NEWS AND EVENTS AROUND THE PARISH
Christmas time in Binfield Heath
The Village Society will be holding its annual Christmas Carol Singing around the tree in front of the Village Shop, on Thurs, 19 December, 6.30 - 8pm. There will be free mulled wine and mince pies and Father Christmas will be making an appearance.
So too will Tim our postman, who leaves his job here at the end of November. Tim, who races around the village in his shorts at top speed, putting post through our letterboxes is retiring from Royal Mail and will be much missed here.
There is a collection for Tim at the Village Shop and a big card for everyone to add a farewell message. Although he leaves officially on November 23, he will return for the carols round the tree, when he will be presented with the card and gifts from villagers.
Carols at the Bottle and Glass, 15 December
Starting at 7.30pm there will be carol singing from a local community choir with accompaniment by Roger Darbishire. There’s lots of audience participation, so do join us.
Neighbourhood plan for Binfield Heath a step nearer
The final council meeting of the year was held on Monday November 25. Councillors discussed creating a Neighbourhood Plan for the parish and further steps will be taken in the new year for everyone to come and find out what is involved and how they can take part.
We will need to get a good response to the suggestion in order to go ahead and then a wide level of help from the parish will be needed to carry it out. It is a big undertaking, both financially and in terms of work and involvement on behalf of the whole community.
Reading Bridge – what do you think?
Our county councillor, David Bartholomew is pressing local parishes to unite in their condemnation of Reading and Wokingham’s plan for a major new river crossing that will end at Playhatch. There is at present no provision for mitigation measures once the expected in-flux of new traffic hits the Henley Road. SODC and OCC have recommended the bridge be used for public transport, pedestrian and cycling only. In spite of this, it has been announced that Berkshire groups have asked the Govt for £0.8m to fund the preparation of a business case for a major road bridge. If you have views, let your MP John Howell know.
The Scout Hut
We are delighted to hear that the scout hut can be saved after all. Extensive repairs will be needed over several months but the hut can be restored. For more info or if you would like to make a donation, contact erniepovey@yahoo.co.uk.
Drug-driving in Binfield Heath
Youngsters smoking pot have been spotted round the village, often in the recreation ground at night, or in cars nearby clearly smoking weed. The police are aware but if you see anything, do report it.
Dunsden Hall representative
Dunsden Hall needs a representative from Binfield Heath on its committee. You don’t need to be a parish councillor to step forward. For more information about what is involved, contact Sue Summerland, 0118 9482814, who is stepping down from the role.
PARISH COUNCIL INFORMATION
Parish Council meetings
These will take place in the Locals Bar of the Bottle & Glass for the foreseeable future, starting as usual at 7.45pm. There is no meeting in December.
Village newsletter
Marina Hart would like to hear from anyone with news or information of interest to local residents, on marina.hart@virgin.net. Most of the newsletters are emailed to save printing and delivery, so do let her have your contact details if you would like to receive one. Privacy information is available from her and on this website. Newsletters are uploaded to this site. We hope you enjoy reading them and find them useful - and please do contact her with contributions for the next one if you have any news to share.
Reporting issues round the parish
Fly-tipped rubbish continues to be a problem locally and has to be collected by District Council contractors at considerable extra cost to the taxpayer. If you see fly-tipping - or the results of it - please report it online to admin.southoxford@biffa.co.uk Similarly, potholes have been a big problem this year. If you are aware of one locally please contact fixmystreet.com and tell them the area, address if possible and postcode. It's the fastest way to get results.
Security
Do make sure your home and outbuildings are securely locked and tell your neighbours if you are going away. Report anything suspicious to Thames Valley Police on 101 or in an emergency call 999.
Keep up to date
From this page you can see diary events in the village at a glance, with a link to more information if you need it. Check which bin is going out this week and look up the bus timetable or report potholes in our roads. You can comment on planning applications direct with SODC at the click of a button, without knowing the application number. Receiving occasional news mail-outs from the Parish Council on matters that affect you is the fastest and most efficient way to find out what's going on in your parish. If you change your email address just sign up again with the new one - you don't have to delete the old one. If you no longer wish to hear news from us in this form please let us know and we will delete your email details. Visit the village Facebook page to connect with friends and neighbours and join in the chat. If you would like to contact the Parish Council direct send a mail to info@binfieldheath.org.uk or write to the parish clerk, Mandy Sermon at msermon@btinternet.com
Data protection
Regulations concerning data protection have changed. The Parish Council has prepared documents which reflect and clarify these alterations and how they affect you. Please look at the information, on the Parish Council page, which explains how the council uses and stores any information concerning you. (See also Parish Council minutes May, June and July 2018.)