. Preparations for the district council elections are well underway with West Berkshire Council's Electoral Services team busy booking polling stations, arranging staff for polling stations and the count, as well as making sure everyone who wants to vote can do so. Since the district council elections were held in 2015 there have been changes to the areas each district councillor represents. The review was conducted both to reduce the number of district councillors and to adjust ward boundaries so that each councillor represents a similar number of residents. Changes to towns and villages, and their populations, had led to disparity between how many residents councillors had been representing. Following a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, there will be 24 wards across West Berkshire instead of 30 and 43 councillors instead of 52. Polling cards will begin to arrive from Tuesday 19th March and will show residents which will state their ward and the polling station to attend. There is still plenty of time for residents to register to vote in the May elections if they have not already done so. Residents have until Friday 12th April and they can register to vote online in just a few minutes or opt to register to vote by post. Residents are able to vote by post if they prefer to, or to apply for a proxy vote which allows another person to cast their vote for them. The deadline for new postal votes and changes to existing postal vote details is Monday 15th April, and the applications to vote by proxy must be submitted by Wednesday 24th April. For more information about registering to vote visit https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. There is also more information about the elections elsewhere on our website. West Berkshire Council - 15th March 2019 Press Release from West Berkshire Council - 14th March 2019
Council Budget confirms stable future West Berkshire Council approved its Revenue Budget for 2019/20 at the recent meeting of Full Council. This will see £131.11 million spent delivering essential services to the people of West Berkshire. A Council Tax increase of 2.99% was agreed which generates £97.87 million. The increase will raise £2.84 million which will go towards meeting the pressures the council is facing from inflation and service pressures, particularly in social care. Council Tax has now predominantly become a source of funding for Community Care, as 60% of the council’s resources are needed to support 3% of the population. However, the council is working both creatively and commercially to develop new ways of funding services. These include property development and investment to provide significant income from rent and successfully lobbying to be part of the Government’s Business Rate retention pilot which will generate an additional £1.75 million income for the district. The council’s Capital Programme will see new investment in West Berkshire’s schools, 95% of which are already good or outstanding, plus the provision of two brand new schools, one in Theale, the other in partnership with Newbury College. Over the next three years, the Capital Programme has earmarked £38.million for investment in schools and £34 million on roads. This includes £16.1 million for schools and £12.6 million for roads in 2019/20 alone. Part of the £12.6 million for roads is as a result of the council’s successful bid for additional government funds to repair potholes and continue to improve the condition of our roads to ensure that West Berkshire continues to be one of the best connected districts in the country. The Programme also sees significant investment in the council’s commitment to boosting West Berkshire’s 9000 businesses, to keep the local economy buoyant. Graham Jones, Leader of West Berkshire Council said: “This budget marks the end of a transition period which sees this council move from government support to being entirely funded by the West Berkshire Council Tax payer and the proportion of Business Rates we’re now able to retain. “Painful choices have had to be made over recent years, but we are now in a strong, stable position for the future. “As a council, we are growing our income in creative ways, funded by our Transformation Fund. We are thinking and acting commercially, by adapting some of our services to be traded companies and growing our property portfolio, which will provide an additional £2 million of income. Many of our town and parish councils have risen to the challenge of devolution, allowing us to provide services in co-operation with, rather than for, our communities. This budget shows clearly the direction we are taking to generate more revenue with which to continue to serve the people of West Berkshire and to ensure that our district continues to thrive and improve.” The spring edition of the West Berkshire Countryside Society Upstream magazine can be downloaded below.
