This
project is financed by the LSC, SEEDA and
the European Social Fund
LOCAL
NEWS
BERKSHIRE-WIDE
New Magazine for Gap-Year Students
A Reading-based magazine Working Abroad has been launched
for students who are considering gap years. Working
Abroad will be issued twice a year, and gives students
a real picture of working overseas. The magazine
will be distributed to colleges and universities nationwide.
Managing director, Angie Beckett, spotted a gap in the
market. She said:
"The reason for launching
the magazine is to satisfy a massive need. There are
websites but they aren't able
to cope with the demand. People need information and
this is about the reality.
"Young people who are
not entirely sure about a career, can find skills they
didn't know they had, by
working abroad.
"This is about the reality.
Working abroad is fantastic but they need to be aware
of the ups and downs."
Eventually, the magazine should be
distributed to 500 college and university shops.
Source: icberkshire website, 15th March 2007
Rail services set to improve
MPs from Berkshire have met with Secretary of State for
Transport, Douglas Alexander, to discuss rail services
and to put together a recovery plan. There has been
controversy about changes to the timetable introduced
in December. As a result of discussions with Theresa
May (Maidenhead), Adam Afriyie (Windsor) and Fiona
Mactaggart (Slough), and other MPs, a recovery plan
has been agreed with First Great Western and Network
Rail, and a modified timetable will be introduced from
May 2007.
Source: icberkshire website, 7th March 2007
Business Confidence high in the Thames Valley
The quarterly ICAEW/Orange UK Business Confidence Monitor
(BCM) has shown that many Thames Valley companies are
aiming to increase their workforces over the next year.
The South East is more optimistic than other parts
of the country about business prospects, especially
its IT and communications businesses.
However, salaries should not rise too far as many workers
will come from overseas. Finance professionals and senior
managers in companies believe that the average total
salary will increase by less than in the previous year.
The BCM index, which ranges from -100 to +100, shows
a two point rise in confidence in the South East.
Finance professionals and senior managers of businesses
expect workforces to expand faster over the next 12 months
than previously but they are confident the average total
salary will increase by less than it did in the past
year.
Fay Deakin, South East Regional
Director for the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants
in England & Wales)
said: "This optimism is driven by the rapidly expanding
pool of labour available to the South East's businesses.
"Migration into this country
means that wage pressures are kept subdued."
Source: icberkshire website, 8th March 2007
Berkshire Business Show moves to new date in July
In order to allow more stands to exhibit at the Berkshire
Business Show, it has moved to a new date of July 11th
and 12th.
Newbury College and Newbury
Business News have teamed together to launch this first
Berkshire Business Show.
The event will be held at Newbury College’s Monks
Lane campus, giving businesses the opportunity to promote
products and services to other organisations. West Berkshire
Business Club is also sponsoring free seminars throughout
the show. For more details, contact Chula Bishop on 01635
845298 for an information pack or email c-bishop@newbury-college.ac.uk
Source: Newbury College website, 16th March 2007
Competition seeks South East's Most Enterprising Place
In February the regional heat of Enterprising Britain
2007 was launched for the South East. The national
competition aims to recognise and reward enterprise
activity. Regionally, SEEDA is looking for the town,
city or place in the region most clearly demonstrating
the South East’s entrepreneurship. The winner
of the regional heat will be entered in the national
finals.
Enterprising Britain 2007 is
run by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in
partnership with the Regional
Development Agencies (RDAs) and Devolved Administrations
and aims to identify “enterprise champions” -
places that have created jobs, brought communities together,
and made a real difference to local businesses and local
people. The closing date for regional applications is
11th May 2007. The regional winner will be announced
on Friday 18th May.
Flagship Status for Berkshire Organisations Supporting
Women's Enterprise
In February, Berkshire-based organisations and others
in the South East were awarded national 'Flagship' status
at the Prowess Annual International Conference.
