This Week with Brian
Your Local Area
Including panic, stiff sentences, social media blame, looking ridiculous, no football, PM not DPP, yes and no, where the fines go, road run-offs, planning changes, a missed opportunity, two oddballs, bad news for the reef, phone conversations, in our own image, the CIL bill, colourful animals, dirty signs, bad dogs, a population drop, a growing tower, having to resign and Deacon Blues.
Click on the appropriate buttons to the right to see the local news from your area (updated every Thursday evening).
If there’s anything you’d like to see covered for your area or anything that you’d like to add to something that we’ve covered already, drop me a line at brian@pennypost.org.uk.
Further afield
It seems amazing that the shocking murder of three young girls at a dance class in Southport could somehow have led us to where we are now, with riots across the country, over 400 arrests and Elon “X” Musk telling his 170m followers that the UK is descending into civil war. It all made me think of the Smiths’ song, Panic: “Panic on the streets of Carlisle; Dublin, Dundee, Humberside – I wonder to myself, could life ever be sane again?” Other towns and areas are available. As for the question, the jury’s still out on that.
[more below]
• Riots
Speaking of which, the first three accused had their day in court and all three got pretty stiff sentences. One, Derek Drummond, said that he didn’t really know why he’d done it. It doesn’t make much sense to me, either. At least 400 more are awaiting their session with the Beak so we should soon be hearing a few more explanations.
Several are being proposed. The Guardian suggests that “Britain’s splintered far right has been trying to mount a resurgence by exploiting shock and anger at last week’s killings of three young girls in Southport” before going on to take a look at some of the groups which now populate this murky corner of political life. Presumably not all will, like Drummond, claim that they got caught up in some crazy spur-of-the-moment whirlwind. We might be hearing some hard-core polemic in court from some of the accused.
Social media has been blamed for spreading the news but that’s slightly like blaming BT or the M1. Just because you’re asked to go somewhere and have a way of getting there doesn’t mean that you have to obey. For many people, however, the response time between receiving a message, tweet or whatever and feeling you have to respond can now be measured in seconds. Are we obeying online instructions with the same alacrity? The fact that the original claim that the murderer was an asylum-seeking Islamist was proved to be batshit didn’t matter – for many, it “felt right”. It fitted into a narrative that enough people thought was generally true: life is being screwed up by foreigners coming over here, or trying to.
To some extent, this narrative was started by the last government. While it was good, and necessary, that the question of uncontrolled migration was being discussed, Sunak and his predecessors didn’t manage bring these to a successful conclusion. The bewildering reliance on the Rwanda scheme made him look ridiculous and gave strength to the view that the government had no grip on the situation. In reality, the problem is as international as that of climate change and is almost impossible for any one country to solve on its own. By claiming to have found a solution which it couldn’t get to work, Sunak effectively opened up the field for others to have a go. Officially, we now have a new government to try its luck. Unofficially, it’s clear that there are a number of other far nastier solutions out there.
The 2016 Brexit campaign showed how dangerous it is to present people with something which can be seen as the cause of any problems or disappointments they might be facing. Hatred of Brussels was something that we were given licence to express to our heart’s content; and to the extent that, in most circles, is not permitted with xenophobia or racism. Perhaps the very slow way in which our relationship with the EU has been severed (a process that still continues) has given some people a taste for more direct action next time an enemy is identified. And was the enemy not in plain sight, here, amongst us now? Why else would we want to deport these people to Africa? They might even argue that this direct action was merely correcting failed government policy.
Sunak seems like a fairly decent person, though a poor politician – the opposite can be said about some of his colleagues – and I’m sure he would never have wanted to see this happen. None the less, amongst all the other lessons this will teach us (and which we may or may not learn from), one is that if you’re going to take a fierce animal out of a box, you need to be sure it doesn’t bite you.
As for Kier Starmer, he’s drawing on his policy go “hit them hard and fast”, which he followed when DPP during the disturbances in 2011. He’s not DPP now, however, but PM. He needs to find a way to identify the disease and cure it, which will take more than just rapid action by the courts. There has certainly been a rapid reaction from thousands of people across the country as Wednesday evening saw a large number of largely peaceful anti-right marches.
