Residents Frustrated With 'Neighbourhood' Policing In Rural Areas

As residents of West Berkshire we are lucky to live in a local authority area with relatively low levels of crime. And as residents of Aldermaston ward we are even luckier that our villages are among the safest in the district - at least, that's what we are led to believe!

While out campaigning members of your local Focus team attended several 'Have Your Say' [ref] events to meet local PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers). These 'Police surgeries' are intended to demonstrate engagement with communities and gather feedback regarding local policing priorities, yet they are often scheduled at times and places when members of the public are least likely to be able to attend and we found that they are also regularly cancelled without notice.

As a result engagement and feedback can be less than expected, and LibDems continue to receive occasional complaints that residents' concerns are overlooked. Since promises of accessibility fail to match public demands this may be leading to misidentification of local priorities by the Police authority.

In Aldermaston ward (Aldermaston, Brimpton, Midham Wasing and Woolhampton parishes) worries are compounded by the way neighbourhood policing teams are divided - after recent reorganisations Brimpton and Aldermaston villages are now included in the renamed 'Thatcham West' patrol area, while Midgham and Woolhampton are designated part of the 'Bucklebury/Downlands' area (although crime statistics are collected along different lines, see links below).

This has the consequence that Police resources become concentrated where priority reports are made - in Thatcham, and in Hermitage and Upper Bucklebury - meaning our villages fall between between two stools.

Almost 1/4 of all reported crime in Bucklebury/Downlands occurs in our ward, yet this is completely ignored in the Neighbourhood Policing Newsletter!

And since incidence of crime can quickly flare up as Police visibility falls your local LibDems are concerned that the neighbourhood policing boundaries do not reflect the needs of residents.

Aldermaston ward campaigner James Spackman commented,

"the way neighbourhood patrol areas are currently organised is failing both Police Officers and members of the public. Particularly during a time of austerity it's important to make sure we make the best use of available resources."

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Check out Thames Valley Police performance figures from 2010-2013

Look the crime maps for:

• Thatcham, Aldermaston & Brimpton
• Bucklebury/Downlands

Check Policing priorities for:

• Thatcham, Aldermaston & Brimpton
• Bucklebury/Downlands

New A4 Road Markings Fail Cyclists

In the last week of September West Berkshire Council finally finished repainting the eastern area A4 road markings, linking the section between Midgham and Aldermaston Wharf on the major thoroughfare between Newbury and Reading.

While highway workers and commuters alike will be relieved at the end of the job, cyclists have expressed disappointment and frustration at the lack of any designated cycle lane.

Your local Focus Team went out to look at the issue and this is what we found:

The UK is currently experiencing a cycling boom, as continuing success at professional level gives the humble two-wheeler an image boost, while new facilities make cycling safer and less of a discomfort. This is particularly noticable as commuters, leisure bikers and sportive riders increasingly frequent the direct routes, meandering backlanes and picturesque hill-climbs this part of the county.

Newbury Road Club, for example, operates two time-trial courses [10 miles, 25 miles] along the Woolhampton section of the A4, making it one of the most popular competitive cycling routes in the whole of Berkshire.

Furthermore, the gradients and sweeping corners which make the stretch of road appealing to cycle along also make it dangerous - especially considering recent accidents along the stretch and the fact that West Berkshire drivers have relatively high numbers of  penalty points on their licences.

Aldermaston Ward campaigner James Spackman commented,

"It is strange, to say the least, that only the section of the A4 in Aldermaston ward is now without a cycle lane. I compliment WBC on efforts to encourage cycling as part of environmental and health strategies, but it is an example of the lack of joined-up thinking and incompetent leadership exhibited by local tories to neglect the demands of the fastest growing segment of road users on one of the key cycle routes in the area."

Meanwhile, cycling campaign group West Berkshire Spokes reports that it is "working with the Canal Trust and Sustrans to explore opportunities for upgrading the section of the towpath to the east of Colthrop" on the the parallel route along the Kennet & Avon.

