By-election result
Below is the result of the Woodley Town Council by-election for Coronation East Ward.
Big tidy up
The annual Clean Up Day will take place on Saturday March 28th – meeting at 10am at Woodford Park Leisure Centre. If you’d like to help by collecting litter on the day please come along.
Town Centre Tree Garden
A joint project between Woodley Town Council, Woodley Town Centre Management Initiative and Wokingham Borough Council will see the end of the dangerous trip hazards surrounding the trees at the end Southern end of the Town Centre. For some time the participants have been considering ways to keep the trees and at the same time remove the potential trip hazards caused by their roots. Any solution should also have minimal impact on the events held in the Town Centre. After much discussion only one option emerged which satisfied both of these requirements.
The solution is to turn the area immediately surrounding these trees into a raised community garden thus removing the restrictions on their roots and providing a pleasant visual area. This area will have some form of retaining wall for the garden and the suitable options are either a low level brick wall or timber sleepers to provide a more natural feel. At either end of this new garden will be seating for visitors complete with a notice board in the same style as those in Woodford Park. Pedestrians will still be able to walk on either side of this new garden to get to the shops.
The actual content of the garden has yet to be decided with current thoughts of a school community garden, a variety of grasses or even the use of moss to absorb carbon from the atmosphere, or a mixture of uses. Whatever is chosen needs to be easy to maintain.
Click the link below to view the plan for the garden.
If you have any comments or suggestions for the use or content of the garden please email feedback@woodley.gov.uk
Food waste bags
Please note that food waste bags will not be delivered with blue bin bags, instead they are available to collect from various places including Woodley Town Council at the Oakwood Centre and Woodley Library.
For any enquiries regarding this please contact Wokingham Borough Council: 0118 976400 / www.wokingham.gov.uk
Poll Cards for By-Election on 27 February 2020
Residents in Coronation East ward of Woodley Town Council will have recently received a poll card for the above by-election. Unfortunately, there is a mistake on the poll card in that it refers to Wokingham Town Council instead of Woodley Town Council. Please be assured that the remaining details given on the card are correct.
Polling will take place in St John’s Church, Church Road, Woodley from 7am to 10pm on 27 February.
Deadlines:
Registration – Tuesday 11 February
Apply to vote by post – Wednesday 12 February at 5pm
Appoint a proxy – Wednesday 19 February at 5pm
Local roadworks update 11 February
Colemans Moor Road, Woodley, Wokingham
13 February — 13 February
Delays likely – Road closure
Works location: 72
Works description: Replace Sewer Cover–WORKS INTENDED TO INCLUDE FIRST TIME PERMANENT REINSTATEMENT WITHIN SAME PHASE
Responsibility for works: THAMES WATER
Headley Road East, Woodley, Wokingham
12 February — 18 February
Delays likely – Traffic control (two-way signals)
Works location: On Headley Road East outside Hawkehurst House.
Works description: Excavation in path, required to lay and connect the new site main to the parent main. in Carriageway.
Responsibility for works: THAMES WATER
Kingfisher Drive, Woodley, Wokingham
17 February — 18 February
Delays likely – Road closure
Works location: SPINE ROAD
Works description: iRON WORKS
Responsibility for works: Wokingham
Woodlands Avenue, Woodley, Wokingham
15 February — 17 February
Delays likely – Traffic control (two-way signals)
Works location: 1
Works description: Reinstate carriageway in Carriageway. Our intention is to complete thePermanent Reinstatement in the same phase
Responsibility for works: THAMES WATER
Ravensbourne Drive, Woodley, Wokingham
12 February — 14 February
Delays unlikely – Some carriageway incursion
Works location: 54
Works description: CUSTOMER SIDE LEAKAGE SUPPLY PIPE REPLACEMEN–WORKS INTENDED TO INCLUDE FIRST TIME PERMANENT REINSTATEMENT WITHIN SAME PHASE
Responsibility for works: THAMES WATER
Beggars Hill, Woodley, Wokingham
07 February – 13 February
Location: 29, New Site
Description: Boundary box exchange
Responsibility for works: Thames Water
A4 London Road, Woodley, Wokingham
31 January – 13 February
Location: Junction of Shepherds Hill
Description: excavation in the carriageway to locate and repair gas escape
Responsibility for works: SGN
Chequers Way, Woodley, Wokingham
07 February – 27 February
Location: 29
Description: To place a skip on highways verge
Responsibility for works: Wokingham Borough Council
Pound Lane, Sonning, Wokingham
11 February – 13 February
Location: Pound Lane roundabout
Description: Lane closure for coring works
Responsibility for works: Wokingham Borough Council
Joint Independent Audit Committee recruiting
Vacancies for lay members of the Joint Independent Audit Committee
Do you want to help scrutinise the way your policing finances operate? Could you offer a strong and independent voice on corporate governance affairs?
