Latest news with #StuartGourley
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Petition against West Berkshire's three-weekly bin collection
A petition has been launched to stop West Berkshire Council from changing the frequency of bin collections, following a survey in which most people voted against the authority currently collects the black bins every two weeks but plans to extend this to once in every three petition said the consultation was "flawed" and there was "no clear" direct question to residents as to whether they wanted the Berkshire Council's waste strategy said it will save the council £150,000 a year and encourage people to do more recycling. The council said there is no date yet for when the new bin rota will be introduced, but the plans were approved as part of the waste strategy in petition said: "If half the West Berkshire residents apply and receive a larger bin the proposed policy could end up costing more than it saves." In a council survey run earlier this year, most people said they did not want a reduction in the frequency of refuse was a high level of support for increasing waste types collected for recycling, as well as support for a review of the council bins provided for recycling Democrat Councillor and portfolio holder for waste and the environment Stuart Gourley said: "Waste services is one of the most visible we provide for the residents."It is used by 168,000 of us in West Berkshire but that doesn't mean we shouldn't look to improve our services."How and what we dispose of is also a key component in our push to improve our lived environment to reduce waste and increase recycling."He said data shows 43 per cent of waste that goes into black bins can be respondents stated that they might be able to cope with a reduction to black bin frequencies with adequate support. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Flood repair work list drawn up by West Berkshire Council
Areas hit hard by flooding last year should be prioritised for prevention work, a council has been Berkshire Council said it had worked with consultants and other agencies to determine 10 potential improvements following flooding last summer, which was the third wettest in the county since 1918.A resident whose home near Reading flooded in January 2024 said she wanted authorities to act more councillor in charge of the authority's flood prevention work said more money needed to be invested by the government to help mitigate problems. Felicity Becker was forced to put furniture on the ground floor on breeze blocks when her home was inundated in January said flood water reached about 1ft (30cm) high in her house, kitchen units were ruined and there was also damage caused to her garden. But she said the flooding also caused emotional turmoil. "Once the flood has gone, when we get heavy rain - and there are massive puddles on the roads because the drains haven't been sorted - then the kids get anxious, as do we all, thinking 'is this our house next?'" she added. She said it took more than a year to arrange a meeting involving the various agencies involved and the local community to discuss potential measures. From early January to late March, West Berkshire was badly affected by flooding when it was hit by Storms Henk, Isha and Jocelyn. West Berkshire Council said it had liaised with Thames Water, the Environment Agency (EA), dozens of landowners as well as other groups, including the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, to get a clearer picture of where the main problems WSP submitted recommendations to the council following the flooding, including looking into who is responsible for keeping ditches in Pingewood clear of should also be upgrades to some of the roads on the Membury Industrial Estate, they entire section of surface water drainage in Paices Hill, between Aldermaston and Baughurst, must be replaced after a failure which caused flooding for residents and businesses. Stuart Gourley, the council's executive portfolio holder for environment and highways, said authorities could only "mitigate as much as possible". "There will always be that risk because this area is in the highest flood risk zone that there is for ground and for river flooding," he said. Thames Water spokesperson said responding to flooding required "a multi-agency approach across a range of organisations" and it would continue to work with others EA was approached to comment. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
09-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Newbury to extended pedestrianisation hours under trial
Pedestrianisation hours in a town centre will be extended by six hours, on a trial basis, a council has Berkshire Council said the Department for Transport (DfT) had approved its application for Newbury Town Centre from 19 May. Northbrook Street, Bridge Street, Bartholomew Street (north), Mansion House Street, Wharf Street and Market Place currently close to traffic from 10:00 to 17:00. This will be extended until 23: council said it would run a formal consultation, gathering feedback for the first six months of the trial, which will remain in place until a decision is made. This follows a pre-trial public consultation between September and November council received 2,487 responses to the survey - 36.7% of which supported the proposed trial the response had been "mixed", the authority said it believed "this now presents a valuable opportunity for the public to engage and share their views whilst a trial is carried out". Stuart Gourley, executive member for the environment and highways, said the initiative was "important" for Newbury."Extending pedestrianisation has the potential to create a safer, greener, more vibrant town centre while supporting local businesses and promoting sustainability," he continued."This trial allows us to test the benefits, listen to residents and businesses and shape the future of our town centre together." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
