Facing the Financial Reality
This past month has brought the full scale of RBWM’s financial challenges into sharp focus. It has become clear not only how severely our reserves have been depleted but also the shortcomings in the council’s processes, systems, and staffing levels. These issues make it increasingly difficult to deliver services to the standard our community expects and deserves.
We expect to hear from Central Government in February regarding the next steps. Since May, the council have been in ongoing dialogue with them, ensuring they are fully aware of the challenges we face and the support we urgently need.
Corporate Overview & Scrutiny Panel
Helen, in her role as Vice Chair, played an active part in scrutinising the Quarterly Assurance Report. She obtained clarification on the frequency of reporting, noting that Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are presented quarterly, while Deliverables are reported every six months. These can all be found in the Council Plan.
Helen also sought answers to critical questions, including:
- Breaking Down Silos: How departments learn from both positive outcomes in other areas and failures to avoid silo working, aiming to improve collaboration and outcomes.
- Avoiding Bankruptcy (S114): Why avoiding bankruptcy should be prioritised and the importance of clear communication with residents. Disappointingly, this has not yet been effectively actioned. She suggested councillors be used as a communication channel, but after the disarray of the recent Council meeting, she has reconsidered this approach.
- Culture Change: What cultural shifts are required within RBWM to enable progress.
- Next Steps for the Plan: What happens following Council approval of the Plan (noting that, while the Plan has been approved, clarity on next steps remains lacking).
Helen also asked for updates on the reconciliation of the Council’s financial position, which, at the time, stood at an additional £16m unanticipated charge to revenue. Shockingly, just three days later, this figure had increased to £25m.
Finally, she called for accountability for those responsible for the financial mismanagement. She highlighted that councillors had been reassured following the 2020 Cipfa review that the situation was under control, only to learn now that this was far from the truth.
Flower Bed Given a Trim
Early in November, Tivoli trimmed the St John’s Wort hedge outside the shops on the corner of Dedworth Road and St Andrews Avenue, leaving it looking a little harsh. However, Helen recalls they did the same last January, and it flourished beautifully afterward.
So Helen gave the area a tidy-up, clearing some leftover cuttings. The bed is thriving, with several plants already in bloom. You can see a photo of this as our main photo at the top of the page. If you have any spare plants or seeds from your garden, feel free to add them to the bed—it’s a great way to contribute to the community space!
Rumenration Committee – Review of Councillor Allowances
Every four years, a substantial review of councillor allowances is conducted. Helen was selected to participate in an interview to share her views.
During the interview, Helen noted the unusual nature of the review process, pointing out that she couldn’t think of any other organisation where individuals receive an allowance, yet performance evaluations occur only once every four years—at election time. “Such is politics,” she remarked.
Helen also highlighted important contextual factors that the Committee may not have been fully aware of, including:
- Workload Variations: Councillors in areas without Parish or Town Councils face a significantly higher workload, as they lack the support of parish or town councillors who often share responsibilities.
- Deprivation Challenges: Councillors representing wards with high levels of deprivation often need to provide direct support to residents rather than simply signposting them to services.
Interestingly, the total costs of allowances have remained around the £500k mark since 2019. However, prior to this, the figure was closer to £700k. This reduction was due to RBWM’s request for a boundary change, which resulted in fewer wards and, consequently, increased workloads for individual councillors. Find out more here.
Full Council Meeting
Following the unruly Council meeting, Helen took the initiative to address the community’s concerns by writing to the local newspaper. Her letter was published, as you can see here:
Honouring Remembrance Day in Our Community
Alison and Helen, with the help of a few local residents, put up poppies (and took them down again) at the junction of Imperial Road and St Leonards Road, as well as across our Ward. It was a wonderful team effort to honour those who have served.
To build on this, Helen has reached out to local companies to secure donations for additional poppies next year, aiming to create an even more impressive display across Windsor.
