Welcome to Brightwalton News

Press Release - WBC 20/12
West Berkshire moves into Tier 4 from Sunday 20th December.
New restrictions have been introduced in response to a rapidly rising level of coronavirus infections. 
You can read the statement by Prime Minister made earlier today.
Information about the restrictions under Tier 4 is below (a larger image is available here). You can also find more detailed information on Tier 4: Stay At Home restrictions online.

There is lots of information available on financial support, help for residents and help for businesses on the West Berkshire Council website 

Sunday 20th December 2020  
6.30pm in Brightwalton All Saints Churchyard
 
Let’s keep everyone safe!
We are delighted that we shall be able to sing carols together as long as households and bubbles are socially distanced from one another.  Please come wrapped up warm and bring a torch!  If you have Covid-19 symptoms, or are self-isolating, please do not attend. 
 
Please download your service sheet in advance and bring with you on your phone or printed - thank you. Open Air Carol Service Sheet

Major study into future uses of Newbury Town Centre
 
West Berkshire Council has appointed a multi-disciplinary team to undertake a major new study into the future uses of Newbury Town Centre. Led by HemingwayDesign, the team includes New Masterplanning, GL Hearn and Urban Movement.

The study, which will start with an online survey (details below), will include extensive engagement with the local community, a detailed analysis of the town’s needs, and a masterplan. It will be developed over the next nine months and will outline how the town centre can evolve in the future. It forms a key part of the Council’s robust response to the pandemic and will have a unique role to play for businesses, residents and other stakeholders.
The pandemic has demonstrated the importance of strong community links and the council is inviting all with an interest in the town to have their say and be part of the conversation about its future.  The study will take into account the significant changes in the retail and hospitality industries and the impact of Covid-19 in accelerating the review of alternative uses for town centres and public spaces. The Council and the team would like to further understand and provide solutions for some of the most important issues that affect local communities, including: a stronger economy; improved public health; protection of the most vulnerable; equality of opportunity; better stewardship of the natural environment; and a stronger sense of community.

Speaking about the upcoming and future work, Councillor Lynne Doherty, Leader of West Berkshire Council, said:
“We’re really excited to be partnering with the HemingwayDesign led- team on this key strategic project.
“When we first decided to bring a partner on board to plan for Newbury’s future, we couldn’t have imagined that we’d be doing so in the midst of a pandemic. It’s clear that Covid has accelerated some of the changes we were already seeing on high streets across the country and we feel that now is precisely the right time to consider how we can sustain the vibrancy of our largest town.
“Newbury has a lot to offer already with its mix of green spaces, independent shops and strong cultural heritage. We want to build on this even further, ensuring that the town continues to be a great place to live and work and developing a plan of which the whole community can be proud.”
 Wayne Hemingway of HemingwayDesign, said: 
 
“There is a societal shift in terms of shopping, work patterns and what people want from their town centres and Newbury has all the ingredients to embrace this shift, move with the times and become an even more inspirational and welcoming place for residents, businesses and their employees and visitors to the town. We believe that positive change is necessary, desirable and within reach. The best way that any design team can start is by listening to the people who know best and that is the residents, businesses and their employees and the wider Newbury community. So we urge you all to complete the survey, which takes 10 minutes, and provide us your feedback. Please share the survey with your family, and everyone you know - spread the word far and wide. We look forward to hearing from you.”
 
The Newbury town centre survey: https://newburytowncentremasterplan.co.uk   will be open until 23:59 on 17th January. The team will then review the feedback and report back and outline next steps in this process.

The winter edition of the West Berkshire Countryside Update - Upstream! is available to download here. It contains lots of information on their work locally and the local wildlife. 

