Wokingham Borough Council is listing sudden incident or unplanned flood events on it’s website, for people who live in, work in, or travel through Wokingham.
Out of hours emergency contact: Call 0800 212 111. For social services emergencies call 01344 786 543.
More information: http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/safety/emergencies/borough-alert/
Environment Agency Live Flood Maps are available at: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/142151.aspx
Wokingham Borough Council are to consider changes to the waste and recycling scheme on November 29.
Members will consider recommendations to approve a design change to the blue bags to make them easier for people to fit into dustbins; lengthening handles to 250mm, increasing height to 1100mm and their top opening diameter to 750mm as well as improving the durability of the bags. The council will also be improving quality assurance around bag production by introducing third party testing.
Executive members will also discuss whether a new voucher system should be introduced for residents who don’t receive by April 1 their 80 bags for 2013. The voucher would be exchanged for bags at the borough’s libraries, town council offices and borough council offices at Shute End. The council is currently looking for further outlets for the green waste brown sacks and collection of additional bags to make it more convenient for residents.
Changes are also being proposed to customer service arrangements. Residents would only call the council’s contractor Veolia for bulky waste collections. Wokingham Direct would become the single point of contact for all other aspects of the scheme including payments for waste services either online, over the telephone or directly in person. Shute End’s reception would be set up to deal with greater demand if needed.
A new home compost incentive scheme is also being considered, with up to 2,000 home composters available with a £10 discount.
If members agree, the recommendations would apply from April 1, 2013. Arrangements for customer services would be put in place before this date to make it easier for people to renew their green waste bin subscriptions for 2013/14.
Wokingham Borough Police and Crime Commissioner election results are:
Patience Tayo Awe – Independent – 1150 votes
Barry Cooper – UKIP – 1440 votes
Geoff Howard – Independent – 2548 votes
John Orrell Howson – Liberal Democrat – 1591 votes
Anthony Stansfield – Conservative Party – 6492 votes
Tim Starkey – Labour Party Candidate – 3029 votes
There were 516 spoilt ballot papers at first preference count.
The results for the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner candidates second preference votes cast in Wokingham Borough are:
Anthony Stansfield – Conservative Party – 1623 votes
Tim Starkey – Labour Party Candidate – 938 votes
There were 533 spoilt ballot papers at second preference count.
Conservative candidate, Anthony Stansfeld, has been elected as Police and Crime Commussioner for the Thames Valley area.
Wokingham Borough Council has published some Ash dieback (Chalara fraxinea) advice. This disease has been identified on a number of native Ash trees (Fraxinus excelsior) on isolated sites in the United Kingdom. On Monday 29 October 2012, a ban was placed on the import of Ash plants into Britain.
The disease caused by the fungus Chalara fraxinea causes leaf loss and crown dieback in affected trees, and it can lead to tree death. It is a significant threat to one of our widespread native trees.
The full impact of this disease on Ash trees in this country is currently being investigated. Monitoring is being undertaken by several government departments, including the Forestry Commission. There will be a much clearer picture of the level of infection once the monitoring work has been completed.
The government will be developing its response based on the results of this survey.
If you have identified the disease on an ash tree call the Department for Ennvironment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on the Chalara helpline on: 08459 33 55 77 (8am-6pm every day) or email: [email protected]
Please help control the disease by checking any Ash trees you own or are responsible for. Trees most likely to carry the disease or those planted in the last four years. Please be prepared to give the Forestry Commission/DEFRA as much information as possible, such as the age and location of tree, and symptoms shown. Digital photographs showing the affected parts of the tree are also very helpful.
If you suspect that a tree on council-owned land may be infected by Chalara fraxinea, please report it to: [email protected]; where details of the site will be recorded and a programmed inspection (if appropriate) will be undertaken to confirm whether the disease is present
For more information about Ash dieback visit the Forestry Commission website at http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara
Wokingham Borough Council say that nearly 68 per cent of a small sample of people who responded to the survey now put out on average one blue bag per week.
This compares to 57 per cent of people who said they used to put out on average one bag per week, before the introduction of the new waste and recycling scheme last April.
The survey, carried out in August and September this year, saw nearly 2,000 residents complete a questionnaire or attend one of the council’s drop-in road shows.
Members of the council’s decision-making executive are due to consider if there should be changes to the 2013/14 waste and recycling scheme at their meeting on November 29.
Since its introduction in April this year, the scheme has delivered a borough-wide 22 per cent reduction in household waste collected, and a 24 per cent increase in kerbside recycling. This has dramatically reduced the council’s landfill tax charges and the likelihood of paying landfill fines in the future.
More women than men took part in the survey; with 26 per cent of those taking part representing two-person households, and 27 per cent from four-person homes.
93 per cent of people say were aware of the scheme before it started. 68 per cent say they knew about it from the council–produced leaflet delivered to their home; 48 per cent from the local press; 28 per cent from the autumn 2011 edition of the council’s Wokingham Borough News; and 25 per cent from the spring 2012 edition of the same publication.
Nearly 47 per cent of people in the survey say they are happy with the transparency of their blue waste bags, which were introduced in April.
50 per cent interviewed say they don’t like the size of the bags, while 49 per cent say they do.
88 per cent of people in the survey say they are aware the council is charged by the government for the amount of household waste that goes to landfill.
92 per cent of people say they know about the Recyclebank incentive scheme; 63 per cent taking part in the survey say they have now signed up to the scheme.