The Prowess Flagship is a quality standard for supporting
women in enterprise through business support or a network,
and is already held by Slough Enterprise Gateway and
Faringdon Enterprise Gateway. The latest organisations
from the South East to be recognised are:, Reading Enterprise
Gateway, Slough Businesswomen's Network Group, Newhaven
Enterprise Gateway and South East Women's Wisdom.
Chief Executive of the South
East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Pam Alexander,
and Co-Chair of the Government's
new Women's Enterprise Task Force, said: "The new
Regional Economic Strategy (RES) for the South East aims
to create an additional 10,000 new businesses run by
women by 2010. We are therefore delighted that organisations
from the South East have been recognised nationally for
their support of women in business".
Source: SEEDA website, 9th February 2007
Berkshire one-stop sexual health shop opens
A new unit for sexual health and family planning has
opened in Berkshire. The Florey Unit will operate from
a purpose-built site in Craven Road, Reading, and will
offer sexual health screening, treatment and contraceptive
services.
Source: BBC online, 19th February 2007
Vodafone welcomed to India
Vodafone’s recent £5.7bn move to take control
of Hutchinson Essar has been welcomed as showing the
potential for growth in India’s mobile phone market.
Hutchison Essar is India's fourth largest mobile phone
network.
Since European markets are now saturated, Vodafone is
looking to expand in developing economies. The company
believes that India is the fastest growing mobile market
in the world and has about 6.5 million new subscribers
each month.
Source: BBC online, 12/02/07
Key workers’ housing
complete
21 new affordable homes have been completed on Kennet
Street. The homes were built as part of a deal between
Thames Valley Housing (TVH), Reading Borough Council
and Crest Nicolson Ltd. The development was partly
funding by around £600,000 from the Housing Corporation.
Under the New Build Homebuy scheme, buyers can purchase
a percentage of the property and then pay a reduced
rent on the outstanding portion. They can then buy
further percentages until they own the property outright.
Source: icberkshire website, 15th March 2007
Prudential jobs under threat
Prudential has raised its cost-cutting target in the
UK to £195m, a move which will affect around
3,000 of its employees. Savings will come from internal
cost savings, offshoring and outsourcing jobs. There
are 1900 people working in Reading as part of the Pru’s
life and pensions business.
"We are looking at the work of 3,000 people and
the importance of the work of those 3,000 people we have
yet to determine," said Nick Prettejohn, chief executive
of Prudential UK.
"Whether our cost savings
come from more offshoring or more outsourcing we have
yet to determine."
The company recently released
annual results that were better than expected, with
pre-tax operating profits
up 15% to £1.98bn.
Source: BBC online, 15th March 2007
Council tax rises by 3.5%
Reading Councillors voted to accept a 3.5% increase in
council tax this week, while planning to reduce staff
numbers by 195, based on ‘natural wastage’.
The Thames Valley Police Authority’s council
tax charge has risen by 4.99%.
The new budget includes an
additional £305,000
for older people’s services and £575,000
in other parts of community care. The council also intends
to invest in housing stock and the new PFI waste scheme
and to fund community safety programmes.
The 2007-08 budget is £111.5million and capital
spending this year will total £56million.
Source: icberkshire website, 1st March 2007
Take-up of office space in Reading rises to five-year
high
Property consultants Hicks Baker have published research
showing that the demand for office space in Reading rose
to a five year high in 2006.
The report shows deals over 5,000 sq ft. 300,315 sq
ft was taken in Reading in 2006, the highest figure since
2001. The larger deals last year included Verizon (formerly
WorldCom) which took 58,000 sq ft off the market late
last year and Symantec in Green Park.
Source: icberkshire website, 22nd February 2007
Reading’s
Buses go Green
Reading Buses intend to test an ethanol bus this summer
on its number 17 route. If the pilot is successful
then the fleet may move to ethanol fuel by the next
year, reducing Reading’s carbon footprint by
having the UK’s greenest buses.
Transport for London is also testing a similar vehicle
in the near future. Ethanol-powered buses are used in
Sweden. Stockholm's 300 buses have shown a reduction
of 15,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.
