Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes the latest on the opposition in Mortimer to Basingstoke & Deane’s local plan, the unauthorised travellers’site at AWE Aldermaston, a free lunch, free buses, a pop-up pub, scams, stories and festive services. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Santas Pop-up Pub and Open Mic Christmas Party. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Greater Mortimer (continued from last week)

Opposition continues in Stratfield Mortimer to Basingstoke and Deane Council’s proposals to allocate a site for 350 homes at West End Farm, right on the border between B&D and West Berkshire. As we’ve considered in previous weeks (see below), this poses some very serious problems for West Berkshire Council (WBC) and also for Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council (SMPC) and its residents.

An unfunded scheme

Aside from any other disadvantages the development might have, as matters stand it would, from WBC’s and SMPC’s point of view, be unfunded – all the developer contributions would go to B&D even through virtually all the mitigations and infrastructure challenges would be a problem for West Berkshire. Nor of these councils have a great deal of say over what was built.

SMPC and the local ward members have been active in opposing the scheme as it currently is. SMPC has recently produced a newsletter, which you can see here, which summarises the situation very clearly. It also provides some useful onward links (including to this article).

The most important of these is probably to this page on the SMPC website. Anyone planning to take part in the consultation – and all local residents are urged to do so – is advised to have a look at this, which has some very useful information about how any objections can best be expressed.

A forthcoming event

The newsletter also has news of a forthcoming event. On Wednesday 7 January, B&D will be holding a public consultation at St John’s Hall, Mortimer from 4 to 8pm. Residents are encouraged to attend this at 7pm for a rally – “bring banners,” the document urges, “help to create a powerful, peaceful demonstration and be part of any media coverage.”

This meeting, and any letters of objection, will form part of the Regulation 18 consultation to B&D’s draft local plan. The final decision on whether it’s sound, in whole or in part, will be taken by the Planning Inspector some time in 2026. One of the many matters they will have to look at is whether a sufficient duty to co-operate has been shown with regard to WBC.

C0-operation

We mentioned this last week. Since then, the government has slightly watered down this regulation. The upshot appears to be that the lack of a duty to co-operate can no longer on its own be a reason for refusing a local plan (as was the case with South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse’s joint plan earlier this year). However, I understand that the duty to co-operate still exists and must be demonstrated.

In this case, the duty is more than one of mere box-ticking or neighbourly politeness. Without coming to an agreement with WBC about the funding, there will be no infrastructure or other improvements necessary to mitigate the effect of the development. WBC is having trouble enough paying for its own projects. It can’t afford to fund anyone else’s. This would seem to make the site undeliverable.

Other hurdles

Even if such a deal is struck, other problems lie in wait. As mentioned last week, the AWE at Aldermaston and Burghfield – which has recently been sharpening its teeth with regard to protecting the DEPZ areas, just outside of which this site sits – may lodge an objection. So too might WBC with regard to the travellers’ provision.

That’s not all. It would appear that there are several other sites in the district which, by most of the criteria which B&D has set out in its current and draft local plan for determining such things, are more suitable than this one. Why, then, has this one been selected? The same question could be asked about Skates Lane near Tadley. If, the Planning Inspectors might ask themselves, B&D cannot itself follow its own plan, or finds the policies that it’s written into them so disconnected from the reality of what it wants do, what’s the point in its having a new plan at all?

For all these and many other reasons, this site might be seen to be unsound and therefore removed from the plan. If so B&D would need to hunt around for a ew one to replace it: as mentioned above, there seem to be several well qualified candidates. The two worst options from all this would be (a) the site being allocated but with WBC and SMPC receiving no share of the funds; or (b) the whole plan being thrown out. This would led to a developers’ free-for-all over which none the councils involved would have much control.

• The travellers’s site at AWE Aldermaston

We’ve referred to this story several times over the last few weeks(see below).

On 19 December, West Berkshire Council issued the following statement:

“West Berkshire Council has obtained an interim injunction from the High Court in relation to the unauthorised Traveller site south of Reading Road (near AWE site in Aldermaston). The order, granted on 19 December 2025, restricts further development and additional residential occupation on the land while we progress with ongoing planning enforcement investigations.

“This action has been taken to protect the local environment, prevent further unauthorised works, and ensure compliance with national planning legislation. The injunction forms part of a series of steps we are taking to address the situation and uphold proper planning process. The case will return to the High Court on 12 January 2026, where the injunction will be reviewed.

“As legal proceedings are ongoing, we will not be issuing further comment at this time but all Court documents can be viewed here.

“Should residents have any concerns, please contact Planning Enforcement on 01635 519111 or email: planningenforcement@westberks.gov.uk.”

• Other news

• The latest newsletter from Burghfield and Mortimer ward member Nick Carter has just arrived and you can click here to read it. Items covered include: the above mentioned Mortimer homes plan; the sensory den, also in Mortimer; waste and recycling; 20mph speed limits; local bus services; fly tipping in Beech Hill; parking in Tower Gardens; other highways issues; and keeping in touch.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer Newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Mortimer Village Partnership.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes a close look at the problems posed by Basingstoke and Deane’s draft local plan, Aldermaston’s AWE travellers and social housing in rural areas – plus a pop-up, a café, calendars, bus travel, stories, scams and sticks. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Burghfield Community Christmas Cafe and Santas Pop-up Pub. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Greater Mortimer

See the sections below for our recent coverage. This is an exeedingly serious issue for anyone in Mortimer. I’ll do my best to highlight the main aspects and, most importantly, what action local residents can take.

Background

In summary, Basingstoke and Deane Council (B&D) has proposed allocating a site for 350 homes and a travellers’s site at West End Farm in Mortimer, right on the West Berkshire border. As well as the various problems that exist with this proposal regarding matters such as sustainability, there ‘s a huge additional one for WBC.

This is that all the developer contributions will go to B&D, not to WBC. This means that any issues with roads, health services, schools and all the rest of them that WBC has to deal with will be unfunded.

Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council (SMPC) also stands to lose as it would (as it has an NDP in place) get 25% of any CIL payments for its own projects. These are also likley to be more needed if this goes ahead.

A public meeting, jointly organised by SMPC and local ward member Nick Carter, took place on 7 December. There were over three hundred people there, including WBC’s Leader Jeff Brooks and planning portfolio holder Denise Gaines. Without going into a blow-by-blow account (in any case, I wasn’t there), I think it’s safe to say that most people left better informed.

So – what can you do?

SMPC has set up a steering group to co-ordinate the objections to the proposal. You can click here to see the web page for this which includes a step-by-step guide to making your points to B&D.

SMPC has done the heavy lifting and gathered all the evidence. If you are concerned by this, we’d urge you to follow the process and lodge your objection on B&D’s website. If you have questions, or if anything strikes you that you feel SMPC has missed, contact details are at the foot of the page.

Three other points are worth stressing.

• First, be sure to use your own words as identical representations may be ignored.
• Second, refer to the evidence: planning and development issues are often emotive but the polices that govern them are anything but, and it’s only these that will be taken into account.
• Third, objections can only be made to B&D through the methods described on the SMPC page. Social media is great for raising awareness of an issue but not a valid way of registering a formal comment.

What might happen next?

Many factors will influence this. An important point to remember is that B&D is not in a great place. Its local plan is not up to date, the government has increased its housing allocation, its housing land supply figure is less than five years and it has a long housing waiting lists. All these are good reasons why it needs to do a new plan.

This one, however, would appear to have been bolted together rather too quickly. A number of sites, including this one, are proposed for which there seems to slender evidence. Many feel that better ones exist elsewhere in the district. Why these have been ignored is a seprate question: the fact is that they have been.

All of this is a high-risk strategy for B&D. If the planning inspector feels the sites are inappropriate, they can order that they be removed. Others will then need to be found, leading to other wrangles elsewhere. Having this site removed would be the best option for WBC and SMPC.