Press Release - 13th March 2019 from West Berkshire Council
West Berkshire Council working to improve the local environment for wildlife Roadside verges can be a real haven for nature. During the winter, West Berkshire Council promised to look at the best way of managing the district’s grass verges and protecting the flora, fauna and wildlife that inhabit them. Some verges, such as those at busy junctions where visibility is key, have to be cut back for safety. Others have the potential to be precious linear nature reserves for flora and fauna. Those left to grow naturally can be a place where wild flowers, pollinators, birds and small mammals thrive. This spring West Berkshire Council will trial a new approach by creating a wildflower verge in two areas. These are on the A4 near Halfway, between Newbury and Hungerford and the A4 between Ufton and Aldermaston. The results wont be visible immediately as the verges have to be prepared and sown over the spring and summer but they will hopefully bloom early in the following spring. Lessons learned from the trial will be used to inform our management of verges in the future. Jeanette Clifford, West Berkshire Council’s executive member for Transport and Countryside, visited one of the sites this weekend. Councillor Clifford said: ‘With hundreds of miles of verges in West Berkshire, this is an important project that we hope will enrich our environment. Not so many years ago, we could all witness the passing of the seasons in our roadside verges, and, of course, they were particularly glorious in spring and summer. We would like to see that diversity and complexity return and once again experience the colours, scents and buzz of living verges.’  Village Tree & Hedge Planting Courtesy of the Woodland Trust we have received 135 tree and hedge saplings ready for planting. Please join us for an hour on Saturday 23rd March at 10am on the playing field to help plant! Please bring spades and gloves - perfect activity for all the family! We are intending to fill the hedge gaps around the playing field and add trees around Dunmore Pond - if you have any other suggestions for areas within the village please come along with your ideas!  BRIGHTWALTON VILLAGE FETE
Sunday 5th May 1pm – 4pm Brightwalton Villlge hall and field, RG20 7BN • Wantage Silver Band • Peasemore Ukulele Group • Brightwalton School Maypole Dancing • Garston Gallopers Morris Dancing • Barbecue, Bar, Teas • Fun Dog Show - enter on the day • Grand raffle, Bottle stall • Local produce and crafts, Cakes, Plants, Books • Side shows, games and lots more for all the family Free Parking & Entry Lots under cover if it rains! Unnamed Road from A338 Wantage Road to B4494 in the Parish of Chaddleworth will be closed on 15th March 2019, between the hours of 9.30am – 3.30pm, so that contractors can carry out drainage clearing
The closure will be in place from its junction with the A338, to its junction with the unnamed road from the A338 to Common Lane, Woolley. Access will be maintained for residential access. The diversion will be signed on site. All enquiries to: West Berkshire Council: Highway Maintenance Team on 01635 519080 A plan of the closure can be found at: (click on link) Chaddleworth Road closure  Come along on for a stroll around some of the village’s gardens.
There are competitions to enter and then enjoy tea and cake at the village hall £5.00 per adult, under 16s free Raising money for the ASPIRE Project What better way is there to spend a Sunday afternoon? West Berkshire Council Press Release - 27th February
West Berkshire Council is gearing up for district council elections with residents going to the polls in two months’ time. On Thursday 2 May residents will go to the polls to elect district councillors to sit on West Berkshire Council, and also to elect councillors to town and parish councils. Preparations for the district council elections are well underway with West Berkshire Council’s Electoral Services team busy booking polling stations, arranging staff for polling stations and the count, as well as making sure everyone who wants to vote can do so. Since the district council elections were held in 2015 there have been changes to the areas each district councillor represents. The review was conducted both to reduce the number of district councillors and to adjust ward boundaries so that each councillor represents a similar number of residents. Changes to towns and villages, and their populations, had led to disparity between how many residents councillors had been representing. Following a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, there will be 24 wards across West Berkshire instead of 30 and 43 councillors instead of 52. More information about the new wards and a small number of changes to polling stations will be published in March. Anyone wanting to stand in the elections is able to do so with a deadline of 4pm on Wednesday 3 April for completed nomination forms. A list of candidates standing for election in each ward will be published online on Thursday 4 April. More information about the nomination process for candidates can be found in West Berkshire Council’s Guide to Election Procedures. There is still plenty of time for residents to register to vote in the May elections if they have not already done so. Residents have until Friday 12 April and they can register to vote online in just a few minutes or opt to register to vote by post. Residents are able to vote by post if they prefer to, or to apply for a proxy vote which allows another person to cast their vote for them. The deadline for new postal votes and changes to existing postal vote details is Monday 15th April, and the applications to vote by proxy must be submitted by Wednesday 24 April. For more information about registering to vote visit https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. There is also more information about the elections on the West Berkshire Council website. Council Strategy Consultation now live
Residents are invited to give their views on a new four-year strategy for West Berkshire Council. A short survey has been launched today, 11 February 2019, and takes only a few minutes to complete. The Council Strategy explains what we plan to prioritise and improve over a four year period. It also sets out how we aim to achieve these improvements, while continuing to deliver the services that our residents expect us to provide such as emptying the bins, fixing potholes, safeguarding vulnerable children, and providing care for older people. The Strategy is produced every four years to align with the electoral cycle, and refreshed every other year. The current Strategy was adopted in 2015, so a new one is needed to cover the period 2019-2023. Graham Jones, Leader of West Berkshire Council said: “It is only by listening to our residents and taking their views on board that we are able to develop an effective Strategy which is focussed on the correct priorities. There is a short survey that we need local people to complete so that we can finalise the Strategy.” Take part in the survey at www.westberks.gov.uk/draftcouncilstrategy by midnight on 24 March 2019.  West Berkshire Heritage have just published their Spring / Summer What's On Guide.