One fact that can’t be ignored is that over four million people voted for a party that was to the right of the Conservatives. I’m not suggesting that everyone who voted Reform is a potential rioter, but it can’t be a co-incidence that this has happened so soon after an election during which the right wing was re-energised. In this the Conservatives also stand accused, for failing to keep their part of the political house in good order and allowing part of it to be taken over by squatters. Time will tell if they can be evicted.
Of course, for some there’s no wider political or societal dimension involved: it’s just a chance for a fight. Perhaps it’s also no co-incidence that this has happened during the football close-season. (It seems that ministers have also spotted the connection, the i and others reporting that those convicted in the riots could be banned from football grounds). Football’s inter-season break ends next week. Let’s hope the riots do too.
• Water fines
Three water companies including ThamesWater have been recently hit with “proposed” fines totalling £168m, about £104m of this being for Thames Water. A statement from Ofwat describes “a catalogue of failure…in how they ran their sewage works.”
Hang on – what’s the “proposed” doing there? Are these companies being fined or not? Well, yes and no.
As I understand the new arrangements that are currently being introduced, a Water Restoration Fund (WRF) has been set up into which it seems that these fines will be paid, rather than their vanishing, as previously, into the bottomless pit of the Treasury’s piggy bank and used to pay for cluster bombs and HS2 consultants. The WRF will enable grants “to restore and enhance the water environment in specified geographical areas.”
However, a number of details seem uncertain. The fund currently only handles fines issued between April 2022 and October 2023 and it’s unclear if this will be continued for later periods (and, if it isn’t, where the fines will go). The 2024 applications closed in June and I’m not sure if there will be others. Many hope that there WRF will be extended and its funding increased. There are certainly no shortage of projects which could benefit.
As to why the “fines” are not simply fines, it’s been argued that this is an imperfect solution as the water companies then have less money to spend on their core business. It will also bring closer the day of reckoning when they run out of money altogether.
It seems that Ofwat will instead be prepared to accept, in place of at least part of the fines, cast-iron guarantees that the companies will make specific investments in a particular period. The “fine” would thus be seen more as a suspended sentence, to be invoked if these improvements aren’t achieved.
It seems likely that some of this money will, however, be paid as a fine in which case, subject to the uncertainties touched on above, this might go to the WRF. This would enable local environmental groups such as Action for the River Kennet (ARK) to bid for water-improvement projects, even if these were not directly caused by the water company in question.
One such might be, as we mentioned before, creating reed beds just downstream of where the M4 crosses the Lambourn at Easton, where ARK earlier this year identified harrowing levels of pollution caused by motorway run-off. It seems this could be addressed for a ridiculously small sum like £50,000 if the landowners were willing (which I believe they are) but it’s a project that Highways England (HE) seems reluctant to fund, or even acknowledge to be a particular problem.
It seems that insufficient attention has been paid to the pollution for road run-off, which is in many ways worse than that from sewage. The fact that no one seems to have over-arching responsibility for monitoring and tackling it is the first problem that needs solving.
On a related subject, another matter involving HE and road run-off has recently come to light where the A34 crosses the Kennet west of Newbury. There are wetlands here, designed to help deal with the pollution which have not been maintained since the road opened 25 years ago. HE will have to get more involved in this issue as it owns them.
It seems to me bizarre that an organisation like HE should own, and have responsibility for maintaining such things. Last time I checked HE was responsible for our roads. Having a situation like this is a bit like asking a barrister to plaster your living room wall: if they do it at all, they’ll probably do it badly. It seems much better to follow the lead of Anglian water which in such cases does deals with landowners for the use of land, with appropriate environmental groups to manage them.
Why this isn’t the mandated norm, I can’t imagine. I’ve been told that HE will only conduct such measures if it can purchase the land, compulsorily if need be, which adds a completely unnecessary level of expense (and, as this shows, no guarantee of good results). It would be interesting to see if the Environment Agency or whoever chooses to slap a CPO on these reed beds and see how HE likes it.
Returning to the proposed fines, the ones mentioned so far are just from Ofwat, which is basically concerned with the business regulation aspect of the water companies. Matters resulting from environmental pollution are the responsibility of the Environment Agency, which I understand is also brewing up for a similar announcement.
• Planning changes
As mentioned last week, Angela Rayner has told local councils that their housing targets are now mandatory and in many cases will be substantially revised upwards. This is in pursuit of the target of 300,000 net completions a year which has proved so impossible for previous governments to reach.