The company has already taken steps to reduce its carbon
footprint with 20 bio-diesel buses on order.
Source: icberkshire website, 15th February 2007
Respite beds reduced for Mental Health sufferers
Yew Tree Lodge, which provides the only respite beds
for mental health sufferers in the Reading area, has
lost its funding from Berkshire West Primary Care Trust.
Users of the lodge believe it will mean that those
with mental health problems will be left to struggle
alone.
The PCT say they are working with Care UK, which runs
Yew Tree, on plans to give residents more independence.
Source: icberkshire website, 15 February 2007
Bracknell Forest Council tax to rise by 4.9 per cent
Bracknell Forest councillors have approved the 2007/08
budget. The council has agreed a 4.9% rise in the council
tax and a 5% rent increase for council tenants.
Cllr Paul Bettison, Leader of Bracknell Forest Borough
Council, said that this year's budget was difficult to
manage due to a poor financial settlement from the government
and restrictions on how much they can raise council tax.
The increase means the borough
council will charge £964.89
council tax for an average band D property - still below
last year's national average of £1,252. The council
will still have one of the lowest council tax rates in
England, even with the planned 4.9% rise.
The budget includes cuts of £1.6
million from schools and social services in the coming
financial year.
Source: icberkshire website, 14th March 2007
Tenants vote on council housing
Tenants of Bracknell Forest’s council houses are
to vote on shifting the council’s housing stock
to a housing association. The borough council believes
it can no longer afford to manage its council housing
and reach the Government’s Decent Homes standard
by 2010. The ballot papers are now out, and only time
will tell what the future holds for Bracknell Forest’s
council housing.
Source: icberkshire website, 14th March 2007
Work on the
Rowans Children’s
Centre begins
Planning permission for The Rowans Children’s
Centre in Bracknell was granted in February and work
has already
begun. The centre is based at the Foxhill Primary School
site in Easthampstead, and will serve children aged up
to five from Easthampstead, Wildridings, Crown Wood,
Harmans Water, Forest Park and Martin's Heron. The centre
will house an early years and childcare team, a family
outreach worker and local health visitors, as well as
having facilities for school nurses. There will be clinics
held by speech and language therapists and also a hall
for training courses and group work, a drop-in family
room and a training kitchen.
It is the first of the six
children’s centres
planned across the borough. Each centre will combine
services for children under one roof. The Rowans should
open in September.
Source: icberkshire website, 13th March 2007
New Homes for Bracknell
Plans to build 730 houses, sports facilities, new walkways,
cycle paths and a community centre at the Parks development
in Harmans Water are set to become a reality. Work
began on the estate of the former RAF Staff College
last year, and houses are expected to be ready from
summer 2007.
The houses will be eco-friendly, including energy-saving
efficiencies, such as recycled timbers in the kitchens,
low energy lamps and an option for solar panels. There
will also be rainwater butts which can be used for watering
gardens and communal areas.
£2m
grants to development projects and voluntary organisations
Wokingham District Council has agreed more than £2
million in grants for voluntary organisations and economic
development projects for 2007/08.
£320,000 will be available for community and voluntary
groups, and more than £60,000 for economic development
projects such as the Wokingham Town Centre Steering Committee
and Wokingham Job Support.
Charity organisations receiving funding include St John's
Ambulance, Wokingham Dyslexia Support, Berkshire MS Therapy
Centre and Wokingham Crossroads, which provides respite
care for carers. Grants have also been given to Wokingham
District Sports Council, Wokingham and District Mencap,
as well as groups such as the Indian Community Association,
Wokingham Access and Resource Counselling and the Mobile
Information Centre.
Source: icberkshire website, 13th March 2007
Second consultation about the future of Ryeish Green
school
There will be a second consultation about the future
of Ryeish Green School starting on March 26th. The troubled
school continues to fight for its future – but
headteacher Jenny Garner was angry that she first heard
about the consultation from a parent. She was officially
informed by email a few days later.
