Welcome to Brightwalton News
If you have some news to share with us, then either
post it on Facebook, drop us an email or complete the form on the homepage.
post it on Facebook, drop us an email or complete the form on the homepage.
We thought this was worth sharing...
Dear Town/Parish Council West Berkshire Council has introduced a new online registration scheme for access to our Household Waste Recycling Centres, replacing the current paper permits with a digital system. Online registrations opened to residents on the 30 November 2021. Paper permits, including green car permits that have already expired will continue to be accepted until 28 February 2022. The digital permit system will enable households to register and update their vehicle details, household addresses and contact details instantly, allowing for seamless entry into the Household Waste Recycling Centres, so long as they have booked an appointment. Residents will also no longer need to wait for a paper permit to arrive in the post or search for it before they visit our recycling facilities. It will also mean that we don’t need to print over 65,000 paper permits to replace those that have already expired, or will expire soon. Under the planned change, there will also be no need to print and post up to 3,000 additional permits for new properties or lost permits every year. The avoidance of use of paper and ink means the Council and its residents can continue to demonstrate greater stewardship of the environment, which will be consistent with the objectives set out in the Council’s Environment Strategy. Households will be asked to register their car (up to 3 cars per household) online before 28 February 2022. Each household will need to set up a My Account profile if they do not have one already on the Council’s website via www.westberks.gov.uk/myaccount and then register their car(s) for the digital permits. The process is very quick and simple; it takes less than 3 minutes to complete the actual permit registration. Once you have registered your car(s) the permit will normally become live instantly. The status of your permit will show in your My Account and you will receive an email confirming the outcome of your registration. Digital permit applications for commercial type vehicle permits will take up to 15 days to be assessed and processed. This is because there are more checks required for commercial-type vehicles to ensure that they are not being used to deposit trade waste at our sites. The new system will alert site staff of un-registered vehicles entering the Household Waste Recycling Centres using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. The rules regarding what types of vehicle can access the Household Waste Recycling Centres are not changing. Our HWRC user guide explains what types of vehicles can access our HWRCs, together with any restrictions in place and site rules that have to be observed by visitors. Householders who do not have access to the internet can either ask friends or family to register on their behalf or use facilities available at their local library to register. Alternatively, they can call our customer service team on: 01635 519080 where a request for assistance from one of our officers can be raised. Please be aware that it may take up to 15 working days following receipt of your request for assistance to set up your permit. Residents are kindly requested to only call if they cannot do it online or have a friend or family member assist them. Please note that our phone lines are very busy at this time and we would prefer to prioritise helping vulnerable residents. Households with a commercial type vehicle permit will also need to register their vehicle details online. If you currently have a valid commercial type vehicle permit we will contact you directly to let you know what you need to do. Households will still need to book an appointment to use Newtown Road or Padworth Lane Recycling Centre. To book an appointment please visit: www.westberks.gov.uk/clickandtip. I have attached our how to guide and our info video as well as social media graphic which you are more than welcome to share. You can find more information here: www.westberks.gov.uk/recyclingcentres And on our FAQ page here: www.westberks.gov.uk/HWRConlinepermits-FAQ
0 Comments
Please find attached the November update from Councillor Clive Hooker ![]()
Act of Remembrance Service will be held at Brightwalton War Memorial today, Thursday 11th November at 10.50 led by Year 6 Brightwalton School Pupils.
An Act of Remembrance Service will also be held in Leckhampstead at the War Memorial on Sunday 14th November at 10.50 The United Benefice Carol Service will take place in All Saints Church, Brightwalton on Sunday 19th December at 6pm. Choir rehearsals are under way - please contact Judith Orpen if you would be keen to join.
Carols around the Brightwalton Christmas Tree will take place at 6pm on Wednesday 22nd December. Following on from the success of last year the Parish Council will supplying and decorating a Christmas Tree in the Churchyard, Carols will be held around the tree at 6pm - lovely family event. Parish Councils have been asked to share an important update from the Downland Practice on the Practice and the Pandemic written by Dr James Cave.
https://www.downlandpractice.nhs.uk/practice_news/downland-practice-and-the-pandemic/ Date for your diaries.... Village Working Party Sunday 17th October 2021, meeting at the Village Hall from 10am.
