West Berkshire Council Update - August

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