However, there’s a potentially worse outcome. This is that the Inspector throws the whole plan out. This is made much more likely by the fact the B&D has to demonstrate a duty to co-operate with WBC. What exactly this looks like I’m not sure but at the very least it would involve agreements on how funding such as CIL, S106 and council tax would be divided up. I’m not aware that any such agreements are remotely ready to be signed.

This would not, however, necessarily kill off this site. It’s been identified and developers are ready. The lack of a local plan would create a free-for-all. All the councils would largely lose control of the process and the whip had would pass to developers, lawyers and the Planning Inspectorate.

Given the weakness of B&D’s position, as mentioned above, it’s likely that any appeals that might arise from speculative applications would succeed, the more so given the pressure form Whitehall to get building. This is exactly the kind of wild-west, legal-lottery, non-policy outcome that local plans are meant to avoid.

There are two other wild cards. WBC has several reasons to object to the proposals. An additional one might be that the area already has, by SMPC’s estimate, a 8,000% greater density of travellers’ pitches than the national average. This plan is set to add more.

Second, the AWE might get involved. Although the site is just outside the Buerghfield and Aldermaston DEPZ emergency zones it’s between both of them. Given this and the number of proposed homes and pitches, this powerful body might step in and object as well.

Possible outcomes

• The best outcome for SMPC  and WBC is that site is struck out by the Inspector (or withdrawn by B&D) but the B&D plan survives to provide protection.
• The next best, or least worst, is that if the site has to go ahead, WBC and SMPC would at least expect a generous slice of the developer funds.
• The two worst options are that it goes ahead without any such agreements; or that the whole local plan is thrown out, leading the wild-west scenario described above.

Have your say

There would seem to be one chance to get this resolved in an orderly, equitable and policy-friendly way. Residents of Mortimer have a vital role to play in this.

If the wrong decision is taken, the developers will move on and Whitehall’s eye will turn elsewhere:.but Mortimer would suffer an un-funded, un-influenceable and permanent change. Now’s the time to act – click here and make your voices heard.

• Aldermaston’s travellers

As we’ve reported below, last month an unapproved travellers’ site established itself near the entrance to the AWE site in Aldermaston. WBC promptly issued a Temporary Stop Notice (which seems to have little effect) and the last we heard from the Council, the officers were “working with our legal advisors on the next steps.”

As might be expected Aldermaston Parish Council has also been watching the situation closely and the matter was discussed at its meeting on 9 December.

“There are over ten ongoing enforcement sites in our parish,” a summary of the meeting from APC confirmed, “the newest and most notable being the new travellers’ site on the Reading Road.

“A second entrance has been established onto the site. Development – including laying hardcore, fencing and introduction of caravans – continues apace, despite WBCs Temporary Stop Notices. Nearby residents of Ravenswing report noisy building activity starting early in the morning and the loss of trees that had previously screened their homes from AWE.

“Not surprisingly, they are angry and concerned. Sme would like WBC to host a public meeting to provide information and reassurance. APC agreed to raise these issues with WBC and to ask for an update on all ongoing enforcement cases.”

• Other news

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer Newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Mortimer Village Partnership.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes Basingstoke & Deane’s local plan poses an important strategic planning problem in Mortimer, Purley’s residents not so far at all in favour of Reading’s land-grab and some lessons from Theale about the 20mph zones – plus trees, crafts, elves, bus travel, a reverse calendar and graffiti. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Christmas Fayres & more in Burghfield, Bradfield & Theale. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Greater Mortimer

• Other news

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer Newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Mortimer Village Partnership.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes Reading formalises its land-grab ambitions, Basingstoke & Deane’s local plan will have implications for Wash Water and Mortimer and the AWE’s unauthorised travellers’ site – plus workshops, markets, a giving tree, jumble and champions. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Burghfield on Ice and Theale Christmas Market & Lights Switch-on. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Reading’s land-grab

We’ve referred to this war of attrition several times (see sections below). The main recent development has been, as predicted, Reading’s submission of its Local Government Reorganisation proposal. This includes the proposal that “the three Tilehurst Wards move into Reading, if the Government is minded to agree plans to create a new ‘Ridgeway’ council.”

I find this condition a bit odd. Either Reading feels Tilehurst should be under its umbrella or it doesn’t. The specious points about “Berkshire” and “Oxfordshire”, which we looked at last week, are repeated. The idea that Tilehurst will become part of Oxfordshire is absurd: in any case, neither of these two ceremonial counties has any powers.

We also don’t know about what the residents of Tilehurst think of this. As mentioned before, the only way this can be judged is to hold a parish poll, as Theale did. Given that it’s Reading that wants the change and the government that’s allowed these land grabs to be contemplated, I think they should pay half the costs each. I’m not holding my breath on that.

• Basingstoke and Deane’s local plan

This is another story where the residents on the edges of West Berkshire find themselves affected by a neighbouring authority. So, we now turn from WB’s eastern border to its southern one, much of which it shares with Basingstoke and Deane (B&D). B&D is currently updating its local plan, which is about to start its Regulation 18 consultation phase.

The reason this is of interest to residents of West Berkshire – particularly in Wash Common and Stratfield Mortimer – is that the site allocations include two large proposals at Oakley Farm in Wash Water and West End Farm in Mortimer West End. Both of these butt right up to the WBC border: indeed, in the latter case, even B&D concedes that the new settlement will effectively become part of Mortimer, albeit with a county line running through it.

You can see this Q&A page (recently updated) on West End Farm produced by a WBC councillor. You can click here to visit B&D’s Regulation 18 page.

One of the obligations a council has when preparing a local plan is to demonstrate it’s discharged its “duty to co-operate” with other bodies, including neighbouring authorities. The trouble is that no one I’ve spoken to really knows what this looks like.

The Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire thought they knew when working on their joint plan: the inspectors, however, had other ideas and threw it out, claiming it failed to demonstrate sufficient co-operation with Oxford City Council. B&D must be anxiously wondering if it’s done enough schmoozing with WBC.

One of the major bones of contentions will be CIL payments. These quite chunky developer contributions go to the planning authority, with some passed to the parish or town councils. Neighbouring authorities – even if they have to deal with the mitigations – get nothing, unless a deal can be done. Will a deal be done here?

Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council (SMPC) also has skin in the game. Were the site to be in WBC, or were it to be in B&D, it would scoop some of these funds – 25% in this case, as it has a neighbourhood development plan in place. If, it might argue, WBC gets some of B&D’s CIL, surely the parish should get a quarter of this? At the moment the situation doesn’t arise as there’s nothing to divvy up but it will do if the two planning authorities strike a deal.

SMPC has been watching this issue for some time and has a task group set up to co-ordinate its work. A public meeting will be held at St John’s Hall at 7pm on Monday 8 December where these and many other issues will be discussed. Representatives from WBC should be there. Whether anyone from B&D will be I can’t say.

The three B&D members in the Evingar ward, one of whom I spoke to on 27 November, remain opposed to these allocations, regarding them as unsuitable, unsustainable and possibly – because of the above-mentioned duty of care – fatal to the plan as a whole.

Others are also looking to oppose these allocations, though for rather different reasons. For every site that’s selected for allocation there are frequently several that haven’t been. These disappointed site promoters will be pouring through the documents, looking for reasons why the proposed sites are flawed and theirs are much better.

All in all, it promises to be an interesting consultation and one with more implications than usual for areas beyond B&D’s borders.

One of the advantages of the local government re-organisation will be that, with fewer councils, there’ll be fewer points of friction. However, of all the plans that might change WBC’s territory, the one area no one’s looked at (for good reasons) is its southern border with Hampshire and B&D. However, a small re-drawing might be called for if West End Farm goes ahead so as to avoid having the enlarged Mortimer split across two authorities. A similar, though less powerful, argument could be made for the Oakley Farm and Watermill Bridge sites in Wash Water. Mind you, so could it for a thousand other places in the country. As mentioned above, Reading’s currently busy making a claim for Tilehurst.