The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Thames Valley and the Chief Constable are looking for citizens with a good understanding and experience of public sector legislation and guidance, who are politically neutral, to sit as independent members of the Joint Independent Audit Committee.
The Committee will review and scrutinise the affairs of both organisations, looking at issues such as risk management, internal control, change programmes and corporate governance as well as overseeing audit arrangements and reviewing financial statements.
Two members have already been appointed and we are now looking to appoint a further three. The appointments will be for a four-year period to July 2024.
Candidates are required to be over the age of 18, live or work in the Thames Valley area and be able to attend meetings at Police Headquarters, Kidlington during the working day. The volunteers will be subject to a police vetting check. Serving police officers or police staff are not eligible for this role.
The successful applicants will receive training and a daily allowance including expenses for travelling to Police Headquarters. The current schedule is based on five meetings each year.
The closing date for applications is 9am on Monday 2nd March 2020.
Interviews will be held on Tuesday 24th March.
To find out more about the role of committee members, including the Committee’s operating principles, role description, and individual member competencies, personal skills and qualities please see the candidate pack, application form and diversity monitoring form.
For more information, please contact Ian Thompson (CFO) on 01865 541959 or Paul Hammond (Chief Executive) on 01865 541960
Wokingham Borough Council homelessness fund
Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government has awarded Wokingham Borough Council £91,000 to help tackle rough sleeping in the borough
The funds, which follow on the back of the council’s new strategy to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, will allow the council to set up a street outreach programme to provide support for rough sleepers in the borough.
The new programme will provide a holistic first line of support to rough sleepers, with outreach workers on the streets to identify rough sleepers and provide them with accommodation where appropriate, signposting access to health professionals, benefits advisors and any necessary drug/alcohol dependency support. The outreach workers will provide links to the next level of support.
The council will commission a voluntary sector partner with expertise in tackling rough sleeping to partner on this project. The new service will build on the excellent work already being carried out by voluntary sector partners and other organisations in the borough.
Current situation
The council identified ten rough sleepers in the borough in November 2019 as part of an annual estimate and understands there may be more.
Further support for rough sleepers in the borough is the pilot of a night shelter, running in January and February 2020. The shelter, being run by Pilgrim Hearts, is accessed through the council’s housing team and other organisations (contact information below) and is located at a number of churches across Wokingham town.
“Having a home should be a basic human right. That’s why we at the council prioritise so highly tackling homelessness and ending rough sleeping.” said John Kaiser, executive member for finance and housing. “Homelessness can have long term consequences for those affected. As a result, reducing homelessness and rough sleeping is a key priority for the council.
“Receiving this award is excellent news! It will help fund our new rough sleeping initiative for a full year and we will have the opportunity to apply again for next year.
“The impacts of homelessness can be devastating for individuals and families. Homelessness can affect everything — health, education and employment. This programme is another step towards ending rough sleeping and homelessness in Wokingham borough.”
Contacts
For information on how to get advice if you or someone you know is or may become homeless, visit our website at www.wokingham.gov.uk and search ‘homelessness’.
To contact the council for help on homelessness, phone 0118 974 6000 during office hours or 01344 786 543 after hours, via email at housing.needs@wokingham.gov.uk or by visiting the council offices at Shute End, Wokingham.
If you are aware of someone sleeping rough in the borough, let the council know by sending an alert to StreetLink. The details you provide will be sent to the council, who will use the information to find the individual, offer them support, and explore ways to find them accommodation.
