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Investment budget to ensure high quality services approved at Full Council
Our
budget for 2022/23 has been approved to deliver significant
infrastructure upgrades, support our most vulnerable residents, and
ensure the council continues to provide high quality services for all
residents.
The
budget, which was approved earlier this week during Full Council, will
significantly increase levels of investment and growth in key areas, and
support delivery of the priorities in the council’s Corporate Plan.
Forming the basis of discussion at Full Council and in recent weeks was the public consultation on the budget proposals, that amassed some 1,800 responses from residents, community groups and businesses.
Our key investment as part of our 2022/23 budget includes:
- £35 million in adult’s services
- £27 million in children’s services
- £18 million in town centre regeneration and improvements
- £7 million in developing our school estate
- £6 million in highways, road safety and active travel
- £5 million in public health
The
portion of Council Tax which supports the Royal Borough’s council
services will increase by 2.99% in 2022/23, made up of a 1.99% increase
in the general charge and 1% increase in the social care precept. For a
band D property, Council Tax will rise to £1,164.99, this equates to an
increase of £33.82 – just 65p per week.
The Royal Borough remains as having one of the lowest Council Tax charges in England and is the lowest in Berkshire.
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Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Strategy agreed
A new strategy for providing
safe accommodation and associated support for victims of domestic abuse
has been agreed following a successful public consultation.
The Domestic Abuse Safe
Accommodation Strategy 2021-24, which is a new legal requirement for
councils, sets out how safe accommodation and support for victims and
their children will be provided and further enhanced over the period.
Cabinet agreed the strategy,
associated action plan and six priorities for investment and delivery
this week, with an overarching priority to ensure victims and their
families have access to safe, good quality accommodation that meets
their needs.
The priorities are: access to
safe accommodation, support to remain safely at home, perpetrator
management, coordinated support, victim representation, and improved
data collection across services.
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Royal Borough Museum reopens and enjoys visitor boost after sharing home with Tourist Information Centre
The Windsor & Royal
Borough Museum has seen an increase in visitors since reopening after a
break of nearly two years – now sharing its home at Windsor Guildhall
with the Royal Windsor Information Centre.
The council has brought
together these complementary facilities within a fitting destination
location, meaning people can explore the fascinating exhibits and get
expert visitor information all under one historic roof – with admission
free to all.
The museum has been in the
Guildhall for more than 10 years and previously there had been an entry
fee. The Information Centre was formerly located separately, a short
distance away in the Old Ticket Office at Windsor Royal
Station. Work to create the new Visitor Information desk and
reconfigure the internal space was undertaken while the museum was
closed to the public during Covid.
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£150 Council Tax rebate from Government in 2022/23
You might have heard the news that most households in Council Tax
bands A to D will get a one-off award of £150 from the Government in
2022/23, to help with increased energy costs.
This will be based on Council Tax records but is not a reduction on
the Council Tax charged and does not have to be repaid. You can get
this even if you get full Council Tax Support or if you are in a Band E
but charged at a D due to a Disabled Band Reduction. But you can’t get
it if you are not the liable person, if the property is empty or if it
is a second home.
In the Royal Borough, we have been allocated nearly £4.6m for this
mandatory scheme and await further national guidance on administering
it. We aim to start making payments during April 2022 and will update
further if there is anything residents themselves need to do.
To assist vulnerable people living in properties in bands E to H
who do not qualify for the mandatory rebate under the national criteria,
the Royal Borough has been allocated a further £294,150 to administer
an award up to £150 under a local discretionary scheme. We are currently
developing the qualifying criteria, in line with national guidance, and
will update people further as soon as possible.
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Extra help to join our Resident Parking Discount Scheme
If you’d like to join our new resident parking discount scheme, offering one hour's free parking in six popular car parks, but need additional support with the online process, don’t worry.
We’re
running a number of drop-in sessions, offering extra help to those who
need it with setting up their RingGo accounts and applying for their
free, virtual parking permits.
