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.

Have Your Say

Wokingham Borough Council is encouraging all residents and interested parties to contribute to the latest Community Governance Review (CGR).

The process ensures people are represented appropriately and effectively through the arrangements for the towns and parishes in the borough.

This includes reviewing electoral arrangements, such as the number of councillors that represent each area and the ward boundaries of existing towns and parishes.

The council is looking to get feedback on the current arrangements to identify any potential changes, which would take effect at future elections.

Public Consultation

A public consultation will run for 12 weeks from Friday 31 January to Friday 25 April, on the Council’s Engage Wokingham Borough platform.

Andrew Moulton, the service director for governance at Wokingham Borough Council, said: “Our towns and parishes are the first tier of local government and they play an important role in ensuring people’s views are represented. Through the Community Governance Review, we can assess how well the current arrangements are working and use local knowledge to make any changes that are needed.

“I would encourage as many people as possible to read and complete the survey, as we strive to develop something that represents the identity of our towns and parishes as accurately as possible.”

Purpose of the review

A CGR must be carried out every ten to 15 years and the council’s last review was done in 2016.

It is a legal requirement and the review must be completed within 12 months from when the terms of reference is published.

The review is required to take into account:

• The impact of community governance arrangements on community cohesion
• The size, population and boundaries of a local community or parish

Following the deadline for initial suggestions, the Council will consider feedback and prepare a draft report of recommendations, which will go out for further consultation later this year.

Woodley Town Council set up a Youth Grant Scheme during 2023/24 to fund specific grant requests for organisations supporting children and young people in Woodley. During the past 18 months, ten organisations have been supported with a grant. Now that the funds have been allocated, the scheme is closed.

Grants awarded

• Chattertots – Towards the cost of providing weekly early interventions for children with Downs Syndrome, with main sessions running from Woodley Baptist Church.

• Loddon District Scout Council – Towards the cost of building new headquarters at Paddicks Pitch, Waingels Road, Woodley.

• Me2 Club – To pay towards running the Me2 Club Teen W&RD project in 2024.

• Berkshire Renegades – To pay towards pitch hire for matches and training; providing rookie days, controlled scrimmages, advertising and publicity; purchasing equipment; paying for transport to / from games.

• ARC Youth Counselling – To pay towards the cost of providing ARC’s youth counselling service in schools.              

• Promise Inclusion Limited – To support the service, providing support for children and adults with learning disabilities and / or autism.

• First Days’ Children’s Charity – To pay towards the charity’s provision of specialist support services to vulnerable families of children and young people with special educational needs, disabilities, and early life trauma.

• Home-Start Wokingham District -To pay towards the charity’s provision of specialist support services to vulnerable families of children and young people with special educational needs, disabilities, and early life trauma.

• Parenting Special Children – To pay towards the charity’s provision of specialist support services to vulnerable families of children and young people with special educational needs, disabilities, and early life trauma.

• ABC to Read – To pay towards recruiting three new volunteers to assist nine children in Woodley to read.

Our commitment

“We are committed to supporting the youth of Woodley, with a particular focus on reaching those who are disadvantaged or traditionally harder to engage. The Youth Grant Scheme was set up to specifically for Woodley’s young people and this demonstrates Woodley Town Council’s continued leadership in youth support. I’m very proud to see these important organisations receive funding to enable them to continue to provide essential services,” said Cllr Keith Baker, Woodley Town Council Leader. 

Our Grants

More information about our grants, including full guidelines and application forms, can be found on our Grants Page.

We are delighted to continue to provide funding to local organisations that deliver essential community support services in Woodley, through our grant award scheme. 

Leisure Services

Five grants were approved at the recent Leisure Services Committee Meeting:

• Chattertots – Towards the cost of providing weekly early interventions for children with Downs Syndrome, with main sessions running from Woodley Baptist Church.

• Loddon District Scout Council – Towards the cost of building new headquarters at Paddicks Pitch, Waingels Road, Woodley.

• ARC Youth Counselling – Towards the cost of providing weekly early interventions for children with Downs Syndrome, with main sessions running from Woodley Baptist Church.

• First Days’ Children’s Charity – Towards the cost of providing weekly early interventions for children with Downs Syndrome, with main sessions running from Woodley Baptist Church.

• Home-Start Wokingham District – Towards the cost of providing weekly early interventions for children with Downs Syndrome, with main sessions running from Woodley Baptist Church.

“We’re proud to continue investing in Woodley’s community through our grant award scheme,” said Cllr Darren Smith, Chairman of the Leisure Services Committee. “These grants enable local organisations to provide essential support services to our residents when they need it most. By supporting these services, we are helping to support those most in need in Woodley.”

Strategy & Resources

Meanwhile, at the recent S&R Committee, a grant was approved to Me2 Club for the organisation to recruit and screen five new volunteers within Woodley who can be matched with five Woodley children waiting for support from the charity. If you, or someone you know, would like to volunteer for Me2, please visit their website to find out more. 

Our Grants

More information about our grants, including full guidelines and application forms, can be found on our Grants Page.

