Sunday 26 May 2013

Brimpton Airshow - Sunday 9th June 2013

In two weeks time it's the annual Brimpton Airshow, to be held at Brimpton Airfield.

It's in aid of a great cause - the Air Ambulance rescue service - so why not drop in for the Fly-In?

More information about Brimpton Airfield
More Information about Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust

Monday 20 May 2013

What's Going On...

According to the local Parish Plans published in 2007 (Aldermaston, Brimpton, Woolhampton) good communication about news and events in the ward was a key aim to ensure healthy village life and encouraging positive community engagement.

As a result it was decided a concerted effort would be made to 'improve the quality, circulation and amount of information that is available' to villagers. This included, among other things, better utilisation of the Parish websites and the provision of new Parish noticeboards, where appropriate.

Below are two of the new noticeboards...

Noticeboard at Douai Park
Noticeboard at A4 lay-by
Sadly, these noticeboards aren't exactly overflowing with notices, and several residents have passed comments to your Focus Team that it remains difficult to find out what's happening and how to get involved.

It is one of the pleasures of living here to see the high level of popular activities which are supported by the community relative to the population size, and it can often be a surprise for newcomers and less well connected residents to discover the wide variety on offer.

Among forthcoming events Woolhampton will celebrate Coronation Day on 2nd June at Douai Park (with proceeds going towards the Pavilion Restoration Fund) and Midgham will hold its annual Village Fete on 31st August.

More regular events to be found in the Parish magazines include everything from the Women's Institute meetings, Baby & Toddler's and Senior's groups, Tea Dances, Coffee Mornings and Lunch Club, various exercise groups, walking tours and indoor sports, all the way through to art classes and the monthly village markets.

LibDems support initiatives to develop vibrant local communities, and we want to see resources utilised to best effect so that everyone can be catered for.

Sunday 19 May 2013

Local News: Douai Park Pavilion Gets Go-Ahead

Outline planning permission has been granted to demolish and rebuild the sports pavilion at Douai Park recreation field.

The dilapidated 1920's structure lacks adequate facilities and is in serious need of renewal, however some concerns continue that the two-storey design may be over-ambitious - especially considering the need to raise £1/2m in voluntary donations and other funding.

The Far Pavilion
The most contentious suggestion, however, is for a 49-space car park to be build with a permanent access road across the field.

The business plan presented by Douai Park Recreation Association for the new building intends to maximise its' usage and raise fees from bookings for a range of community events beyond the current sporting purposes, and this requires improved access.

As the photo shows, however, drivers commonly park adjacent to the pavilion anyway and any change would merely formalise a current reality. Additionally a car park in that location could resolve the long-standing problem of finding a drop-off point for children being taken to Woolhampton Village Primary School.

Local LibDems have offered tentative support for the scheme, based upon the visual impact of the building and financial projections.

West Berkshire Council Announces Executive Reshuffle

West Berkshire Council has announced its' new composition at the annual ceremony.

The main roles will be filled as follows:


Chairman of Council:
Cllr Keith Chopping
Vice-Chairman of Council:
Cllr David Holtby
Leader of Council & Conservative Group Leader:
Cllr Gordon Lundie
Deputy Conservative Group Leader:
Cllr Pamela Bale
Liberal Democrat Group Leader:
Cllr Jeff Brooks
Deputy Liberal Democrat Group Leader:
Cllr Roger Hunneman

Conservatives have overall control  by 39-13 and hold the 10 Executive Portfolios, which are shadowed by 8 Opposition members.

Aldermaston Ward's Councillor Irene Neill is in charge of the Education department. She will continue to be shadowed by Cllr David Allen.

In addition to these reshuffled membership was announced for various other positions: the Health & Wellbeing Board, the Overview & Scrutiny Management Commission, the Licensing Committee, the District Panning Committee, Eastern and Western Area Planning Committees, the Governance and Audit Committee, the Personnel Committee and the Standards Committee.

Here is the full list:
 
EXECUTIVE (10 Members)

Portfolio
Member
Leader of Council
Gordon Lundie
Highways, Transport (Operations), Emergency Planning, Newbury Vision
Pamela Bale
Children and Young People, Youth Service, Education
Irene Neill
Community Care, Insurance
Joe Mooney
Planning, Transport (Policy), Culture, Customer Services, Countryside
Hilary Cole
Finance, Economic Development, Health & Safety, Human Resources, Pensions, Property
Alan Law
Cleaner & Greener, Waste, Environmental Health, Trading Standards, Thatcham Vision
Dominic Boeck
Strategy & Performance, Housing, ICT & Corporate Support, Legal and Strategic Support
Roger Croft
Partnerships, Equality, Communities, Hungerford and Eastern Area Visions
Graham Pask
Health and Well Being, Community Safety
Graham Jones

SHADOW EXECUTIVE (8 Members)

Portfolio
Member
Leader of Opposition, Finance, HR, Economic Development, Pensions, Strategy, Property, Insurance, Legal
Jeff Brooks
Community Care, ICT, The Visions
Roger Hunneman
Environment, Environmental Protection
Royce Longton
Housing, Council Plan, Health & Safety
Tony Vickers
Highways, Transport, Planning, Emergency Planning
Keith Woodhams
Health and Wellbeing, Public Health, Partnerships, Equality, Customer Services, Strategic Support, Community Safety
Gwen Mason
Children and Young People, Education, Youth Service, Culture & Leisure
David Allen

