Please share with friends, family and neighbours in the borough so they can keep up to date. Sign up here if you've received a forwarded copy.
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Could you provide a safe home for Ukrainian refugees?
The Government is today (Friday 18 March) opening the visa
application process for its ‘Homes for Ukraine’ refugee support scheme,
which allows residents, charities, community groups and businesses to
request to sponsor and offer accommodation to a named Ukrainian
individual or family seeking safe refuge in the UK.
Cllr Andrew Johnson, the council leader, said: “In the Royal
Borough, we stand together with the people of Ukraine, whose lives are
being so brutally affected by this terrible war. We know there are many
compassionate people within our community who will be both willing and
able to provide suitable accommodation, whether that be a spare room in
your own home or an unoccupied self-contained residential unit.
"As a council, we are working with national and local partners to
ensure comprehensive support is in place for local sponsors and the
Ukrainian refugees they’ll be welcoming to the Royal Borough. Funding
and further guidance is expected from the Government in due course.
“If you know a refugee individual or family you wish to sponsor,
and are able to provide suitable accommodation for at least six months,
then please visit the Government website
for more information about ‘Homes for Ukraine’ and to apply. Any
generous offers will be most welcomed. People wanting to be sponsors but
do not personally know anyone fleeing Ukraine can also record their
interest to be a sponsor and be matched to people from Ukraine.” |
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Community invited to help inform next stage of planning for South West Maidenhead
We're
inviting the community to help inform plans for a major development
area, South West Maidenhead, which will bring forward new homes,
community facilities, infrastructure, employment space and improved
public access to green space.
Covering parcels of land in
multiple ownerships, the development area is allocated for around 2,600
homes, with 30% being affordable, along with new primary and secondary
schools, a local centre, and employment space. The vision is also to
open-up areas of green space for public access and improve walking and
cycling connectivity for residents.
With
the Borough Local Plan independently assessed as sound and adopted at
Full Council, the next step for South West Maidenhead is producing a
site-specific Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), building upon the
Local Plan policies to provide more detailed advice to guide decisions
on future planning applications.
This initial stage of preparing
the SPD involves exploring with the community key considerations and
sharing some early thinking on different elements of what might be
included in the document. Feedback will be assessed, along with the
thoughts of technical and statutory stakeholders, to inform a draft SPD
document scheduled for public consultation in the summer.
To
get involved and find out more, people are invited to attend one or
more of three themed online events, where they will also be able to
submit live questions:
- Community Needs – Wednesday 30 March 2022, 6.30pm
- Connectivity – Wednesday 6 April 2022, 6.30pm
- Sustainability and the Environment – Wednesday 13 April 2022, 7.15pm
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Temporary pavement widening measures to be removed
Temporary measures put in
place in the borough to support social distancing by reallocating road
space for pedestrians and cyclists during the early stages of the Covid
pandemic are set to be removed.
They were put in place at the
end of the first lockdown in Spring 2020 as increasing numbers of
pedestrians and cyclists returned to town centres to give them more
space.
These have been reviewed as restrictions have now been lifted and measures that are no longer deemed required will be removed.
Measures that were for social
distancing purposes, including pavement widening on Queen Street,
Broadway and York Road in Maidenhead and Thames Street, High Street,
Datchet Road, River Street and Thames Avenue in Windsor, will be removed
in the coming weeks.
Those being retained include
changes to the speed limits in both Windsor and Maidenhead from 30mph to
20mph, which will become permanent. Significant cycle parking in both
Maidenhead and Windsor town centres will also retained, along with cycle
lanes in Maidenhead High Street.
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Changes to signing e-petitions
If
you have previously signed an e-petition hosted on the council website,
you may have noticed a small change in the way you can add your
support.
Previously
people indicated they wished to sign a petition by providing details,
including a unique email address. They would then receive an email
asking them to validate the petition signature to confirm it was not a
fraudulent use of their email address. Only at that point would their
name appear as a valid signatory on the e-petition webpage.