James added,

"With only one established cycle route in the area 'overgrown' and 'unsafe', by not creating a cycle lane along this part of the A4 West Berkshire Highways department have missed a glaring and simple opportunity to promote this clean and healthy means of transport."

Doggone Bins

Imagine the scene: a picturesque pathway along by the Kennet & Avon canal at the height of a steamy summer's day.

A toddler eats an ice-cream, but doesn't want to drop any litter or spoil the countryside. He goes over to the rubbish bin to deposit the paper wrapper - only to put his hand into this:

A litter bin filled with dog litter! 

This was exactly the story told by one anxious parent to your Focus Team.

It is with remarkable regularity that dog walkers complain about insufficient bins to clear up after their pets, while tourists complain about the lack of collection points for rubbish as villagers complain about the smell.

Local LibDems recently secured a commitment to constantly monitor whether the bins are being emptied on schedule and investigate whether more are needed.

Parish Councillor Andrew Grover said,

"Local residents, businesses and visitors all need to keep our countryside and streets clean and free of litter. Fellow dog walkers need to collect and dispose of dog litter properly. The problem of those not doing so has been obvious and unpleasant for us all during the recent heatwave."

The Battle For Paices Wood

Peaceful Paices Wood

On Saturday 6th June local LibDem activists met naturalists and conservationists from Berkshire's Wildlife Trust and Ornitological Society on a pleasant country walk around Paices Wood Country Park.

Paices Wood is a former gravel extraction site comprising extensive woodland, grassland and several lakes near Aldermaston, in the shadow of AWE.

Following exhaustion of commercial quarrying in the 1980s the site was restored and landscaped, however access became restricted due to increased security requirements through Youngs industrial estate after 2000.

A gravel pit at Paices Wood

The owners campaigned for a dedicated entrance to the park, and planning permission was eventually granted in September 2010, with funding from the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF).

The new entrance to Paices Wood was officially opened in May 2011 by Newbury's Conservative MP Richard Benyon, ironically only weeks after ALSF was scrapped by Defra Minister Richard Benyon - a move heavily criticised by the Minerals Product Association.

An undisturbed gravel site nearby

The fund was stopped despite changes which increased the total levy by £15m/year in 2011 to more than £300m/year, having being used to channel about 7% of levy income (£10.8m from 2009 to 2011) back to communities to pay for conservation, community and other sustainability projects.

Given the recent application for new gravel extraction in the area, residents will be concerned about the loss of a vital environmental fund to mitigate problems with nothing to replace it.

Meanwhile, Paices Wood is one of nine sites under consideration by West Berkshire Council to transfer management repsonsibility to BBOWT, as the ruling Conservatives seek to cut expenditure and rein in budgets.

• Find out more about the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust
• Find out more about the Berkshire Ornithological Club

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.

Midgham Station Improvements?

In January Network Rail completed their work to upgrade the access facilities at Midgham Station, adding a ramp to the shelter on the Newbury side of the tracks. Unfortunately the dilapidated wooden structure of the shelter collapsed only a couple of weeks later.

It has been boarded up since the beginning of February.

No shelter from the elements

This is what it looked like when the Aldermaston Ward Focus Team stopped by last weekend.

Local commuters are dismayed and frustrated - not just at the discomfort and the delays in sorting out this problem, but also the unnecessary waste occurring while rail fares continue to rise faster than inflation.

Your local team of LibDems are campaigning to find a solution.

'Six-to-Fix'

Local LibDems have identified a selection of priority campaign areas.

The six areas to fix include:

1. Finance issues (Council Tax, spending and waste etc) and economic development;
2. Housing;
3. Transport;
4. Education;
5. Health & Social Care (ie needs for the vulnerable); and
6. Communications and general services.

As we head towards the next round of municipal elections we will seek to raise issues and find solutions to represent the interests of residents.

So if you feel that something can or needs to be done, please get in contact with us.