INTRODUCTION
We’ve gone from extremes of cold and wet to warm sunshine. Its meant the grassed areas have begun to be cut, earlier than last year. See PLACE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY PANEL section below regarding Tivoli’s performance where Alison pointed out deficient areas.
ROYAL WINDSOR RACECOURSE
Helen met the new Manager. He was previously the Food and Bev Manager at Ascot Racecourse. She introduced him to reps of the RBWM licensed taxi drivers and we discussed how they could best operate on race evenings. We reached a reasonable compromise. With the closure of Atik and Smokeys business has dropped off so we discussed how their service could be promoted. Outside the meeting Helen suggested ways of boosting business. Helen has linked the new Manager to Abri and the Windsor Homeless Project (and is seeking to link with the Green Room at the Swan)
to help with direct recruitment on event days
SAWYERS CLOSE
Alison and Helen are being briefed on progress on a monthly basis, and where a sticky point is reached (as invariably happens with major projects) try to smooth the way. A Residents group has been set up and Abri staff have begun talking to residents on an individual basis to clarify their requirements.
NEIGHOURHOOD INSPECTOR
Helen has posted about the meeting separately. She has arranged bi monthly meetings with the Windsor area councillors. This should help with building trust and improve communications. At her request thy have produced an induction manual. Helen is asking Windsor councillors for feedback so it can be tweeked and then rolled out across the Borough.
GRAFFITI CLEANING
There was a lot more graffiti in our ward earlier in April - the police and community wardens are aware and we have seen less of it recently so hopefully this is the last of it. Alison has been cleaning it off where she has seen it. One particular area of concern is the back and side of Woody's Cafe - we are working with the owner on this to come up with a solution for cleaning it and preventing it from being targetted again. Alison also took a trip out to Bray ward with Cllr Suzanne Cross and they cleaned up a few areas there together, too. If anyone wants advice on cleaning graffiti off let Alison know as she's quite an expert now!
DEDWORTH LIBRARY
This is a gem of a community library in Smiths Lane. Helen and Alison visit it regularly and Helen regularly promotes the many activities which take place and it is well supported. To find out more https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/leisure-and-culture/libraries/library-dedworth-library
WINDSOR FOODSHARE
Both Alison and Helen took part in the sponsored walk Loop the Lake, walking round Virginia Water Lake. Our fellow tBfI councillor, Cllr Jodie Grove and her family joined us (see main photo). We were lucky to have a fine morning. So far over £10k has been raised. This is an incredible sum and goes to show what a generous community we have. If only there wasn’t the need for WHP’s existence! And the demand goes on increasing. (Helen adds as she is often asked – every client is vetted so we know there is a genuine need).
TRAFFIC DELAYS
Due to utility repairs there continue to be severe road delays. Helen has made suggested to the Assistant Director responsible for Highways how this could be managed better to minimise inconvenience to the community. She has requested a meeting to discuss.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Helen is the RBWM’s Champion for CSR. She works closely with the RBWM Champion for Volunteering, Cllr Jack Douglas. This month she had meetings with the Windsor and Eton Brewery, the Royal Windsor Racecoure and Tivoli. Both Centrica and Volker supported the community initiatives. She’s arranged meetings with other companies for next month. The potential for involving businesses is far greater than the time she has available, so she concentrates on those organisations which are most likely to respond positively, she won’t cold call instead for people to introduce her. She covers volunteering opportunities, environmental support, care leavers charter, etc. ensuring what she does ties in with the new Council Plan. She actively promotes the Care Leavers Charter and has got RBWM to agree to make this a standard condition of contracts with major suppliers. Helen arranged with Volker HIghways , as part of their CSR policy, to level up two planters in the ward - one by Thames Hospice and the other by St Andrews Crescent. Helen and Alison went along to thank them for their kind work.
