Surface Water Drainage

Thames Water, PO BOX 286, Swindon, SN38 2RA or go to: https://forms.thameswater.co.uk/
surface-water-drainage and download one.

You can also ring 020 8481 8180 and enter the 5p Challenge or go round the Hospice in Hampton on their open days on Friday 25^th June and Saturday 26th.

Flooding

Energy and Recycling

 2010 Diary

 Wraysbury NAG

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NEWS FROM THE BOROUGH COUNCIL

Christmas seems a year ago and we have had some very severe weather during that period and seen snow 8-12 inches deep. For those of us old enough remember this last occurred 30 years ago. Great for the first few days but extremely inconvenient thereafter. This was followed by minus temperatures and we then had the ice to concern ourselves with.

The Council were working throughout the nights gritting the main roads and the footpaths adjacent to schools, nursing homes, hospitals etc. Your Council had the foresight to ensure there was a good stock of salt and grit in hand unlike many other Councils who were caught out. Using email “trees” your Local Councillors contacted as many Residents as possible to inform them of changes to refuse collection dates due to the weather conditions 

Potholes have become a national problem following the very bad winter weather. This is a big disappointment for RBWM following the increased investment over the last three years. This had seen a demonstrable improvement in the condition of roads within the Borough, particularly our main and secondary roads which had by last year, seen an improvement which exceeded Government targets.

However, with the prolonged period of freezing conditions, the worst recorded for 30 years, the small cracks and fissures in road surfaces are prone to open up to cause individual potholes. Unfortunately, this is inevitable due to the majority of roads, both locally and nationally, being historic and built with different sub-structures. But the Council can and is doing something about it by:-

Making Safe

£75000 extra money from the Council was poured into the budget for roads and instructions went out to all Councillors and officers to identify the large pot holes so that repairs could ensue quickly. 4500 potholes have already been plugged across the Borough since December. Residents were equally helpful and contacted: streetcare@rbwm.gov.uk Please let Cllr Rayner know of any we have missed or any fly tipping etc. - Cllr.Rayner@RBWM.gov.uk

The Council’s 7 Highways Inspectors are out constantly inspecting the roads to identify potholes which are potentially dangerous and need urgent attention. The cold and wet conditions of late mean that the Council cannot undertake permanent repairs and thus, a “temporary plug” is undertaken to make the road safe for local residents and road users but recognise that with the poor conditions. This will not last and may either need a further plug or, hopefully, a more permanent repair as soon as reasonably possible.

A Programme of More Extensive Patching - where an extensive number of potholes have occurred, it is clearly more cost effective and efficient to undertake more extensive patching rather than individual in-filling of potholes and as the weather begins to improve, we are able to bring forward a programme of extended patching. This has already commenced. Additional resources have been brought in by way of contractors to support our team who are focusing their activities on the potholes.

Permanent Repairs - we have also commenced a programme of more permanent repairs to the potholes by using a specialist contractor with infra-red equipment which heats the surrounding material within an existing pothole to ensure that the new material bonds effectively and creates a permanent repair.

Council Tax

This is the big news coming out of the Council. The RBWM Council Tax is the lowest in the country - MINUS 4%. For an illustration - the cut equates to £41 a year off band D properties. The savings have been made by a significant reorganisation of back office staff. This has enabled the Council to both cut tax and push more money into frontline services. 

Your council tax…Your choice. You may have seen a consultation document - called Participatory Budgeting and I hope you will have had the opportunity to partake in this consultation. This was the chance for residents to influence how the council spends £½m of its 2010/11 capital budget.

The council set aside an additional £½m which could provide a cash injection for several one-off local projects, depending on how residents rank a list of eight different schemes in order of priority. Alternatively, the choice could have been not to opt for spending the money at all.

Transparency and Accountability

The Council have introduced every expenditure over £500 to be listed so that you - the Council Tax payer can see where your money is being spent and can hold the Council responsible. We wait and see how many other Councils will follow this move. 

