Local Elections 2023

• Stop the waste of public money - We would terminate the building of a sports hub at Monks Lane and save £10.5 Million over it's life - We would instead bring back football to Faraday Road in Newbury.
• Action on the flawed local plan - We will take all available action to change the flawed local plan.
• Fixing potholes - We will commit to fixing the potholes properly first time, and fix dangerous ones within 72 hours.
• Remove the Green Bin Tax - Re-establishing kerbside recycling of green waste without cost to residents, by phasing out the “Green Bin Tax”.
• Get the Council to Net Zero by 2030 - We will push harder and faster to ensure the emission of carbon that is under the control of West Berkshire Council is at net zero by 2030.
• Provide care packages - We will be ensuring care packages are in place as early as possible through earlier initial care assessments.

Fairness is at the heart of the Liberal Democrats’ vision for the future. Years of Conservative government cuts and unfair tax rises have left many people feeling unrewarded for the hard work they put in to raise their families, care for one another and play by the rules. The Liberal Democrats will ensure a fair deal for residents through:

• Supporting the most vulnerable in our community
  1. Ensuring care packages are in place as early as possible through earlier initial care assessments.
  2. Delivering a programme to tackle social isolation, especially in rural areas.
  3. Re-establishing funding for the ReadiBus service to operate in West Berkshire.
  4. Working to increase the number of local foster carers.
  5. Preventing homelessness through more ‘housing first’ placements.
  6. Seeking residents’ views to ensure that grants are spent in consultation with those who use and deliver care services.
• Supporting our young people
  1. Prioritising funding to reduce wait times for children's mental heath services.
  2. Conducting a full review of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) capacity and model in West Berkshire.
  3. Working with families and stakeholders to keep children safe in their homes. For children that do have to go into care, we will increase the number of successful Looked After Children placements.
  4. Working with Town and Parish councils to fund youth workers in their areas.
  5. Introducing local ticketing systems that also link to discounted bus / train travel. For example, you print a cinema ticket in Thatcham and it then acts as a bus / train ticket.
  6. Piloting summer lunch clubs to target holiday hunger.
• Delivering more affordable housing for ownership and rent
  1. Committing to delivering over 1000 affordable new homes by 2030.
  2. Working with housing providers to develop local home ownership models.
  3. Delivering more social rent and affordable housing with housing associations through joint ventures with partners.
  4. Bringing empty homes back into use.
  5. Ensuring proper enforcement through existing mechanisms such as HMO inspections and environmental health inspections (when a tenant complains about disrepair).
  6. Creating a forum for registered providers of housing within West Berkshire to give tenants a greater voice.
  7. Campaigning for a long-term funding settlement for supported housing.
• Fairly treating residents and stakeholders
  1. Cancelling the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) demands made to homeowners who made a mistake in their planning application process, and carrying out a full review of West Berkshire’s CIL process.
  2. Not imposing Non-Disclosure Agreements / 'gagging orders' on our service level agreements with local charities - as the Conservatives unreasonably did with ReadiBus.
  3. Reducing the amount of information being considered in secret (Part 2) by West Berkshire Council.
  4. Providing detailed information when carrying out consultations so that residents can make informed decisions.
  5. Listening carefully to questions from members of the public during our meetings, allowing reasonable follow-up questions and providing written answers within 5 working days.
  6. Keeping residents informed of changes in their local area by re-introducing neighbour notification letters for planning applications.

• Championing a carbon neutral West Berkshire
  1. Making West Berkshire Council carbon neutral by 2030.
  2. Using West Berkshire Council’s purchasing power to encourage the reduction of carbon emissions in the wider community, updating all our procurement policies to reflect this.
  3. Considering the social, environmental and ethical impact of West Berkshire Council investments.
  4. Introducing idle-free zones and 20mph speed limits outside schools.
  5. Investigating ways to stop HGVs using Newbury as a through-route, including a potential low emission zone, and improving traffic flows on the A4.
  6. Dramatically reducing the carbon emissions of all Council-owned buildings through installation of solar panels, proper insulation and efficient lighting and heating systems.
  7. Improving biodiversity on West Berkshire Council owned land, and changing the way we manage and care for our land. We will share our best practice with local communities and landowners to encourage them to do the same.
  8. Promoting sustainable markets across the district.
• Increasing recycling and reducing litter
  1. Conducting a full review of kerbside recycling with the aim of increasing what can be collected. Providing grants and officer support to set up recycling clubs for items not recycled at the kerbside.
  2. Re-establishing kerbside recycling of green waste without cost to residents, by phasing out the “Green Bin Tax”, starting with those most in need of support.
  3. Working with schools and communities to increase education around recycling and its benefits.
  4. Using legal powers to prosecute fly-tippers and using the money to introduce more recycling points.
  5. Provide more multi-use bins that can take litter and dog waste.
  6. Working with towns and oarishes to create a ‘Clean up the Town / Village’ anti-litter campaign.
  7. Removing abandoned shopping trollies, and re-charging their owners for the cost of collection.
• Promoting environmentally-friendly travel
  1. Focusing on walking and cycling in transport plans.
  2. Providing new / additional secure bike storage at key locations, e.g. bus stations.
  3. Supporting a trial of an eScooter rental scheme in our towns.
  4. Supporting the move to electric vehicles by expanding the number of Electric Vehicle charging points where needed, and allowing residents to use council carparks to charge their cars overnight.
  5. Working with transport providers and local businesses to provide more evening bus services.
  6. Trialing an extension to pedestrianisation hours in Newbury town centre.
  7. Enabling 20 mph limits for residential streets where residents want it.
• Fighting sewage discharges
  1. Using the power of the Council to hold Thames Water to account over continued sewage discharges into our watercourses, blocked sewers and leaks in our district.
  2. Taking seriously our legal responsibilities to the watercourses in the Council’s ownership.
  3. Continuing our strong record in investing in flood-protection.

