The garden waste collection service will be suspended from Monday 18 to Friday 29 January 2021. Like many other local authorities across the country, we are facing a difficult January with significantly increased volumes of waste after the Christmas holiday period and a number of collection crews self-isolating. This has impacted parts of our waste collection services meaning we have made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend garden and food waste collections to prioritise rubbish and recycling.
The garden waste collection service will be suspended from Monday 18 to Friday 29 January 2021. We are asking residents whose garden waste is due for collection on or after 18 January 2021 to not put their green garden waste bin out until service can be resumed again from 1 February 2021. This change will also affect food waste collections because they are collected at the same time as garden waste.
Councillor Steve Ardagh-Walter, Executive Member for the Environment at West Berkshire Council, said:
"We have received tremendous support from West Berkshire residents over the past few weeks and I want to thank everyone for their understanding during this challenging time.
"We have not taken this decision lightly to put garden and food waste collections on hold and understand that some residents may be disappointed by this service disruption.
"Our aim is that all waste collection services will be able to continue as normal once the service is reinstated by the end of January. Our contractor's collection crews have continued to work hard throughout, keeping our waste services running and we would like to thank them for doing a great job."
At the close of play on Tuesday 12 January, about 5,300 recycling collections (equivalent to just under 8% of households) remained outstanding. The collection of other waste types including general refuse is being completed without any significant disruptions at this time.
If your rubbish (black bin) or recycling (boxes and bags) is not collected as expected, please continue to leave it out and we will collect it as soon as possible.
We are grateful to residents for their continued patience. We are asking residents to kindly avoid calling our Customer Services colleagues, unless necessary, because they are very busy helping various residents with other urgent queries at this time.
You can read more information on the garden waste service here. Our household waste recycling centres are still open for essential visits but you need to book an appointment. 

  The free car parking will be available in the Council's car parks throughout the day on:

• Hungerford Market Day - Wednesdays 9, 16 December
• Newbury Market Day - Thursdays 10, 17 December
• Thatcham Market Day - Fridays 11, 18 December
• Pangbourne - Thursdays 10, 17 December
• Theale - Thursdays 10, 17 December
• All Council-run car parks - 21 to 25 December
• Council's staff car park in Market Street, Newbury - every weekend in December starting 12-13 December

               

West Berkshire Libraries will reopen to visitors in limited numbers from Saturday, 5 December. You will be able to choose books and use library computers for up to one hour per day. Printing, scanning and photocopying services will also be available. 
Please don’t forget to wear a face covering when you visit unless you have a medical exemption and to bring your library membership card with you to borrow books or DVDs and to use our computers.
You also need to know your 4-digit library PIN which you can reset online if needed. 
We will still be asking you to help us protect our communities by maintaining social distancing, using hand sanitiser as you enter the library and providing your details for NHS Test and Trace. 

 

West Berkshire has been placed in Tier 2 High Alert from 02/12/20 until further notice from the Government.

This means we cannot mix households indoors, apart from support bubbles.

However up to 6 people from different households can meet outdoors, including in a garden or a public place.

In addition, under the High Alert tier:

• Shops, gyms and personal care services (such as hairdressers) will all reopen.
• Pubs and bars must close, unless they are operating as restaurants. Hospitality venues can only serve alcohol with substantial meals. Last orders will be taken at 10pm, and venues must close by 11pm.
• Hospitality businesses and venues selling food and drink for consumption off the premises can continue to do so after 10pm as long as this is through delivery service, click-and-collect or drive-through.

• People should minimise travel and work from home where possible. Please note that you should not travel into a Tier 3 “Very high” area unless where necessary such as for work or education.

• Schools, colleges, university and early years settings will be open.

The summer newsletter from the West Berkshire Countryside Society is available to download here:
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West Berkshire Highways have notified us that various unnamed roads in Welford will be closed as necessary on Sunday 20th May 2018 while annual running races take place. The races will take place between 7am and 2pm. There is no alternative route.
 
A plan of the closure can be found at www.roadworks.org

WELFORD PARISH COUNCIL INVITES
All Parishioners to the
Annual Parish Meeting followed by Wine & Nibbles
 
Wednesday 16th May 7.30pm in Wickham Village Hall
 
Mrs Katie Dickens, Welford & Wickham C.E. Primary School Executive Head Teacher
will be sharing news from the school.
 
Reverend Miriam Keen, the new West Downlands Benefice Rector
will be introducing herself.
 
Please join us to also share your views and ideas about life in the Parish
 

Press Release Date: 20 March 2018

West Berkshire to hold largest ever volunteering event
More than 80 organisations will be coming together next week (Thursday 29th March) to raise awareness of volunteering in the largest-ever event of its kind in West Berkshire.
The event aims both to promote the value of volunteering and highlight the help and support available to residents from community and voluntary sector organisations across the district. It’s a great opportunity for:

• Anyone supporting a relative or friend that needs help
• Residents who have moved to the area and want to get to know what is going on in the area
• Businesses looking to help in the community; and
• Potential volunteers or members of voluntary groups wanting to work with other groups

Among the 86 groups at the event will be groups providing children's services, older people's services, disability services, learning disability services, listening charities, Young Family support, some arts organisations, cancer charities, health services, mental health support, dementia support services, stop smoking help, befriending services, local transport services, local funders and much more.
The event has been organised by the Volunteer Centre West Berkshire in partnership with West Berkshire Council, the Health and Wellbeing Board and Awards for All. It takes place on Thursday 29th March, 2018 between 9.30am and 4.30pm at Newbury Racecourse.
The event will be formally opened by the Chairman of West Berkshire Council, Councillor Quentin Webb, at 11am.
Free return travel is available from Newbury town centre to the event, on local buses 9 and 123.  Hail either these services from Cheap Street (outside the Kennet Centre) and travel to the Rondetto Avenue stop at Newbury Racecourse.  
Speaking ahead of the event Gary Poulson, Director at the Volunteer Centre West Berkshire said: “In West Berkshire we have a thriving voluntary and community sector making a real difference in communities across the district. Through this event we want to raise awareness of the help and support all these groups are providing so that they can work more closely together and become an even more effective network of support for local people.
“This will be one of the largest volunteering events in the south of England in recent years with plenty of help and support on offer. I look forward to seeing everyone at the event next week.”
West Berkshire Council is among the organisations supporting the event. Chief Executive Nick Carter, from West Berkshire Council, added: “At the council we benefit directly from the energy, enthusiasm and hard work of volunteers in our libraries, supporting our countryside team and in many other different ways. We also recognise the value of the support of voluntary groups in supporting our residents so they don’t need to rely on council services. The work they do is very worthwhile and so we have been very happy to support this event and the voluntary sector in the district.”
To find out more about the Volunteer Centre West Berkshire visit www.volunteerwestberks.org.uk