Drop-in sessions will be held at the following libraries:
Please bring the following
supporting documents, vehicle ownership details and proof of residency,
along with your mobile phone so library staff can assist you. You do not need to have a smart phone to apply for permits or use the discounts.
You can apply for the discount at car parks in Alma Road and
Alexandra Gardens in Windsor, Grove Road and West Street in Maidenhead,
Horton Road in Datchet, and Meadow Lane in Eton.
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New 'Tornado' slide opens at Windsor Leisure Centre
Following a £550,000 capital
investment from the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, Windsor
Leisure Centre opened a new ‘Tornado’ slide ready for the February
school holidays.
The
slide's opening this week by Councillor Ross McWilliams, Cabinet member
for sport and leisure, is part of a wider expanded offer at the Windsor
site following recent investments.
Leisure Focus Trust has
invested in a new catering offer with The Avenue restaurant opening to
the public last weekend. Indoor cyclists can now benefit from a new
riding experience with a suite of Life fitness indoor cycles.
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Artefacts from Royal Borough museum's collection feature in new British Museum exhibition
Objects from the Windsor &
Royal Borough Museum, relating to a prehistoric Beaker burial excavated
at Horton in 2011 are part of a new national exhibition.
The gold, amber and lignite
beads, as well as part of a beaker, are on display for the duration of
the World of Stonehenge exhibition at the British Museum until Sunday 17
July.
It has seen more than 430
objects brought together from across Europe in a once-in-a-lifetime
spectacle on the history – and mystery – of Stonehenge.
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Campaign highlights work of our Public Rights of Way and Winter Services teams
Did you know we deliver around 400 different public services and activities as a council? Everyone knows about roads and bins, but we do so much more to support our residents, businesses and communities.
This week, as part of our Spotlight on Services campaign, we’re highlighting the important work of our Public Rights of Way Team and Winter Services Team through two special animations on social media.
If you enjoy
exploring the borough it’s likely you’ve used our extensive rights of
way network. But do you know how many footpaths and bridleways we have,
and how we maintain them? Find out more by watching our video on Facebook and Twitter.
On these freezing
winter evenings, you've probably spotted our Winter Services Team out
and about in their big yellow gritters, helping to keep our key highways
routes safe for everyone. Watch the video on our Facebook and Twitter channels to find out more about this vital work.
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Reminder - apply early to hold a Platinum Jubilee street party
The Royal Borough invites you to join Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum
Jubilee celebrations this summer by applying to hold street parties in your
community.
Events and initiatives marking Her Majesty’s milestone 70 years of service as
monarch to the UK and Commonwealth will be held throughout the year,
building to celebrations over the extended Bank Holiday weekend from
Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June.
Applications for temporary road closures need to be made at least 10 weeks in
advance to meet legal requirements. The closing date for all applications is
Friday 25 March.
We're looking forward to receiving lots of applications from across the
borough. And what's more, you’ll be glad to know that we're even covering the
legal fees for the temporary road closures.
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Reminder - Want to make your home more energy efficient?
Eligible homeowners or private tenants can apply to receive free upgrades from the Green Homes Grant scheme.
These are designed to lower carbon emissions and save money on fuel bills and could include:
- Wall, loft and floor insulation
- Air source, ground source or hybrid heat pumps
- Double/triple glazing to replace single glazing
- Thermostats and heating controls
- Hot water tank insulation
- Solar panels.
Warmworks,
which is delivering the scheme on the council's behalf, will arrange a
survey in the homes of eligible householders to agree what work will be
carried out.
Full details and an application form are available on the website, or call 0808 196 8255.
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Have your say on proposed new constituencies
The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) has launched a public consultation on proposed new parliamentary constituencies.
A
review of constituencies is taking place to ensure each one has roughly
the same number of electors. As part of this process, the number of
constituencies in England will increase from 533 to 543 to reflect
changes in population and rebalance the number electors represented by
each MP.
A
new map of local constituencies has been drawn up, and the BCE wants
your feedback to help shape the upcoming constituency boundary changes.
