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Have your say on proposals to open more local facilities for children with special educational needs

 

Parents, young people, community groups and others are invited to comment on plans to open further facilities for pupils with special educational needs, which will allow even more children with special educational needs to attend a local school.

 

We're consulting on four proposed projects to enhance provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), using £1.4m from the Department for Education.

 

Many local children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) are currently educated outside the borough. Expanding the local supported education offer will allow more of them to benefit from attending a school or college closer to home, if they choose.


The public consultation runs until midday on Friday 26 April. Read more about the proposed projects in our press release. For further details and to take part, please visit our website.

Call for Berkshire Channel of River Thames Scheme to be reinstated with full government funding 

 

We're calling for the Berkshire Channel of the River Thames Flood Alleviation Scheme – previously known as ‘Channel One’ – to be reinstated with full government funding, recognising its national significance.

 

Channel One was removed from the scheme several years ago, as it was considered neither viable nor deliverable without significant additional external funding, or the greater flexibility which we sought over council tax at the time.

 

The inclusion of the Berkshire Channel would reduce flood risk for communities downstream of Windsor, including Datchet, Horton, Wraysbury and Old Windsor, which were most recently affected in January 2024 following significant rainfall.


The call comes as the Government has officially recognised the Surrey section of the now-reduced scheme as a “project of national significance”, requiring the Environment Agency and Surrey County Council to apply for a Development Consent Order as part of a national planning process. 


Read more in our press release.

Cookham Bridge to reopen to traffic on 16 March following essential refurbishment work

 

Cookham Bridge will reopen to motor vehicles as planned this month following essential maintenance work.

 

The bridge will reopen on Saturday 16 March following its closure last October for work including bearing replacement, re-waterproofing, resurfacing and joint replacement.

 

Final works underneath the bridge will continue until next month to complete the project.

 

This important refurbishment project has extended the life of the Grade II listed structure, ensuring the bridge, which has a 7.5 tonne weight limit, continues to serve the community for many years to come and means more disruptive work will be avoided in future years. Read more in our press release.

Getting ready for pre-school or primary


Is your child, or the children you support, ready for their first step into education?


A free School Readiness Fair for parents, childminders, pre-school staff and stakeholders is being held next Thursday, 14 March, at the Windsor Family Hub, 65 Alma Road, from 9.30am to 12.30pm.


Find out about the child’s journey and development, the parent experience, as well as what support is available across the borough.


Parking is free and refreshments will be available. To book your place, please complete this online form. 

Live or work in Ascot?

 

Thank you to everyone who has so far attended our events in Ascot to help shape the town’s rejuvenation, including sharing your views on options for improving the High Street.

 

We’re working with residents, community groups, businesses and other partners to produce a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) that will guide future development in the area, complementing the vision set in the Borough Local Plan and Neighbourhood Plan. 

 

We’ve been holding workshops and drop-in events to help ensure future development in Ascot is shaped by the community’s priorities and aspirations, delivering a strong vision for Ascot's future.

 

We’ve had a good turnout from the local community and valuable conversations at both of our drop-in sessions held last week and our first community workshop the week before. If you couldn’t make these events, you can still get involved:


  • Share your thoughts in this survey until Friday 12 April 
  • Participate in our second workshop at Ascot Racecourse on Tuesday 26 March, 7pm to 9pm. Places must be booked in advance - details here
  • Check out the exhibition boards from the drop-in events, which remain on display at Ascot Durning Library until 12 April.


Find out more about the project here.

Reminder: Have your say on measures to help protect business premises from conversion into housing without planning permission

 

There's still time to have your say on proposed measures to prevent business premises being converted into housing on key employment sites without full planning permission. 


Currently, developers have national permitted development rights for change from commercial, business or service use – including offices – into residential use via a fast-track check-list procedure known as the prior approval process. This limits councils’ abilities to resist inappropriate conversions – even on sites protected under local planning policy.

 

The proposed measures, known as an Article 4 Direction, will better protect 31 locations considered most important for supporting jobs and the local economy. It will remove the national rights at those sites, but not prevent conversions where appropriate. It will simply mean developers will have to apply for planning permission for change of use, so plans can be fully considered in line with planning policy.

 

We're consulting until Tuesday 12 March. To take part, visit the website. Read more in our press release.