B&D is highly unlikely to agree to this, however. The point of these two sites is to satisfy its housing numbers, so it makes no sense to do all the hard work on this and then hand it over to someone else. The time to think about this would be when (if) they’re built. A lot still needs to happen before there are even any spades in the ground, still less have a debate about which the council area the ground should be in.

• Aldermaston’s travellers’ site

See previous weeks’ columns below for more on the background to this unauthorised encampment which has been set up near the main gates of AWE Aldermaston.

Earlier this week, I asked West Berkshire Council if it had any further news. “No update as yet,” I was told.

“In summary, we served a temporary stop notice on 4 November 2025 and this remains in force.  We are aware that this is continuing to be breached and work on site has not stopped, so we are continuing to gather the required evidence for a prosecution case.”

• Other news

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer Newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Mortimer Village Partnership.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes the latest on the unauthorised travellers’ site in Aldermaston and Reading’s land-grab – plus a giving tree, markets, fairs, calendars, wreaths and mince pies. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Nearly New Market and Christmas Craft Fair. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• The AWE’s travellers’ site

We mentioned previously (see below) about an unauthorised travellers’ encampment which has been set up near the gates of AWE Aldermaston. Stop notices have been issued by WBC, along with other legal devices. The Chair of the Parish Council told me on 20 November that she feels that WBC is doing all it can. A statement received from WBC on 20 November appeared to make the same point:

“The Council is continuing to take formal enforcement action in relation to the unauthorised Traveller site on Reading Road.

“A Temporary Stop Notice remains in force. Officers have carried out further site inspections and are gathering evidence relating to ongoing breaches. This evidence must meet legal requirements to support potential prosecution, and this work is progressing as a priority.

“Several additional enforcement measures have been taken in recent days, including the service of a Planning Contravention Notice on the landowner and multiple Section 330 Notices to neighbouring landowners. A second Temporary Stop Notice is prepared for the adjoining land and will be served once development, as defined by planning legislation, takes place. Officers are monitoring this position closely.

“The land is not subject to environmental or heritage designations that would restrict vegetation clearance, and the Council has no legal powers to prevent landowners from removing trees where no such protections apply. The Council’s enforcement powers relate specifically to unauthorised development, and those powers are being used.

“The Council will continue to keep residents and stakeholders informed as the next steps in the enforcement process are completed. Any urgent safety concerns should continue to be reported to the Police.”

As this statement shows, process needs to be followed. This works both ways. WBC has powers it can use (bolstered by those resulting from the site being in an emergency zone, which is considered below). The landowners also have levers they can pull. Anyone who knows how the planning system works and can take advantages of its ambiguities and loopholes can drag matters on for months or years, during which time they can continue to use the land as they choose. That is, presumably, their hope here.

In this case, however, the situation is complicated by the site’s location inside the DEPZ emergency zone. Additional and more restrictive development policies apply here and in recent years the MoD and Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) have shown themselves to be more assertive in objecting to almost any new development. You can already expect a blanket refusal of any new residential development in the DEPZ and this is a universal position for all relevant agencies (the MoD, AWE, the ONR and WBC).  What’s new is that AWE/MoD may also now object to new even modest commercial developments.

Their concern would seem to be that a lot of small infringements could cumulatively have the same effect as one large one. With a lot of investment planned for the site, anything that compromises the integrity of the DEPZ is not being tolerated. The MoD’s teeth have in this matter been getting sharper.

One of the results of this is that there’s now a requirement for all appeals in the DEPZ to be heard not by the Planning Inspectorate but by the Secretary of State, who will obviously be more likely to favour the MoD’s point of view, and conclude as such fairly quickly. This is likely to be bad news for those who’ve sent up the camp and are hoping for a drawn-out process which may, as has happened elsewhere, end with a Planning Inspector deciding to favour their case.

It’s worth noting that in some other more minor cases recently, the views of the MoD/ONR and those of the WBC have not always been aligned. This can cause WBC a problem as, whichever way it decides, it could find itself open to an appeal, from the MoD if it approves it and from the developer if it does not. It seems likely, however, that their views will be aligned in this case. This is likely to be bad news for the people who’ve set up the camp as well.

• Land-grab news

As we reported last week (see below), Reading’s plans to annexe part of West Berkshire have been met with resistance. It’s now withdrawn its efforts to take control of Pamgbourne and Theale but the other parishes (Tilehurst South & Holybrook, Tilehurst & Purley and Tilehurst Birch Copse) remain in its sights.

West Berkshire Council issued a statement on the matter on 14 November which you can read in full here. WBC’s Leader Jeff Brooks called the proposals “presumptive” and claimed they were “now in disarray”. He added that “is a shame the people of Tilehurst, Calcot, Purley and Holybrook haven’t been listened to in the same way” as have those of Theale and Pangbourne.

He goes on to take a swipe at what he calls “fear-mongering” from Reading Council about the fact that these parts of West Berkshire would, under the Ridgeway proposals, become part of Oxfordshire. “From their latest announcement,” he says, “it is also clear that they have fundamentally misunderstood what is being proposed. No consideration is being given to county boundaries changing so claims that any part of West Berkshire would be a part of Oxfordshire are wildly inaccurate.”

One of the (many) problems with our local-government system is the nomenclature. Traditionally, England was divided into counties (such as Oxfordshire) and these remain, as ceremonial counties. Superimposed on this ancient pattern was, from the nineteenth century onwards, a structure of administrative units which in some cases exactly overlapped with the traditional counties but in others didn’t.

These, unfortunately, were also called “counties”, as in “county council”. Oxfordshire CC will certianly be swept away by the current changes but it may survive as a unitary authority (also called Oxfordshire): or it may be partitioned with the southern part forming a new unitary (Ridgeway) with West Berkshire (part of the cermonial county of Berkshire).

Whichever option is adopted, though, the traditional, or ceremonial,  county of Oxfordshire (and of Berkshire) will survive, though it will have no powers. For that reason, Reading’s claims that Tilehurst will become part of Oxfordshire are not only wrong but also beside the point.

Just to add another layer to the issue, before 1974 Berkshire was actually boot-shaped and included the current districts of the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire. The Ridgeway plan could thus be seen as reverting to old boundaries rather than creating new ones.

If all this sounds complicated, that’s because it is. Reforming the system is long overdue. As with all reforms, though, it’s not possible to do this in a way that everyone can agree: or, it seems, for them even to agree on what is and isn’t happening.

• Other news

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer Newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Mortimer Village Partnership.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes land-grab news from Theale, Purley and Tilehurst and the latest on the unofficial travellers’ site in Aldermaston – plus a reverse advent, mince pies, a pre-school appeal, proposed parking changes, scams, markets and community champions. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Nearly New Market and Advent Wreath Workshop. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Land-grab news

As we’ve reported before (see below), Reading Council has recently been using the local-government reorganisations to help support a long-cherished ambition to push its border further west. To that end, it’s been trying to convince some of the eastern parishes of West Berkshire that their future would better lie with them.

So far, this has not met with any conspicuous success. Last week Theale held a parish poll – the most formal and certian way of juging local opinion – which showed that 95% of the residents opposed Reading’s plans. You can read ward member Alan Macro’s pardonably jubilant comminiqué on the subject here.

Theale is the only threatened parish which has so far held a formal poll, though others have conducted surveys of various kinds. Preliminary results from these suggest that similar levels of support for the status quo can be found elsewhere, particularly in Purley.

Reading has its own views, claiming in a statement on 13 November that there is “significant support for the proposal from residents in the urban areas of Tilehurst and Calcot.”

The only way support can be judged is for all the parishes to hold polls. These would ensure that only residents were able to take part. Given that it wants to see a change, I think Reading should pay for these. Theale’s cost about £1,500. Or – as it allowed these proposed land grabs to happen – the government should pay. Fat chance of that, I agree.