69 per cent of people say they take their garden waste to a household waste recycling centre. Of those people asked there’s a 50/50 split between those who home compost, and those who don’t.
On November 15 Wokingham Borough residents will be able to vote in the first ever police and crime commissioner elections (PCC) for the Thames Valley (Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire)
Each of the 41 police force areas in England and Wales, outside of London, will directly-elect a commissioner. The commissioners will be accountable for how crime is tackled in their police force area. PCCs will aim to ensure that the police deliver an effective and efficient service.
In order to vote in the PCC election, residents must be on the electoral register by Wednesday October 31. Residents who are unable to get to a polling station on November 15, can also apply to vote by post or by proxy.
More information: http://www.choosemypcc.org.uk/
On November 12 Wokingham Borough Council will be consulting on bus travel in Twyford and the surrounding villages and is inviting local residents and passengers to take part.
The borough council wants to understand what type of journeys people are making on buses in the Twyford area, and what improvements would encourage people to use the bus more often.
The consultation will run for approximately six weeks from Monday (November 12) to Friday December 21.
An online consultation form is available from: www.wokingham.gov.uk/busconsultation or paper copies can be picked up from Twyford and Wargrave libraries, Waitrose (Twyford) or the borough council offices, Shute End, Wokingham.
Public buildings at 24 locations across the Wokingham Borough could each save between £400 and £4,000 a year in energy bills, following the installation of solar panels on their roof tops by Wokingham Borough Council.
Some 3,000 panels – with a generating capacity of more than 700kW – have been mounted on 20 schools as well as buildings including Wokingham Youth Centre, Wokingham Library and the Acorn Centre in Woosehill.
Thanks to the government’s Feed In Tariff system, which pays people back for creating their own green electricity, it is calculated the £1.1m in capital investment by Wokingham Borough Council could be paid back within a decade. On-site savings on bills will also be made by the buildings hosting the panels.
Wokingham Borough Council announced that designs for a £ 6million building programme at The Bulmershe School are now being drawn up and a feasibility study carried out.
The major construction is being funded and managed by Wokingham Borough Council, which has appointed architects Re-format to draw up design feasibility options which specifically meet the school’s aims to raise aspiration and raise achievement still further.
The mixed sex comprehensive in Woodley was built in 1964 and the £6million capital investment means that the accommodation and facilities will be updated, refurbished and remodelled to give its students and staff a 21st century learning environment.
The actual stages of the build will depend on the design option agreed by planners in 2013. It is expected that work will begin on site, on a phased basis, at the start of the summer holidays in 2013 aiming to have the new facilities completely finished and ready for students and staff by September 2015 at the very latest.
Caroline Marriott will be running a weaving workshopat Wokingham Library where people can learn to make bags, dolls and other items that would be perfect for Christmas gifts. No experience necessary, and workshops are on November 8, 15, 22 and 29 from 10.30am to 12.30pm. The workshop costs £5 plus the cost of materials, customers should call (0118) 978 1368 to book a place.
There will be a talk onhow to research family history by a member of the Berkshire Family History Society at Finchampstead Library on Thursday November 8 between 1pm and 2pm. This is a free event but customers should call please call (0118) 908 8176 to book a place.
Budding artists can join thefestive Hands-on-Artsadult art workshops, led by local artists, on Saturday November 10 from 11am to 3pm. There will be the chance to get creative with printmaking and felt making techniques and also make Christmas cards and decorations and experiment with stained glass art. The workshop costs £5 and placed can be booked by calling (0118) 978 1368.
Murder mystery evenings are always popular and Generation X will be presenting ‘The Mystery of the Missing Vanilla Pods’ for amateur sleuths at Wokingham Library on Wednesday November 14 from 7.30pm. Customers can sign up for a fun-filled evening, as an individual or part of a team, by calling Wokingham Library on (0118) 978 1368 to book a place. £6 charge.
Enjoy an evening with local author Alison Mercer, who will be talking about her new book ‘Stop the Clock’ on Thursday November 15 from 7.45pm at Wargrave Library. The event costs £4 and includes a book signing and refreshments. Places can be booked by calling (0118) 940 4656.
Wokingham Library will be open again this year to help celebrate the town’s annual Winter Carnival on Sunday November 25 from 11am to 4pm. The library will be hosting Santa’s Grotto with music provided by the Berkshire Maestros, and visitors can buy Christmas cards for good causes and refreshments.
If any residents have a passion for bridge or cribbage then the two relaxed, friendly clubs for all abilities might be just for them! The Bridge Club meets on the second and fourth Friday each month from 10.30am to 12noon at Wokingham Library. The Cribbage Club meets on the first and third Friday each month from 10.30am to 12noon. Call the library to book a place (0118) 978 1368
November sees Lower Earley Library celebrating its 25th birthday and to mark the occasion the popular History Wardrobe will be returning to present Agatha Christie and Art Deco on November 22 from 7.30pm. The event, which costs £6, will explore the life and time of the Queen of Crime. To book a place customers should call (0118) 931 2150.
A special birthday coffee morning will also take place onFriday November 23 from 10am to 12noon for customers to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and a slice of cake.
There will be a bowel cancer information morning at Wokingham Library on Saturday November 17 from10.30am. A representative from Bowel Cancer UK will be giving a presentation and will be available to answer questions from members of the public. The talk is free but residents should book a place by calling (0118) 978 1368.