The November Brickleton News is available to download here

Press Release from West Berkshire Council 27/11/20
​
West Berkshire Council is launching a COVID Winter Grant Scheme worth £279k for food, energy and other essential items for residents in need due to the pandemic. Free School Meal vouchers for holidays will also form part of the programme. The COVID Winter Grant Scheme will run from 1 December 2020 to 31 March 2021.
Through the COVID Winter Grant scheme, the Council will provide families, individuals and vulnerable people in need with financial support for food, utility bills (heating, cooking, lighting), water bills for household purposes (including drinking, washing, cooking, central heating, sewerage and sanitary purposes), or other related essentials.
As part of the scheme, the Council will make arrangements for the provision of Free School Meal vouchers for eligible 5 to 16 year olds during the Christmas and February half term school holidays (17 days in total). Children in school not currently receiving Free School Meals but considered by the school as vulnerable will be included. Consideration will also be given to children between 16 and 18 and children in cross border education settings. Details on how the vouchers will be implemented are currently being finalised.
Councillor Lynne Doherty, Leader of West Berkshire Council, said: “We are fully aware that it’s going to be a tough winter for the large number of residents whose jobs sadly have been impacted by the pandemic. We want them to know that our new COVID Winter Grant Scheme is available to help pay for food, utility bills, and essential supplies between December and March next year.
“As we head into winter and the festive season, we do not want anyone to be concerned about being able to feed their families or keeping warm.”
The COVID Winter Grant Scheme funds of £279k were recently allocated to West Berkshire by central government. Further funding has been identified from the Council’s overall allocation of Covid-related grants to support the local delivery framework should it be required.
The application process for the COVID Winter Grant Scheme will also enable eligible applicants to benefit from other funding such as the £103k Emergency Assistance Grant for Food and Essential Supplies for ongoing support with their needs, for example, information to access longer term support such as benefits.
To identify those most in need for the COVID Winter Grant Scheme, the Council will work closely with professionals, statutory partners, Parish Councils, Citizens Advice West Berkshire, Newbury Resource Centre and other community and voluntary groups. DWP Job Centre Plus will also be playing an active role to support those newly in financial hardship, such as through a recent job loss.
Those who currently have support from professionals such as social and care workers will be encouraged to work with their provider to make an application. In addition, individuals who are in need can make an online application independently on the West Berkshire website or contact the Community Support Hub from 1 December, when the scheme formally launches.
The application form will ask for information about the financial support required and for information about any benefits they are being paid. The application will not be means tested. Non-receipt of benefits will not necessarily exclude a family or individual from receiving support, and any exceptions will be dealt with on a case by case basis. 
Any individuals who may need support with the online application process, including those without internet access, are welcome to contact the Community Support Hub from 1 December on tel: 01635 503579 or by email: westberksbct@westberks.gov.uk. The Community Support Hub is open during office hours between 8.30am and 5pm Monday to Thursday, or between 8.30am and 4.30pm on Friday.
Arrangements will be in place to identify and manage any incidences of fraudulent activity. ​

The Downland Practice have provided the November Patient Update report for sharing. This covers updates on:
Covid-19, the Flu Vaccinations and Patients Shielding. 

SSEN have asked us to share the following information with residents.

Details on how to register for priority service and support during power cuts can be downloaded here or call 0800 294 3259 

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has done a survey of the high voltage electricity network feeding your parish and have identified refurbishment works we need to carry out to improve the electricity network and reduce the risk of power cuts in the future. These works represent an investment of £ 192,103.00 in the local infrastructure.
 
In order for our teams to safely complete these works it may be necessary to organise some Planned Power Cuts.  If this is the case, we will notify affected customers and businesses in advance. Since the start of the pandemic, we know our customers have relied on us more than ever to ensure a safe and secure supply of electricity to our homes and we have made changes to how we work, including social distancing, additional hygiene measures and carrying out customer visits only when critical or safe to do so. All work we carry out will be reviewed and planned in line with the Government guidance and to ensure residents are without power for the shortest time necessary, in order to reduce any potential inconvenience this may cause. 
The work will involve Tree Cutting and Network Improvements, as appropriate, which will help us to improve the reliability of the electricity supply to you for the future. The safety of our customers and employees is at the heart of all we do, and we would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Following the recent announcement of restrictions coming into place on Thursday 5th November, West Berkshire Council have issued some useful guidance and information of support available. You can download a copy here 

If you wish to sign up for weekly updated direct your inbox from WBC you can do so here

Thank you to all those who helped make the Village Working parties so successful, once again. An amazing amount of work was completed around the War Memorial, Churchyard, Playground and Old Churchyard

Hopefully next year we can return to the hog dogs and beer round the fire to reward everyone for their efforts! 

The community policing team have issued some useful Winter guidance to help protect your property during the darker winter months. 
​A copy can be downloaded here

We are planning a village working party for Sunday 1st November from 10am. 

We will be working in small teams in the Old Churchyard, the Playground, the War Memorial and the Churchyard. 

If you are keen to come along to help, please contact the Parish Clerk on 07811 322994 or brightwaltonpc@btinternet.com to let me know. 

In line with Covid restrictions, teams will not be mixing and sadly no refreshments can be served. 

​Thank you 

The September Brickleton News can be downloaded here: 

The latest edition of Upstream! from the West Berkshire Countryside Society is available to download here, with lots of local wildlife and countryside news. 

ALL SAINTS PROJECT IN REACHING EVERYONE
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The ASPIRE project team have put together a booklet which has been delivered to all households in the Parish. The booklet gives more information on the history, proposed plans and fundraising efforts. 

