The public consultation on West Berkshire Councils  draft Waste Management Strategy has now gone live. We would love to hear your views as a parish or town council and also encourage you to share details of the consultation across your parish or town. 
 
Our vision is for a greener future and here's what we are striving for in our draft Waste Management Strategy:
 

• Increase recycling rates to 60% by 2030.
• Cut residual waste to 120kg per person per year by 2042.
• Help West Berkshire achieve Net Zero by 2030.
• Keep West Berkshire a great place to live and work.
• Lead the way and set an example for residents and businesses.

 
The consultation will focus on key themes like:
 

• Reducing waste and boosting recycling.
• Improving the appearance of our streets including town and village centres.
• Leading the way in sustainable waste practices.

 
We're exploring several options to improve waste management, increase recycling rates, and reduce our carbon footprint, through the draft Waste Management Strategy, with some of the actions under review including:
 
     •        Changing waste collection frequency (not including communal bins where you share bins with neighbours).

• Reviewing household waste containers.
• Expanding the range of items we recycle.
• Boosting education on waste management, especially in schools.
• Stepping up efforts to tackle littering and fly-tipping.

 
To take part, please complete the online survey at www.westberks.gov.uk/draft-waste-management-strategy by midnight on 6 November 2024.
 
Paper copies of the survey are available on request please ring 0165 519 080 or email [email protected] to request a copy. Copies will also available at the Council Office, Market Street Newbury, RG14 5LD from 1 October during our opening times Monday – Thursday 8:30-5pm and Friday 8:30-4:30pm.
 
In addition, we will have drop-in session at local libraries where a member of the team will be available to take questions and feedback on the draft strategy at the below times:
 
Thatcham Library
Monday 30 September    
9:30am - 12:00pm

Newbury Library 
Wednesday 2 October
9:00am - 12:00pm

Hungerford Library  
Wednesday 9 October
9:30am - 12:00pm

Burghfield Library 
Monday 14 October
2:00pm - 5:00pm

Theale Library   
Friday 18 October
2:00pm - 5:00pm

Lambourn Library 
Friday 25 October
10:00am - 11:30am

Mortimer Library   
Monday 28 October
2:00pm - 5:00pm

Pangbourne Library  
Thursday 31 October
9:30am - 12:00pm
 
Join us in helping shape our vision for a sustainable future by sharing your experiences and suggestions!
 Follow us at  http://www.facebook.com/recyclewestberkshire
 Click here to sign up to the monthly Environment Delivery Newsletter

 wbc_poster.pdf
 

RAF Fairford are holding the following events

RAF Fairford 80th Anniversary Heritage Day on Friday 13 September.
RAF Fairford is opening its gates to the 501 CSW personnel and invited guests from the British American Committee, Fairford Aviation Society, local Councils, local Schools, and friends of RAF Fairford.
The event is planned between 11:00 – 15:00 along with assistance from 501 CSW Private Organizations.
Currently planned are Vintage Aircraft. Vintage WW2 Vehicles, Specialty Vehicles, Heritage Museum Items from RAF Welford, Vintage Radio, Historical items from RAF Fairford, Bird of Prey, and Police Dogs.
Please find attached the details for the 77th United States Air Force Ball which is to take place at RAF Fairford on the night of Friday 13 September.

Cost of Tickets are 55GBP per person which includes:
Welcome Champagne drink
(Non-alcoholic available)
Buffet Dinner
Dancing to The Glevum Big Band
DJ
Guest Speaker

For further information or to purchase tickets for either event please contact the clerk at [email protected]

Please note that security at RAF Fairford is extremely strict and therefore, unfortunately if you do not purchase tickets prior to the events and if you do not provide your details to the event organisers, then access to the base will be denied.

Garden Waste Subscriptions 2024/25
We are pleased to announce that residents can now sign up for the garden waste collection service or pay by debit or with credit card via our website.
For those paying by Direct Debit, notifications regarding renewal payment dates have already been sent via email or letter. These residents do not need to sign up again, as their service will transition seamlessly into the 2024/25 subscription period.
 We encourage all subscribers to review the brief and important terms and conditions.

Subscription Details:

• The new subscription period runs from 26 August 2024 to 24 August 2025.
• To ensure maximum collections, residents should subscribe by 9 August 2024. This allows time for processing subscriptions and delivering new bins, if required.

 What’s New This Year?

• Reduced Subscription Charge: The first bin subscription charge has been reduced from £58 to £55 for the 2024/25 service.
• Eliminating Bin Stickers: We will not issue garden waste subscription stickers this year. Our collection crews will use in-cab technology to identify subscribed properties, reducing waste and saving resources.

We request that residents place their bin(s) with the handles facing outwards to assist the collection crew. Residents may add their own house number or name to their green bin(s) for easy identification. We will be increasing our monitoring to ensure that only subscribed bins are collected. This will include monitoring by collection crews, council officers conducting spot checks, and the removal of green bins presented for collection by non-subscribers.
Residents not subscribing to the service can still recycle garden waste for free by composting at home or visiting our recycling centres at Padworth Lane in Padworth or Newtown Road in Newbury. Please remember to book an appointment and have an active permit before visiting.
To view a video on what happens to the garden waste, click here.
For more information, please visit: www.westberks.gov.uk/gardenwaste​

​What would be the impact to you if Royal Berkshire Hospital moved?
 
The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is looking at options for a new Royal Berkshire Hospital as part of the government’s New Hospital Programme.  The Trust have so far identified two sites which could be suitable and want to understand the impact for staff, patients and the wider community including residents and local businesses if the hospital moves.
The two potential sites they are seeking your views on are;
Thames Valley Park at the end of A329M – 2.2 miles north east of the current site between East Reading and Woodley
Thames Valley Science Park – 3.7 miles south east of the current site off the M4 near Shinfield
Please fill in the survey  to have your say or email [email protected] with your feedback
For further details including a map of the sites please see www.buildingberkshiretogether.co.uk/impact-assessment

Welford Road in the Parish of Welford is currently closed and will reopen on 17th July 2024, the closure is between the junctions of Baydon Road and The Row.  This emergency road closure is to enable Thames Water to repair a leak.

Residential access will be maintained throughout, and the diversion route will be signed on site.
Please note blue light access is not known at this time.
 A plan of the closure can be found at: https://one.network/?tm=GB139565548
 All enquiries should be directed to Thames Water on 0800 316 9800.
 A plan of the closure can be found at: All enquiries should be directed to Thames Water on 0800 316 9800.
Did you know you can sign up to receive alerts for roadworks in your area?  Visit one.network for more information.

The Parish Council are looking for a dedicated parishioner who will contribute to the decision making of the council and to ways of improving life within the parish.
Applications should be made to the Parish Clerk, Angela Boyce, who can be contacted by email [email protected] or phone 07917485191

The Parish Council are currently in the process of setting up a community speedwatch campaign in Wickham, which we hope to roll out across the Parish in the near future. If you would like to be involved or for more information please go to communityspeedwatch.org/FRONT-v2-Home.php  or you can contact the clerk at [email protected].