Calling all jobseekers! Attend our next jobs fair

 

A jobs fair will take place at Maidenhead Library on Tuesday 26 March 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 DWP-library@rbwm.gov.uk or berks.employerteam@dwp.gov.uk

 

For more information, please visit our employment support webpage.

Calling all businesses! Complete the digital infrastructure for business survey

 

Businesses are being encouraged to take part in the Digital Infrastructure Group’s digital infrastructure for business survey.

 

It's been designed with the goal of assessing the current state of digital infrastructure, identifying areas for improvement, and gauging the digital skills of employees within local businesses.

 

The survey is open until Sunday 31 March. Take part by visiting the website.

Royal Borough Community Spotlight


Here are just some of the upcoming community events and volunteering opportunities in the Royal Borough:


  • Early music concert (Saturday 9 March, 6.30pm) - All Saints Church, Maidenhead. Renaissance Voices are performing sacred early music from Christmas to Easter. For more information and tickets, visit the website or call 01628 624429.


  • Mothering Sunday Service (Sunday 10 March, 10am) - St Michael's Church, Bray. A service for children of all ages. Hymns, songs and stories. Holy Communion. Service about 60 minutes. For more information, visit the website.


  • Health and Wellbeing Fayre for older men (Wednesday 13 March, 1.30pm to 4.30pm) - Maidenhead Library. Twenty-five exhibitors offering support, services and products for older men (and for all those who support them). Free admission. Email samuelsberks@aol.com. To see the exhibitors, click here.


  • Bazaar and coffee morning (Saturday 16 March, 10am to 11.30am) - St Mark's Crescent Methodist Church, Allenby Road, Maidenhead, SL6 5BQ. Stalls with many items on sale, including delicious home baked cakes, stationery, books, CDs, DVDs and bric-a-Brac. Raffle with various prizes. Coffee is served all morning. Bring family, friends, neighbours and all those who are new to the community. All welcome - free entry. All proceeds go to St Mark's Crescent Methodist Church Fund. For more information, email info@stmarksmaidenhead.org.uk


  • Maidenhead Mencap - keen to start new projects. The AGM of Maidenhead Mencap will be on 21 March at 7.30pm. Maidenhead Mencap was set up more than 60 years ago to support children and adults with learning disabilities and their families. In the past, Mencap locally and nationally has campaigned for improvements for services, and the local group has provided clubs, playgroups, holiday activities and welfare support for very many people. It currently provides its Monday Club, a weekly social event for adults with learning disabilities and is hoping to restart its Wednesday Club soon for members who have higher support needs. For more information, contact Peter Jost via email.


  • Bray Village Hall Spring Market (Saturday 27 April, 1pm to 5pm). Come and support local businesses selling clothes, food and plants, including a pre-loved luxury clothing sale in support of Thames Hospice. Shop local and support your community. For more information, visit the Facebook page.


  • Volunteer treasurer for Maidenhead Music Society. The registered charity which hosts seven professional classical music concerts a year at Norden Farm. It needs a treasurer who would handle payments and monitor its finances. If you enjoy live classical music and would like to be part of the team, the society would greatly appreciate your book-keeping skills. The work can be done from home with about six sociable committee meetings a year. To find out more, contact the society via its website.


  • Maidenhead Softball Club free softball Fridays (Fridays 6pm to 7.30pm) - Newlands Girls School, Farm Road, Maidenhead, SL6 5JB. Looking for something different this year? Come along to the free Friday softball sessions the club runs and see what softball is all about. No experience necessary or any equipment needed. Everything provided. The club also runs youth sessions for eight to 14-year-olds on Mondays. For more information about softball, the club or to book a place visit the website, or contact Alan on 07552 811048.


If you have an upcoming not-for-profit community event or appeal for volunteers 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.


To see further volunteering opportunities in the borough, or for another way for community organisations to promote volunteering opportunities, please visit RBWM Together.

Our consultations - have your say


We regularly hold consultations and surveys to get your views on proposals within the Royal Borough.


Participating, sharing ideas, and giving your feedback is the best way to ensure your views are heard.


Our current consultations are:

Local Travel Updates


Council highways works


For details of further council works on highways, visit our website. For full local roadwork details, including work by utility firms, please visit the One Network website.

Keep in touch


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