Reading’s above-mentioned statement shown that it has withdrawn its ambitions regarding Theale and Pangbourne: but Tilehurst, Purley and Holybrook remain firmly in its sights. The statement confirmed that it “will submit a proposal to keep all of Tilehurst in Berkshire” if the Ridgeway plan is green-lighted by the government. The statement also contains further justifications about the merits of its case.

Theale Parish Council, and its ward member, can now claim they’re speaking on behalf of residents as they know what their views are. In no other parish cn this be said. When I spoke to one of Tilehurst Beech Copse’s ward members, Joanne Stewart, on 13 November, she was careful to stress that she was, for this reason, speaking in a personal capacity.

She said she could, with regard to her ward, see both sides of the argument. She did, however, express concerns that in a number of areas, including education and kerb-side recycling, WBC seemed to be performing a lot better than Reading.

I also spoke to one of Tilehurst and Purley’s ward members, Jane Langford, about this the same day. She pointed out that Reading had form on this matter, having tried to get the area into its orbit since medieval times. She told me that she is personally “very much against” Reading’s plans and felt that her ward would be worse off as a result.

This matter – that and so much else – will in due course be decided by the government.

It seems to me insane that any such attempt at re-drawing borders should be permitted by Whitehal at all. There’s enough work to be done on the reorganisation as it is without wasting time on peripheral matters. It’s also not as if widely accepted logic can ever exist with most admistrative boundaries, or that parish clerks are sitting around twiddling their thumbs looking for work to do. The government has not, however, put its foot down on this matter so we can expect it all to rumble on for a while yet.

• AWE’s travellers

We mentioned last week (see below) a travellers’ encampment has recently sprung up near the main entrance to AWE Aldermaston. West Berkshire Council proptly issued a Stop Notice. The signs earlier this week were that this wasn’t being observed.

I put this to WBC on 12 November and received the following response:

“The Council is aware that unauthorised works continued over the weekend despite the Temporary Stop Notice being served on 4 November. We fully understand how distressing this has been for nearby residents, particularly given the scale and intensity of the activity over recent days.

‘The Council takes this matter extremely seriously. A meeting took place earlier this week between Senior Management, Legal Services, and the Planning Enforcement Team to determine the next stage of enforcement action. This will include consideration of prosecution for non-compliance with the Temporary Stop Notice and whether further legal measures, such as an injunction, are appropriate

“Although planning enforcement is a civil process and the Council does not have powers to remove people from land, we have requested ongoing support from Thames Valley Police and the Ministry of Defence Police regarding site activity and public safety. Both agencies have received numerous calls from residents, and we will continue to press for coordination where their powers are engaged. Officers have been gathering evidence and reports from residents to support urgent escalation of this case.

“We will provide a further update as soon as next steps are confirmed. Residents who witness threatening behaviour or feel unsafe should contact the Police on 999. Any further site activity can continue to be reported to the Council for monitoring and evidence purposes.”

This statement doesn’t confirm to what extent Aldermaston Parish Council is being kept in the loop (though I have asked). As I mentioned last week, PCs are often the first point of contact by residents when something unexpected happens and this one appears to have a good reputation for engaging with whoever in support of its residents.

The matter was discussed at the Council’s meeting on 11 November (see also below) and it was noted that “the land is owned by those occupying it who have already submitted a retrospective application for thirteen traveller pitches.” This time-honoured tactic is likely to lead to a long battle through the planning system involving applications, committee meetings and possible appeals.

APC’s Chair, Sophie Crawford, also stressed to me this week that the Council takes the matter very seriously. This is particularly the case given that “a significant number of our residents are in relatively close proximity to the new traveller’s site, so it’s only right that APC should be a vocal advocate on this issue.”

We shall see what happens. Enforcing Stop Notices against determined opponents is neither cheap nor straightforward. It remains to be seen if WBC is prepared to put money behind the firm stance it has taken on this unauthorised site.

• Other news

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer Newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Mortimer Village Partnership.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes travellers setting up camp at the gates of AWE Aldermaston, the result of Theale’s parish poll and Mortimer’s housing – plus a table-top sale, a pre-school appeal, fireworks, parking, scams and community champions. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Fireworks, Christmas Market and Remembrance Parades. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• AWE’s travellers

Anyone living near or working AWE Aldermaston may have been surprised to see that, last weekend, a large travellers site suddenly appeared near the main gate, on the Reading Road just east of Circus Farm and backing on to the Ravenswing Park site.

Local residents seem to be far from happy. What AWE thinks about it couldn’t be judged from a rapid, but very short, response to my enquiry on Monday which merely told me that this was a planning matter and therefore one for WBC.

WBC was also contacted and a statement is awaited. However, I have since learned that the Council has, with commendable promptness, served a Temporary Stop Order on the site. What effect this will have and what exactly will happen next are not questions I can answer.

As is so often the case when such things happen, the brunt of the expressions of local concern have been borne by the Parish Council which has, I’m told, been taking “loads of questions” from residents. Fortunately for them, Aldermaston PC is organised, energetic, assertive and well-versed in planning matters. I can do no better than quote the text which forms the basis of its response response to these enquiries:

“The Parish Council knows about this new caravan site. We have known for a while that this development was likely; the land changed hands in 2022 and early this year: when the land was completely cleared, there were rumours that travellers were going to move onto it.

“Recently people were seen digging trenches and laying pipes and cables. The move onto the land took place this weekend and the speed with which they have laid a large area of hardstanding and put up fencing is astounding.

“I can confirm that this is unauthorised development and that WBC is aware. We know the Council is treating this as a top priority and working out how best to tackle the situation. I’m afraid we just have to wait for the planning/enforcement process to kick in, but I can assure you that WBC and AWE will fight to prevent a caravan site becoming established in this location.”

On 6 November, WBC supplied us with the following statement:

“We have been actively monitoring this site for some time and when development commenced last weekend, swift action was taken. On Tuesday 4 November, at 3.30pm, a Temporary Stop Notice was served. We are aware that work did not cease immediately, and we are monitoring the situation.

“It is a criminal offence to contravene a Temporary Stop Notice once it has been served or displayed on the land. If found guilty, individuals may be subject to an unlimited fine upon conviction in the Magistrates’ Court. There is no right of appeal to the Secretary of State against a TSN; the only route to challenge it is via judicial review in the High Court.

Further information regarding a temporary stop notice can be found on the Gov.UK site here.

The occupants have an advisor working with them and we are in contact with them.  We are also working with our own legal advisors on the next steps.”

• Theale’s poll result

By the time you read this, the polls will have closed (at 9pm on 6 November) for the parish poll into what the residents of Theale think about Reading Council’s suggestion that this parish and a few others in the east of West Berkshire be absorbed into what it describes, slightly menacingly, as “Greater Reading”.

As we mentioned before (see below), this action was decided on by Theale PC to establish the residents’ views without all the ambiguities, selectivity and outside influences that would come from a more informal poll, say by a show of hands at a meeting or – worse still – from something conducted on social media.

The result was that, according to local WBC Councillor Alan Macro, that “Theale residents voted overwhelmingly for Theale parish to remain within West Berkshire in the parish poll. 95% of voters voted “yes” on the question ‘Do you wish for Theale to remain within the West Berkshire Council boundary?'”

He added that “this was a categorical rejection by Theale of Reading Borough Council’s bid to extend their boundary to include Theale.  I am calling on Reading Borough Council to accept the democratically expressed will of Theale residents and drop its takeover bid for Theale.”

• Basingstoke’s homes

See last week’s section (below) for the latest on Basingstoke & Deane Council’s plan to put a lot of housing right on the county boundary, the consequences of which West Berkshire in general, and Mortimer in particular, would have to bear.

The section includes a link to an FAQs page from a local councillor and to the minutes of a recent meeting in Stratfield Mortimer, both of which provide useful information on the matter.

