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New Council Leader and Cabinet are appointed
A new Leader and Cabinet for the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead have been appointed.
Councillor
Simon Werner was elected Leader of the Council at Tuesday night’s
Annual Council meeting. He also has responsibility for the Community
Partnerships, Public Protection and Maidenhead portfolio.
The other Cabinet members, and their responsibilities, are as follows:
- Councillor Lynne Jones – Deputy Leader of the Council, Finance
- Councillor Geoff Hill – Highways and Traffic, Customer Service Centre and Employment
- Councillor Amy Tisi – Children’s Services, Education and Windsor
- Councillor Catherine del Campo – Adult Services and Health
- Councillor Karen Davies – Climate Change, Biodiversity and Windsor Town Council
- Councillor Richard Coe – Environmental Services
- Councillor Adam Bermange – Planning, Legal and Asset Management
- Councillor Joshua Reynolds – Communities and Leisure.
The new Cabinet make-up follows the results of borough-wide elections, held on Thursday 4 May.
A number of councillors have also been appointed to ‘champion’ roles to focus on specific areas within the borough. They are:
- Councillor Helen Taylor – Social housing
- Councillor David Buckley - Business
- Councillor Helen Price – Corporate social responsibility
- Councillor Chris Moriarty – Consultation
- Councillor Jack Douglas – Volunteering
Councillor
Mandy Brar has been appointed chair of licensing, and Councillor Gurch
Singh and Councillor Alison Carpenter have been appointed chairs of
Maidenhead and Windsor Town Forums respectively.
To learn more, read our new cabinet and leader press release.
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Councillor Neil Knowles elected as new Mayor
Councillor
Neil Knowles has been elected as Mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor
& Maidenhead for the 2023/24 civic year, with Councillor Simon Bond
as Deputy Mayor.
He
took on the ceremonial, non-political role earlier this week following a
vote at the Annual Council meeting, held in the Council Chamber of The Guildhall, Windsor.
He received the robes and chain from former Councillor Christine Bateson, who had served as Mayor since May 2022.
As
first citizen of the borough, Councillor Knowles will chair full
council meetings and represent the Royal Borough, and its people, at
functions both inside and outside of the area, accompanied by his wife
Teresa as the Mayoress.
Councillor
Simon Bond is the new Deputy Mayor, and his consort is David Armitage.
They take over from the outgoing Deputy Mayor Gary Muir who had been in
the role for four years, along with his Deputy Mayoress Caron Muir.
To learn more, read our Mayoral appointment press release.
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Bin collections this Bank Holiday Monday
Bin collections will take place as normal on the Bank Holiday Monday (29 May).
If your bin is due to be collected, please remember to put your
recycling and general rubbish out by 7am on the day and no earlier than
the night before.
Visit our recycling and rubbish webpage for more information about what can go in each bin.
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Do you have a winning Garden in Bloom?
Do you have the best roses and the most beautiful flowering baskets which can be seen by people walking past your garden?
You could be recognised as having the best garden in your ward by entering our Garden in Bloom Competition.
The popular Mayoral competition in the Royal Borough is back for another year and nominations are now open.
You can nominate your own garden or a neighbour’s.
Or if you see another beautiful garden which brings you joy, you could
take a note of the address and nominate it. The competition is open to
every garden visible to passers-by from a pavement or road.
Nominations can be made here and must be made before Friday 14 July. We would also love to see pictures of them.
Winners
and runners-up in each ward will be presented with a rosette and a
Braywick Heath Nursery voucher. All nominees will receive a certificate.
Nominations can also be made by emailing gib@rbwm.gov.uk or by post to “Garden in Bloom”, c/o Mayor’s Parlour, Town Hall, St Ives Road, Maidenhead SL6 1RF.
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Temporary arrangement to end for zone E resident parking permit holders
Daytime
parking for zone E resident permit holders in Windsor Leisure Centre
and Alexandra Gardens car parks will come to an end on Thursday 1 June.
However, residents displaying valid permits for zone E will be able to park for free in:
- Windsor Dials car park on Saturdays and Sundays, 9am to 6pm
- All council car parks, except River Street in Windsor, Monday to Sunday, 6pm to 9am.
The
daytime parking made available at the leisure centre and Alexandra
Gardens was originally introduced during Covid as a temporary measure to
provide additional daytime parking spaces. This was because there was
increased demand for spaces for resident permit holders in Windsor town
centre as a result of national restrictions asking people to stay at
home.
Demand for additional spaces has since reduced with the easing and removal of restrictions.
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Get Around for £2 scheme extended until October
The
£2 bus fare cap on single journeys in England is being extended until
the end of October by the Department for Transport (DfT). Fares will
then be capped at £2.50 until November 2024.