Woodley Town Council

• Tue 24^th Dec – 09:00am-12pm 
• Wed 25^th Dec – Christmas Day Closed
• Thurs 26^th Dec – Boxing Day Closed
• Fri 27^th Dec – Closed
• Mon 30^th Dec – 09:00am-4:30pm
• Tues 31^st Dec – 09:00am-4:30pm
• Wed 1^st Jan – Closed
• Thurs 2^nd Jan – 09:00am-4:30pm
• Fri 3^rd Jan – 09:00am-4pm

Oakwood Centre

• Tue 24^th Dec – 09:00am-12pm 
• Wed 25^th Dec – Christmas Day Closed
• Thurs 26^th Dec – Boxing Day Closed
• Fri 27^th Dec – Closed
• Mon 30^th Dec – 09:00am-4:30pm
• Tues 31^st Dec – 09:00am-4:30pm
• Wed 1^st Jan – Closed
• Thurs 2^nd Jan – 09:00am-4:30pm
• Fri 3^rd Jan – 09:00am-4pm

Crumbs Cafe & Bar

• Tue 24^th Dec – Closed 
• Wed 25^th Dec – Christmas Day Closed
• Thurs 26^th Dec – Boxing Day Closed
• Fri 27^th Dec – Closed
• Sat 28^th Dec – 08.30am-5.00pm
• Sun 29^th Dec – 09.00am-4.00pm
• Mon 30^th Dec – 08.30am-3.00pm
• Tues 31^st Dec – 08.30am-3.00pm
• Wed 1^st Jan – Closed
• Thurs 2^nd Jan – 08.30am-5.00pm

Please contact the Crumbs team directly for any enquiries: 07312 122006.

Wokingham Borough Council is updating its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy, which is aimed at helping create communities where everyone feels welcome and belongs.

In order to make sure the strategy represents the borough’s diverse local communities, the Council is asking residents and organisations to share their feedback about their experiences of living and working in the borough.

Please complete the short survey by Sunday 19 January 2025.

More information can be found on Wokingham Borough Council’s Engage website.

There are changes to bin collections over the festive period:

• There will be no bin collections on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day
• Regular collection dates will be adjusted from Wednesday 25 December to Friday 10 January

Please check the revised collection schedule on Wokingham Borough Council’s website.

Wokingham Borough Council recently shared some information regarding the law around electric scooters, following an increase in complaints around the misuse of these vehicles across the borough.

Legislation

It is illegal to ride a privately owned electric scooter in public spaces, including on the road. Those who are found to be riding privately owned e-scooters in public risk receiving a large fine, points on their driving licence and seizure of their e-scooter.

Parents who are thinking of buying their child an e-scooter for Christmas need to be aware of the legislation around them as it may be seized if your child is riding it on the pavement or road.

Officers regularly receive complaints from members of the public around the misuse of these vehicles, due to riders driving carelessly and at excessive speeds. This causes significant risks to both the rider and pedestrians, as well as others using roads or footpaths.

Fire risks

There are also issues surrounding the fire risk from the lithium batteries used to power e-bikes and e-scooters that owners need to be aware of – 199 fires resulting in 10 fatalities were reported in 2023.

As part of our commitment to Climate Action, we are pleased to announce that the bins in Woodford Park and Malone Park are being replaced with new bins with a recycling section.

Please help us to keep our parks and green spaces litter free by using the bins.

What you can recycle

You can put the same items into the recycled section as you would in your green bags. These include:

• cartons
• plastic bottles
• plastic trays (not black)
• paper & card
• empty aerosols
• foil
• cans & tins.

Glass

Please take your glass items with you and recycle them at your local bottle bank.

Soft plastics

Soft plastics can also be recycled at most supermarkets.

Climate Emergency Information Hub

Further information about recycling your waste can be found on our Climate Emergency Information Hub.

Wokingham Borough’s first Climate Action Week, held in Woodley, was a resounding success with over 200 people participating in free events

We are delighted with the success of Woodley’s first Climate Action Week, which was held in partnership with Wokingham Borough Council. 

Both councils declared climate emergencies in 2019, making a commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. The series of free events held during Climate Action Week were created to raise awareness of how residents can contribute positively towards these shared goals.

There were a variety of free events across the week, including a recycling art class for the under 5s, a Walk & Tour of Woodford Park, an entertaining charity fashion show at centre stage, Woodley Repair Café, an EV webinar, a chat about climate change in the borough, a lively Fresk climate card game and a community litter pick, amongst other events. 

We were also delighted to host the local primary school’s climate event at the Oakwood Centre at which Year 3 children from Highwood Primary, Rivermead Primary, and Woodley C of E Primary were tasked with creating posters about the impact of climate change on coral reefs. 

Highlights

We would like to thank everyone involved in helping to create, manage and run a successful week of events; as well as everyone who came along to participate. 

“It was a pleasure to attend many of the free events during Climate Action Week. The highlights of the week, for me, were the charity fashion show and the school’s climate workshop. The charity fashion show was very entertaining and inspiring to buy pre-loved items. It was an honour to judge the school’s climate workshop. The children knew a lot about climate change and were very thoughtful when creating their interpretations of the effect of climate change on coral reefs.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved in putting the week together and hosting all the events. It has certainly highlighted the need for us all to play our part in tackling climate change,” said Cllr David Bragg, Woodley Town Council Deputy Mayor. 

While Cllr Juliet Anderson, Woodley Town Council Town Mayor, who braved the weather to help at the communal litter pick said: “It is important that we all play our part in addressing the climate emergency and take accountability for our individual carbon footprints, and Climate Action Week has been an important week to raise awareness. We had an interesting debate about changes we can all make and the bigger responsibilities the government must address, during the Climate, Coffee and Cake talk. Despite Storm Bert, we collected an alarming amount of rubbish during the community litter pick. Not littering is just one small thing we can all do to play our part. Thank you to everyone involved and I hope those who attended found the events informative and food for thought.”

Find out more

More information about the week, including photos and information about both council’s Climate Emergency Hubs, can be found on our Climate Action Week page.

Yuan Yang, MP for Earley & Woodley, is hosting a Community Coffee Morning with Citizens Advice Wokingham and Age UK at the Oakwood Centre on Saturday 30th November, 10.00am – 12.00pm.

Please sign up via MP Yuan Yang’s website.