• Other news

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer Newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Mortimer Village Partnership.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes Decision day in Theale with a parish poll to establish residents’ views on the annexation proposal from Reading Council, a mail victory in Bradfield Southend and a well attended public meeting in Mortimer about the plans for a big housing development in Basingstoke and Deane – plus crafts, fireworks, pumpkins, scams, markets and roads. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Bradfield Southend Light Party and Padworth Jumble Sale. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Decision day for Theale

• If you live in Theale, make sure your voice is heard next week at the Parish Poll, on Thursday 6 November between 4pm and 9pm. This is a chance to have your say on the Reading Council proposal to extend its boundary to include Theale. Voting must be done in person, as there is no postal or proxy voting and no polling cards will be issued. See accessibility information here.

The question is “Do you wish for Theale Parish to remain within the West Berkshire Council boundary?“, vote ‘yes‘ if you wish Theale to remain part of West Berkshire or ‘no‘ if you would prefer to become part of Reading. The polling stations will be at The Peter Gooch Room and the John Cumber Hall. To find out more, click here.

Theale Parish Council has decided this is the best method of establishing Theale residents’ views on the matter. The result will not be binding but hopefully the higher authorities will take it into account.

• A mail victory

Last week, we referred to a campaign mounted by the Bradfield Southend Post Office.

“We are,” the owners explained, “appealing the decision to remove our traditional postbox and replace it with a new box that accepts parcels,” a statement from the local PO reads. “In doing so, Royal Mail is hoping to minimise customers using the Post Office and consequently taking away important remuneration from us.

“We weren’t consulted and we will not accept this bullying action from Royal Mail without a fight. Please support your Post Office!”

Whether as a result of the 800-odd signatures or to the secret internal workings of Royal Mail which will probably forever remain obscure, the traditional post box was returned to its original location. There’s been no statement from Royal Mail about why it was taken away and what made it come back so perhaps we should put this down, at least in part, to people power. It does work sometimes.

• Basingstoke’s homes

Last week (see below) we continued our coverage about proposals that would involve Basingstoke & Deane Council putting a lot of housing right on the county boundary, the consequences of which West Berkshire in general, and Mortimer in particular, would have to bear. This depends on if it can get this site enshrined in its local plan. You can click here to find out more. Some additional information and FAQ’s have since been added.

On 25 October, there was a Stratfield Mortimer Parish Meeting to discuss the proposals at the Mortimer Community Centre. This was attended by “approximately 250 residents of Stratfield Mortimer and neighbouring parishes.” You can click here to read the minutes of the event.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer Newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Mortimer Village Partnership.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes further FAQs in Mortimer, a post-box petition in Bradfield Southend, a public notice in Theale and outreach library services for parish councils – plus Burghfield on ice, Theale’s poll, books, junk, crafts, scams and markets. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Autumn Crafts in Burghfield and Pumpkin Trail at Englefield. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Further FAQs regarding housing in Mortimer

Last week (see “Proposed housing at West End Lane in Mortier) and the week before (see “life on the border” below), we took a look at three sites, including the above-mentioned one, which Basingstoke and Deane Council (B&D) wants to allocate in its local plan. We took a look at who seems to be on which side of the argument, the claim that more suitable sites exist elsewhere and the reasons why this might prove to be a high-risk strategy for B&D.

Last week we highlighted some information about the proposals: these essentially involve Basingstoke & Deane Council putting a lot of housing right on the county boundary, the consequences of which West Berkshire in general, and Mortimer in particular, would have to bear. You can click here to find out more. Some additional information and FAQ’s have since been added.

• Bradfield Southend’s post box

People running Post Offices have been having a tough time of it recently. Aside from the well-publicised injustices that have been visited on some Postmasters by the Post Office itself, changing demographics and the increase of online transactions have caused a fall in footfall.

One local Post Office, in Bradfield Southend, has recently encountered a problem from a different source and from an organisation which the owners might reasonable have expected would support them – Royal Mail.

“We are appealing the decision to remove our traditional postbox and replace it with a new box that accepts parcels,” a statement from the local PO reads. “In doing so, Royal Mail is hoping to minimise customers using the Post Office and consequently taking away important remuneration from us.

“We weren’t consulted and we will not accept this bullying action from Royal Mail without a fight. Please support your Post Office!”

You can click here to read more and to sign the petition.

The preamble to the petition points out that “research shows that these significantly contribute to the local economy and community life. According to the Federation of Small Businesses, local post offices provide indispensable services and community value.”

• A public notice regarding Theale

HGV Operator Licence Notice for TEG Haulage Ltd in Theale

“TEG HAULAGE LTD of C/O Apex Accountancy, Office Suite 134, First Floor, 4 Longwalk Road, Uxbridge, UB11 1FE is applying for a licence to use FM CONWAY, WIGMORE LANE, THEALE, READING, RG75HH as an operating centre for 2 goods vehicles and 0 trailers.”

Please click here to read the full notice which includes details of how and my when you can make any comments.

• WBC offers outreach library services to parishes

West Berkshire Council now longer operates a mobile library. In order to give communities without a nearby library easier access to aspects of this service, WBC is working with parishes on two separate schemes which can help replace this. Click here for more information including how to contact WBC if you want to discuss how your parish can benefit from these initiatives.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer Newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Mortimer Village Partnership.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes proposed housing on the border of Basingstoke & Deane and West Berkshire in Mortimer and a crime survey from the PCC – plus Theale’s poll, Pangbourne’s police, Burghfield’s crafts, Mortimer’s library, Bradfield’s roads and various markets. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Have Your Say in Theale and Autumn Crafts in Burghfield. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Proposed housing at West End Lane in Mortimer

Last week (see “life on the border” below) we took a look at three sites, including the above-mentioned one, which Basingstoke and Deane Council (B&D) wants to allocate in its local plan. We took a look at who seems to be on which side of the argument, the claim that more suitable sites exist elsewhere and the reasons why this might prove to be a high-risk strategy for B&D.

With regard to the West End Lane proposals, local Councillor Nick Carter has this to say about the project. This includes an FAQs section. Question 2 seems particularly important: “Are 350 homes definitely being built in Mortimer West End?” The answer to this is: “No. The land is only a candidate site in B&D’s draft local plan. It has no planning permission. It will first go through a Regulation 18 consultation and must be tested against evidence on environment, infrastructure, transport and deliverability before any decision is made.”

This is, in other words, an attempt by B&D to get this (and the others) written into the local plan as allocated sites. There will be a large number of hurdles to cross before any spades are in the ground. As I mentioned last week, the first major one is to get the Inspector to accept these proposals. Many factors will need to be considered, one of which is whether B&D can demonstrate that it has discharged its duty to co-operate with West Berkshire Council.

The page also includes a link to a petition which all residents of Mortimer may take part in. The results of this will be shared with B&D.

The premise of this is, to quote the preamble, that “Although this land lies within Hampshire, it sits immediately beside Mortimer in West Berkshire and would, in practice, function as a large extension of the village. The proposed development would dwarf the existing Mortimer West End settlement, which contains only around 20 dwellings, and add significant pressure on local schools, GP services and other facilities that serve West Berkshire residents, while providing no funding to help meet those needs.”

• How much does crime impact your business?

“I know that crime can affect businesses,” Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber wrote this week, “and I also recognise that low crime and a thriving economy go hand in hand. So I am asking you to share your experiences.” His Local Business Survey (which has some prizes to encourage you to take part) is being done, he explains, partly for him to gather information on how crime affects your business so he can try to improve policing; and partly “to help play my part in strengthening our local economy.”

You can click here to take part in the survey which will, he assures us, take only “a couple of minutes” to complete.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer Newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Mortimer Village Partnership.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes a look at neighbouring Basingstoke & Deane’s attempts to put about 1,500 homes on the southern and eastern border of West Berkshire, a ward member’s newsletter and Theale opts for a parish poll – plus therapy pets, a graffiti wall, Theale’s youth club, aging creatively, Christmas markets and Bradfield’s roads. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include coffee morning and craft events. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Life on the border

Basingstoke and Deane Council (B&D) wants to get its local plan to Regulation 18 stage within the next year or so. To cut a longer story short, rather late in this process (or so it seems to me) it recently became apparent to it that more housing sites needed to be found.