​If you do not have a copy and would like to find out more a copy can be downloaded here

If you are keen to help with the fundraising efforts you can go to www.giveasyoulive.com and enter Brightwalton to find the ASPIRE charity. By registering there and choosing ASPIRE every time you shop a donation will be made to the project. ​

The web edition of the July Brickleton News can be downloaded here: 

The Parish Council is pleased to confirm that the playground has re-opened as of Monday 20th July. We have had to assess the re-opening carefully to meet the Government Guidelines and insurance requirements. Please do take note of all the signage, it is there for the benefit of all. We have had to limit the number of children in the playground to 4 at a time with one child per piece of equipment to meet social distancing. Please take hand sanitiser with you, to use before and after. And of course, do not use if you or anyone else in the household is experiencing Covid-19 symptoms as per the NHS guidance.  Thank you for your patience. 

The DOWNLAND PRACTICE have issued the following patient update:
 
Patient Info Sheet Issue No: 008 (July 2020)
 
Welcome to the Downland Practice patient info sheet.  This edition will concentrate on the following issues:

1. Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
2. Medication Drop Off Services
3. Compton Surgery
4. Practice Staff Update
5. Carers – Identify yourself please
6. Appointments
7. Flu Clinics 2020

 
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
 
The Coronavirus is still with us even if it feels that normality is getting closer.   All patients are required to wear a face mask when visiting the surgery, currently only 50% of patients actually do this.  Please turn up at the surgery wearing a face mask.  The Practice is still offering GP telephone appointments to its registered patients, this system will be modified as the COVID-19 situation improves.  To date we have only had one unhappy patient with concerns over having to wait for the GP to call them back.  If any of our registered patients have any concerns about GP telephone calls then please do not question the reception staff (who are working very hard to amend to the changes) email the Practice Manager on pm.downland@nhs.net .   Updates on the Downland Practice can be found at the practice website news section www.downlandpractice.nhs.uk.     
 
Medication Drop Off Services
 
During the last few months, the local community have come together to make sure that medication deliveries are getting out to those personnel who are being shielded or are unable to leave their house for whatever reason.  On behalf of all the staff and partners at the Downland Practice to all of the Volunteers who have helped deliver medications out to the patients registered at the Downland Practice.  This service will stop after the delivery on the 31 July 2020, this is in line with the government guidance on shielded persons.  The village medication pick up points will still be available, this was the system that was firmly in place before COVID-19 arrived.     
 
Compton Surgery
 
The Surgery at Compton has a great history of serving the local community with Primary Care Services (PCS).  The Surgery at Compton has had the treatment rooms and patient waiting area painted / had new flooring placed in the treatment rooms.  The new lighting that has been fitted into the patients waiting area, the GP consulting and nursing rooms has been bought and paid for by the patients of Compton, this is as a result of the just giving page that was set up.  Thank you to everyone who donated money to support this project, the target set of £1,000 has been reached.  Nursing and blood collection clinics are now up and running, GP clinics are likely to restart on September 2020.   
 
Practice Staff
 
Dr Christine Davies and Dr Bernadette Clarke will be leaving us at the End of August 2020, we are aware that Dr Davies and Dr Clarke have been with the Downland Practice for several years and will be greatly missed.  We have successfully recruited two new GP’s, Dr Dhesi will be starting in early August and Dr Reed will be starting later in the year. 
 
COVID Antigen Testing for Travel and Pre OP
 
We understand from some constituents that patients are being directed to practices to seek COVID antigen testing for the purpose of seeking permits to travel (such as to Australia).  This has not been commissioned to GPs and is private work.  We suggest practices direct their patients to the large number of travel clinics out there who offer this service.   Similarly, some surgical teams are requesting COVID antigen testing from GP as part of their pre-operative assessment. Unless there is local agreement in place, pre-operative tests are the responsibility of the surgical provider, not the GP.   Regardless, most practices do not have access to all they need to perform a COVID antigen test for their patients.
 
GP Appointments
 
Please ring the surgery before 12.30 if you require a telephone consultation with a GP on the day.  Calls received from patients in the afternoon may have a GP telephone call booked for the next working day. 
 
Flu Clinics 2020
 
The Flu season will be underway in September 2020, the expectations are that more people than normal will be requiring their Flu vaccinations this season.  With demand expected to be high for Flu vaccinations, patients are advised to book their Flu appointment early.  Flu Clinics will be open for booking mid Aug 2020.  We will be planning to hold the clinics in a safe environment respecting current social distancing guidance.  If the COVID-19 situation changes in the local area then the Flu clinics will still go ahead but the process may differ slightly.  Last season’s Flu clinics received some great feedback from our patients and we aim to deliver a similar style to this year’s Flu clinic.  We will not be sending out letters to patients until the end of the flu season.  Top tip - if you want to book your Flu vaccination appointment early then keep an eye out on the Downland Practice website news section www.downlandpractice.nhs.uk  to see when the 2020 Flu clinics are open.  