Ryeish Green was recently told that the council will
not support its bid for specialist humanities status
or to become an independent trust.
Mrs Garner said: "We appeal
to the council to listen and to work with us to enable
Ryeish Green to become
one of Wokingham's most popular and successful schools
serving its local community."
Source: icberkshire website, 15th March 2007
Council Tax set to rise by 3.2%
Wokingham District councillors have agreed an increase
of 3.2% to the council tax for the coming year. The
increase brings the annual tax bill for a Band D property
for 2007/08 to an average of £1,307.73. The increase
is the second lowest council tax increase in Berkshire.
Source: Get Wokingham website, 28th February 2007
Elderly and Disabled to be needs tested
Wokingham District Council has agreed that only those
with ‘critical’ needs will still have care
workers visiting them at home. The move means that
almost 3,000 disabled, elderly and learning disabled
people in the district will be reassessed for home
care.
In future, people with ‘substantial’ and ‘moderate’ needs
will have to rely on care from voluntary organizations.
The council says it has been forced to make the decision
due to an increase in the ageing population and the number
of people with complex medical issues.
Source: Get Wokingham website, 28th February 2007
Keep Hatch Primary School officially opened
In February, new facilities at Keep Hatch Primary school
were officially opened. £2.5 million has been
spent to bring all facilities under one roof in a two
storey building with an ICT suite, sports hall and
new classrooms. The former junior school has also got
a refurbished music room, food technology room, kiln
room and library. 229 pupils now attend the school,
nearly double the number before the development.
Source: icberkshire website, 13th February 2007
Wokingham District becomes a Borough
In February Wokingham District Council was approved to
become a borough council. District councillors voted
for the change in September 2006. There was a celebration
of the council’s new status at the mayor’s
Spring Civic Reception on 9th March.
The change means the council will now be headed by a
mayor instead of a chairman, and that it now has the
same status as other Berkshire unitary authorities.
Source: icberkshire website, 1st February 2007
West Berkshire awarded 'good' grade by Adult Learning
Inspectorate
The Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) has awarded West
Berkshire Council a ‘good’ grade for its
adult learning programmes. The inspectors visited 10
learning centres and spoke to tutors, learners, managers,
partners and external agencies.
The report found that:
The overall effectiveness
of the provision is good, specifically leadership
and management and arrangements for quality improvement
There is successful use
of community learning projects to recruit and develop
learners who are new to adult learning
The Council has a 'very
clearly focused strategic direction for adult and
community learning'
There is good support
for the professional development of the Council’s
employees
Partnership working to
tackle social inclusion is good
Learners on the community
learning programmes develop their confidence and
skills well
The report also raised some
challenges including the continuation and extension
of partnership working and
recording learners’ achievements.
To see the report, visit http://www.ali.gov.uk and search
for Reports under West Berkshire January 2007.
Source: West Berkshire Council Website, 9th March 2007
Council Office
comes to Calcot Sainsbury’s
West Berkshire Council has opened an office in the
Calcot branch of Sainsbury’s. The office will
be open 8.30am to 6pm on weekdays and 8.30am to 1pm
on Saturday.
The office will give information about planning services,
housing benefit, travel tokens and community care and
services for young people. The supermarket has waived
rent for the premises. The council hopes that the new
office will be more accessible to the public.
Source: Newbury Today website, 14th March 2007
Crime on the increase in West Berkshire
In 2006/07, crime in West Berkshire rose by more than
20% according to the British Crime Survey figures.
Common assault (not including domestic violence) went
up 154% from 150 incidents to 381 incidents, while
domestic violence figures were up 182% from 81 incidents
to 229 incidents. Criminal damage increased by almost
30%, and bicycle thefts rose 37.26%. An increase in
the reporting of incidents played a part in the figures.