For whatever reason, it was decided that three of these proposed sites – Skates Lane near Tadley, West End Farm near Mortimer and Oakley’s Farm south of Newbury – would be right on the border with West Berkshire.

In many ways, this is very rational as many of the resulting pressures on services then become the neighbour’s problem to sort out. The choice of such locations do, however, come with responsibilities to co-operate with the neighbouring council about the consequences. We consider both these points below.

These three sites are either wholly new or have appeared in previous iterations of the local plan and then been dropped. Presenting about 1,500 new homes so late in the day has taken a number of people, including many across the border, by surprise.

Although B&D would maintain that for things like schools and doctors the new residents would gravitate to those available in their own district, West Berkshire sees these as an extra demand. Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council (SMPC) made this very point in a letter to WBC on 2 October, saying that the West End Farm site would “at least treble the size of Mortimer West End, which looks to Mortimer for its services.”

Opinions differ on the merits of the proposals. Bewley Homes, which hopes to develop Skates Lane, said in a statement recently that “approval of this application would be good news for Tadley, local people and for Basingstoke & Deane District Council to support its commitment to facilitating new homes in the region.”

SMPC took a rather different view with regards to West End Farm, claiming that this would have a “substantial negative implication for Mortimer and, wider, West Berkshire, with no apparent (and certainly no obvious financial) benefits.” 

In general, and there are exceptions, those on B&D’s Executive and residents of unaffected areas in the district will support the plans while local ward members and councillors of all levels in West Berkshire, particularly those near the sites, will oppose them.

Nimby-ism may be involved but there’s also the far more brutally direct question of money. B&D stands to pocket a considerable amount of developer contribution funds (CIL and S106). Unless an agreement otherwise is made, and despite WBC’s protestations that it will bear the bunt of the mitigations, WBC won’t see a penny of it.

Such neighbourly disputes in the planning process are resolved by the need to demonstrate a “duty to co-operate” with any other councils that might be affected: which WBC clearly is. I’m not clear how much discussion has so far happened, nor with what results.

The extent to which this co-operation has been conducted successfully will be for the Planning Inspector to judge. If it’s felt that it hasn’t, the plan can be thrown out. This isn’t a hypothetical speculation: exactly this happened to the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire’s joint local plan last week, and for exactly this reason (with regard to Oxford City Council)..

It would, by any reading, appear to be quite a high-risk strategy by B&D. No one doubts the need for new homes, particularly given the new government targets. B&D is also in a parlous position with regards to its five-year land supply and, indeed, its housing waiting list. Many have claimed that other sites exist in the district which are more sustainable, more deliverable and which don’t involve negotiations with West Berkshire Council.

This may be so. Whether they’re more politically acceptable to the B&D administration is another matter. If the Inspector so decides, then these other alternatives may need to be considered.

• Councillor Nick’s news

Nick Carter, one of the three ward members for Burghfield and Mortimer, has recently published his latest newsletter and you can click here to read it. items covered include…

• Plans for 350 homes in Mortimer West End (see also section above).
• Black-bin collection changes.
• A proposed 20mph speed limit near St Mary’s School in Mortimer.
• Various bus matters.
• Road improvements.
• Work in Beech Hill.
• Road-safety issues in Wokefield.
• How to contact him.
• …and a new “off the record” section in which he admits to perhaps being “more opinionated…”

• Theale requests a poll

Last week (see below) we looked at the Ridgeway v Reading debate which is occupying the attention of what might be called the disputed areas, with particular reference to a meeting that took place in Theale earlier this week which discussed the possibility of a parish poll to establish the views of residents on which authority they would prefer top be part of.

The following statement was recently added to Theale Parish Council’s website:

“Thank you to the 72 residents who attended the Parish Meeting on 08.10.25. You have requested a Parish Poll regarding the Local Government Review & Reading Borough Council’s proposal to change the boundary line.

“Once the date of the poll is set by Electoral Services, it will be communicated to residents via the Parish noticeboard (outside the Co-op), as well as on the Parish Council website and Facebook page. As always, we will ask community partners including Theale Library, Theale Medical Centre, Theale Primary, Theale Green and Holy Trinity Church to help share the information.”

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer Newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Mortimer Village Partnership.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes Theale’s proposal for a parish poll regarding Rewarding Council’s annexation proposal and the Resource Centres will not be out-sourced – plus films, aging creatively, road closures, a soil giveaway and Christmas markets. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Padworth Jumble Sale and Burghfield Eco Festival. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Reading or Ridgeway?

As we’ve mentioned before, Reading Council has suggested that some of the parishes in the east of West Berkshire, including Theale, Purley and Tilehurst, should really be part of what it terms “Greater Reading” and thus come under its jurisdiction.

This has prompted a charm offensive by both Reading and West Berkshire Councils, each hoping to convince the parishes and residents that their future can best be served by, as the case may be, jumping ship or staying out. The person to whom these points should best be made is the Secretary of State, Steve Read.

This issue has come up because of the changes to local government that the government has demanded. The first task is dealing, quite rightly, with the illogical two-tier counsels that exist in some counties, including Oxfordshire. This will also accomplish another government aim, that of making the resulting single-tier councils closer to 500,000 people.

The Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire seem keen to separate themselves from the overarching influence of the city of Oxford and have suggested that they and West Berkshire form a new unitary known as Ridgeway.

This has prompted Reading to act as, if it wasn’t these eastern areas, it’ll have to make its pitch before Ridgeway gets accepted as an idea in SW1, if it is. Another proposal, which WBC dislikes, is that all the Berkshire unitaries except Slough would form a single authority. If so, Reading’s proposal becomes irrelevant.

Opinions differ in each of the affected parishes as to whether they want to be Reading or Ridgeway, if these are the options. One of the jobs of a parish council is to represent the views of its residents. This is often quite straightforward and might involve opposing a widely unpopular planning application or lobbying for better bus services. In this case, however, the parish councils have no clear steer. The two proposals are diametrically opposed and mutually exclusive.

Theale Parish Council has decided that it wants to find out which one its residents prefer. To that end, it’s holding an open meeting at Theale Green School at 7.30pm on Wednesday 8 October. If more than ten residents request it, the PC can then ask WBC to hold a parish poll on the matter. The phrasing of the question will, I understand, be agreed between PC Chair and WBC’s Democratic Services team.

There will then be a poll of all voters in the parish which must take place between 14 and 25 days after the request is made. The results will be published for all to see.

The advantage of this is that it asks Theale residents, and no one else, what they think and enables the PC to know which option its residents prefer based on an official poll.

The disadvantage, as well as costing Theale PC about £1,500, is that it’s not binding. WBC and Reading – and, more importantly, the government – can choose to ignore it. There’s also the possibility that it produces a largely inconclusive result – 52 v 48, for instance, as Brexit did. That ended well, didn’t it?

I don’t know if any of the other parishes are planning to do the same. If so, they’ll need to get their skates on as the submissions by the various councils for their new formations need to have been made to Whitehall by late November. If a poll has not been formally requested within the next few weeks, it’s therefore unlikely that a poll can be held and results known before this deadline.

After seven months of uncertainty, the decision has recently been taken that the three day-care Resource Centres in Hungerford, Newbury and Calcot will not close or have their services out-sourced. As a staement from WBC put it, “it became clear that the market does not currently have the capacity to deliver the level of service our Resource Centre users need.”

At the Executive meeting on 25 September at which this was announced, portfolio holder Patrick Clark admitted that “the period of uncertainty from the initial announcement has been hard work for the people who use the centres, their families and our staff.” He then issued a handsome apology for this: not something one often hears from a politician at any level so he’s to be congratulated for this.

This has certainly been a bit of a muddle since the intention to out-source the services was so prematurely announced in February but it seems like the right decision has been taken.

