OPINION: Letters to the editor of the Newbury Weekly News
Scrap the council cuts to resource centres
At the budget meeting of West Berkshire Council in February, dozens of staff from our three resource centres packed the public gallery in a moving imploration to the Liberal administration to rethink their savage cuts to a service which is so crucial to vulnerable residents and their carers.
The compassionate and dedicated staff of the centres have been living under a cloud of uncertainty since autumn last year, when the administration told them (by email!) that their jobs were under threat.
The administration said they were considering the closure of these centres to save half a million pounds, while showering the same amount on one football pitch in Newbury.
Today I call on the Liberal Democrats to do the right thing: for once, listen to your residents, end the distress you’ve caused to carers and staff, and scrap the cuts to the resource centres.
Ross Mackinnon
Conservative group leader, councillor for Bradfield ward, West Berkshire Council
Working hard to prevent suicides here
Around 6,000 people a year take their own life in the UK; compare that with the annual road deaths of around 2,000 and you will quickly realise that you are more likely to have known someone who has taken their own life rather than the tragedy of a road death.
The point being is that it’s a much bigger issue than we think.
Since 2017, West Berkshire has had an active suicide prevention action group and we’ve been concentrating on delivering training to front line workers.
To date we’ve trained about 800 people to an accredited standard.
These half-day courses provide people with the skills and ability to chat to someone who is having suicidal thoughts and help them to make a plan to get the help they need.
We’ve also, with the help of West Berkshire Council Highways, arranged for Samaritans signs to be placed on or near sensitive areas such as bridges and car parks.
With the help of Apple Print and Creative we’ve created a website www.westberkshiresuicideprevention.org and we are also working with the racing industry and railway authorities in West Berkshire.
I’m really writing to thank the team at Samaritans, West Berks Highways, West Berks Public Health, the Newbury Weekly News, Apple Print, Volunteer Centre West Berkshire, Thatcham Town Council and my pal Jerry Dixon, my brilliant vice chairman, and the rest of the West Berkshire Suicide Prevention Action Group who have been turning up for meetings since 2017. They’re all great people.
If you are someone you know is struggling, make a plan to get help.
Garry Poulson
Chairman, West Berkshire Suicide Prevention Action Group
Low debt, but council is low on love as well
Congratulations to Basingstoke on its thrifty approach to spending and achieving the accolade of lowest debt figure of all Hampshire authorities (Newbury Weekly News, September 4).
I’m sure that paying over inflation increases on my council tax every year must have helped, as does preventing me from using the closest recycling centre in Newbury without charge.
Not forgetting the discontinuation of that pesky number 7 bus service and now the lip-smacking prospect of a massive house dump in Wash Common, for which West Berks will inevitably end up providing various services on account of its close proximity while Basingstoke collects the council tax.
Meanwhile, I’ve had to replace three tyres from potholes in the last six months.
Still not feeling the love Hampshire.
Tom Brown
Gore End
Thanks to lay people in Eagle Quarter fight
At this month’s committee meeting of Newbury District Field Club it was unanimously agreed to publicly record our thanks to Dr David Peacock and the Newbury Society for the sterling work and great effort put in to the robust opposition to the overbearing Eagle Quarter proposals.
We are acutely conscious of the time and personal commitment required for lay people – however well intentioned – to go into a complex planning system and to oppose highly trained planning lawyers and consultants.
To emerge victorious is a great credit and deserves the gratitude of the town.
Newbury District Field Club, as the town’s local history society, is committed to safeguarding the stories and memories of the past, helping our members discover the treasures of our district and by nurturing the curiosity of local people, to inspire them to become the stewards of Newbury’s heritage.
If you would like to know about the story of Newbury in all its forms, our autumn programme of talks and lectures is about to commence.
We meet at St John’s parish room on the third Monday of the month at 2pm.
Please visit our website ndfc.org.uk for further information and details of events and meetings.
Dave Stubbs
Chair, Newbury District Field Club
Then and now photos – cause and effect
Reading last week’s Newbury Weekly News I paused on pages 28 and 29, the ‘then and now’ section comparing 1998 to 2025.
What struck me was the cause and effect of things so clearly shown in the images.
Various reasons have led to much less parking availability and significantly higher parking charges.
To make things worse, we just lost some more parking opposite the public toilets near the library and even less will be available post Kennet Centre redevelopment.
Business rates for shops are significantly higher than those charged for business using warehouses, ie the Amazon model.
Here’s an example of how bad it can be:
If a shop has a rateable value of £30,000 and a warehouse has one of £12,000:
The shop pays: £30,000 × 49.9p = £14,970 (before reliefs).
The warehouse may qualify for 100 per cent small business rates relief if under £12,000.
Our streets were pedestrianised and now that is extended to encompass day and night culture.
We all talk about how the high street is dying, but some of the reasons for that are well known, ie we made it harder and more expensive to shop in towns whilst giving advantages to online retail and direct delivery.
If we want high streets to exist going forward, then people need to be able to get there, stay there at a reasonable price and make business rates a fair fight.
West Berkshire Council can tackle the access and price points, our MPs should be tackling business rates.
This is why I’ve put a motion into council that suggests a different type of trial (not just pedestrianisation).
One where we restore access from 5pm to cars etc, but only one-way on each road.
Also to include some pull-in bays, opposite shops and restaurants, where you can stop for, say, 30 minutes for free, ie how it used to be.
But, and it’s an important one, West Berkshire Council must take the facts that come out of the experiments before deciding to make anything permanent.
Those facts can come directly from members of the BID.
They will know, with certainty, what the effects have been of the experimental traffic order.
Anecdotally, businesses I speak to on Northbrook Street don’t see any benefit to them so far, ie no extra business.
If that’s true of most, then trying something else can’t do any harm.
Without really thinking through the cause and effect of changes we can so easily make things worse.
By only trying one thing, we have little chance of getting the best outcome for our high street.
We do have an opportunity to work together as a community and shape the high street.
I hope those in charge on the West Berkshire executive see value in running several trials.
Doing nothing or trying just one thing rarely leads to the optimal answer for how our town is going to evolve in the coming decades.
Adrian Abbs
Newbury resident and independent councillor for Wash Common ward, West Berkshire Council
We must stop e-scooters being such a menace
Ironically named ‘River Walk’ (Shaw), now free of encroaching greenery thanks to council ‘diligence’, is not yet perfect.
The local e-scooter lads are drawn to its smooth Tarmac as foliage to a footpath.
Whilst repairing my gate, one such menace flashed past, too fast for me to even see him.
Further irony: The half-barrier at the northern end, sorely needed ever since ‘River Walk’ became ‘River Lament’ and discussed with Mr Diligent when he visited, is still absent.
A collision is overdue, but council diligence is clearly exhausted.
Barrie Singleton
River Walk, Shaw