Bus
operators serving the borough who are currently part of this national
scheme are Thames Valley Buses, Reading Buses, Red Eagle Buses, Arriva
and First Bus, and operators that are continuing with the scheme will be
confirmed in due course.
Updates will be available on the DfT’s website, and a list of routes included in the scheme can be found using the link.
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Could you become a foster carer?
Providing a safe and caring home for a child through fostering is a valuable and rewarding role.
We
need foster carers from all walks of life to look after children of
differing ages, from babies to teenagers up to the age of 18. Fostering
is a way to support a child in an emergency over a short-term period or
provide long-term stability. Whether it has been a fleeting thought or
something you have strongly considered, we are here to talk you through
it all.
Many
kinds of people can provide a secure and caring environment for
children and young people who, for whatever reason, cannot live with
their families.
Age,
income, gender, sexuality, marital status, and culture do not affect a
person’s ability to be a good carer. It is your personal qualities that
matter.
Discover more on the Achieving for Children website or by emailing fosteringenquiries@achievingforchildren.org.uk or calling 020 8547 5355.
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Reminder: Many pharmacies have different opening hours on Bank Holiday Monday
Remember, many pharmacies will be closed or have reduced hours on the May Bank Holiday on Monday 29 May.
If you need a Berkshire pharmacy on that day, you can check which are open and find their opening hours on the NHS South East website.
For other medical advice, as well as finding the right support for your condition, visit NHS Frimley’s Health and Care’s website.
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Discover what lies beneath the surface of our wildlife pond
Join
us at our family pond dip sessions to catch, identify, and release the
creatures you can find at Braywick Nature Centre. Our rangers will guide
you through the morning and provide freshwater knowledge.
The sessions run from 10am to 11.30am on Tuesday 30 May, Wednesday 31 May, and Thursday 1 June.
Equipment
will be provided - just bring yourself and suitable outdoor clothing.
The event is family-friendly, most suitable for children four to 11
years old, however all are welcome.
Only
children need a ticket (£6 per child), adults come free as supervision
is required. The site is pushchair and wheelchair accessible but please
no dogs in the pond area.
Learn more and book on the Eventbrite website.
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Calling all jobseekers! Attend our jobs fair
A jobs fair will take place at Maidenhead Library on Tuesday 13 June from 10.30am to 1pm.
Jobseekers
will have the opportunity to meet local employers and find out about
their current vacancies. There’s no need to book, just turn up on the
day.
Employers who wish to attend the event should contact maidenhead.library@rbwm.gov.uk.
For more information, please visit our employment support webpage.
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Royal Borough Community Spotlight
Here are just some of the upcoming community events in the Royal Borough:
-
Fresh cut flower sale
(Sunday 28 May, from noon to 3pm) – The Scout Hut opposite the BP
garage, Maidenhead Road. All funds will support Clewer Scout and Guide
groups
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Educating Rita
(Friday 2 and Saturday 3 June at 2.30pm and 7.30pm) – The Old Court
Windsor. Maidenhead Drama Guild’s production of Educating Rita by Willy
Russell. Tickets are £15 and can be bought on the Old Court website
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Clewer Green Summer Fair
(Saturday 1 July, from 11am to 4pm) – Hatch Lane, Windsor. An afternoon
of family fun. There is something for everyone including games, stalls,
face painting, tombolas, entertainment, and a fully licensed bar. Learn
more on the Facebook event page
-
Family concert
(Sunday 2 July at 4pm) – Sir Bernard Miller Centre, Cookham. The
Windsor and Maidenhead Symphony Orchestra (WMSO) are hosting a family
concert featuring music by Sibelius, Coates and Elgar. Tickets are £18
or £5 for children and students. Visit the WMSO website to learn more and book
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Parallel Windsor 2023
(Sunday 2 July) - Windsor Great Park. The date has been announced for
Parallel Windsor’s inaugural mass-participation sports event and
Festival of Inclusivity on which champions disability inclusion through
an attitude of ‘no limits living.’ Check out the Parallel Windsor website to learn more
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Quiz Night
(Friday 7 July, 7pm) - Holyport Memorial Hall, Moneyrow Green,
Holyport. All proceeds to the East Berks Multiple Sclerosis Society. £16
per person including a meal cooked onsite. Licensed bar serving
alcoholic and soft drinks (cash only please). Bring your friends
for a fun evening of quizzing. Six people per team. Entries by Monday 26
June. Please email quiz@greenguitar.org for more details and a booking form.
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 more than 21,000 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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Local Travel Updates
Planned engineering work will impact local South Western Railway (SWR) services on Sunday 28 and Monday 29 May. To learn more, visit the SWR website.
The Aslef union has also announced industrial action which will affect local Great Western Railway (GWR) and SWR services on Wednesday 31 May and Saturday 3 June. There will also be further disruption to services on Thursday 1 June due to action short of a strike.
For more information, please visit the GWR website or the SWR website.
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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