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Following the Full West Berkshire council meeting on the 2nd July, our Downlands Ward Councillor - Clive Hooker - has produced a full report and update. A copy can be downloaded here: 
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Press Release - Issued 3rd July 2019
West Berkshire Council declares Climate Emergency "West Berkshire Council declared a Climate Emergency yesterday evening (Tuesday 2 July). There was unanimous support for a motion to declare the Climate Emergency at a meeting of West Berkshire's Full Council. The declaration follows discussion at a meeting of Council last month and a petition put forward by Councillor Steve Masters (Green Party) requesting the declaration of a Climate Change Emergency. Climate Change is high on the agenda for the council and features in a number of the new Council Strategy priorities. Steve Ardagh-Walter, West Berkshire’s Executive Member for the Environment said: “It is the responsibility of government at all levels to limit the negative impact of climate breakdown, and we need to start working on this right now. “We are responding to this urgent call for change by making a firm pledge to do everything we can to deliver carbon neutrality by 2030. “However, we do realise that it will take time for the level of change we need to take place. That is why we have created an Environmental Board that will work with residents, businesses and neighbouring authorities to create a strategic plan for change. “As a council, we have been making positive steps towards change and will continue to work with business and communities to find and use greener options. There are clear benefits but this will require hard work from everyone in the community and changes in individual’s lifestyles.” The newly formed Environment Board will provide an interim report to the council’s Executive in September 2019 with the progress made to date" Issued by: Peta Stoddart-Crompton www.westberks.gov.uk  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.
Please be aware that we have had the following alert / request for information from Thames Valley Police..
Spate of Crimes in the local area There has been a spate of crimes in the Chaddleworth, Chieveley, Boxford, Hampstead Norreys and Hermitage areas over 10th – 11th June including burglaries, attempted burglaries, criminal damage, theft of vehicles and theft from vehicles. If anyone has information relating to these spate of crimes, please contact the 24 hour Police Enquiry Centre on 101. If you don’t want to speak directly to police you can contact the independent charity “Crimestoppers” anonymously on 0800 555 111. No personal details are asked for, and your call is not traced or recorded, and you wouldn’t be expected to attend court. Please feel free to share this message with friends and neighbours. For more advice on how to keep your home and vehicle safe, please visit the Thames Valley Police website. 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.
You can download the May edition of the Brickleton News here:
Saturday 29th June at 10am
Following all the tree work at the Old Churchyard, we need some help to tidy up. All volunteers are welcome to take firewood in return for their help! Please meet at the Old Churchyard with tools - chainsaws, strimmers, rakes, gloves etc. All help appreciated. Thank you Brightwalton Parish Council 2018 – 2019 Parish Council Summary – Shaun Orpen, Chairman
The backdrop to the year is that we are seeing more cuts in services from West Berks as they continue to need to find creative ways to operate within their shrinking budgets. This has a knock-on effect on Parish Councils who are required to be more self-sufficient on some of the services, such as topping up salt bins. The priority at the start of the year was finding a cost-effective solution to the maintenance of the playing field. The new Scofell contract seems to be working well (all be it with a recent hiccup). Thanks should also go to the Breadmore’s who have kindly taken on the mowing of the playground which has been a great help. Considerable time has been spent in supporting the Holt with their bid to get traffic calming measures in place on the road through the Holt. By using Section 106 money we were able to get the Council to install “entrance gate” signage at each end of the Holt. Regrettably, on advice, the case to get a further reduction in speed limit was not compelling enough for us to take forward at this time; however, we continue to push the case. We helped find a new chairman to take on the leadership and revitalisation of the village fete. This has led to a very successful re-invigoration of energy and enthusiasm, which translated, into greater attendance and a significant increase in takings for the village hall. A big thank you to Jeremy Snow and his team. We continue to actively support the ASPIRE project, as the single largest and most significant project being undertaken in the village at this time. This is progressing to final approvals from the DAC (Diocesan Advisory Committee). A launch plan for the major fundraising has been prepared and is in the process of being finalised. Importantly this plan is as much about “getting more people engaged in the village community” as it is about “fundraising”. If anyone is interested in getting involved in whatever capacity please let us know. There has been some significant tree maintenance at both Dunmore Pond and the Old Church Yard, which will need to be continued over the next few years on a managed basis. We are very sorry to announce that Jackie Boxall has decided to step down from the Parish Council after 20 years’ service as Councillor, Clerk and Chairman. We are hugely grateful for her time and dedication to the village for so many years. She has been a great asset and will be sorely missed. To replace Jackie. I am very grateful to Annie Agnew who has kindly stepped forward. To that end, I would like to welcome Annie who has now been co-opted onto the Parish Council. In conclusion, we ended the year £160 under our budget plan of £6,700. We have either spent or have plans in place for spending the remaining Community Infrastructure Levy money. Finally, as we turn our attention to the next year, we continue to focus on the plans and objectives outlined in the ongoing Parish Plan. The usual team effort of setting up marques ready for the fete will take place Saturday 4th May from 10am on the playing field.
If you are available please come along to help - many hands make light work!! Thank you 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 |
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
January 2020
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