The summer newsletter from the West Berkshire Countryside Society is available to download here 

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

Press Release Date: 12 May 2020

West Berkshire Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) are set to reopen to allow residents the opportunity to dispose of waste and recycling that cannot be safely stored at home. This follows publication by the government of updated guidance indicating that visits to recycling centres can be considered essential under certain conditions.
From Thursday 14 May both of our recycling centres, which are located at Newtown Road in Newbury and Padworth Lane, near Aldermaston, will be reopened. The sites were closed temporarily on 24 March following announcements by the government of lockdown restrictions. In order to manage demand, a booking system is in place and you will not be able to simply turn up at the recycling centres.
The booking system will be live on the morning of Wednesday 13 May and residents need to book their appointment here: https://citizen.westberks.gov.uk/clickandtip.
When the recycling centres reopen, and to stay within the government's Covid-19 guidelines on essential travel, please remember that journeys to these sites during lockdown should only be made if waste cannot be stored any longer at home without causing a risk to your health and safety. The sites will be open seven days a week from 9:00am to 6:00pm, with the last booking appointment available at 4:30pm.
Working with Veolia, who are our waste contractors, precautionary measures will be introduced to help maintain social distancing on our sites for our residents and staff protection. We will also implement a robust traffic management plan which will help us minimise impacts of traffic congestion on the local road network and to control the number of visitors to the site at any one time.
Residents need to book an appointment and be prepared for the possibility of long queues. We are advising delaying a visit until things are a bit quieter in a few weeks’ time or to only visit if you cannot safely store waste at home for the next couple of weeks. Our kerbside waste collections for recycling, rubbish, the garden and food waste subscription scheme and chargeable kerbside bulky waste collection service is still operating normally and residents are advised to make use of them, wherever practicable, in the meantime.
Councillor Steve Ardagh-Walter, Executive Member for the Environment at West Berkshire Council, said: “In line with Government guidance, the decision to reopen the recycling sites has been a priority for the Council.  
“Staff at the recycling sites will ensure that social distancing guidelines of keeping at least 2 metres apart are adhered to. Therefore we urge all visitors to please be patient and leave plenty of time for their visit.
“The two sites that are reopening will be open from 9:00am to 6:00pm, seven days a week, and we intend to make as many appointment slots as possible available via the Council’s website. Please be patient if you don’t manage to get a booking initially due to high demand. We will collect as many of the typical household waste types as practicable at the sites when they reopen.
“With the reopening of both sites, it means that anyone with accumulated waste, that cannot safely be stored, can now dispose of it properly. Please remember to only use the sites if you have a valid booking.
“We are grateful to our residents for their patience and continued cooperation during these challenging times.”
Making your visit run smoothly
The experience of visiting our household recycling centres will be different and you should only visit the recycling centres if you cannot safely store your waste at home.
Please ensure you:

• Have booked an available appointment online: https://citizen.westberks.gov.uk/clickandtip – this will available from Wednesday 13 May in the morning.
• Check online to see if all waste materials can still be taken to the site.
• Check the site layout when loading waste into your car. Use these site maps to help you when packing your vehicle: https://info.westberks.gov.uk/recyclingcentres.
• Check travel times and any restrictions in place. Please arrive at your allocated time that you have booked online and not any earlier. There may be delays accessing the site and possibly queues of waiting vehicles. Please bear with us as we work safely on the site to limit contact between people.
• Have your permit, or ID and proof of West Berkshire address with you.
• Have a copy of your booking confirmation with you - either a print out or on your phone.
• Only bring what you can physically carry as we are operating a one person per car restriction - our staff cannot help with your waste when you are unloading your vehicle. Under exceptional circumstances only, and at the sole discretion of site staff, two people may be allowed to leave the vehicle to dispose of the waste e.g. if they are removing a heavy or bulky waste item.
• Follow the instructions that site staff will give you and also be polite to members of staff.
• Observe the social distancing measures in place by keeping at least 2 metres apart at all times when visiting the recycling centres.
• Follow Public Health England guidance - residents who are vulnerable, or who are showing symptoms which may indicate Coronavirus, should not visit household recycling centres.