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Get involved in local town forum meetings
If you’d like to have your say on issues affecting Maidenhead and Windsor towns, we want to hear from you.
Agendas
are published a week in advance, so you can see what councillors will
be discussing, and get involved if there’s a topic you’re interested
in.
Your discussion suggestions will be added to a future agenda if appropriate.
The next Windsor Town Forum is on Tuesday 8 March and the next Maidenhead Town Forum is on Thursday 17 March.
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Reminder - survey to find out views of South Asian unpaid carers
If you’re an unpaid carer from the South Asian community, there's one week left to take part in Healthwatch Windsor, Ascot and Maidenhead's (WAM) Mind The Gap survey.
The
first part of this is a survey to find out the views and experiences of
South Asian unpaid carers across the Royal Borough, and how services
could be improved. The second part is about the provision of services.
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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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World Day of Prayer
– (7pm Friday 4 March) – St Edward’s Church, Alma Road, Windsor.
Windsor’s World Day of Prayer warmly invites you to their service which
will focus on providing encouragement to all who are facing
difficulties. For further information please email Jacobyvpatterson@gmail.com or visit the World Day of Prayer website
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Maidenhead’s Big Read festival weekend –
(Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 March). This year’s festival theme is ‘Ocean
Alive’ and includes free activities such as author talks at Maidenhead
Library, Undersea Bus storytelling on the Once Upon A Bus parked nearby
on Maidenhead High Street, and an interactive ocean dome full of
artefacts and activities at Maidenhead amphitheatre. Learn more on the Maidenhead Big Read website
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Inaugural piano recital -
(3pm Sunday 13 March) - St Michael's Church, Bray. Music at Bray
present internationally renowned pianist and former BBC Young Musician
of the Year Lara Melda, who will be playing their new instrument in a
programme of romantic pieces by Chopin and Rachmaninov. Admission is
free with a retiring collection, for further details visit the St Michael's Church website
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Spring concert - (7.30pm
Saturday 5 March) - St Mary’s Church, Maidenhead. The Windsor and
Maidenhead Symphony Orchestra (WMSO) will be performing a selection of
pieces by Walton, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky for their spring 2022
concert. Book your tickets and find out more on the WMSO website
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Renaissance Voices 20th anniversary concert
- (7pm Saturday 5 March) - All Saints Church, Boyne Hill. Maidenhead
Renaissance Voices choir are marking their 20th anniversary with a
special concert featuring the atmospheric Requiem Mass for Six Voices,
and the exuberant Purcell ode written in 1694 on the birthday of Queen
Mary II, Come Ye Sons of Art. Tickets are £15 and can be bought on the
door. More information is available on the Renaissance Voices website
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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. Tickets are £20,
£15 for members, and under 18s go free with an adult. Visit the Maidenhead Music Society website to learn more
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Rachmaninov’s Vespers - (8pm Saturday 26 March) – Eton College Chapel. The Cantorum Choir will perform Rachmaninov’s Vespers. In addition to the atmospheric
Vespers or 'All Night Vigil', the choir are also delighted to welcome
internationally acclaimed violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen to play excerpts
from Bach's Partita in D Minor. Tickets are available on the Cantorum Choir website
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Windsor Soundswell Choir –
(7.30pm Tuesday 1 March). This friendly community choir welcomes new
members, no auditions and no experience necessary. It’s a mixed choir
with a wide repertoire of music, so why not come along when rehearsals
start again on Tuesday 1 March. It meets every Tuesday evening during
term time from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at Oakfield First School, Imperial Road,
Windsor. For more information, go to the ‘joining’ section on the choir's website or phone Ros on 07814 470814 or Rosemary on 01753 855062.
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 in both directions between Junctions 3
(Hayes) and 4b (M25 interchange) from 8pm today until 6am on Monday 28
February.
The M4 is also due to be closed in both directions between Junctions 5 (Langley) and 6 (Slough-Windsor) from 8pm on Friday 11 March until 6am on Monday 14 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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