There are many good reasons why such a figure needs to be met, but it’s impossible to pretend that everyone will welcome it. Everyone agrees that new homes are needed, as long as they are not where we personally can see them. None the less, the whole planning system – not the most fleet-footed beast at the best of times – will need to move towards a presumption in favour of development; just as councils currently need to demonstrate a presumption in favour of the far more questionable matter of approving gambling licences.
There are a number of genuine obstacles, however. Looking at our district of West Berkshire illustrates the general point about one of these.
The land in the country is already subject to a number of restrictions as to its use. Leaving aside the large tracts which are in the hands of private individuals who have no desire to build on it, and leaving aside other parts which are too flood-prone, too steep or too inaccessible, there are also other bits which are subject to more recent human limitations.
To pick just a few examples, National Parks, AONBs, the familiar Green Belts, the less familiar Grey Belts and DEPZs (emergency areas round military or nuclear establishments) place serious restrictions on how, or even if, the land can be developed.
The status of some of these are in the process of being reviewed. The AONB (now known as National Landscape) for our North Wessex Downs area is one such. Building on this is permitted in “exceptional circumstances”, a fairly meaningless phrase that by its nature cannot be pre-defined (otherwise it wouldn’t be exceptional). Over two thirds of West Berkshire is in the AONB.
The extension of the DEPZ around AWE Burghfield put paid to the plans for a new town in Grazeley, so leading to the plans for NE Thatcham which the Planning Inspector has very recently sanctioned. We have no National Parks or Green Belts (and thus no Grey ones) here, but other districts do.
Before planning authorities start work on seeing where these extra new homes can go, they need to have more certainty about where they can’t. Planning departments are driven by process, policy and precedent and will generally avoid any decision which might result in an appeal. As many of the regulations currently stand, large parts of West Berkshire (and other districts) are undevelopable. If the regulations that defined these were clarified or revised, this might change. No planning authority is going to make plans as long as there’s this uncertainty.
The problem of living in a highly regulated country, as we do, is that so many of these regulations are interlocking. If you change one, numerous others may need to be updated to make them consistent. Politicians are fond of blaming the planning system for being slow-moving but the reality is that, as legislators, they have contributed to this by passing laws and regulations that often exist in stark contradiction to each other, or to the policies that the government of the day is trying to push through.
I’m still surprised that Starmer, Rayner et al have not decided to look at what would be a very effective way of solving at least one of the problems that affects the system, that of cost. A reform of the land market, by which landowners are able to reap almost obscene profits from their land simply by sitting on it, is long overdue. Churchill called it “the mother of all monopolies”.
See the article here by WBC’s Tony Vickers for more on this. A move on this front would also show that the new government was serious about taking on vested interests by taxing their unwarranted gains more seriously. One can but hope…
• And finally…
• Compared to the two oddballs who’re standing for the Republicans, Kamala Harris’ pick of Tim Walz as her running mate seems quite inspired. Although not guaranteed to bring her any of the swing states, he appears to have a fairly solid base of support and has been described as a “meat and potatoes” American. More than that, he actually looks and behaves as if he comes from this planet.
• More bad news for the Great Barrier Reef: a recent report suggests that “temperatures in and around the vast coral reef over the past decade are the highest recorded in 400 years”.
• I can give you any number of reasons why I wouldn’t want to own a dog but this one had escaped my attention and has now been added to the list. In a video released by Tulsa Fire Department in Oklahoma, two dogs and a cat can be seen in a living room. One of the dogs was chewing on a portable battery pack (as they do) which then burst into flames (as they do) setting fire to a mattress on the floor and then the house. The cat was blameless in the matter: but, cats being cats, would probably have found a way to blame the dogs anyway.
• There was a piece on R4 recently, a link to which I can’t find, which reported that the NUJ has realised it needs to run courses to teach aspiring young journalists how to have phone conversations. That’s certainly backed up by our experience of work-experience and Kick-start people we’ve had here. Some have been telephone naturals, but most have shown varying degrees of reluctance to talking to strangers. On one occasion when I suggested it I thought the person was going to be physically sick. I’d have thought that speaking to strangers was a minimum requirement for journalism.