HEALTH AND WELLBEING BOARD (April 2013)

Name
Role/Organisation
Email
Councillor Graham Jones
Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing
Councillor Graham Pask
Portfolio Holder for Partnerships, Equality, Communities, Hungerford and Eastern Area Visions

Lise Llewellyn
Strategic Director of Public Health
Dr Catherine Kelly
North and West Reading Clinical Commissioning Group
Dr Alex Anderson
Newbury and District Clinical Commissioning Group
Rachael Wardell
Director of Community Services (role covers Children Services and Adult Social Services)
Lady Emma Stevens
Local Healthwatch representative

Leila Ferguson
Representative from the Voluntary and Community Sector



OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY MANAGEMENT COMMISSION (16 Members)

Conservative Group (9 Members)
Jeff Beck, Brian Bedwell (Chairman), Marcus Franks, David Goff, David Holtby, Mike Johnston, Tim Metcalfe, Andrew Rowles, Virginia von Celsing, Quentin Webb, Emma Webster, Laszlo Zverko
Conservative Substitutes (4 Members)
Peter Argyle, George Chandler, Carol Jackson-Doerge, Garth Simpton
Liberal Democrat Group (3 Members)
Jeff Brooks (Vice‑Chairman), Alan Macro, Gwen Mason, Tony Vickers
Liberal Democrat Substitutes
Roger Hunneman, David Rendel, Julian Swift‑Hook, Keith Woodhams



LICENSING COMMITTEE (14 Members) – no substitutes

Conservative Group (11 Members)
Peter Argyle, Jeff Beck (Chairman), Paul Bryant, Adrian Edwards, Manohar Gopal, David Holtby, Tony Linden, Andrew Rowles, Ieuan Tuck, Quentin Webb, Laszlo Zverko
Liberal Democrat Group (3 Members)
Billy Drummond, Mollie Lock (Vice‑Chairman), Geoff Mayes

DISTRICT PLANNING COMMITTEE (12 Members)

Conservative Group (9 Members)
Pamela Bale, Brian Bedwell, Paul Bryant, Hilary Cole (Chairman), Alan Law, Graham Pask, Garth Simpson, Virginia von Celsing, Quentin Webb (Vice‑Chairman)
Conservative Substitutes (4 Members – 2 from the Eastern Area of the District and 2 from the Western Area of the District)
Jeff Beck, George Chandler, Richard Crumly, Tim Metcalfe
Liberal Democrat Group (3 Members)
David Allen, Royce Longton, Alan Macro
Liberal Democrat Substitutes (4 Members – 2 from the Eastern Area of the District and 2 from the Western Area of the District)
Geoff Mayes, Roger Hunneman, Julian Swift‑Hook, Keith Woodhams

EASTERN AREA PLANNING COMMITTEE (12 Members)

Conservative Group (9)
Peter Argyle, Pamela Bale, Brian Bedwell (Vice‑ Chairman), Richard Crumly, Alan Law, Tim Metcalfe, Irene Neill, Graham Pask, Quentin Webb (Chairman)
Conservative Group Substitutes (4)
Roger Croft, Sheila Ellison, Manohar Gopal, Tony Linden
Liberal Democrat Group (3)
Royce Longton, Alan Macro, Geoff Mayes
Liberal Democrat Group Substitutes (4)
Jeff Brooks, Mollie Lock, David Rendel, Keith Woodhams

WESTERN AREA PLANNING COMMITTEE (12 Members)

Conservative Group (9)
Jeff Beck, Paul Bryant (Chairman), George Chandler, Hilary Cole, Paul Hewer, Garth Simpson,
Anthony Stansfeld, Ieuan Tuck, Virginia von Celsing (Vice‑Chairman)
Conservative Group Substitutes (4)
Howard Bairstow, Adrian Edwards, Mike Johnston, Andrew Rowles
Liberal Democrat Group (3)
David Allen, Roger Hunneman, Julian Swift‑Hook
Liberal Democrat Group Substitutes (4)
Billy Drummond, Gwen Mason, Tony Vickers, 1 vacancy

GOVERNANCE AND AUDIT COMMITTEE (7 Members)

Conservative Group (5 Members)
Jeff Beck (Chairman), Paul Bryant, David Holtby, Tony Linden, Quentin Webb
Conservative Group Substitutes (2)
Peter Argyle, Brian Bedwell
Liberal Democrat Group (2 Members)
Julian Swift‑Hook (Vice‑Chairman), Geoff Mayes
Liberal Democrat Group Substitutes (2)
Gwen Mason, Tony Vickers

PERSONNEL COMMITTEE (5 Members)

Conservative Group (4 Members)
Peter Argyle, Tony Linden, Andrew Rowles, Quentin Webb (Chairman)
Conservative Group Substitutes (2)
Jeff Beck, Adrian Edwards
Liberal Democrat Group (1 Member)
Mollie Lock (Vice‑Chairman)
Liberal Democrat Group Substitutes (2)
David Allen, Jeff Brooks

STANDARDS COMMITTEE (6 Members) (There are no substitutes on this Committee and these Members cannot form part of the Standards Committee’s Advisory Panel)

Conservative Group (4 Members)
Peter Argyle (Chairman), Adrian Edwards, Garth Simpson, Virginia von Celsing
Liberal Democrat Group (2 Members)
Mollie Lock, Gwen Mason (Vice-Chairman)
Co-optees (2)
Chris Bridges, Mauline Akins

Wednesday 1 May 2013

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