• Ending waste
  1. Cancelling the wasted £10m the Conservatives are planning to spend on the Monks Lane "Sports Hub", keeping the plan for a 3G pitch but ending the waste on the clubhouse, stands and ongoing payment to the rugby club.
  2. Making developers pay for major infrastructure first, rather than relying on taxpayers’ money.
• Investing wisely
  1. Always aiming for investments that save money / generate revenue and provide a benefit to our community. For example saving money and the environment by investing in solar panels.
  2. Encouraging bids that bring other money into our district from outside, in order to keep council tax rises to the bare minimum.
  3. Reviewing the disposal of all council assets (e.g. York House) and changing current plans to ensure they meet the long term interests of residents and West Berkshire Council.
• Increasing accountability and transparency
  1. Ensuring an opposition party councillor chairs the Council’s scrutiny committee, unlike the last 18 years of Conservative rule.
  2. Taking a grown up approach to politics, listening to alternative voices and welcoming inputs from all sides.
  3. Opening advisory groups to public scrutiny rather than the secretive Conservative approach.
  4. Making clear, measurable commitments and regularly reviewing and publishing our progress against them.
  5. Re-establishing community forums to pro-actively invite residents input and feedback at in- person meetings. Committing to report back on our resulting action plan within 4 weeks of each meeting.
• Working to make West Berkshire Council an employer of choice

• Fixing the flawed Local Plan
  1. Taking all available action to change the flawed local plan. It currently allows too much development on green spaces in North East Thatcham and Theale, without the necessary supporting infrastructure. Any new plan will have a comprehensive evidence base, and we will seek your feedback for a minimum 2 months.
• Returning football to Faraday Road in Newbury
  1. Immediately returning the grass to bookable football space.
  2. Agreeing outline plans with the Newbury Community Football Group for a new pitch with an enhanced stadium and facilities.
• Introducing cheaper parking
  1. Creating a fund to offer a package of targeted lower cost / free parking in consultation with town and parish councils.
• Supporting schools, further eduction and skills development
  1. Striving for all schools to be Ofsted rated good or outstanding.
  2. Working hard to close the attainment gap across the district, as we believe that education is the key to future life-chances.
  3. Supporting volunteer-run after school clubs like the ones in Hungerford and Thatcham.
  4. Launching a mentoring programme for children with local businesses.
  5. Leading by example on apprenticeships by offering more opportunities across Council services.
  6. Working with local education providers to create work clubs and programmes to gain skills while in work.
  7. Supporting our local libraries in line with our statutory duties.
• Maintaining the road network and improving traffic flows
  1. Maintaining the road network in good condition.
  2. Fixing potholes first time and fixing dangerous ones within 72 hours. Enabling the reporting of potholes via a West Berkshire mobile app.
  3. Supporting building a bridge over the railway line in Thatcham.
  4. Establishing an out-of-hours traffic management response service.
• Enhancing our towns
  1. Enhancing our main towns based on the recently produced masterplans and commissioning work for Theale and Lambourn in partnership with the respective parish councils.
  2. Beginning a programme of renewal and re-provision of our leisure facilities, following in the footsteps of previous Lib Dem administrations.
  3. Continuing our support for the new Lido development in Newbury, and looking to expand opening times even further.
  4. Recognising the canal as an important part of West Berkshire life, and continuing to work with partners like the Canal and Rivers Trust to maintain and enhance this wonderful asset.
  5. Expanding the number of temporary and permanent markets across West Berkshire.
  6. Working with local businesses to lobby the Government on business rates to help keep more shops and businesses open.
• Supporting the rural economy
  1. Working with residents to determine what your village needs in order to keep schools, shops, pubs and local businesses open, making plans accordingly in collaboration with residents.
  2. Supporting communities in developing their own Neighbourhood Development Plans.
  3. Supporting local farmers to get produce into local markets.
  4. Working more closely with farmers and landowners through a Rural Business Forum.
  5. Lobby the Government to ensure that our farmers are not undercut by imported food that is not produced to the same high environmental and animal welfare standards.