Third runway

The third runway has been stalled for the time being following the High Court ruling that the Government’s decision to give the green light to the proposed third runway at Heathrow ‘does not hold any weight’. The judge dismissed the Government’s claims to the contrary as ‘untenable in law and common sense’.

The challenge to the government’s proposals was brought by the Royal Borough and five other members of the 2M group opposed to Heathrow expansion and a number of other residents groups and aircraft noise campaigners. The court ruled that if the Government wants to pursue its plans for Heathrow expansion it must now go back to square one and reconsider the entire case for the runway.

The implications of today's ruling are profound, not just for Heathrow but for airport expansion plans across the UK. Lord Justice Carnwath ruled that the 2003 Air Transport White Paper - the foundation of expansion plans across the country - is obsolete because it is inconsistent with the Climate Change Act 2008 - a typical example of bureaucratic bumbling. However air travel continues to grow and the need for additional airport capacity in Southern England remains. 

Obviously much more has been going on in the Council since we last wrote to you and if any resident would like an update on any of their concerns with the Council, please do email: Cllr Colin Rayner and Cllr John Lenton and we’ll attempt to get as much information as we can for you.

Kind regards from the two of us

John Lenton & Colin Rayner

Councillor Colin Rayner
By Post: Berkyn Manor, Stanwell Road, Horton, Windsor SL3 9PE
By Tel: 01753 685480 or Mobile: 07778 547542
By Fax: 01753 686626
By email: cllr.rayner@rbwm.gov.uk

Councillor John Lenton
By Post: 92 Welley Road, Wraysbury, Staines TW19 5EP
By Tel: 01784 482001 or Mobile 07889 991877
By email: cllr.lenton@rbwm.gov.uk

Annual Parish Walk 

The Annual Parish Walk will take place on 24th April 2010, meeting at 10:00 am outside Karellies Cafe in the High Street.  This is a 2 hour nature walk along the footpaths of Wraysbury led by Phil Jackson, All are welcome.

The NAG is currently undertaking their community consultation and  their community consultation questionnaire is now available. Please feel free to download the questionnaire and place it in the community consultation post boxes located at The Post Office in Wraysbury High Street.

Overwhelming response to Mayor's Charity Ball

Ticket sales are fast approaching the 300 level, but there's still time to join the guest list for the Mayor's annual Charity Ball to be held at The Pavilion, Ascot Racecourse, next month.

"I know of no way in which the inhabitants of a parish can loose a right of this kind once they have acquired it except by an Act of Parliament..." So said Lord Denning Master of the Rolls..

Dangerous use of catapults will not be tolerated

Following the jailing of a 22 year old  for six years in December 2009 for assault during an incident of disorder at Wraysbury Village Club in March 2008, which involved the use of a catapult, the neighbourhood policing team in Datchet, Horton and Wraysbury is warning people that the dangerous use of catapults will not be tolerated.  (07/01/10)

Update from the R. B. W. M. Chief Executive Ian Trenholm

Following yesterday’s (06/01/10) heavy snow falls and the current icy conditions, we are continuing to provide as much information to residents as we can via the radio, web and Twitter (which enables residents to receive free text alerts on issues such as gritting, weather conditions and waste collection times.)

Home energy survey

The Council’s Environment Services are offering a Free Home Energy Survey.  The Royal Borough’s Energy Awareness Officer will visit your home – about half an hour – and show you ways to reduce your energy bills. 

New utilities partner proposal to keep Borough on the move

Fewer traffic hold-ups and better travel information. That's the aim of a new council initiative that will bring about better co-ordination of road works and more information for residents, visitors, businesses and the travelling public.

Neighbourhood Watch

Thames Valley Police Messaging service can be receive by email. Updates on crimes are received about twice a week and it is a very helpful service.

Mixed recycling pilot 

Recycling will soon be saving money for even more Royal Borough residents as the council's pioneering rewards pilot scheme is extended to include mixed recycling.