It would be great to see some new faces along with the regular helpers. Refreshments and Lunch for the Workers Great opportunity to catch up with neighbours and help keep the village tidy. Brightwalton is looking to establish an exciting new role for an energetic, warm, welcoming and resourceful person to shape the heart of the village community. The role is designed to bring the village together, encouraging mutual support and friendship, as we saw during the pandemic. This person will create opportunities for people to get together, meet others, learn new things, share skills and information and, where required, be able to seek or signpost additional support. We are following an established model as a basis for this role. In a previous role Miri Keen, our rector, has very successfully carried out this role for a rural Oxfordshire village. It is being funded by the ASPIRE programme for two years, thereafter the role will be funded by grants and the local community groups such as the Parish Council. The role will be advertised locally – it would be ideal for someone who has a passion for working with a wide range of people. ![]() Our new Village Community Co-ordinator will interact with people on a one to one and group basis, hosting or finding volunteers to host a range of gatherings such as, coffee, an informal lunch, talks or demonstrations on a particular subject. We want to build on the best legacy of the pandemic, where the community came together and looked out for one another. We aim to begin hiring in the autumn, subject to our fundraising. The role will report to the Clerk of the Parish Council and be governed by a Steering Group that represents all areas of the village. The ASPIRE project team has successfully secure a match funding grant of £5,000 towards this initiative. To access this money, we need support from the village to raise another £5,000. If you would like to support the project please go to the Good Exchange website
We would welcome any expressions of interest, inputs, offers of help, funding and general interest at [email protected]. The September edition will soon be arriving on your door mat, the digital copy can be downloaded here
Brickleton News September 2021 The August update from Councillor Clive Hooker can be downloaded below.
This provides an interesting update on West Berkshire Council, news, projects and consultations. Clive Hooker August 2021 The September Parish Council meeting has been moved to the 20th September at 8pm in the Village Hall. The agenda will be published online and on the notice boards Monday 13th September.
As always, if you have any matters you would like to raise please get in touch with the Parish Council Clerk - [email protected] The West Berkshire Countryside Society’s purpose is to promote the understanding, appreciation and conservation of the West Berkshire countryside… furthering these objectives through practical conservation work and guided walks and talks from local experts.
Upstream is their quarterly publication designed to highlight conservation matters in West Berkshire and to publicise the activities of the Society. Upstream contains articles from knowledgeable members & regularly from non-member experts from organisations such as BBOWT & the Environment Agency Summer 2021 edition. The June news update from our West Berkshire Council Ward Councillor, Clive Hooker is available to download.
June WBC Update West Berkshire Council to provide for Free School Meals during school summer holidays
Press Release - 6th July 2021 West Berkshire Council is extending its Free School Meal voucher scheme into the school summer holiday period (25 days in total) for eligible children. The £294,075 programme will provide vouchers for 3,921 children across the district and support families in need as the district recovers from the pandemic. The programme is being funded through West Berkshire’s allocation of £262,483 from the national COVID Local Grant Support Scheme* that the government is extending for a third and final time up until September, along with a top up of £31,592 from a separate Covid fund managed by the Council. The vouchers will be available to families whose children would normally receive free school meals during term time and will be issued by schools with the support of the Council’s Education team. Children in school not currently receiving free school meals but considered by the school as vulnerable will be included. Given that the government’s COVID Local Grant Support Scheme is not being extended beyond the summer, this will be the final round of free school meal voucher provision outside of term time as the country moves back to business as usual from September onwards. This final COVID Local Support Grant is in addition to the Holiday Activities and Food programme that the Council will be running this summer to provide disadvantaged children across the district with healthy meals and enriching activities. Details of this programme will be announced separately. Councillor Lynne Doherty, Leader of West Berkshire Council, said: “We are pleased to be able to extend Free School Meal vouchers into school summer holidays to help families get back on their feet as the economy recovers and the vaccine rollout continues. “Additionally we are continuing to focus on supporting job creation, providing appropriate guidance and support to those facing financial difficulties and helping to boost the local economy through our economic development and Covid recovery strategies. * The DWP COVID Local Support Grant was formerly known as the DWP COVID Winter Grant Scheme. Allocations from this Scheme, plus additional top-ups from other Covid support funding, were administered by the Council to pay for Free School Meals over the school holidays for Christmas 2020 as well as the February, Easter and May holidays this year. The COVID Winter Grant Scheme also helped families and individuals economically disadvantaged by the pandemic to pay for food, utility bills, and essential supplies. Public Protection Partnership - Press Release 5th July 2021
Our animal wardens will be out and about all over the summer meeting with local residents to discuss the welfare of their dogs, or other dogs residents are concerned about. They’ll also double check the microchip details in your dog are correct. For full details of where they’ll be and when see attached or link below: Meet the Animal Wardens Poster https://publicprotectionpartnership.org.uk/news-articles/meet-the-animal-wardens-summer-2021/ A copy of the May update from Clive Hooker, Dowlands Ward Councillor can be downloaded here:
Parish Council Report May 2021 The May Edition of the Brickleton News will soon be dropping through your door, if you would like to read online you can download it here.