It includes lots of family events, workshops, exhibitions, theatre and concerts. To download a copy click here: What's On  Brother and sister team Dan Whidborne (local farmer) and Claire Pill (owner of Saddleback Farm Shop) brought Saddleback Farm Shop to local residents in Brightwalton, Chaddleworth and Leckhampstead who have been cut off from civilisation (unless you have a 4×4 and even some of them have had to be towed out). It is this community spirit that makes this such a special place to live.
Villagers queued up for bread, milk, meat and other essentials. The village hall AGM will be on Tuesday 5th February at 7.30 - all welcome, the agenda can be downloaded below
We have been advised that West Berkshire libraries is having a fines amnesty on the 22nd and 23rd Feb. There will be no late fees to pay on any items returned to any West Berkshire library on these dates.
The annual Walk for Parkinson’s at Welford Park is taking place on Sunday 28th April. The walk helps Parkinson's UK to raise vital funds and awareness for Parkinson’s which is essential in helping them to find better treatments and a cure, whilst supporting everyone affected by Parkinson’s.
If you would like more information on the walk - visit Parkinson's UK The January edition of the Brickleton News can be downloaded here.
BRIGHWALTON VILLAGE FETE - Sunday 5th May.
We are looking for stallholders! If you would be interested in having a stall at this year's fete, please contact the Parish Clerk in the first instance and we will pass on your details to the organisers. Press Release from West Berkshire Council
Newbury Library has re-opened today (Wednesday 2 January) following a two-week closure for refurbishment. Almost 5 million people have visited the library since it opened in July 2000. Like any much loved and well used building, it needed some maintenance. A £30,000 refurbishment project has seen public areas across two floors re-carpeted and re-decorated. Staff, volunteers and contractors have been busy with the refurbishment over the Christmas break and making sure it was ready to open again in the New Year. Speaking about the refurbishment, Councillor Rick Jones, Executive Member for Culture, said: “We’ve had a staggering number of people visit the library since it opened almost 20 years ago. This refurbishment will ensure that Newbury continues to have a library residents can enjoy and be proud of in the years to come. “The library has seen a number of changes over the years and it is no longer simply a place where people borrow books. There has been a significant expansion of digital services including self-service kiosks, an increasing number of online resources and apps for borrowing e-books and e-magazines. Together with free computer use, wifi, family history research and other local information there is a lot on offer for local people.” To find out more about West Berkshire’s libraries – including how to borrow e-books – visit www.wesberks.gov.uk/libraries  Received from the Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley - Anthony Stansfeld "I have continuously lobbied the Government for a much-needed increase in police funding and so I am pleased that the Government has announced that an additional £813m will be available nationally to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to fund local police forces. However, it must be recognised that more than half of this funding (£509m) is expected to come from local taxpayers by increasing the police portion of the Council Tax. Demand on police forces nationally has risen significantly in the last year as a result of higher crime numbers, the increasing complexity of crime, and the increasing reach of criminals both physically and via technology. This includes an increase in the reporting of high harm and previously hidden crimes such as child sexual abuse and modern slavery. The challenge from serious and organised crime networks is also growing both in economic value and the geographical spread, whilst nationally there has been a spike in serious violence and knife crime alongside the increase in a gang culture. A significant amount of the more serious crime is now being committed by foreign national offenders. In addition the police are dealing with a large amount of non-crime business, especially in relation to mental health. My focus will continue to be on delivering strong neighbourhood policing for all of the communities across the Thames Valley whilst addressing the serious threats and hardship posed by criminals. An increase to the council tax will enable me to protect many of the vital functions that may otherwise have been reduced, and ensure that Thames Valley Police has more resources to tackle crime and keep the public safe. I am therefore proposing to increase council tax by £24 (equivalent for a Band D household) and will ensure that all the extra cash generated from council taxpayers will be spent on operational policing. I will be running a public consultation exercise over the Christmas period to gather local council taxpayer views on the proposed increase. You can find more information about my public survey on the