For more in depth information, please read our FAQs.
West Berkshire Council 

From Councillors Clive Hooker - 5th May 2020
​A busy month dealing with residents’ planning applications, whether providing advice, support or answering queries regarding when the Western Area Planning Committee will be resuming to address the backlog of cases due to no social gathering taking place at these meetings.  As you will read below, this has now been resolved with public participation being included by written submissions.  The first Western Area Planning Committee Meeting will be held on 20th May and can be viewed via live streaming or catching up later on YouTube.Again, I would like to thank all of our local volunteer groups who have been exemplary in helping in their communities, ensuring the vulnerable amongst us have received their shopping, prescriptions and making visits to ensure they are safe and well and giving them some friendly conversation in what at times can be lonely days self-isolating.

Please continue to stay at home and follow the government advice.

Council Meetings
Extraordinary Meeting
Following the implementation of the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panels) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 that I referred to in last month’s report there was an Extraordinary Council Meeting on 29 April to agree procedures for holding remote council meetings.
Members agreed the protocols by which WBC will continue to hold public meetings in compliance with the Regulations, including live streaming.  Public questions previously asked orally at meetings have been replaced by questions in writing, and oral representations have been replaced by representations in writing – because of the concern that otherwise decisions might be challenged for technical reasons beyond the council’s control.

Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting of council, when the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Council are elected and memberships of the various Council Committees, etc, are decided, will take place remotely (and be broadcast via YouTube – the details will be on the agenda page on the WBC website) on 12 May.

Additional Funding for addressing the Covid-19 pandemicWithin the next few weeks, the Council will receive a proportion of an extra £1.6bn Government funding which has been earmarked for Local Authorities to help respond to the impact of the Coronavirus within our communities.
The new funding is further to that received in March and will assist in covering further costs that the Council is facing due to the virus in the short term and, along with the Council’s strong financial management, will enable the Council to continue to provide vital services to support residents and to support our external care providers.

Community Support HubThe Community Support Hub (CSH) established in response to the Covid-19 pandemic is providing parish and town councils with a weekly data update on their activities.  The CSH is contactable seven days a week and is co-ordinating resident requests for support with volunteers able to provide the most appropriate assistance.  You can follow the activities of the Hub on their Facebook page West Berkshire Community Support Hub Group and contact them on 01635 503579, or email them at westberksbct@westberks.gov.uk.
Food distribution for shielded and self-isolating

​WBC’s partner, Spotlight UK, along with council officers are co-ordinating the weekly distribution of food from its base at Newbury Rugby Club.   Last week 130 food packages were delivered by volunteers from across the district.

Community Cash Float
For groups who have registered with the Community Support Hub and who require a float to help manage cash flow while undertaking activities please contact the Hub on 01635 503579 to make an application.

Care Homes
West Berkshire Council has a higher number of its own care homes than many local authorities.  We are extremely saddened to have lost some of our residents – up to the end of April there had been 17 deaths of which four were certified as a result of Covid-19, and we had another 15 residents who had either been confirmed as having Covid or were symptomatic. 
We are hugely grateful to the staff in our care homes who are looking after our residents and liaising with families.

Personal Protective Equipment
We know that adequate supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for carers is a concern nationally.  At the present time we can assure you that in West Berkshire we have the supplies we need and we are keeping this under constant review.
We are also greatly encouraged to see those in communities who are utilising their skills to make scrubs for our health workers where their use is appropriate.

Education
Primary School Allocations
The primary school allocation was announced last week with 98% of children being allocated a school in one of their preferences.  This means that from the 1,749 applications for primary school admissions received by West Berkshire Council this year, 1,710 children were offered a place at one of their three preferred schools with 89% of those receiving their first choice.

Highwood Copse School
We are disappointed that this primary school will not be ready for September as planned.  After the initial delay as a result of the original contractor, Dawnus, entering administration, the further delay has be due to the Covid-19 pandemic in which the contractor, Feltham Construction, closed down the site due to social distancing and materials supply.  The school would have made provision for 30 children to have been admitted to the reception class in September.

Libraries
Despite the libraries being closed since March, to minimise risks to users, staff and volunteers, the overall levels of items borrowed has gone up by 6.8% in the 12 month period to March.  This is largely due to loans of almost 90,000 e-books, e-audiobooks, e-magazines and e-newspapers – an increase of a staggering 127.39%.  The Library service offers its members access to free resources from BorrowBox, OverDrive, RBdigital and PressReader, which was launched in May 2019.
Customers who are not already a member of the library, can join online giving them free and instant access to the e-library. For details visit www.westberks.gov.uk/libraries.