May Brickleton News The Annual Parish meeting will be held on Wednesday 5th May 2021 at 7.30pm online via Zoom
All Parishioners are welcome - the Parish Meeting is an ideal opportunity to hear what the Parish Council has been working on over the past year, together with updates from the Village Hall and the ASPIRE project. It also provides the opportunity for parishioners to share their views and ideas. Parish Meeting Agenda Please contact the Clerk on [email protected] for joining details. The Parish Council AGM following after. The Parishes of the West Downland Benefice will be holding
A Service in Commemoration of His Late Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at 6pm on Friday 16th April 2021 in Welford Churchyard Parking will be available at Welford Park The service will be organised in line with current Covid-19 regulations for outdoor worship. · Please ensure that you maintain social distancing as you enter and exit the churchyard, especially through gateways and narrow walkways. Please leave gates and doors open. · Please check in using the NHS App, or by offering your name and contact number to the sidesman on duty. · Printed orders of service will not be provided. Instead an electronic version of the Order of Service, for printing or download onto a hand held device, will be made available on the St Gregory, Welford entry on the A Church Near You website from Thursday 15th April https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/6041/service-and-events/events-oneoff/ · If you are experiencing Covid-19 symptoms, or have reason to self-isolate, please do not attend the service. No physical Books of Condolence are being made available. If you would like to view the online Book of Condolence you may do so here: https://www.churchofengland.org/remembering-his-royal-highness-prince-philip/hrh-prince-philip-book-condolence If you would like to write your own message of condolence you may do so here: https://www.churchofengland.org/remembering-his-royal-highness-prince-philip Revd Miriam Keen Brightwalton Village Hall Monday's 12.30 - 1.15 starting 12/04/2021
WBC Press Release: West Berkshire Council will be distributing lateral flow device testing home kits across its district from Monday 12 April. Community Collect is a government programme which makes lateral flow device testing home kits available to families and households with children and young people at Primary or Secondary School, or College, including childcare and support bubbles. Lateral flow device testing helps with the process of finding more COVID-19 cases and breaks the chain of transmission. West Berkshire Mobile Community Collect will be in operation from Monday to Friday, with a different specified route around the district each day. The routes and timetable can be found on the council’s lateral flow testing webpage. The Government has recently announced that everyone in England should have access to twice weekly lateral flow device testing from Friday 9 April. People will be encouraged to have regular testing, so that more positive cases within households are found and prevented from entering workplaces, schools and colleges so that as a society we are able to make a step towards a more normal way of life. Around one in three people have COVID-19 without showing symptoms and lateral flow device testing helps finds cases quickly – in under 30 minutes – meaning positive cases can isolate straight away. This can be the difference between children being able to stay in school, or a class being sent home due to an outbreak. Cllr Graham Bridgman, Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing at West Berkshire Council, said: “West Berkshire Council is making every effort to make lateral flow device testing accessible to residents across the district. “We urge residents to undertake regular testing, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep children and young people safe.” Speaking about Community Collect, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock MP, said: “Regular testing of households and childcare support bubbles of primary and secondary school children is another tool we are making available to help keep schools safe. We know that one in three people with COVID-19 don’t have any symptoms, so targeted, regular testing will mean more positive cases are kept out of schools and colleges. “As we continue to roll out the vaccine, testing offers us a way forward. Sustained and repeated testing for people without symptoms has a critical role to play as sections of society are reopened by driving down transmission rates. “By everyone playing their part and getting tested regularly, vital public services, workplaces and educational settings can stay open and running, and we can move closer to a more normal way of life.” Professor Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at Public Health England, said: “These rapid tests help uncover hidden cases of the virus and break chains of transmission, stopping outbreaks before they occur. “Combined with other protective measures, they are a vital tool to help us lower infection rates and ensure that they stay low. “I would encourage all eligible households to take up the offer of twice weekly rapid testing – it’s quick and painless and could help save lives.” All families and households with Primary, Secondary and College aged children and young people are encouraged to undertake lateral flow device testing at home twice a week and report their results to https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result, or call 119, 7am to 11pm (lines open every day). West Berkshire Council Press Release - Date: 06 April 2021:
Have your say on public rights of way Work as started on an improvement plan for public rights of way across West Berkshire - and we want your views. West Berkshire Council is responsible for around 740 miles of public footpaths, bridleways, restricted byways and byways. There are public rights of way across the whole of West Berkshire, in both urban and rural areas. These form an important network for enjoying and exploring the countryside and travelling to work or school, as well as supporting tourism and good health. They provide hundreds of miles of free routes on which people can walk, cycle, ride horses or use other means of travel. Our rights of way improvement plan helps us to make sure the public rights of way network meets the needs of the public, now and in the future. Our current Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) was adopted on the 27 May 2010 and it now needs updating. Speaking about the work Councillor Richard Somner, Executive Member for Transport and Countryside, said: "Many people have used public rights of way more during the pandemic, or have discovered them for the first time. Accessing the countryside and West Berkshire's network of paths has been very important to people for their health and mental wellbeing. We want to better understand the value of the public rights of way network to those who currently use them as well as how we might other residents to discover and make use of them." The rights of way service is also using the process of reviewing its ROWIP to understand the needs of residents of West Berkshire more fully. It will use the opportunity to make sure the ROWIP addresses the priorities of the area in terms of health and wellbeing, supporting people living with disabilities and mental health issues, regeneration, growth, transport, climate change, tourism and other priorities. To make sure the new ROWIP reflects the needs of West Berkshire's residents, we'd like to know about your experience of using our public rights of way, and how important the network is to your health and wellbeing. We also want to know if you've encountered any problems using the PROW's, and whether your concerns were addressed. An online survey has been set to gather people's views - take part before 30 May 2021. A public right of way is a path that anyone has the legal right to walk on. Some public rights of way can also be used by cyclists, horse riders or motorists. You can use:
Please find below the March update from Downland Ward Councillor, Clive Hooker. ![]()
As published in the Brickleton News, there will be a 2.30pm service on Good Friday in the churchyard. It will be a short reflective service with poetry and music.
A copy of the pew sheet can be downloaded here. Press Release Dated 25th March 2021
West Berkshire Council, in partnership with its waste contractor Veolia, are trialling four new recycling banks to increase collection of plastic waste. The banks will be for the collection of plastic pots, tubs and trays and will be available to use from Monday 29 March 2021. Residents will be able to recycle a wider range of plastics in the new recycling banks including: yoghurt pots, margarine/butter tubs, biscuit trays, chocolate/sweet tubs, ice cream tubs, fruit punnets, meat trays and cosmetic pots. Cllr Steve Ardagh-Walter, Executive Member for Environment at West Berkshire Council said: "It is important we reduce our plastic waste and choose alternative products where possible. I am delighted we are able to improve our recycling facilities in West Berkshire and provide new recycling banks for plastic pots, tubs and trays. There's an increasingly strong desire from the public to recycle more plastic waste types and I hope the new banks will help residents to reduce the amount of plastics they put into their black bin.” Sara Perry, General Manager at Veolia, added: “Veolia are pleased to work with the Council to expand plastic recycling options within West Berkshire. The new banks will be rolled out on a trial basis to allow monitoring of plastics collected and we are testing the markets to find out how much we are able to place within it.” The new plastic recycling banks will be tested at the following locations:
Currently West Berkshire residents are able to recycle plastic bottles in their green bags at the kerbside, as the materials used in making plastic bottles are easily recycled in UK markets. The plastic recycling banks will initially be installed on a trial basis to help the Council assess how well the public engage with this scheme and to look into the continued availability of markets for these materials going forward. New HWRC Live Webcams Alongside this positive development, the Council is also pleased to announce that residents can view the recycling centres through our new live site webcams. These webcams will give residents the opportunity to have a look at real-time site conditions before they set off on their visits. View them online: https://info.westberks.gov.uk/recyclingcentres. Your March edition of the Brickleton News can be downloaded here. ![]()
|
AuthorThis is written by the Parish Clerk with input from the village. Planning ApplicationsClick here to find out more about the planning process and to view all the current planning applications in Brightwalton. Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|
Follow Us
|