council tax increase below. I encourage you to complete the survey and to share it widely with your local communities. Finally, I wish you all a Happy Christmas and New Year Anthony Stansfeld " In response to the exceptional operational demands on the police, particularly in areas such as Thames Valley, the Government has encouraged all PCCs to raise the policing element of the council tax by £24 a year in 2019/20 or £2 a month for a Band D property. (The increase in other property bands are detailed within the survey) The PCC supports the increase in council tax by £24 for a Band D property. The draft budget for 2019/20 includes additional funding to increase local frontline policing, recruit more investigators and improve contact management with the aim to reduce call waiting times on 101 calls. Further information about the budget can be found here. The PCC is holding a public consultation exercise over the Christmas period to gather local council taxpayer views on the proposed increase in the police portion of the council tax. To have your say on the propose increase, please complete the survey. Please share this widely with your communities. The survey is open until Wednesday 9th January at 5pm Services in the West Downland Benefice will be: 23rd December 2018 – Fourth Sunday of Advent. 8.00am Holy Communion (BCP) at Leckhampstead. 6.00pm UB Combined Carol Service, Leckhampstead. Christmas Eve 3.00pm Carols at Catmore 3.00pm Crib Service at Wickham 10.00pm Holy Communion at Chaddleworth 10.00pm Holy Communion at Wickham 11.30pm Holy Communion at Great Shefford Christmas Day 8.00am BCP Holy Communion at Fawley 9.30am Family Holy Communion at Great Shefford 10.00am Family Holy Communion at Brightwalton 11.00am Family Holy Communion at Welford Sunday 30th December 30th December 2018 – First Sunday of Christmas 10.00am United Benefice Holy Communion at Great Shefford
Recycling Collection for real Christmas Trees
To help West Berkshire residents to have a green Christmas and recycle even more, West Berkshire Council will collect real Christmas Trees from residents even if they do not subscribe to the garden waste collection service. Real trees should simply be left with your recycling on your scheduled collection day up until Friday 18 January. Any decorations, lights and pots must be removed before recycling. Revised collection day Christmas and New Year collection dates 2018/19 Mon 24 Dec as normal Mon 24 Dec Tues 25 Dec will be collected on Thurs 27 Dec Wed 26 Dec will be collected on Fri 28 Dec Thurs 27 Dec will be collected on Sat 29 Dec Fri 28 Dec will be collected on Mon 31 Dec Mon 31 Dec will be collected on Wed 2 Jan Tues 1 Jan will be collected on Thurs 3 Jan Wed 2 Jan will be collected on Fri 4 Jan Thurs 3 Jan will be collected on Sat 5 Jan Fri 4 Jan will be collected on Mon 7 Jan Mon 7 Jan will be collected on Tues 8 Jan Tues 8 Jan will be collected on Wed 9 Jan Wed 9 Jan will be collected on Thurs 1 0 Jan Thurs 1 0 Jan will be collected on Fri 11 J an Fri 11 Jan will be collected on Sat 12 Jan Collections will return to normal on Monday 14 January 2019 To check your collection week or for updates to waste services during severe weather visit www.westberks.gov.uk/waste The Pew Sheet for the 9th December can be downloaded below. The services in the West Downland Benefice this Sunday will be: 8.00am Holy Communion (BCP) at Brightwalton 9.30am Holy Communion at Great Shefford 10.00am Nativity Play Service at Leckhampstead. 11.00am Holy Communion (BCP) at Wickham. 4.00pm Village Carols and Readings at Brightwalton.
West Berkshire Council Press Release - 7th December
Newbury Library is closing for refurbishment on Monday 17 December Newbury Library is closing for refurbishment on Monday 17 December and will reopen on Wednesday 2 January 2019. There are no items due for return to the library during this time. If customers have an item which was due back before 17 December and return it late, it won’t accrue additional fines during the closed period. Libraries Manager Felicity Harrison said: “We’re sorry if our longer than usual closure at Newbury Library over the holiday period causes any inconvenience, but we hope that library visitors will be pleased with the results of this refurbishment when the library reopens on Wednesday 2 January.” Opening times over the festive period for all West Berkshire Libraries can be found at www.westberks.gov.uk/libraries Many library services are available 24/7, even when the library is closed. For instance, customers can search for, reserve and renew books, download e-books, e-audiobooks and e-magazines, and make use of our extensive online reference resources on our website. Newbury Library also has a number of Winter Competitions for children running over the holiday period. See details of these on the library website. The closing dates: Monday 7 January. |
AuthorThis is written by the Parish Clerk with input from the village. Planning ApplicationsClick here to find out more about the planning process and to view all the current planning applications in Brightwalton. Archives
April 2019
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