• It’s been suggested – most recently by Penny at the dinner table on Wednesday but she may not have been the first – that artificial intelligence could come to our rescue once computers realised climate change was a threat to them. It seems to me that they operate within the same sort of environmental band as do we and which climate change is currently testing to destruction. They don’t like extremes of temperature or humidity, can’t cope with fires and floods and hate it when the power gets turned off. Perhaps they have already been built in our image – now, for our own preservation, we just need to get them to realise this…
Across the area
• The CIL bill
This is a subject we’ve mentioned many times before and I’m delighted to report that it’s been brought to a happy conclusion.
In summary, some years ago it became increasingly clear that West Berkshire Council (WBC) was being over-zealous in the way it was handling some cases of Community Infrastructure Levies (CIL), which are charged on some but not all developments. The problem was that those claiming exemptions were sometimes confused by the paperwork. It was alleged that the Council was adopting a policy described by a former Leader as one of “gotcha” – not alerting applicants to oversights but waiting until a key point had been reached before slapping in a bill.
These were often for life-changing sums and were applied even if the development should have been exempt. This was then followed by some fairly brutal enforcement and threats of legal action.
It wasn’t a good look (and it got worse). I’m not blaming any one person for starting this, though some could have stopped it. This happens with organisations. Something is done; there’s push-back; you double down to defend your position; and, before you know it, you’ve painted yourself into a corner from which retreat with grace becomes increasingly difficult. Happens all the time. The trick is how you deal with it.
In December 2020 I wrote this article on the subject. To be honest, I was a little nervous after publishing it. This was an area I hadn’t explored before and I was relying on web researches and a few conversations with people, most of whom had skin in the game. None the less, something smelled wrong. This wasn’t, I felt, how councils ought to be treating their residents. Something had slipped anchor.
All my misgivings were dispelled the following day when I received a coruscating email from someone whom I shall in no way identify, telling me that they would never again trust anything we wrote and, without giving any reasons why I was wrong, lambasted me. This more than anything else convinced me I was on the right track. There was something wrong. So, however inadvertently, many thanks for that.
Wind forward to 2023 and Jeff Brooks, now the leader of WBC, made good on his party’s manifesto pledge to sort the problem out. Looking at all the issues and ensuring that the proverbial level playing field was in place took some time, but on 14 March 2024 he was able to make an uncompromising statement on the matter at the start of the WBC Full Council meeting which set out exactly what the problems were and how he would address them.
He was as good as his word. Applications are now open for the discretionary review of historical CIL payments – click on the link to see the Discretional CIL Householder Review Scheme application form. You will also find information on the eligibility criteria and how applications will be assessed on that page. If you have any questions or difficulty completing the form please email cilreview@westberks.gov.uk for assistance.
Even better news is that within the last few days, promises of repayments have started to be made.
“Finally, after nine long years of battling with West Berkshire Council over CIL charges, justice has been served,” Maria Dobson from Kintbury told us. “On 2 August, WBC agreed to refund the charges it imposed on us, despite our exemption. This journey has been arduous and marked by many tears, but I am overjoyed to announce that a refund is on its way. I’m pleased to report that others have also received confirmation that their refunds are forthcoming.
“Brian Quinn of Penny Post has been instrumental in my campaign, providing a platform for my story and encouraging others in similar situations to come forward. What a fantastic person and journalist you are, thank you so much.
“This victory would not have been possible without the unwavering support of former Conservative councillor Claire Rowles and current Council Leader Jeff Brooks. Their relentless efforts to rectify this injustice have been invaluable. I am deeply grateful to them and to former WBC Councillor James Cole, whose contributions were also significant. Unfortunately, Claire and James’s support for my campaign came at a personal cost, leading to their temporary (I hope) departure from WBC. This is a great loss, as the residents of West Berkshire need advocates like Claire and James fighting for justice.
“I cannot thank Jeff Brooks enough for his steadfast support. Even when his party was in opposition, he fought for me and, as leader, he has fulfilled the promises made in the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto. His dedication has been crucial to this outcome. A massive thank you to everyone who has supported me. This has made all the difference.”
Mark Rogers of East Garston said that “your regular commentary in Penny Post regarding the issue has brought added impetus to our arguments against WBC in trying to claim back the CIL charge and highlighted this as a real issue. Penny Post’s constant pressure has made a good number of people listen to our cause.