Waste Services
Waste Collection
Our colleagues at Veolia are continuing to collect household waste and recycling on the usual collection day.  To mitigate staff shortages, collection teams are starting at 06:00 so we are seeking to spread the message to residents to have their bins out earlier than normal.
Bulky Waste Service
Residents will be pleased to hear that our bulky waste collections from kerbside, that were temporarily suspended, have been restarted - from outside properties only and excludes white goods (from Monday 20 April).

There's a charge for collecting bulky waste, and all collections need to be booked in advance by calling the Customer Services secure payment line on: 0330 131 9742. We're unable to arrange collections via email. We are running the standard collection service only, where items are left outside your home for collection - for up to five items, the cost overall is £45. Where possible please leave item(s) out for collection in the front garden. You can read more about our bulky waste collection on our website.

Household Waste Recycling Centres
We are discussing how and when we will be in a position to re-open the HWRC at Newtown Road and Padworth.  In West Berkshire we have direct access to the anaerobic digester which means we have been able to continue to collect green waste, unlike some authorities who had suspended this service. 
Other streams of household waste disposal continues to be more complex without compromising social distancing guidelines both at the centres and onward processing.  We do not wish to give a conflicting message with regards to essential travel guidance and swamping our HWRC’s with high volumes of people and traffic.

Fly-Tipping
West Berkshire was recently voted as one of the 50 best places to live in the UK in 2020.  Please use our online service to report instances of fly-tipping and provide us with as much detail as you can. We are continuing to monitor our environment and take enforcement action against perpetrators of fly-tipping.

Other issues arising from Covid-19
Support for local businesses and residentsBusiness Rates
Our Business Rates Team has now been in contact with over 954 West Berkshire businesses eligible for Government Grants. So far £12.2 million in grant funding has been given to support them.
All businesses must be contacted individually, which is causing some delays, but the team is working as quickly as they can and we have issued grants to over 99% of businesses who have returned their forms to us.
Find out more about the support available to local businesses.

Council Tax Holidays
For individuals in receipt of Council Tax Support, a grant of up to £150 has been applied to the resident’s account – they do not need to apply for this.
For those who have experienced a sudden drop in income as a result of the COVID-19 consequences on their employment income a Council Tax ‘holiday’ (can be discussed by contacting our Local Taxation team.  More information can be found on our website: https://info.westberks.gov.uk/article/36859.

LEP Task Force
WBC has joined a task force established by the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership to support businesses in Berkshire who are struggling with the impact of Covid-19.
The Task Force includes key stakeholders including the Thames Valley Berkshire Business Growth Hub, Thames Valley Chambers of Commerce, Federation of Small Businesses, Institute of Directors, Confederation of British Industry and the six Berkshire Local Authorities.  It will be used to ensure that businesses are kept up to date with developments, have access to finance available, and are provided with as much support as possible.

Covid-19 and Viral LoadThis information piece from Holly Jenkins, a WBC Public Health Registrar, in a recent Coronavirus bulletin may be of interest.
We know for some diseases that the dose of virus a person is exposed to will directly correlate with how severe the disease is.  A good example of this is influenza.  Virus particles hijack living cells and force them to make more virus copies.  We don’t yet know how many particles of the SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19 disease) it takes to infect us but we suspect it might be fairly low given how the disease is spreading.

There has been emerging evidence around ‘viral load’ of SARS-CoV-2.  Viral load is the amount of virus found in a sample taken from a patient and indicates how well the virus is making copies in the infected person.  If you have a high viral load, you are more likely to have more virus in your airways and so release when coughing to infect other people.  A study indicated people with Covid19 have a high viral load just before and shortly after they start getting symptoms.  This makes controlling the spread of the virus even harder as people are more likely to transmit the virus when they first get sick and up to 48 hours before symptoms start.
Some studies have reported that people who have more severe disease have higher viral loads (up to 60 times higher in severe cases than mild cases).  A study just published from China looked at samples from 96 patients with Covid19 and found significantly higher viral loads in respiratory samples of patients with severe disease than those with mild disease.  This would suggest that viral load can be used to predict how severe disease will be.  But this isn’t clear cut; another study from Lombardy didn’t find a difference in viral load between those who had symptoms versus those who had not had any symptoms.  All this evidence is based on observations of people who have the disease, rather than rigorous trials that expose people to escalating doses of virus and monitor for disease severity, and these trials are unlikely to happen for ethical reasons given the severe consequences of COVID-19 illness.

Stay at Home Message
The Council continues to support the Government’s #StayHomeSaveLives message and have observed the guidance by closing all council offices to the public, with only a very few key workers attending at any one time.  Where possible officers are working from home and where that is not possible some have been seconded to assist the Councils Covid response.