The work that’s been done in the last seven months will be used to help inform future decisions about the provision of these services, as will the level of demand (which would seem to be to be strong) and the level of council’s finances (which would not).

This might include, as WBC says, locating “complementary services, such as family hubs, within the same buildings. This approach will help maintain the centres’ viability while keeping a broad range of services accessible and affordable for residents.” And, the statement could have added, affordable for the Council.

Another possibility is that the service might even be expanded. In the past, for instance, there were outreach centres in Compton and Mortimer.

Many people were involved in getting this policy changed, in particular the staff of the Centres, parish and town councils and local media groups. Several of the district councillors also got involved.

Clive Taylor, one of the members for Tilehurst Birch Copse, told us after the announcement that he was “delighted” at the outcome and said that he been working with “staff, Unison officers, Olivia Bailey MP and the Newbury Labour party” to oppose the proposal. he also presented a 1,450-signature petition to the Executive meeting.

Now that they have been welcomed back into the WBC family, this would be a great opportunity to change their names. Until earlier this year, I thought that these “Resource Centres” were perhaps something to do with IT, and I wasn’t the only one. A re-brand seems long overdue, lest we all forget again as the publicity surrounding them dies down.

This isn’t the first time WBC has changed its mind about aspects of the adult social-care services. A few years ago the closure of the Notrees care home in Kintybury was announced but, as a result of new evidence and public pressure, the then portfolio holder Joanne Stewart reversed the decision.

This was presented disparagingly by some as a U-turn. However, sometimes turning the car round and going back the way you came is the most sensible decision.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer Newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Mortimer Village Partnership.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes the charm offensive continues in the east, new bin-collection arrangements, a road closure, an AGM, Burghfest, recycling, markets and Curtain Up. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Theale Village Hall AGM and Burghfest. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• A charm offensive

We’ve mentioned several times before about a proposed land grab by Reading Council on the eastern parts of West Berkshire. WBC’s own statement on the matter says “West Berkshire councillors are meeting with town and parish councils in the east of the district to discuss the ‘Greater Reading’ proposal from Reading Borough Council.”

“Jeff Brooks, Leader of West Berkshire Council and Justin Pemberton, Executive member for Community Engagement, Economic Development and Regeneration and Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation, will be attending the following Town and Parish meetings [the ones in Pangbourne and Theale have already happened]:

• Purley, 7.30 pm on 29 September.
• Tidmarsh with Sulham, 7:30 pm on 2 October.”

Similar sessions are being planned at Tilehurst and Holybrook and the details will be confirmed as soon as they’re available.

• Bin collections

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer Newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton
• Mortimer Village Partnership.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes West Berkshire Council’s charm offensive continues to head off a proposed land grab by Reading, bin-collection changes are just round the corner, the future of the day-care Resource Centres including the one in Calcot is set to be decided this month and the latest newsletter from Theale’s ward member – plus an open day in Aldermaston, coffee in Burghfield, Roald Dahl week in Theale, road closures in Bradfield, members’ bids and cleaning products. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Skate Park Grand Opening and Community Garage Sale. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• The charm offensive continues

We’ve mentioned several times before about a proposed land grab by Reading Council on the eastern parts of West Berkshire. WBC’s own statement on the matter says “West Berkshire councillors are meeting with town and parish councils in the east of the district to discuss the ‘Greater Reading’ proposal from Reading Borough Council.”

“Jeff Brooks, Leader of West Berkshire Council and Justin Pemberton, Executive Member for Community Engagement, Economic Development and Regeneration and Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation, will be attending the following Town and Parish meetings [the one in Pangbourne has already happened]:

• Theale, 7.30 pm on 15 September.
• Purley, 7.30 pm on 29 September.
• Tidmarsh with Sulham, 7:30 pm on 2 October.”

Similar sessions are being planned at Tilehurst and Holybrook and the details will be confirmed as soon as they’re available.

• Bin change day approaches

As recycling bins will still be collected every two weeks, this means that every six weeks all bins will need to be put out at once. WBC has told us that the officers are aware that this might be an issue in residential areas with limited kerbside space. We’ve been assured that they will monitor the situation closely and work with collection crews to come up with any solutions required.

In this article, we look at the background to the issue and suggest some reasons why changing the current arrangements needs to involve some quite subtle measurements and that doing this might cause more problems than it solves. We also report on a recent visit by two Town Councillors to the Hungerford Centre.

This decision may already have been taken and not announced. However, assuming that it hasn’t been, there will still be time for anyone to lobby one way or another.

If the decision is taken to leave them as they are, I congratulate WBC in advance. It takes strength, not weakness, to admit that you’ve taken a wrong turning and to change course. This happened with the proposal to close Notress care home in Kintbury a few years ago. After carefully argued opposition, the then portfolio holder Joanne Stewart said that she’d changed her mind. I was quick to congratulate her.

If the decision is taken to have the service provided by someone else, I and others will be very interested to know exactly what criteria has been taken into account to ensure that this provided the “equal or better than” service that Jeff Brooks promised when the matter was so prematurely presented at February’s budget meeting. We’d also all need to understand what the savings were, how both the service and the costs could be guaranteed and what effect this would have on the users. Finally, if any new supplier didn’t want to use the existing buildings, we’d need to understand what would happen to them. As mentioned, restrictive covenants and complex land-ownership issues make their sale, or even their re-use by WBC for a different purpose, fairly problematic.

Let’s see what’s decided later this month.

• A ward member writes

Theale ward member Alan Macro has recently published his latest newsletter which you can read here. Items covered included:

• Reading Council’s “takeover bid” and why he opposes it.
• Changes to waste-collection arrangements.
• Permission granted for new warehouses.
• Local bus fares.
• Planning applications in the parish.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes a charm offensive by West Berkshire Council, Roald Dahl week in Theale, a country fair, Curtain Up, Burghfest, markets and coffee. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Aldermaston & Wasing Show and Padworth Jumble Sale. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• A charm offensive

We’ve mentioned several times before about a proposed land grab by Reading Council on the eastern marches of West Berkshire, Reading believing these to be more properly part of its sphere of influence than Newbury’s. At the risk of deepening the military imagery, WBC has responded with a hearts and mind campaign designed, it would appear, to convince the parish councils and residents of the disputed areas that they’re better off where they are.

WBC’s own statement expresses the matter slightly differently, under the headline “West Berkshire councillors are meeting with town and parish councils in the east of the district to discuss the ‘Greater Reading’ proposal from Reading Borough Council.”

“The aim,” the statement continues, “is to listen to both the residents and the councillors’ views and discuss any concerns they may have.

“Jeff Brooks, Leader of West Berkshire Council and Justin Pemberton, Executive member for Community Engagement, Economic Development and Regeneration and Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation, will be attending the following Town and Parish meetings:

• Pangbourne, 7.30 pm on 9 September
• Theale, 7.30 pm on 15 September
• Purley, 7.30 pm on 29 September
• Tidmarsh with Sulham,7:30 pm on 2 October”

Similar sessions are being planned at Tilehurst and Holybrook the details will be confirmed as soon as they’re available.

The statement then continues with a fairly balanced summary of the background to the issue and the points of view of the two authorities, as well as links to a survey that Reading is conducting. All of this may, of course, prove pointless if Angela Rayner explicitly rules out local boundary changes on the pretext of the local-government reorganisation. However, as has been widely reported, she currently has other things on her mind.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes free trees, a farewell in Burghfield, comedy in Aldermaston, jumble in Mortimer, a market in Theale, speed in Sulhampstead, bus services, whist and members’ bids. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Farewell to Summer: Burghfield’s last Pub in the Park and Tea Dance in Aldermaston. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Free trees

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes a speed consultation in Sulhampstead, Mortimer’s Show, Burghfield’s sale, Theale’s group, birdhouses, coffee, fun, members’ bids and libraries. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Burghfield’s Pub in the Park and Mortimer West End’s annual show. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Speed consultation in Sulhamstead

Speed is, a statement from West Berkshire Council says, one of the biggest factors in serious and fatal road incidents and we have a responsibility to make our roads as safe as possible. Following on from discussions with ward members and residents, we have consultations open to gather your views on proposed new speed limits for Sulhamstead Hill, Sulhamstead: the proposal being to extend the existing 30mph limit

Read more and share your views before 3 September using the link above.