“In addition, the championing of this cause by Jeff Brooks, against some internal opposition within WBC, is to be praised: he saw a ‘wrong’ committed by WBC and wanted to address and right it. I thank both you and Jeff for giving this CIL issue so much air time and I am very glad that this has now been properly concluded.”
“I’m absolutely delighted that West Berkshire Council has refunded the CIL monies due to Maria Dobson and others who were penalised for not completing CIL forms,” former WBC Councillor Claire Rowles told us on 8 August. “I always maintained that this was morally and ethically wrong and not in the spirit that the legislation intended.
“This has been a long, hard campaign. I would like to thank Jeff Brookes for all his help in making this happen. Further thanks go to Hungerford Town (and former WBC) Councillor James Cole, Hungerford Mayor Helen Simpson and former WBC Councillors Tony Linden, Andrew Williamson and Steve Masters for their unwavering support.
As regards where the money will come from for the refunds, WBC, like all councils which use the CIL system, has a pot into which developer contributions are paid. These are being taken from this. They should never have been added to it in the first place.
It’s a bit like getting an unexpected bank error giving you some extra money which is then taken back. It was never really yours. This money was never really WBC’s. I’m delighted that this fact has now been realised and proud of whatever part we played in ensuring this happened.
I’d like to add my personal congratulations to Jeff Brooks and all those who supported him for getting this one over the line.
• West Berkshire’s target
I mentioned above (see “Planning changes”) about one of the problems that planning authorities need to see resolved before they can look at how the new (and often increased) housing allocations that have been demanded of them can be provided.
In West Berkshire, which has been asked to more than double its housing allocation, there are also two particular constraints in the form of the North Wessex Downs AONB (now National Landscape) and the DEPZ (the emergency zone around AWE Burghfield and Aldermaston), which between them occupy a good part of WBC’s area.
There are also a number of areas which are prone to flooding. The majority of the population live along the A4/M4 corridor at the extreme south of the district, the rest comprising a spread of villages of rarely more than a thousand people.
This presents some genuine challenges on its own but, as discussed above, can’t be looked at in isolation. The policies relating to the AONB and DEPZ in particular need to be clarified before WBC can do any serious work on identifying where these new homes can be put.
Also awaited is the final conclusion of the Inspector regarding the draft local plan. This will set out the rules for development in the district but must be in conformity with the National Planning Policy Framework, which is what Angela Rayner has said she wants to revise, and which is being consulted on. The AONB and, perhaps, the DEPZ are also reviewing their own policies.
There’s also the question of whether any challenges might be mounted to any of the conclusions so far announced by the Planning Inspector. I have no evidence this is about to happen but such challenges have been mounted before.
All of these need to fit together before any firm decisions can be taken. I’ve been assured by the Leader of the Council that as soon as there’s either any definite news or matters on which residents can have their say that these will be widely publicised. Many people in all parts of the district will be awaiting these announcements with interest.
• A statement of solidarity
West Berkshire Council Leader Jeff brooks issued the following statement on 9 August:
“I am pleased to see that the disruption across the country may be abating. In West Berkshire, we remain absolutely committed to helping keep all our residents safe and able to go about their lives without fear.
“We are in regular contact with the Police and other emergency services to ensure that we stand ready to assist anybody affected by any disturbances and we will remain vigilant.
“I want to provide reassurance to our Muslim and minority ethnic communities which are feeling particularly vulnerable at this time and hope that everybody in Newbury and the wider district feels safe to go out and carry on as normal and we encourage you all to do so.”
• Cleaning the signs
Driving around the district, I’m often struck by how filthy some of the road signs are. As well as sending out a clear message of “We Don’t Care!” from the Council, some of them are also dangerously illegible, perhaps to the point where there was about to be an insurance claim. This, and aesthetic considerations, may have led to WBC’s recent announcement of “a new maintenance programme [to give] some of our road signs… a much-needed scrub this year”.
The statement goes on to say that the Council has recognised that “some signs have got a bit grubby”. This is a masterpiece of understatement: “Become almost unreadable” was the phrase being sought.
I hope, and have asked, if this face-wash will also include giving a hair cut to the surrounding vegetation, as that’s often part of the problem. In Hungerford last year, work on cutting back a seriously overgrown hedge revealed, much to everyone surprise, a 30mph sign that had been hidden in the undergrowth for years. There are plenty of others which are in danger of going the same way. So, a large sponge and a pair of clippers are needed for this job, I suggest.