Source: Newbury Today website, 7th March 2007
Newbury firm
joins Sunday Times’ list
of best companies
Orthopaedic technology firm Stryker has been voted
the 44th best medium-sized company to work for in the
UK
in the Sunday Times’ top 100. The company received
the award in Battersea Park, London on March 1st.
Managing Director Peter Bradley
said: “Being nominated
within the top 100 companies is a huge achievement in
itself but coming in the top 50 is a wonderful accolade.
“It is testimony to the
dedication of every single person who works at Stryker
that we have achieved this
outstanding commendation and national recognition.”
To get on the list, employees
rate the company they work for and then the Sunday
Times evaluates responses
relating to the company’s leadership style, reward
and recognition scheme, work-life balance, opportunities
for professional and personal growth, contribution to
society and the overall working environment.
Source: Newbury Today website, 6th March 2007
Council objects to Post Office closures
West Berkshire Council has responded to a Government
consultation about the future of the Post Office by
stating that closures will affect elderly people and
those with out transport the most. It says the report “fails
completely to recognise the disproportionate impact
closure will have on both the elderly and those without
their own transport who happen to live in these areas”.
“Village stores/Post
Offices are the heart and soul of rural communities,
they provide meeting opportunities,
sources of local information and it is often the post
office manager who is the first person to raise concern
if some elderly person has not made their regular visit.”
West Berkshire Council proposes that Post Offices should
take on more Government services to make them financially
viable.
Source: Newbury Today, 5th March 2007
Council Tax to rise by 2.8%
West Berkshire Council has agreed a rise in Council tax
of 2.8%, which is a record low for the district. The
overall budget of £185m was passed in early March.
For the new budget, the council has set aside an additional £600,000
for services for elderly people, to cope with an 8.5%
increase in over-85s living in the district.
Source: Newbury Today website, 2nd March 2007
Vodafone welcomed to India
Vodafone’s recent £5.7bn move to take control
of Hutchinson Essar has been welcomed as showing the
potential for growth in India’s mobile phone market.
Hutchison Essar is India's fourth largest mobile phone
network.
Since European markets are now saturated, Vodafone is
looking to expand in developing economies. The company
believes that India is the fastest growing mobile market
in the world and has about 6.5 million new subscribers
each month.
Source: BBC online, 12/02/07
Councillors call on East Berkshire College to reconsider
plans to close campus
Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council have asked East
Berkshire College to reconsider its plans to close its
Maidenhead campus in July 2007.
The college plans to move courses to its campuses in
Langley and Windsor, and language courses to Desborough
School in Maidenhead. The Berkshire College of Agriculture
has agreed to take over the courses for students with
learning difficulties and other venues in the town are
being considered to continue the health and social care
courses.
Principal Jean Robertson said: "We
have worked hard to ensure that most of the courses
remain in Maidenhead."
Source: icberkshire website, 2nd March 2007
Chamber of commerce elects new president
Kuldeep Ahir has been elected president of Maidenhead
and District Chamber of Commerce. At 36, he is one
of the youngest chamber presidents for a while. He
was formerly deputy president, and now replaces Andrew
Jenner.
Mr Ahir said: "The chamber's
vision is to make Maidenhead and District a better
place for shopping,
leisure and business.
"We are currently putting
together a strategy plan for the next year, but one
of the main areas of focus
will be improving the shopping experience and attracting
more specialist shops to Maidenhead.
"We also want to improve
facilities and make the town centre a better place
for local residents and families."
Source: icberkshire website, 2nd March 2007
Supermarkets going for growth
Sainsbury’s and Waitrose are both developing their
stores in Maidenhead. Sainsbury’s opened its new
55,000 sq. ft. store in mid-March. It has cost £90m
to develop and includes a public piazza and café.
Meanwhile the Waitrose store will increase in size from
14,000 sq. ft. to 25,000 sq. ft. and will open on June
16. The scheme will also offer 14 residential units -
due to be completed in July - and there will be 15 residential
parking spaces.