The
new system asks people to validate their email address upfront by
registering as a Modern.gov user (if not already registered). Once they
have done this they can sign the e-petition, and their name will
immediately appear on the e-petition webpage.
The process has changed, but amounts to the same requirements to enable the council to validate e-petition signatories.
Registering
as a Modern.gov user has additional benefits for residents. For
example, the option to receive email alerts when meeting dates are
amended or agenda documentation is published.
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Reminder - join our Resident Parking Discount Scheme
With just over two weeks to go until our new resident parking discount scheme gets underway, there's still time to apply.
It offers one hour’s free
parking in six popular car parks. Residents of the Royal Borough can
apply for the virtual permits required, free-of-charge, ready to start
using their discounted sessions from Monday 4 April.
You will first need to set up an
online account with the RingGo cashless parking system. There is then a
simple application process for the virtual permits to get the discounts
in the car parks you wish to use. As the scheme is based on a virtual
permit system, it is necessary to apply for each car parking zone you
wish for the discount to be applied in.
The application only needs to be
submitted once and will last for up to two years. Applicants do not
need to have a smart phone to apply for permits or use the discounts.
Drop-in sessions
We’ve been running a number of
drop-in sessions at libraries, offering extra help to those who need it
with setting up their RingGo accounts and applying for their free,
virtual parking permits.
There is one session remaining at Ascot Library on Thursday 24 March 3pm-4pm.
Please bring the following
supporting documents, vehicle ownership details and proof of residency,
along with your mobile phone so library staff can assist you.
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Parents and carers: Complete our school travel survey
The Royal Borough is working hard to support travel by healthier, more sustainable means.
As part of this, we would like to gain a better understanding of
pupil and parent travel patterns on the school run, to help us properly
manage travel demand in the area.
To do this, we have created a school travel survey for parents and
carers, which seeks to understand current travel habits, the barriers
people face when travelling, and what could be done to improve the local
area for walking and cycling.
Your comments, suggestions and ideas are important to us, and will
help us understand how best to support schools with sustainable travel
initiatives.
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Campaign highlights range of council services
In recent weeks, our Spotlight on Services communications campaign has been helping raise public awareness of the wide range of services the council provides.
The
campaign has now come to an end, but over the past weeks we've been
highlighting the important work of our Public Rights of Way Team
and Winter Services Team through two special animations on social media.
Find out more about our Public Rights of Way Team by watching our video on Facebook and Twitter. You can also view the winter services animation on our Facebook and Twitter channels to find out more about this vital work.
More recently, we've been telling people more about our Deputyship
and Appointeeship Team. They provide support to some of our most
vulnerable residents by helping them to manage their finances and
benefits. Watch our videos on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.
We've
also highlighted the work of our Registration Services Team who usually
conduct about 730 civil weddings and civil partnership ceremonies a
year. But that's just one part of their job. They register all births
deaths, civil weddings and partnerships that take place within the Royal
Borough. Watch our videos on Facebook and Twitter to discover how else they help residents.
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Spring hanging baskets brighten up town centres
Maidenhead and Windsor town centres will see a spring like pop of colour with the arrival of hanging baskets this week.
The
hanging baskets, which feature seasonal flowers, ivies and evergreen
plants, are being installed by Window Flowers and have been made
possible with thanks to the European Regional Development (ERDF)
‘Welcome Back’ Fund.
The
Welcome Back Fund has already supported the Don't Let Your Guard Down
campaign, Hello Lamp Post, improvements to the Visit Windsor website and
digital reach, the Lunar New Year celebrations and Christmas events and
promotions in the Borough since the award was made in March 2020.
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Photography exhibition on NHS research comes to Windsor Library
A
photo exhibition showcasing ground-breaking NHS medical research taking
place across Berkshire and the surrounding region has come to Windsor
Library.
‘The
Body Unlocked: How Research is Changing Lives’ features 11 life-sized
images of people who have taken part in studies, researchers at work and
microscopic images of cells and bacteria.
