Have your say on Wokingham Borough Council’s Nature Recovery Strategy

Please share your views on Wokingham Borough Council’s strategy, which will set out the actions to protect biodiversity in local areas, reduce the impact of climate change and boost the benefits of local nature.

The Council is working with its partners across Berkshire, and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is leading the project.

Berkshire has a beautifully diverse landscape and feedback from residents, landowners and communities will help to create the right strategy to assist nature recovery across our county.

Taking the survey

Leave your comments and add your pins to the Local Habitat Map for Berkshire by Monday 24 March. You can access the Survey HERE.

Wokingham Borough Council would like to hear how you access and use pharmacy services in Wokingham borough to help it develop services in the future. 

Your views will help inform its Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA), which will look at health needs in the borough, the level and accessibility of pharmacy services, and how these will be maintained and developed in the future.

Your experiences & views

The questionnaire should take no longer than five minutes to complete. The information you provide is confidential. Please be honest with your answers so the Council can accurately assess areas where pharmacies are already fulfilling your needs well and areas that need improvement.

WBC has asked Soar Beyond Limited to help it with this process and provide expertise on the assessment.

Tell the Council what you think by completing the online survey.

Wokingham Borough Council has set new visions and priorities to support the town centres in Wokingham Borough, ensuring they meet the needs of residents and businesses both now and in the future.

At the Council’s Executive meeting on 30 January, a new strategic framework was approved, which outlines key principles to help towns and districts in the borough adapt and thrive in an unpredictable economic climate. 

The council’s decision-making Executive also agreed to specific development strategies proposed for Wokingham and Woodley town centres, and Twyford village centre. These strategies set out priorities and opportunities for growth for each of the three areas.

Commitment to support and partnership

Cllr Mark Ashwell, executive member for economic development, sport, leisure and the arts, said: “The Town Centre Strategic Framework sets out our vision for the future of our town centres and our commitment to working in partnership to ensure their success.

“We recognise that our town centres, like many others across the country, have faced challenges in recent years due to the rise of online shopping, flexible working, the cost-of-living crisis, and other economic shifts.

“We hope the new framework and the individual town centre strategies will help local businesses thrive, while supporting our broader goals for the borough, such as sustainability, inclusion and equality.

“We’d like to thank town and parish councils, residents and businesses for their valuable input to the framework and strategies. It’s just the beginning of our partnership, and we look forward to working closely together to drive future growth.”

Framework and strategies

The Town Centre Strategic Framework is built around four overarching principles to guide the support and development of all town and district centres in the borough:

• Healthy, thriving towns where everyone feels they belong
• Support businesses and create ecosystems for sustainable growth
• Work towards carbon neutral town centres
• Work in partnership to celebrate the individuality of our town centres

Woodley Town Centre

Individual strategies for Wokingham and Woodley town centres, and Twyford village centre have been tailored to reflect these principles while addressing the specific strengths and challenges each centre faces. Plans are also in hand to look at all other district and town centres to identify needs and opportunities.

The framework and the strategies were shaped through extensive engagement and consultation with residents, local businesses, town and parish councils and other stakeholders including the police. In addition, research and data analysis have been conducted to incorporate national trends and best practices.

The documents will be regularly reviewed and assessed to ensure they remain relevant and aligned with evolving needs.

Next steps

The Town Centre Strategic Framework and the strategies for three town and village centres will launch in February, with the full version of the documents available and accessible to the public.

The Council plans to set up a Wokingham Borough Town Centre Steering Group this year, with representatives from a wide range of stakeholders and businesses. The group will play a key role in shaping and delivering an action plan focused on the agreed principles and priorities, and in monitoring the progress of the plan.

Furthermore, subject to funding availability, the Council intends to appoint a dedicated town centre officer to help move the work forward.

Economic Development Strategy

The Council’s Executive has also approved a new Economic Development Strategy aimed at ensuring the continued economic success of the borough. 

The strategy outlines an economic vision for 2035, with Wokingham Borough becoming a ‘growing and greener economy for everyone’. It also establishes a number of strategic objectives to guide how it achieves this vision.

Following the approval of the strategy, the council will work with internal and external stakeholders and partners to develop a range of short, medium, and long-term actions that deliver growth and success benefiting everyone.

Funding from the government

The council has set aside £60,000 for the research and production of the Town Centre Strategic Framework and the individual strategies, as well as the Economic Development Strategy. The work is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

For more information, visit the UK Shared Prosperity Fund website.

Wokingham Borough Council has a formal consultation on its Council Plan. This is an official strategic document that outlines the goals and priorities, which it aims to deliver over the next five years (2025-2030).

Have your Say

This survey is to consolidate and help finalise the future of Wokingham Borough and will allow the Council to understand your priorities and help shape the final council plan. Following the consultation, the Council will continue to work with you to help deliver its priorities.

For a quick and easy way to contribute, the Council invites you to complete this brief survey. It will only take a few minutes but will provide the Council with valuable insights to help it gain a deeper understanding of your priorities and the services the Council provides for our collective future.

This survey will remain open until Monday 3 March.

If you need help taking the survey, please contact Wokingham Borough Council’s customer services on (0118) 9746000 or drop in to your local library.