On Remembrance Sunday, Alison represented our residents at the Service at Windsor Parish Church, while Helen attended the Service at Clewer Memorial. Helen was asked at the last minute to be a Reader. The photos show the Clewer Memorial and Alison in Thames Street at the Windsor memorial service.
Champion for Corporate Social Responsibility
Helen has been working hard on building links which includes understanding more clearly what local community groups need. She has been working successfully with the RBWM senior contracts manager and through his introductions has already met with three providers and discussed how they can add social value to the community. She has now linked with the other contracts manager (contracts such as insurance) who she has asked to identify the top six companies she thinks would be interested. Helen will then research each, rank them in order of potential and seek a personal introduction via our contracts manager. The process is quite slow as this is all voluntary and has to be fitted round the existing workload. She is looking to build a long-term model what will continue to operate when she is no longer in post.
LEGO gifts for libraries and children
Helen approached the new General Manager for LEGO sets for children’s Xmas presents and LEGO bricks for our libraires who wanted to set up LEGO clubs, building on the successful model at Dedworth Library. LEGOLAND have been exceedingly generous donating a dozen boxed sets and four enormous cardboard boxes of LEGO bricks There will be a thank you etc with pictures in the New Year.
Supporting the New Windsor Community Association in Hanover Way
Alison attended the committee meeting of the New Windsor Community Association, where plans are underway to secure quotes for a new boiler. The centre has been buzzing with fantastic events recently, with even more exciting activities planned in the coming months.
If you haven’t visited yet, it’s a wonderful local hub with a welcoming bar and plenty to offer. Be sure to check it out and support this great community space!
King George VI Day Centre and Lunch Club
Helen is the new Council Rep and met with the Chair of Trustees to understand more about the Centre and how she could support. She is now the council rep for the three organisations supporting our older residents, Age Concern, the Almshouse and KGVI.
Centrica
Helen held her regular monthly meeting and worked with Centrica to organise the planting of daffodils on the bund opposite their site on Maidenhead Road. This required careful coordination, including obtaining RBWM’s permission, instructing contractors not to cut the bund at critical times, and agreeing on the number of bulbs, equipment, and a planting date.
Although the weather was murky, six dedicated volunteers braved the conditions and worked hard to complete the task. Helen also added forget-me-nots from home to enhance the display. With luck, the area will bloom beautifully in the spring and become a self-sustaining feature.
The plan is to plant bulbs in a new area next year. This particular site was chosen as a lasting reminder to Centrica staff of their contribution to the local community.
Advocating for Fairness in Sports Fees
Alison attended a meeting at Stag Meadow with Paul Mitchell and Richard Endacott from Windsor & Eton FC. Cllr Douglas, as the cabinet lead member for sports and leisure, and Cllrs Davies and Tisi, as ward councillors, were also present.
Alison’s involvement stemmed from her strong advocacy for a review of the significant increase in the club’s pitch fees. The new charges now include fees for mini pitches, which had not been charged in the past. While Windsor & Eton FC acknowledged the need for an increase, they highlighted that the proposed amount felt disproportionate, especially given their ongoing contributions: purchasing their own goalposts, repairing pitches with their own materials, and paying for repainting pitch lines.
During the meeting, the club even offered to make a payment on the spot, but Cllr Douglas stated he would need to confirm whether a reduced amount could be accepted.
Alison emphasised the importance of ensuring that sport remains accessible to all children, particularly in Clewer and Dedworth East, the most deprived area in the ward. She stressed that if fees rise too steeply, it could prevent many children from participating in sports—a vital outlet for health, wellbeing, and community spirit. More to come on this topic over the next couple of months, no doubt.
Crown Estate
Helen, together with Cllr Amy Tisi (Lead for Windsor and Childrens Services) met with the Crown Estate Head of Engagement and Events to discuss further collaborative working/social value.
