Borough Local Plan progresses to next stage | The emerging Borough Local Plan is moving a step closer to delivery, with a second round of public hearing sessions arranged for October and November this year.

The public hearing sessions will consider a range of matters and issues including the plan’s spatial strategy, future housing provision and the policy framework for specific site allocations.

The Borough Local Plan is being examined by an independent planning inspector, Mrs Louise Phillips, who conducted a first round of public hearing sessions in June 2018. Following these hearing sessions, we were asked to address a number of issues highlighted by the inspector, which involved consulting with residents and businesses on proposed revisions to the plan and updating supporting documents. This process was completed in late 2019.

Following on from this, the inspector reviewed the proposed revisions to the plan and the comments received from residents and businesses, and in June this year, issued a series of questions to guide and inform the discussion at the second round of public hearings. Along with a range of interested parties, we responded to the inspector’s questions in writing, and having reviewed these responses, the inspector will prepare an agenda for each of the forthcoming hearing sessions.

UPDATE

The Inspector has now issued the provisional hearings programme and the Council has published all of the stage 2 matter statements (those prepared by the Council, as well as the statements submitted by representors).  

Links to these documents and the full examination library can be found on the Examination page of the Council website. Please note, the website has been upgraded to a new platform and any links you have saved to the old Council website will no longer work.

The stage 2 examination hearings will take place virtually.  More detailed guidance on this will be provided closer to the hearing dates.

A joint project by the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, Bracknell Forest Council and Slough Council to commission a single Local Healthwatch Service across East Berkshire has successfully concluded.

Help & Care has been awarded the contract to provide this service across the three boroughs, which will see the authorities working together, to ensure valuable health and social care information is shared to improve the services available to local residents.

Help & Care, who currently run the Healthwatch service in Slough, were chosen following a competitive tender progress, and will work closely with NHS East Berkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

E-mail Corkcompanycontact@gmail.com  Instagram @the_corkcompany .  CLICK HERE

A Record-breaking Business Venture |  When 16-year-old Ascot students Pierre and Freddie read in the Guinness World Records book that the most corks ever collected was a mere 744, they decided it was an easy one to break.  A few visits to local bars and restaurants, loots from friends and holiday souvenirs and, in no time, they had amassed 3,230 corks.  That was when they found out that Guinness charges £600 to feature your record...

This diffused their ambition to get anything official, but with the arrival of Lockdown, and a bit more time on their hands, they decided to opt for the entrepreneurial route and set up a business making products from corks.  A table in the garage, a borrowed mini band saw, some imagination, and a lot of enthusiasm, and The Cork Company was born.

Their first product is a set of table mats and trivets.

CLICK HERE for WEBSITE

SKY SPORTS RACING EXTENDS EXCLUSIVE ASCOT PAY TV RIGHTS UNTIL 2024 | Ascot is delighted with coverage and support across Sky Sports Racing and attheraces.com since March 2019

Ascot Racecourse and At The Races have announced that they have agreed to extend their partnership on domestic pay TV and digital platforms. The new agreement covering non-terrestrial television in the UK & Ireland will see Sky Sports Racing broadcast live coverage from all of Ascot's 25 annual fixtures until at least 2024.

At The Races will continue to manage licensing and distribution of Ascot races for live streaming to UK betting operators under a separate long-term agreement.

The renewal with Ascot is a further boost to Sky Sports Racing's global rights portfolio which includes the Breeders' Cup, Kentucky Derby, Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Longines Hong Kong International Races and Melbourne Cup Carnival as well as over 700 domestic fixtures including the St Leger Festival, Boodles Chester May Festival and Coral Welsh Grand National.

Royal Ascot, held behind closed doors this year, helped Sky Sports Racing attract a month reach audience of 2.2m UK viewers in June (BARB).

Sky Sports Racing's current rights agreement with Ascot lasts until the end of this year and the three-year extension now commits Ascot rights to the channel until January 1st 2024.

Juliet Slot, Chief Commercial Officer at Ascot, said:

Care UK's  Larkland House, London Road, Ascot

Larkland House in Ascot is open and welcoming new residents for respite or a permanent stay.

A quick guide

• Close to Ascot High Street and Race Course.
• 24 hour residential, dementia and nursing care
• All rooms are fully furnished, televisions, 24 hour call system and ensuite shower room.
• Chef led catering team with delicious and varied meals prepared in house daily.

If you would like more information about Larkland House, please call 04725 621404.

Business grant scheme reopened |     CLICK HERE

At the beginning of May, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy announced a Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund for local authorities to support businesses impacted by COVID-19 in their area. The fund was aimed at small businesses who weren’t eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund or the Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Fund.    

In June this year we invited applications from qualifying businesses in the borough for the grant. We received almost 200 applications from local businesses but fewer than half the applications met the eligibility criteria and so we have approximately £800k of the fund remaining.

RBWM are therefore re-opening applications for the Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund on Monday 10th August 2020. Applications will be assessed for eligibility and allocated on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis until all the funding has been awarded. The scheme has to close by 28 August 2020 but will close before if the funds are utilised.

 Full details of the eligibility criteria will be made available online and only businesses that met the eligibility criteria should apply. You can apply online via the council website from Monday 10th August 2020. Previous applicants need not apply, businesses wishing to be considered should fully complete the online application as soon as possible and ensure the required supporting evidence is provided.