Closure of car parks at Snelsmore and Greenham Common
We appreciate how valuable our public green spaces are and we know some residents are anxious that the decision was taken to close the car parks at these sites.  This is to both encourage social distancing and reinforce the non-essential travel message.   West Berkshire has a wealth of green space accessible to residents without the need for travel to open spaces.
WBC car parks

All WBC open surface car parks have been made available free of charge.

Rough Sleepers
All individuals known to the Council are being accommodated in hotels and being provided food and support from our housing team.  A number of residents in Two Saints have also been moved in to separate accommodation where they shared rooms with others to ensure social distancing can be observed.

Home to school transport
WBC has taken the decision to refund all those who have bought a farepayer seat on home to school transport for the two weeks from 23 March to 3 April. 
A decision will be made regarding the last two terms of school (20 April to 22 May and 1 June to 17 July) once the Government has issued further guidance on school attendance for these periods.

Scams
The Public Protection Partnership (PPP) has seen a surge in scams during the pandemic.
The public should be aware that scams are looking more sophisticated, such as door-to-door officials, calls, texts and emails which look like they are from a trusted source but are in fact fake.
The PPP team has received a huge variety of complaints from everyday goods being sold at extortionate prices and premises continuing to trade when they shouldn’t be, to shopping and medication collection services demanding money up front, with no service delivered.  The remind all to remain vigilant and report scams to
https://publicprotectionpartnership.org.uk/covid-19/coronavirus-enforcement-form/
Communications ChannelsAs well as Twitter there are also a number of Facebook pages which the Council uses, for example:

• West Berkshire Council;
• West Berkshire Community Support Hub Group;
• West Berkshire Libraries.

The WBC website also contains more about the CSH and useful information for residents and businesses:
Residents                            https://info.westberks.gov.uk/coronavirus-residents
Business                               https://info.westberks.gov.uk/coronavirus-business
Community hub                https://info.westberks.gov.uk/coronavirus-communityhub
Linked to all of these initiatives is the WBC Customer Service telephone line: 01635 551111.
Clive Hooker
Councillor Downlands Ward
WBC
Email: clive.hooker@westberks.gov.uk

Since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic the Public Protection Partnership has seen a 622% increase in bonfire complaints over the same period last year (from 32 complaints to 231).

They have produced the following guidance for the Parish Council which we thought was worth sharing as it is the same guidance will be given to anyone complaining direct and I know this is something that has already been discussed on the Village Facebook page.

Public Protection Partnership: Right now, we are asking residents across the district/borough to think of others and not light bonfires during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic lockdown because many people at home are vulnerable and may have respiratory issues, or even be fighting the Coronavirus itself.

During this difficult time we are asking that their needs are put first. We are also urging people to consider alternative means of disposal of waste as burning in close proximity to other properties is always a potential source of nuisance. For instance, if the job can’t wait until the civic amenity sites reopen, green waste can be composted or stockpiled at home. Bonfires can also get out of control or cause accidents, creating extra pressure on the already busy emergency services. While there are no laws against having a domestic bonfire there are laws about causing a nuisance. The smoke or the smell of smoke from bonfires can cause a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

We would consider taking formal action under the above legislation if a number of justified complaints were received about the burning. If sufficient evidence is gathered and the Council is satisfied that a Statutory Nuisance exists then an enforcement notice may be served to prohibit the recurrence of the nuisance. A breach of this notice may result in a fine.

To report an incident of a bonfire please use our online reporting form here.

Fly tipping is the illegal dumping of any waste or rubbish on public land or sites which are unauthorised to accept waste. If the rubbish is dumped on private land, the landowner is responsible for removing it. If you find or receive notification of fly tipped material on private land you will need to inform the landowner. Landowners unfortunately will have to pay for the cost of disposal of fly-tipped materials.

To report an incident of fly tipping please see links on PPP website here. 

www.publicprotectionpartnership.org.uk 

Covid-19: Latest news and information
​West Berkshire Council sent this bulletin at 27-04-2020 11:35 AM BST

We're working hard to continue delivering services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and to support our residents - and in particular those who most need our help.
On our website you will find information about where to find support as well as details of any changes we've had to make to services.