Crown Estate prefer to be discreet about what they do hence we won’t list the various activities
Supporting the Community During the Festive Season
As a trustee of Clewer & Dedworth Together, Alison attended the Windsor Light Switch-On event alongside her fellow trustees, where they successfully raised a significant amount for the organisation.
Unfortunately, their own Christmas Fair, originally scheduled for 24th November, had to be postponed by a week due to Storm Bert. Given the severe rain and winds, this was undoubtedly a wise and prudent decision to ensure the safety and success of the event. See our December report when it comes out for more details on how that went!
Alexander Devine Hospital
Helen visited our children’s hospice to understand better what it does. She has posted separately about this here.
Alma Beacon
Helen met with the Chair of the Alma Beacon, the home of the Windsor Homeless Project to be brought up to date on what it was doing and to see where she could support. They will be opening their night shelter early January. They can’t open it any earlier as they need to recruit suitable staff to be there all night, every night. If you’re interested see https://www.windsorhomelessproject.org/ Their long term plan is now to concentrate on moving their clients on and back into employment, they call this project MOMENTUM.
Well Windsor
Helen asked to meet with Well Windsor, again to understand what they are doing and how she could work collaboratively and ensure we’re not approaching the same businesses. It has been set up by a group of parents who recognise that there is a big issue re the mental and emotional health of our children. Their purpose is to raise funds and then commission support within our Windsor schools. Although they are very new they are currently providing support in eight of our 20 schools. They are setting measurable outcomes to assess if it works and if it does would look to roll out this model to other towns. It was an inspiring meeting and you can find out more here. https://www.wellwindsor.org.uk/
Community Champion Forum
This was set up around a couple of years ago by former cllr Jon Davey. He enabled community groups across Windsor to get together to find out what each did, how they could work together and to share good practice. Helen attended the last meeting and, as Jon wasn’t present, chaired it (there were only four of us so an easy task).
Anything Goes
The week before the event, the school approached Helen for help in promoting ticket sales. Alison used her creative skills to design an eye-catching promotional piece, which Helen shared widely to boost visibility.
Both of us attended the Thursday performance, thoroughly enjoying the show although Alison did observe Helen having a quick nap in the first half!
Wreath Making Class
On a Friday evening in November, Clewer & Dedworth Together hosted a delightful Christmas wreath-making class. Helen joined in the creative fun, while Alison was busy serving prosecco and mince pies and lending a helping hand throughout the evening.
The event welcomed 22 ladies from the local community, and the results were, for the most part, absolutely stunning! It was a wonderful way to kick off the festive season and bring people together.
Weekly Potential Traffic Delays Update
Helen & Alison continue to check for weekly planned roadworks likely to cause delay on one.network. If no delays can be seen no update goes out. Sadly that’s a rare week!
Residents Issues
Dealing with the bailiffs, Special Educational Needs issues, water leaks, issues with emergency housing, abusive neighbours.
Consultations
Housing and Allocations Schemes closing date 16 January 2025 https://rbwmtogether.rbwm.gov.uk/housing-allocations-scheme
RBWM Parking Supplementary Planning Document – Early Engagement closing 13 January 2025
https://rbwmtogether.rbwm.gov.uk/parking-spd
Have your say on RBWM Grounds Maintenance closes on 3rd February 2025 https://rbwmtogether.rbwm.gov.uk/grounds-maintenance?fbclid=IwY2xjawHH9OdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHap17B6jc1eaB0O1lInQzulod5Vb3sW_JwSwPfmhZ8G8zEkbqy4avQli6g_aem_RfsPgEJSa3uN7046nxOjKw
Meetings
Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Panel, New Windsor Community Association, King George VI Day Centre, Centrica, Community Champion Forum, Independents Group, Crown Estate, Windsor & Eton FC, Councillors Allowances, RBWM Strategic Lead Contract Service and Improvement, Council, Alexander Devine Hospice for Children, RBWM Procurement Manager, Alma Beacon (Windsor Homeless Project), Well Windsor, Windsor, Ascot & Maidenhead Planning.