News from your local councils
Most of the councils in the area we cover are single-tier with one municipal authority. The arrangements in Oxfordshire are different, with a County Council which is sub-divided into six district councils, of which the Vale of White Horse is one. In these two-tier authorities, the county and district have different responsibilities. In all cases, parish and town councils provide the first and most immediately accessible tier of local government.
West Berkshire Council
• Click here to see the latest Residents’ news Bulletin from West Berkshire Council.
• Click here for details of all current consultations being run by West Berkshire Council.
• Click here to sign up to all or any of the wide range of newsletters produced by West Berkshire Council.
• Click here for the latest news from West Berkshire Council.
Vale of White Horse Council
• Click here for details of all current consultations being run by the Vale Council.
• Click here for latest news from the Vale Council.
• Click here for the South and Vale Business Support Newsletter archive (newsletters are generally produced each week).
• Click here to sign up to any of the newsletters produced by the Vale’s parent authority, Oxfordshire County Council.
Wiltshire Council
• Click here for details of all current consultations being run by Wiltshire Council.
• Click here for the latest news from Wiltshire Council.
Swindon Council
• Click here for details of all current consultations being run by Swindon Council.
• Click here for the latest news from Swindon Council.
Parish and town councils
• Please see the News from your local council section in the respective weekly news columns (these also contain a wide range of other news stories and information on activities, events and local appeals and campaigns): Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Marlborough area; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton and Downlands; Burghfield area; Wantage area.
• Other news
• You can now subscribe to West Berkshire Council’s garden-waste collection service – more details here.
• On 7 August, Jeff Brooks, Leader of West Berkshire Council, signed the Armed Forces Covenant at Shaw House alongside Lt Col Tim Hebberd, PWRR, Denison Barracks to show West Berkshire Council’s continued support for the military community. More details here.
• West Berkshire Council has announced that “after a successful trial over the last nine months, we are thrilled to roll out the innovative Kerbo Charge system across the district. Residents can now charge their EVs from their home supply, which is five to 10 times cheaper than public chargers.” These are effectively a channel which is cut in the pavement in which a cable can be laid, so enabling people who rely on on-street parking to charge their cars without triggering insurance claims by having it on the pavement.
• Click here for the August 2024 Libraries newsletter from the West Berkshire Library Service.
• West Berkshire Council has announced that potholes will now be investigated earlier in their life cycle, if that’s a meaningful term, with the aim of getting more of them fixed.
• Rural businesses in West Berkshire have so far received funding grants worth £160,000 from West Berkshire Council to help boost the local economy and promote sustainability – and there’s more money to be give away. More information can be found here.
• Coffee and tea pod recycling has recently been made available at West Berkshire Council recycling centres.
• Councils from across the South East (including West Berkshire) have come together to create the country’s largest local authority fostering partnership to increase the number of foster carers across the region.
• West Berkshire Council reports that the Climate Ambassadors Scheme, supported by Department for Education, is recruiting volunteers.
• West Berkshire Libraries will, through the Summer Reading Challenge, be encouraging primary-age children to read up to six library books and to collect free incentives from their local library for their achievements as they read, with medals and certificates for everyone who completes the challenge.
• The animals of the week are any of these wonderfully striking creatures from BBC’s Fascinating Colours of the Animal Kingdom.
• A number of good causes have received valuable support recently: see the various news area sections (links above) for further details.
The quiz, the sketch and the song
• And so we come into land with the Song of the Week. Another chance to listen to probably my favourite Steely Dan song (actually, they’re all my favourites), Deacon Blues.
• Fasten your seatbelts for the Comedy Moment of the Week. Yes, Minister is in many ways as relevant now as it was when it was first written. Here, Sir Humphrey, Bernard and Jim Hacker discuss local government in Well, You Must Resign.
• And, before you disembark, just time for the Quiz Question of the Week. This week’s question is: We’ve all been seeing plenty of images of the Eiffel Tower during the Olympics. By how much does this structure increase in height during the summer? Last week’s question was: Which is the only country in the world which has a lower population now than it did in 1850? The answer is Ireland, which had about 6.5m people in the late 1840s but only about 4.5m now.
For weekly news sections for Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Marlborough area; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton and Downlands; Burghfield area; Wantage area please click on the appropriate link.
