Environment Agency update:

• Tributaries to Thames peaked and are starting to reduce. Water making its way into the Thames and still rising.
• Expecting smaller number of flooded properties spread over the Thames Valley.
• Deploying temporary barriers in South Hinksey (Oxfordshire).
• 5-10mm of rain is not expected to see additional flooding, just high rivers.
• Thames still rising (but rate of rise has slowed in Oxford).
• Thames is rising along its length and rising in Berkshire. Flood warning for River Thames in Abingdon. Not anticipating flood warnings on the Thames, but it may depend on the rain fall. To review overnight and once the rain has fallen.
• Jubilee flood only just started so has plenty of capacity
• Purley – EA Ops team have a plan in place and they don’t need support outside the normal plan.

Met Office update:

• A dry day throughout the day.
• Low pressure in southern UK overnight brining rain mid to late evening. Expecting 5-10mm of rail, isolated areas 15mm.
• Generally, a dry picture until Saturday. More unsettled into Sunday but unsure on what that will look like yet.
• No weather warnings in place for the Thames Valley. 

Do continue to keep up to date by checking: West Berkshire - flood alerts and warnings - GOV.UK (check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk) and monitoring the levels on the river by checking Find river, sea, groundwater and rainfall levels - GOV.UK (check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk)
For any out of hours emergencies call 01635 551111, for all other non-emergencies please report issues on Report a Problem - West Berkshire Council to be picked up the next working day.

Winter Payment "Phishing"
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We have been made aware of the start of criminal activity using both text messages and emails to try and steal bank details by playing on older people's concerns about the Winter Fuel Payment.
What is the Winter Fuel Payment?Winter Fuel Payment is an annual tax-free payment for households that include someone born on or before 22 September 1958 (for 2024-25) and, from 2024 onwards, receive Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or an award of Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit of at least £26 for the tax year 2024-25. It's designed to help you cover your heating costs in winter, with households receiving up to £300. 
As you can see in the image on the right of a text message example, language is being used to make you more concerned and prompt you to tap or click the link in the message to "update your details." Unfortunately the link doesn't go to the UK Government website or anything to do with Winter Fuel Payments.
Initially it was a clone of the UK Government website designed specifically to encourage you to hand over your personal details - this is referred to as "Phishing" as the criminals are using the process to "fish" for your personal information by "dropping you a line" by text or email.
Fortunately the owner of the website space had software to detect such misuse of their webspace and it was taken down fairly quickly. However we expect this will keep happening with the fake website moving around the internet and being hosted on different machines across the world to evade action being taken against it.
Please be aware that these messages can arrive either as a SMS Text Message to your phone or as an email to your email account on your computer or your phone. This text actually originated from a phone number in Denmark, that was likely hijacked or cloned.
Clicking unknown links puts your information at risk, don't let the cyber-criminals get your information.

We have been informed by WBC that if anyone has any concerns about the conditions of the road surface​ in the parish, they should report it to WBC using the 'report a problem' link below.
westberks.highway-iams.uk/Live/PBLC/PIP/?cg=Surface%20Defects

on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 October 2024 there will be a give-away event at the Padworth Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF), Padworth Lane, RG7 4JF, between 10am and 4pm where residents will be able to pick up Veolia's locally produced soil conditioner for free! In addition, we will have recycling collection points for old or unwanted vapes, small electricals and batteries.
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The soil conditioner is produced at Padworth from food and garden waste collected across West Berkshire and is being provided free of charge to West Berkshire Council residents through its partnership with Veolia.

Residents must bring along their own bags/boxes to load the compost into their cars and will be responsible for collecting and loading the soil conditioner from the site to their car. All soil conditioner must be contained in bags or boxes and cannot be loaded directly into cars.

No booking is necessary; however, we will be asking that attendees bring along ID or a bill with them to prove they are a resident of West Berkshire. Depending on demand there may be a need to queue for the soil conditioner. We also ask that attendees only collect a reasonable amount to ensure everyone has an opportunity to make use of this offer.
 Please note there will be vehicle restrictions in place. Vehicles listed as prohibited in the Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) user guide on page 12 will not be allowed. No commercial vehicles will be admitted; this is for householders only. Residents must take necessary precautions for carrying the soil conditioner safely to their vehicle. The event organisers accept no liability for any injuries that may be sustained by residents loading their vehicles with the materials. Residents wishing to visit the household waste recycling centre must still book an appointment.
 More information including FAQ’s can be found on www.westberks.gov.uk/compost.

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