COUNCIL MEETING
Helen contributed to the debate on the petition pointing out the success of the Go2Gate service to LHR https://youtu.be/7bwWcFPsKBM. She also contributed to the debate on the Council Plan praising how many opportunities there had been to input view, and expressed concern for the support for our most deprived residents https://youtu.be/7bwWcFPsKBM
CABINET
Helen regularly attends Cabinet and asks questions. She asked when residents would hear the results of the bus consultation. She was concerned at the failure of the Council to implement the Dilapidation and Repair clause in the lease and sought, and was given assurance, that all current leases with such conditions will be enforced https://youtu.be/0fNZIhaGOZc Helen asked questions re the budget – the reserves, the robustness of the current budget, the spending review panel and CIL spend, and the failure of the Auditors to discover the faulty processes which are now being discovered https://youtu.be/0fNZIhaGOZc?t=3371 . She asked about the tennis courts https://youtu.be/0fNZIhaGOZc?t=4425
SPORTS PITCHES
Alison met with Paul Mitchell who is one of the coaches at Windsor & Eton FC junior sides. He was upset about the lack of communication about the consultation feedback regarding the charging for sports pitches. Alison liaised with Cllr Josh Reynolds and him and Mr Mitchell had a conversation about this. Alison also fed back how important it is to keep these fees relatively affordable so that the teams can continue to play. We are still waiting for the outcome but hope for a positive one for the council and for Windsor & Eton FC and all the other sports clubs waiting for a response.
EID AL-FITR
Helen & Alison were invited by Windsor Muslim Association to attend their Eid Al-Fitr celebration.
HEALTH AND WELLBEING BOARD
Helen regularly attends the HWB . She asked questions about the Strategy https://youtu.be/8EUtY4oa7cM , housing https://youtu.be/8EUtY4oa7cM?t=2413, impact of climate change https://youtu.be/8EUtY4oa7cM, physical activity and inclusion https://youtu.be/8EUtY4oa7cM?t=5261 and the homeless https://youtu.be/8EUtY4oa7cM?t=6692
PLANNING APPLICATIONS
Every week Helen and Alison look at the planning applications for the Ward and where they feel they are not adhering to local planning policies “calls them in”. This means if officers decide to approve then the application will go the Planning to consider. In a typical year only three or so applications are called in, but the process of reviewing them is useful in knowing what’s going on in the ward.
UTILITY BOXES
Alison and Helen have been making a note of any damaged or open utility boxes and have been reporting them. If you find one that you see is open or damaged please let us know.
PLACE OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY PANEL
Alison attended the Place Overview & Scrutiny Panel in April and the paper that she wrote regarding Tivoli and the grass cutting was discussed. Tivoli presented what they are going to do to improve things. We have seen a small improvement to the frequency of the grass cutting but the quality varies from road to road - please let us know if you are unhappy with any grass cutting in your area and if you can provide photos that would be useful. You can watch the meeting here https://www.youtube.com/live/SAEkGVYD72Q?si=Pq8y55RaG3BsWKyE
ST GEORGES DAY FAIR
Alison & Helen both attended the St George's Day Fair at Clewer Memorial Recreation Ground on April 21st. It was a great success with over 1200 people attending and we were so lucky with the weather. Helen was on the tombola but took a break to have a go at the Morris Dancing. Alison entered her dog into the Musical Sits in the Dog Show and came 3rd. The next event that Clewer & Dedworth Together will be running is Rock the Rec on 6th July www.rocktherec.co.uk for more details.
RESIDENTS ISSUES
Mould and damp, traffic jams and utility repairs, planning enforcement, homelessness. Don't forget if you have an issue please email us.
CONSULTATIONS
Automatic Fire Alarms closing date May 13 http://rbfrs.co.uk/haveyoursay
School Transport Consultation SEND closing date May 13 https://bit.ly/3w9Ng2U
Berkshire Nature Recovery Plan closing date May 7 https://bit.ly/3WfjX9I
MEETINGS
Abri re Sawyers Close development, TVP Neighbourhood Inspector, re Local Transport Plan Service Lead, Windsor & Eton Brewery, Eid celebrations, CSR – Service Lead Economic Growth, Council, Trustees Meeting – Ellison House Almshouse, Executive Director Royal Windsor Racecourse. Abri x 2, Health and Wellbeing Board, Cabinet, Champion for Social Housing, Community Development and Volunteer Officer, New Windsor Community Association AGM, Place Overview & Scrutiny, Planning Meeting, CSR Regional Director Tivoli.
Thank you for reading
Cllr Alison Carpenter - Cllr.carpenter@rbwm.gov.uk
Cllr Helen Price - Cllr.price@rbwm.gov.uk