• Information for residents
• Information for businesses
• COVID-19: Your Questions Answered
• Weekly updates from the Leader of the Council and Chief Executive

You can also keep in touch with us online, and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Waste Update
Bulky Waste Service
Our kerbside collections have been running normally (with no service suspensions) during this period. Residents will be pleased to hear that our Bulky waste collections from kerbside, that were temporarily suspended, have been restarted (from outside properties only; excludes white goods) as of Monday 20 April.
There's a charge for collecting bulky waste, and all collections need to be booked in advance by calling the Customer Services secure payment line on: 0330 131 9742. We're unable to arrange collections via email. We are running the standard collection service only, where items are left outside your home for collection - for up to five items, the cost overall is £45. Where possible please leave item(s) out for collection in the front garden. You can read more about our bulky waste collection on our website.
Closed HWRCs
Our household recycling centres (“tips”) remain closed due to current guidance on what constitutes an essential journey during this lockdown period. Please store your waste safely until they reopen. We want to thank you for your patience and cooperation.
Fly-Tipping
Did you know West Berkshire was recently voted as one of the 50 best places to live in the UK in 2020? Help us to protect the beauty of our natural environment by preventing fly-tipping. Please use our online service to report instances of fly-tipping and provide us with as much details as you can. Remember, fly-tipping is a crime and is a blight on the natural environment.

Kids activity 
Get creative! Print off and colour in your own bin. It could be as bright and colourful as you like.
Why not display on your window for our Veolia UK waste collectors to see or share a picture with us. Download a copy and get your crayons out to show us your thanks and creativity. 
Make sure you follow Recycle for West Berkshire on Facebook for up to date information.

Community Support Hub
The Community Support Hub is continuing to support local residents who have no one else to turn to for help during the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s also supporting the local community groups working across the district.
Up at the Hub distribution centre this week, we distributed copies of the Residents Seeking Extra Support leaflet and activity sheet created by our public health colleagues.
The leaflet has been written for our residents who, for a variety of reasons, require some additional support at the moment. Download a copy of the leaflet from our website and pass this on to your neighbours, family and friends across West Berkshire who need extra support. You can also download the activity sheet for a bit of fun.

Laura Farris visits Community Support Hub
Newbury MP Laura Farris made her second visit to our Community Support Hub last week.
She chatted to team members about the work they were doing and also spent some time listening to the calls coming through from communities with Customer Services Advisor, Elaine Colqhoun. Laura said:
“It was a real pleasure to return to West Berkshire Council Community Hub this morning. They’ve coordinated an outstanding community support response throughout the crisis. I was also really keen to discuss vulnerable children - many of whom are no longer in school. I was really pleased to hear the comprehensive approach that has been taken, and that contact has been sustained between social workers and hard-to-reach families. These are really difficult times and we cannot allow the most vulnerable children become invisible.”
We have set up a Community Support Hub Facebook page for volunteers across West Berkshire, whether they are part of an established community group or just helping neighbours, family or friends during this difficult time. Please like and follow the Facebook page to receive regular updates.
Want to know more about the Community Support Hub? Click on the image to watch a short video on who it helps and what it does - and some lovely feedback from people already being supported by the Hub.


Support for local businesses
Our Business Rates Team has now been in contact with over 954 West Berkshire businesses eligible for Government Grants. So far £12.2 million in grant funding has been given to support them.
All businesses must be contacted individually, which is causing some delays, but the team is working as quickly as they can and we have issued grants to over 99% of businesses who have returned their forms to us.
If you have heard from us and haven't returned your form, please send this in as soon as possible so we can get your grant to you. If you have any questions please contact: bratesgrants@westberks.gov.uk.
Find out more about the support available to local businesses.

Additional Covid-19 Government funding
Following an announcement by the Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, we are going to receive a proportion of an extra £1.6bn which has been earmarked for Local Authorities to help them respond to the impact of the Coronavirus within their communities.
This additional funding will assist in covering further costs that the Council is facing due to the virus in the short term and, along with the Council's strong financial management, is enabling the Council to continue to provide vital services to support its residents.

Advice for parents during Covid-19
We understand from our colleagues in the NHS that there is a concern that A&E visits have fallen significantly since the Coronavirus outbreak.
Medics fear some people may be nervous about attending the hospital leading to serious medical issues, like strokes and heart attacks, slipping through the net. This can seriously reduce recovery rates and even prove fatal.
Hospitals are reassuring parents with very poorly children that they must still consider taking them to hospital for swift and safe treatment if needed. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has produced this handy guide to help.
To be clear, if you need to visit A&E, please do so as you could be putting your health at risk if you do not.

Celebrating the community heroes
During this Covid-19 pandemic we have seen people across the district in West Berkshire generously giving up their time, money and skills to volunteer out in the community while adhering to social distancing rules. Businesses, community groups and residents have gone beyond their call of duty and joined forces to ensure the district’s elderly and most vulnerable residents have access to food, medication and other supplies during this lockdown.  

We are collecting all these lovely stories on our website so why not head on over and have a read how the Council and your neighbours are helping out in the local communities, no matter how big or small the gesture.