Source: icberkshire website, 1st March 2007
Affordable housing scheme set to go ahead
Planning permission has been granted to demolish the
old East Berkshire College on Claremont Road in Windsor
and to build affordable housing on the site. The developers,
Linden Homes Ltd, need to sign a legal agreement before
the houses can be built.
Source: icberkshire website, 2nd March 2007
Steep rise in house prices
Average house prices in Windsor and Maidenhead and Slough
are now well above the national average of £201,090.
According to figures from the Halifax, the average
house price in Slough is £232,642; in Windsor
is £366,522; and in Maidenhead is £341,024.
According to the Halifax house prices in the South
East rose by 8.8% during 2005/06. However, in East
Berkshire house prices have risen more steeply than
the average for the region: Slough's prices have risen
10%; Windsor's, 11%, and Maidenhead's 18%.
Source: icberkshire website, 16th February 2007
Windsor’s
new hotel and superstore coming soon
A new Travelodge Hotel and Waitrose store are being developed
on the old Waitrose site in King Edward Court. The
supermarket was demolished to make way for the hotel,
new shops and a new Waitrose. The new Waitrose store
is due to open in July 2007.
Source: icberkshire website, 16th February 2007
New home for elderly being built
The old 26-bed Warden’s Lodge in Windsor was demolished
and work to replace it with a 62-bed facility has begun
and should be completed early next year.
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is now seeking
a care provider to staff and run the premises.
Source: BBC online, 19th February 2007
Steep rise in house prices
Average house prices in Windsor and Maidenhead and Slough
are now well above the national average of £201,090.
According to figures from the Halifax, the average
house price in Slough is £232,642; in Windsor
is £366,522; and in Maidenhead is £341,024.
According to the Halifax house prices in the South
East rose by 8.8% during 2005/06. However, in East
Berkshire house prices have risen more steeply than
the average for the region: Slough's prices have risen
10%; Windsor's, 11%, and Maidenhead's 18%.
Source: icberkshire website, 16th February 2007
Penn Wood School is transformed
Penn Wood, formerly William Penn, has been transformed
from a 1930s school house to a school for the 21st
century, with courtyards, bridges and state-of-the-art
teaching technology. The school is the first to benefit
from Slough Borough Council’s £44m Private
Finance Initiative project to rebuild three schools.
Source: thisisslough website, 2nd March 2007
Council appoints new chief executive
Ruth Bagley has been appointed as Slough Borough Council’s
new chief executive. She will join the council in June.
She is moving from South Hams District Council in Devon,
where she has been chief executive since 2000. South
Hams is rated as an excellent council and has beacon
status for housing and tourism. Before her time at South
Hams, Ms Bagley worked for North Dorset District Council,
Shropshire County Council and Gwent County Council.
Source: Slough Borough Council website, 7th March 2007
Council tax to increase by 4.99%
Slough councillors have debated a council tax increase
of 4.99%. Tax for an average band D house will rise
from £975.70 in 2006/7 to £1,024.41 in
2007/8. Including costs for police and fire authority,
tax for a property in band D will be £1,213.60.
According to the council the rise is needed due to
a shortfall in funding because the Government is using ‘flawed’ population
statistics.
Source: icberkshire website, 21st February 2007
Teenage pregnancies fall by 40% in Slough
Teenage pregnancies have dropped by nearly 40%, which
is the fourth biggest drop seen by local authorities
nationally. This exceeds the Government target of a
30% reduction.
Janet Tomlinson, director of education and children's
services, said: "We are very proud to have the fourth
largest decrease in teenage pregnancies in England.
"The reduction in conception
rates between 1998 and 2005 is a testament to the commitment
and dedication
of all the agencies in Slough which have worked hard
to ensure that our young people have joined-up, accessible
services, and are equipped with knowledge and aspirations
to make positive health choices."
The health improvement team seeks to support young people
in Slough, working with other organisations such as the
primary care trust, Connexions, voluntary sector and
schools to ensure that the town's young people are able
to make positive choices about their health.
Source: icberkshire website, 28th February 2007