The exhibition - at the library until Friday 29 April - has been produced by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to
encourage people to take part in NHS public health and social care
studies. Research studies are an integral part of improving treatments
in the NHS and would not be possible without the involvement of ordinary
people.
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Is it urgent or an emergency? Know where to go when you are feeling unwell
It’s important that we all know where to turn when we or someone we care for needs help.
As demand for NHS
services increases, particularly when services are under considerable
pressure, it is important that you are seen and supported by the
appropriate service for your health concern.
Frimley Health and
Care have produced a flow chart which can help you determine which
service you need. By following this simple flow chart, you can feel
confident you are choosing the right service for your health concern
whether it’s during working hours, in the evening or at weekends.
If you are unsure where to turn, call 111 or visit 111 online to find the right service for you. NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Silence to mark National Day of Reflection
People are invited to observe a one-minute silence at noon on Wednesday 23 March as part of the National Day of Reflection, which marks the anniversary of the first Covid lockdown.
Led by the charity Marie Curie, it is a day to
pause, reflect and remember the family, friends, neighbours and
colleagues we've lost over the last two years. Find out more on the
Marie Curie Day of Reflection website.
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Have your say on Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service's proposed equality, diversity, and inclusion objectives
Royal
Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service would like to hear your views on its
proposed equality, diversity and inclusion objectives, as part of a
public consultation, which closes at 9am on Monday, 4 April.
The
information and feedback gathered will be used to finalise the
service's objectives for 2022-2026. These will be published on its
website and a report to summarise the findings of the consultation and
explain how the feedback has been used will be made publicly available.
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Royal Borough community spotlight
Here are just some of the upcoming community events in the Royal Borough:
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Women and Girls' Day at Maidenhead United Football Club - (from
midday Sunday). The day will be supporting The Dash Charity, which
supports victims of domestic abuse, and will include free taster
sessions including women's walking football from 12.15pm to 12.45pm.
There will also be a football skills session for eight to 12-year-olds
from 1pm to 1.30pm and another session for 12 to 16-year-olds from
1.30pm to 2pm. Free admission.
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Wihan Quartet concert –
(7.30pm Thursday 24 March) – Baylis Theatre, Braywick Leisure.
Maidenhead Music Society presents the international string quartet who
will perform the Dvorak "American" which they have recorded and won
"Recording of the Year" from Music Web international. The tickets are
available from the Maidenhead Music Society website or by ringing 01628 621162
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Double Act: An Evening of One-Act Plays -
(Wednesday 30 March to Saturday 2 April) – The Old Court, Windsor.
Maidenhead Drama Guild presents an evening of two one-act plays,
featuring Blood on Canvas and Anger Management. Learn more and book
tickets on the Old Court website.
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Royal Free Singers with Marches Baroque Orchestra
– (7.30pm Saturday 9 April) – Windsor Parish Church. The Royal Free
Singers are delighted to be joined by professional soloists to perform
the classic oratorio St John Passion by J.S. Bach. Tickets are available
on the Royal Free Singers website, from the Windsor Tourist Information Office, or on the door.
If
you have an upcoming not-for-profit community event or activity you’d
like to promote in this newsletter simply send basic information about
your event to communications@rbwm.gov.uk and it could be shared with over 19,000 local residents.
You
just need to include a brief description, when and where it takes
place, and a link to a website/social media page/contact where people
can find out more.
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Have your say
We regularly hold consultations to get your views on proposals within the Royal Borough.
Responding to our consultations and giving your feedback is the best way to ensure your views are heard.
Our current consultations are:
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M4 closures
The M4 is due to be closed eastbound only between junctions 6
(Slough-Windsor) and 8/9 (Maidenhead) from 4am on Saturday 26 March
until 6am on Monday 28 March.
For details of council works on highways, visit our website. For full local roadwork details, including work by utility firms, please visit the One Network website.
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Keep in touch
Other accounts you may be interested in:
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