• On the buses

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes a tug-of-war for the eastern parts of West Berkshire between Reading and WBC and a possible 20mph speed limit for Mortimer – plus library activities, infrastructure funding, a seniors group, Burghfest, a garage sale and the food bank . See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Burghfield’s Pub in the Park and Mortimer West End’s annual show. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Reading or West Berkshire?

As part of the complex process of local government reorganisation, Reading Council has (as some would claim) taken advantage of the uncertainty and suggested that the parishes of Tilehurst, Sulham, Purely, Pangbourne, Holybrook and Theale should become part of Reading.

The positions of Reading Council and West Berkshire Council – which are diametrically opposed to each other – can be seen by clicking on the respective links.

My concern is that, given that all administrative boundaries are artificial, if we’re going to be fiddling about with the frontiers then the whole overdue reorganisation process risks getting bogged down. Wherever you draw the line, someone’s going to be on or near the edge (as we are here at the opposite side of the district in East Garston).

There are currently three plans on the table involving Oxfordshire (see this page from Oxfordshire CC for a summary), two of which would involve the creation of Ridgeway (WB, SOx and the Vale). As the main focus of the government’s work is dealing with the rather idiotic two-tier systems that exist in some areas, Reading (which is already a unitary) is not directly involved in this.

However, WBC (also a unitary) needed to get involved in the Oxfordshire discussions if it wanted to avoid being merged with Reading. Reading has clearly recognised that, if it wants these parishes, it had to act before Ridgeway gets approved as an idea – which is for Angela Rayner to decide.

This is therefore an opportunistic move by Reading which isn’t a necessary part of the reorganisation plans. Indeed, the government has said (though not unequivocally confirmed) that the existing borders, imperfect though some see them to be, should be left as they are. A clear statement confirming this from Whitehall would be welcome sooner rather than later to avoid these kind of debates becoming a massive waste of time.

There’s another very good reason why the boundaries shouldn’t be fiddled with. Every council, particularly unitary ones, are under the financial cosh. Their models, budgets, staffing levels and other considerations assume the current area and population. Losing parts of these would create all manner of problems that they really don’t need. The more time they spend on such distractions, the less they can spend on providing their services. Residents would be the losers from that.

None the less, as matters stand the land-grab option remains and so both councils will be mounting charm offensives with the residents of these parishes. Theale Parish Council has organised an extraordinary meeting at 7.30pm on Monday 15 September at the Peter Gooch Room, Englefield Road, Theale, RG7 5AS at which WBC Leader Jeff Brooks will explain his Council’s position on the matter. All are welcome to attend and questions on the night are enouraged. This is likely to be replicated in the other parishes.

I understand that Reading Council is planning to host events: whether these will be at formal parish council meetings or drop-in events in local halls remains to be seen. It would perhaps be instructive if at least one of these meetings representatives from both councils could be there at the same time.

• 20mph for Mortimer?

The idea is being considered to reduce the speed limit along The Street outside St Mary’s School in Mortimer during school drop-off and collection. If that’s supported, then WBC has a process (though not a quick one) for determining such requests

If you have views about the change, but haven’t yet seen the survey, or have concerns about traffic speed elsewhere in the ward, you can still contact local ward member Nick Carter by completing this short survey. Note that WBC can only consider a speed limit reduction to 20mph in 30mph areas: however, other traffic-calming measures are available if appropriate.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes a coffee morning, a newsletter, crafts, libraries, markets, the Food Bank, council questions and a garage sale. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Burghfield’s Pub in the Park and Stratfield Mortimer’s open council sessions. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes crafts, council questions, library activities, a 3G pitch, grants and a garage sale. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Pub in the Park and Lego Create. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes the local landscape, Theale in bloom, imagination, grants, library events and a new 3G pitch. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Have Your Say with TVPolice and Burghfield’s weekly Pub in the Park. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Local landscape

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes hosepipes, home heating, a land grab, library events, neighbourhood policing, grants and a garage sale. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Burghfield’s weekly Pub in the Park and Skatepark Opening. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Hosepipe ban

After the driest spring in 132 years and demand for water increasing by 30% when temperatures rise above 25º it’s no surprise there’ll be a hosepipe ban across Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire from 22 July. Anyone using a hosepipe to water the garden, wash the car or fill a paddling pool can be fined up to £1,000. See more details here.

• Home-heating options

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes an onlune greening event, a pub in the park, heat alterts, grants, a newsletter, road closures and youth nominations. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include Burghfield’s weekly Pub in the Park and Skatepark Opening. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Greening via Teams

The following invitation to local groups and residents concerned about the environment has recently been issued by West Berkshire Council (WBC):

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton.

Our usual round-up of Burghfield area news includes a Councillor’s newsletter, funding the leisure centre and questions regarding Ridgeway Council – plus a pub in the park, wellbeing walks, fetes, a garage sale and road closures. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Burghfield area events include the Pub in the Park at Burghfield, Mortimer Fun Day and Theale Village Fete. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Nick’s newsletter

The latest newsletter from Burghfield and Mortimer Councillor Nick Carter has just dropped into my inbox and you can click here to read it. Scroll down to the foot to see how you can subscribe.

Items covered, as well as several district-wide issues, include road improvements, Willing Leisure Centre funding (which we look at separately below), AWE’s mobile incident alerts, fly-tipping, Burghfield Bridge, Mortimer Post Office, small electricals recycling and the local police team. Happy reading…

• Funding the Willink Centre

Councillor Nick Carter refers to this matter (item 7). In summary, Burghfield, Mortimer and Sulhampstead Parish Councils recently announced that they were going to cease providing West Berkshire Council with funding (bout £50,000pa) that was designed to support the Willink Centre.

I covered this at the time (see the archive of this post and scroll down to 1 May and 8 May). I said then, and have no reason to revise my opinion since, that the payments were part of an arrangement of joint management and influence involving the parishes that has been allowed to entirely wither away, leaving only the payments. The parishes’ reaction could be compared to someone cancelling a direct debit for a service that they’ve long stopped receiving. It therefore seems like a rational decision, although hardly one that’s welcomed by the erstwhile recipient.

I suggested that the funding-support model used for about eight years by the Library service might be a good one to follow. With that, it was very transparent where the money was going. With the leisure-funding, it doesn’t seem to be. I’m not sure, but will try to find out, to what extent the payments were ring-fenced for this leisure centre, or for leisure centres generally.

Councillor Nick Carter clearly feels that the decision was a wrong one: fair enough. However, all is not lost. As I suggested on 8 May, “the ball thus seems to be in WBC’s court to consider if it wants to ask for further contributions from parishes. If it does, it will need to come up with a new modus operandi. The parishes will need to know exactly where the money is going and what the results have been if they’re going to get the cheque book out.”

• Ridgeway Council

With every week that passes, more and more questions are being asked about the effect that local government re-organisations will have and how this will work. Given that nothing’s been decided, there are very few answers. In this separate article we take a look at some of issues that have recently come up, suggest a possible similarity with post-unification Berlin, consider the challenge of re-positioning officers and reflect that councils are damned if they do or if they don’t by considering the matter in detail at this stage.

Various consultation events are taking place on the Ridgeway proposal and we have links to these in the article.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• If you want to reduce your consumption of single-use plastics, you can refill your household and personal cleaning products. Deliveries can also be arranged. Contact Jenny and Tom at Thatcham Refillable for details.

• Latest local newsletters

• Englefield Parish Magazine.
• Padworth Village Newsletter.
• Stratfield Mortimer newsletter.
• Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton.